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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 ‘canned goo.’ A Gillette ProGlide combined with a great badger or synth and a GroomingDept, Eufros or Mystic equals any DE for me.
 
Diabetes or arthritis are common conditions not severe handicaps. And strangely I have read that individuals enjoy the long slow zen like shave experience that a DE provides over the quick and easy cart shave.

Prep to post, my average shave time is probably in the 20 minute range. However, when SWMBO is [redacted] 45 minutes is just not enough time to execute a proper shave!
 
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. Only the shave gods may know the reason for that one.
 
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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. Only the shave gods may know the reason for that one.


So it seems that Gillette is touting as a "feature" of its razors that it tugs at your facial hair. If that is the case, then those with fine beard hair would experience only mild tugging whereas those with coarser beard hair would experience more severe tugging. Since I have a very coarse beard and very sensitive facial skin, I do not like tugging of any description.
 
My DE razor and the blades are 100% recyclable. The plastic carts and their associated handles are not due to the embedded blade in plastic.
I'll stick to my DE, brush, blades and block of soap.
 
My DE razor and the blades are 100% recyclable. The plastic carts and their associated handles are not due to the embedded blade in plastic.
I'll stick to my DE, brush, blades and block of soap.

Please do not throw your used DE blades in the recycle container. They are NOT recyclable. Here is a quote from a recycling web site:

Unfortunately, disposable razors, cartridge razors, and razor blades are NOT recyclable. This is due to the potential risks to sanitation workers who must sort recyclables, and any animals that may come into contact with the waste. The handles of plastic disposable razors may be recyclable, but you’d need to remove the metal razor head.
 
My DE razor and the blades are 100% recyclable. The plastic carts and their associated handles are not due to the embedded blade in plastic.
I'll stick to my DE, brush, blades and block of soap.
Why would I want to recycle a Wilkinson Sword Royale or Gillette Atra Elite handle?
Are we banned from using brushes and soap if we use plastic carts? Are DE shavers that use plastic DE dispensers banned too?
 
My used blades go into a small coffee can, which I believe will hold more used blades than I'll use in my lifetime. Can't put them in with the curbside stuff, but I expect a foundry would take them. Melting them sterilizes them rather well. Used carts and disposables, and whatever pathogens they might be carrying, pretty universally wind up as landfill.

I started shaving with Trac II's in the 70's, and when I couldn't get those carts any more, I switched to Mach3. When those got outrageously expensive, I switched to Schick disposables, or the store-brand equivalent. They all clogged horribly and gave only fair results.

Murkur 34C with a Feather blade gave much better results per pass, but I wanted a little more blade exposure, so I gave the Murkur to SWMBO (who LOVES it!), and shaved two years and change with a Muhle R41 until switching a month or two ago to a Parker SRX.

My cost of blades and soap comes to about $0.11 per shave. I get a much better shave than ever before, and I enjoy the process... a lot! So, for me, it makes sense to continue what I'm doing.
 
The quality of shave with a 'one pass' cart vs a 3 pass DE is a grand canyon sized chasm IME. Not even an apples to watermelon comparison. The latter method extending the process by about 5-10 minutes at most and providing a massive difference with a lasting smoothness during the course of the day.
Like they say ( Your Mileage May Vary). The catch all answer. If a de is an upgrade from a straight for Convenience and a good shave, why Wouldn’t a cart also be an upgrade?
 
That’s the whole YMMV thing though. Personally one pass with a cart and some cleanup gives me near the same result as 3 with a DE and cleanup. Carts just take down more hair in one pass period. Now like you said, for many here the actual results are very different. One pass with your face cut up and razor burned does not beat out 3 comfortable passes with a perfect result. But as far as efficiency i don’t know why there’s so much pushback on the issue. Carts are simply better at removing hair more quickly.
Are carts a hobby?
When I see a thread like this one, I'm
Thinking it sure must be pretty boring
Over there in the cart & electric forum.
I'm just kidding..
 
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Are carts a hobby?
When I see a thread like this one, I'm
Thinking it sure must be pretty boring
Over there in the cart & electric forum.
I'm just kidding..
I enjoy all four shaving methods Equally. When the shave is Finished and you walk out the door nobody knows what you used, after all bottom line it’s all shaving.
 
I enjoy all four shaving methods Equally. When the shave is Finished and you walk out the door nobody knows what you used, after all bottom line it’s all shaving.
Everybody knows.
Because an electric leaves me with a
Shadow , not quite a 5 o'clock but definitely more than a 1 o'clock shadow.
You say nobody knows, well nobody is a
Really large number and you can't speak for All of them.
 
I get quality shaves from both, but carts are best (for me) when pressed for time. I don't want to rush with a DE, would rather take the time and enjoy.
 
Everybody knows.
Because an electric leaves me with a
Shadow , not quite a 5 o'clock but definitely more than a 1 o'clock shadow.
You say nobody knows, well nobody is a
Really large number and you can't speak for All of them.
Of course not, if people pay Attention to how close I shave they have very Boring lives. I fully Agree that the electric razor shave is not as close as the three other methods I shave with but gets me through the day. P.S I have to shave in the morning with an electric as Opposed to straight, de, and cart which I shave at night.
 
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