Cartridge myths?

[PintoPlain]

The biggest myths with carts are what ever the latest ideas their marketing department come up with. More blades, fewer blades, lubricating strip, rotating ball, battery powered, Bluetooth etc ad nauseam.

Carts can shave and can shave well. Good technique is the key to any shave. Personally I get a decent shave with carts now that I know how to shave. Most people pick up a cart and a can of goo from a supermarket and run the blade(s) across their face in the manner they saw someone do in the adverts.

My preference is for straights, then De (never tried SE) and then a long distance behind are carts. I only use carts when traveling with carry on only, and sometimes prefer to spend a few days unshaven.

As an edit, Gillette ads are emphasizing their packaging is recyclable here in Ireland. They make no mention of the unrecyclable cartridges or handle though.

 

[SydneyShaver]

Complaining about carts is this sites favourite hobby (after enablement of course). To tell you the truth, how many of us gave any thought about technique, properly hyrdrated skin, properly hyrdrated lather (even shave foam/gel needs to be mixed with some water), quality aftershave, skincare, hair mapping etc prior to shifting into traditional shaving? There are a lot of ideas about carts vs everything else. What works for you works for you. There is not a single blade that I have ever used that lasts as long as a cart for me. Not DE's and not SE's. Do I prefer carts...no. Can I get perfect shaves with them...yes.

 

[luvmysuper]

My biggest problem with carts was cost.
I get a week out of a DE blade that cost 10 cents. A little more than 5 bucks a year.
Carts are astronomical in comparison.

 

[Adam18]

Interesting thread!

As noted above, there are many variables and moving parts.

The main point is that I simply did not enjoy shaving with carts. I became irritated with the constant ‘innovations’ in the cart space: more blades, lubrication strips, batteries, fewer blades, etc. Unfortunately, the ’improvements’ were mostly to the manufacturer’s bottom line as my shaves did not improve.

Since returning to ‘traditional’ wet shaving my daily shaving ‘chore’ has become enjoyable! As a bonus my shaves and skin improved. The final bonus is that I have a new ‘hobby’ that I get to enjoy every day!

Yes indeed !

 

[andromeda673]

you want to hear a good myth about carts "they work" according to the MFG's, we all know that not to be the truth and that they are terrible, and totally useless.

 

[Alum Ladd]

When I first started shaving in the 70's I used a single edged BIC. I used them mostly until 2006. Actually I can't knock them, as they are a fixed head which forced me to learn about angles and my beard map. Although I had no idea these were things. They were a good intro to D/E shaving. They actually taught me a technique.

Come early 2007 I bought a Gillette Fusion Power. The first iteration on the market I believe. The razor was well built and the blades were good. I left it at an ex's place after a breakup. So I bought another in around 2009. The quality and the blade life was not as good. The power button broke after a year. I bought 2 more. Average life 2.5 years. Quality control and build quality was getting poorer, but the price was rocketing, esp for the carts.

The shave quality 'seemed' excellent throughout, but it was trashing my skin and wallet. I went back to crap disposables (not BIC) till this year when I got into D/E finally.

The only myth is that Gillette cartridge systems are 'The Best A Man Can Get'. I do not know what the current woke slogan is. 'The best a non binary gender neutral consumer can get'?

That must be my 'toxic masculinity'' kicking in. I really must cancel myself.

 

[Jack Goossen]

The biggest myths with carts are what ever the latest ideas their marketing department come up with. More blades, fewer blades, lubricating strip, rotating ball, battery powered, Bluetooth etc ad nauseam.

Carts can shave and can shave well. Good technique is the key to any shave. Personally I get a decent shave with carts now that I know how to shave. Most people pick up a cart and a can of goo from a supermarket and run the blade(s) across their face in the manner they saw someone do in the adverts.

My preference is for straights, then De (never tried SE) and then a long distance behind are carts. I only use carts when traveling with carry on only, and sometimes prefer to spend a few days unshaven.

As an edit, Gillette ads are emphasizing their packaging is recyclable here in Ireland. They make no mention of the unrecyclable cartridges or handle though.

Spicy comment

 

[catchacoolbreeze]

Gillette became a razor blade company in the 1920s when it decided to stop selling its DE razors at a premium. It reduced the price of its DE razors and its revenue came from blade sales. This is the same as today. A blade can only be so sharp and manufacturing at scale means that one way to get it sharp is not having to worry about how sharp it actually is. Cartridges rely on the formula of # of blades * distance between blades * pressure = hair cutting (Gillette calls this Hysteresis). Despite the fact they don't ever take into account clogging, at scale, this is the way to make money. If it works for you great. It seems to work for the majority of people or Gillette would be out of business. It works for me regarding cleanup passes for head shaving after I use a mild DE.

This is a niche forum ---so you are either here because you have shaving problems (that is me) or you just like to optimize things to the best of your ability and don't mind another hobby (also me!).

I posted this in 2019 here...

Carts vs DE Razors - Pros and cons of both

Let me start: Carts myth: It takes a lot less time to shave. - In my case, only five minutes difference between DE and carts, as it takes time to spread the canned goo all over the face and takes a lot more rinsing. I have shaved with both DE and carts since the mid 90’s. Never once with...

www.badgerandblade.com

I believe DE and Carts revolve around two different philosophies of shaving. Gillette claims,

"A single-blade razor can only cut what’s visible at the surface of the skin. A 5-blade razor can go so much further.
The first blade starts the job. It cuts the hair and, in the process, gently lifts it from the skin. Before the hair has time to fully withdraw, the next blade comes along and cuts it further down. This process is called ‘hysteresis’

Why does this matter? Facial skin is soft and gel-like, and when you press against it with your razor’s cartridge, it bulges in between the individual razor blades as the cartridge passes over it. This bulging can result in irritation, nicks, and cuts.

Five blades (at the right distance apart), rather than three, reduces that bulge, which means the skin is more even, with bulging reduced by more than 30% (Fusion5 vs. Mach3). As a result, you get a close, comfortable shave, and you’re less likely to cut yourself."

The above (in quotes) is directly from Gillette - Why Gillette razors have so many blades | Gillette

With a DE, assuming your pressure is right (little to none), a sharp blade will cut the hair perfectly fine in line with the surface of your skin and can't give you ingrowns if the blade never cuts the hair beneath your skin.

That's the theory anyway - I found the cart usually does part (and only part) of what it says it will do, and that is pull the hair out a little. I usually feel uncomfortable tugging with a cart but the blades that follow are not normally sharp enough to do a one pass shave to make shaving quick. The benefit of a DE for me is that I can actually get a sharp blade because I'm not stretching the life of a cart to save money. A sharp blade allows me to use little to no pressure and still shave my face. I think if guys shaved with a cart the way they did with a DE (little to no pressure), they would have decent shaves, but that would also require them to pitch blades more often and that is a lot of $$$ down the drain. Admittedly, I do exactly this when I air travel with a carry on and get decent shaves.

I still use a cart for air travel (when I am carry-on only) and I do a second pass on my head with a cart after a first pass with a DE. Once the hair on my head is plowed down by a DE, a one pass shave with a cart doesn't result in tugging (WTG). I can go quicker to clean the head up with a cart which is why I use it for that. Face shaving for me is the same amount of time. Seems to work fine for these specific instances, with proper DE technique and little to no pressure. If I shaved with a cart the way Gillette wants me to (pressure), its a disaster.

Also, for some crazy reason, I can extend the longevity of a cart for 2 months if I only do a one pass cleanup on my head. I have no idea why, but it seems to work for that and its quick. My face hair is thicker and coarser though.

 

[Jack Goossen]

Gillette became a razor blade company in the 1920s when it decided to stop selling its DE razors at a premium. It reduced the price of its DE razors and its revenue came from blade sales. This is the same as today. A blade can only be so sharp and manufacturing at scale means that one way to get it sharp is not having to worry about how sharp it actually is. Cartridges rely on the formula of # of blades * distance between blades * pressure = hair cutting (Gillette calls this Hysteresis). Despite the fact they don't ever take into account clogging, at scale, this is the way to make money. If it works for you great. It seems to work for the majority of people or Gillette would be out of business. It works for me regarding cleanup passes for head shaving after I use a mild DE.

This is a niche forum ---so you are either here because you have shaving problems (that is me) or you just like to optimize things to the best of your ability and don't mind another hobby (also me!).

I posted this in 2019 here...

Carts vs DE Razors - Pros and cons of both

Let me start: Carts myth: It takes a lot less time to shave. - In my case, only five minutes difference between DE and carts, as it takes time to spread the canned goo all over the face and takes a lot more rinsing. I have shaved with both DE and carts since the mid 90’s. Never once with...

www.badgerandblade.com

I believe DE and Carts revolve around two different philosophies of shaving. Gillette claims,

"A single-blade razor can only cut what’s visible at the surface of the skin. A 5-blade razor can go so much further.
The first blade starts the job. It cuts the hair and, in the process, gently lifts it from the skin. Before the hair has time to fully withdraw, the next blade comes along and cuts it further down. This process is called ‘hysteresis’

Why does this matter? Facial skin is soft and gel-like, and when you press against it with your razor’s cartridge, it bulges in between the individual razor blades as the cartridge passes over it. This bulging can result in irritation, nicks, and cuts.

Five blades (at the right distance apart), rather than three, reduces that bulge, which means the skin is more even, with bulging reduced by more than 30% (Fusion5 vs. Mach3). As a result, you get a close, comfortable shave, and you’re less likely to cut yourself."

The above (in quotes) is directly from Gillette - Why Gillette razors have so many blades | Gillette

With a DE, assuming your pressure is right (little to none), a sharp blade will cut the hair perfectly fine in line with the surface of your skin and can't give you ingrowns if the blade never cuts the hair beneath your skin.

That's the theory anyway - I found the cart usually does part (and only part) of what it says it will do, and that is pull the hair out a little. I usually feel uncomfortable tugging with a cart but the blades that follow are not normally sharp enough to do a one pass shave to make shaving quick. The benefit of a DE for me is that I can actually get a sharp blade because I'm not stretching the life of a cart to save money. A sharp blade allows me to use little to no pressure and still shave my face. I think if guys shaved with a cart the way they did with a DE (little to no pressure), they would have decent shaves, but that would also require them to pitch blades more often and that is a lot of $$$ down the drain. Admittedly, I do exactly this when I air travel with a carry on and get decent shaves.

I still use a cart for air travel (when I am carry-on only) and I do a second pass on my head with a cart after a first pass with a DE. Once the hair on my head is plowed down by a DE, a one pass shave with a cart doesn't result in tugging (WTG). I can go quicker to clean the head up with a cart which is why I use it for that. Face shaving for me is the same amount of time. Seems to work fine for these specific instances, with proper DE technique and little to no pressure. If I shaved with a cart the way Gillette wants me to (pressure), its a disaster.

Also, for some crazy reason, I can extend the longevity of a cart for 2 months if I only do a one pass cleanup on my head. I have no idea why, but it seems to work for that and its quick. My face hair is thicker and coarser though.

Thans you for the very comprehensive post. I need to think about it

 

[Jack Goossen]

When I first started shaving in the 70's I used a single edged BIC. I used them mostly until 2006. Actually I can't knock them, as they are a fixed head which forced me to learn about angles and my beard map. Although I had no idea these were things. They were a good intro to D/E shaving. They actually taught me a technique.

Come early 2007 I bought a Gillette Fusion Power. The first iteration on the market I believe. The razor was well built and the blades were good. I left it at an ex's place after a breakup. So I bought another in around 2009. The quality and the blade life was not as good. The power button broke after a year. I bought 2 more. Average life 2.5 years. Quality control and build quality was getting poorer, but the price was rocketing, esp for the carts.

The shave quality 'seemed' excellent throughout, but it was trashing my skin and wallet. I went back to crap disposables (not BIC) till this year when I got into D/E finally.

The only myth is that Gillette cartridge systems are 'The Best A Man Can Get'. I do not know what the current woke slogan is. 'The best a non binary gender neutral consumer can get'?

That must be my 'toxic masculinity'' kicking in. I really must cancel myself.

 

[nik232]

Myself I had never learnt to shave properly. I was using various cartridges - whatever I could find on the supermarket - and the cheapest tinned foam. Never used aftershave or anything. I was always getting cut when I was shaving that's why I was only shaving after a shower in the evening and I was also trying to shave infrequently, which was challenging because of my very oily skin. After 2 days of growth I had to wash my face a few times per day to be ok. Then I found out that if I buy better cartridges, which also happened to be more expensive, I have a better result. Less cuts but still the same irritation. The irritation was for me the worst. My face was in pain after I was getting shaved. However, for some reason the less frequently I was shaving the less irritation the shaving had, so I had optimized shaving to take place once or twice per week.

Then two things happened. My girlfriend had some kind of allergy with my facial hair and I had to make an effort to shave more often. I got more expensive cartridge razors but I still had issues with irritations and I would still not shave very frequently. One day when I was buying cartridges I thought that there must be a cheaper or at least more efficient way without having to pay a fortune.

I had a friend when I was at uni who was using straight razor and I though that this is the solution. I checked around and I found that there are people who shave like that (thanks to youtube) and also that I can get in some barber shop such kind of shave as well! I asked around my friends and every single one of them said that a straight razor would have been a disaster for me. So, I didn't try it. But then a friend mentioned that he had used a DE razor and I recalled that I had seen such a contraption a long time ago. I thought that this thing was of the past. I checked online and I found that several people are still using it and several reputable websites were claiming it to be more efficient and cheaper.

So after more than 20 years of shaving so bad, I watched a couple of videos and went to get a cheap DE razor (Wilkinson classic) with some blades, some shaving cream and a brush. My first attempt was a disaster. I got cut in many places, mostly because I didn't know how to use it properly and the razor-blade-growth combination was not good. But it didn't matter. I had seen online that it can be done and I was determined to do it. This was just more than two months ago. I have gradually improved after that.

So far I have made the following remarks:

• Is it really cheaper than cartridges? I don't think so, in principle it is cheaper but in practice there are so many things you would like to buy and try so it is not. But this is because it is a hobby and not a chore any more. I personally haven't overindulged in buying things so I believe it is ok.
• Does it shave better? Possibly. I think that for me the biggest difference is the pre and post shave routine. I didn't know that there is such a thing with the cartridges. Now I still get some nicks but it is ok. With the post shave routine I don't get much of a problem. Irritation is still an issue but it is in much smaller levels. And besides now I can shave every two days that with the cartridges was completely out of the question. Still however, I do not get the close shave I was getting with the cartridges.
• Does it worth the effort? Yes it does. In general there is less waste and it is a nice procedure that is relaxing. There is also something nice about learning something new. I would recommend everyone to try, but before that to read all the twikis of this forum and watch a few videos.

 

[rbscebu]

@nik232 I am sorry to hear that you shyed away from straight razors. With two months of SR shaving, you would now probably be shaving daily without any skin irritation or damage.

Enjoy your DE saving experience.

 

[njpaddy]

I won't argue that carts aren't faster and efficient, but in my 35 years of using carts, I was constantly plucking out ingrown hairs. Not the case with DE. I bet that a decade of ingrowns with DE, equaled a weeks worth of ingrown with carts.

 

[nik232]

@nik232 I am sorry to hear that you shyed away from straight razors. With two months of SR shaving, you would now probably be shaving daily without any skin irritation or damage.

Enjoy your DE saving experience.

Thank you @rbscebu
I believe they were right to advice me against starting with a straight razor. I like the DE razors and the procedure. The only shame is that I didn't start earlier with that. Wet shaving is not advertised a lot and I simply didn't know that it is still a thing. If I knew I would have started from the beginning with that.

As for the straight razors, l only wish for health and this is enough for me when the time comes to master this way as well!

 

[lancre]

Complaining about carts is this sites favourite hobby (after enablement of course). To tell you the truth, how many of us gave any thought about technique, properly hyrdrated skin, properly hyrdrated lather (even shave foam/gel needs to be mixed with some water), quality aftershave, skincare, hair mapping etc prior to shifting into traditional shaving? There are a lot of ideas about carts vs everything else. What works for you works for you. There is not a single blade that I have ever used that lasts as long as a cart for me. Not DE's and not SE's. Do I prefer carts...no. Can I get perfect shaves with them...yes.

You're mostly right about many of us not thinking about associated factors prior to starting DEs. Myself, having started with a Schick injector and Barbasol back around 1960 or so, had mapped my beard (what there was of it at age 11) and learned to control angle before shifting to carts. But pre-shave prep, skin care, after-shave balms? Terra Incognito!

 

[thp001]

2 blade cart is the pinnacle of safety razor shaving technology (for daily shaving) imo.

 

[lancre]

So far I have made the following remarks:

• Is it really cheaper than cartridges? I don't think so, in principle it is cheaper but in practice there are so many things you would like to buy and try so it is not. But this is because it is a hobby and not a chore any more. I personally haven't overindulged in buying things so I believe it is ok.

Shaving is cheaper with DE than with carts. If you stumble into various rabbit holes, then you're spending on a collection, not on shaving. So to a large degree, I'm agreeing with you.

• Does it shave better? Possibly. I think that for me the biggest difference is the pre and post shave routine. I didn't know that there is such a thing with the cartridges. Now I still get some nicks but it is ok. With the post shave routine I don't get much of a problem. Irritation is still an issue but it is in much smaller levels. And besides now I can shave every two days that with the cartridges was completely out of the question. Still however, I do not get the close shave I was getting with the cartridges.

With practice, your shaves will get closer. Don't worry about closeness now. Worry about irritation instead. And there you've already seen considerable improvement. So you ARE shaving better.

• Does it worth the effort? Yes it does. In general there is less waste and it is a nice procedure that is relaxing. There is also something nice about learning something new. I would recommend everyone to try, but before that to read all the twikis of this forum and watch a few videos.

I totally agree with this.

 

[HoosierTrooper]

you want to hear a good myth about carts "they work" according to the MFG's, we all know that not to be the truth and that they are terrible, and totally useless.

So, are you saying that the members who use cartridge razors and have posted that they work for them are lying?

And you can speak for everyone here?

 

[Sharp&Shiny]

That shaving with cartridges is expensive. Gillette fusion pro glide is not the only cartridge razor that exists.

Also that cartridges don’t shave close, but people get ingrown hairs. Doesn’t that mean that the razor shaved a bit too close?

 

[luvmysuper]

That shaving with cartridges is expensive. Gillette fusion pro glide is not the only cartridge razor that exists.

Also that cartridges don’t shave close, but people get ingrown hairs. Doesn’t that mean that the razor shaved a bit too close?

I agree with your 2nd paragraph.
Trac II carts sell for about 2 bucks per refill cart.
That's 20 times the cost of my DE blade, so I can't agree they aren't expensive.
There are carts cheaper than Fusion, but overall, they are still vastly more expensive than DE blades.