DE with a can or multibladed cart with a brush?

[JDTTO]

Yesterday morning I was a bit cramped for time so after showering I decided to try my wifes can of Palmolive Sensitive foam.

I put a splash of cold water on my face and applied the foam to my face. I did take my time to work in into the whiskers and then I picked up my Schick Krona and started shaving. After my first WTG pass I reapplied and did my usual second modified ATG pass and was done. It did not feel as slick as properly lathered cream or soap but it certainly did feel a lot more skin-neutral than the latest Gillette goop.

Result: A nice DFS but my skin did feel a little dryer than I am used to (but still no necessity to use AS) and I usually get closer in the neck area.

This morning (for the first time in over a year) I picked up a multiblade cart. My dad gave me his old special razor handle which had the generic slide in fit like Gillette Trac/GII razors. I bought cheap generic store brand carts without lubra strip. This was my first shave with a non pivoting multiblade cart in my life.

After showering I face lathered Palmolive soap and did my usual 2 pass with the cart razor. I must admit that I was amazed with the feel afterwards. For most of my face on par with a good DE shave. The parts that were not were probably caused by my angle. Most importantly, zero irritation. Something that I never experienced before with a multiblade.

Todays result certainly felt better than yesterdays so (for me!) it's quite clear that good prep and a decent cart work better than a DE and a can.

My last experience with multiblade carts were in late 2011 when I tried the Proglide and a Croma 3 blade razor. The Croma having the edge but still tugged too much. I think 95% of my nice shave this moring were due to the experience I gained by going back to basics with a single blade and learning which prep works for me.

DE's and SE's will certainly remain my go to razors but the simple non pivoting twin blade did impress me. I might actually prefer it over the Guard (great travel razor but the pivot takes away part of the feel) but the jury is still out on that.

 

[Marcos1]

I've never had a problem with any razor I ever used. From the Sensor Excel to the Mach 3, and then to the Fusion Pro Glide. All of them gave me smooth and extremely fast shaves with absolutely no irritation. I switched to other things based strictly on the price of carts. But ever since switching to superior brushes and soaps the overall quality of my skin has dramatically increased. I will never give up the brush and a great cream or soap. If money was no issue i could go back to a Fusion with zero issues...and actually save time.

 

[Sir Lurkalot]

I tried that DE can goo trick once and it did not work. I have a can of Gillette Foamy, nearly full. I should try to dish it off on someone, I mean pay it forward! Any takers for the Foamy in a can?

 

[PFP_Dad]

Prep is way more important than the tool. When I travel I buy a pack of Bic disposables when I arrive instead of taking anything on the plane. It's not ideal but works just fine.

 

[PugslyCat]

Last year I gave up my DE razor for a while as an experiment, but kept my mug and brush. Multiple passes were used, so it was pretty much the same face prep and shaving technique I had used with my DE razor. Using various cartridge and disposable razors I found that I was able to get a much better shave than I had been getting with the same razors, canned goo, and poor technique. The only thing that I ran into was excessive razor burn if I went a full three passes with a razor emplying more than two blades.

Several times during the year a thread came up here, or something else happened in my life that caused me to do a few shaves with canned goo. What I learned is that not all canned goo is created equal:

• I did pretty well with some Old Spice and Barbasol, but as somebody put it in one of those threads the goo had plenty of cushion but no slickness.
• On the other hand, I tried the Gillette Foamy and found that it was so stiff it actually made it slower and more difficult to shave. The Foamy just dragged too much on the head of the razor.
• One thing that helps is to run warm, not hot, water over the can of goo before dispensing. It makes nice warm lather.

 

[dreadpirate]

Neither for me.

 

[Fkread]

Best shave of my life (at the time) was when I switched from the can to the bowl and brush. Took another 2 years before I really had a great shave with a DE.

Kelly

 

[ricardo9505]

I just enjoy my razor so I'm going with a good shave prep, hot towel face, foam in a can (ARGH!) and let it sitfor lke 5 mts then take the razor to the face. going ATG or XTG I get irritation from a multicartridge but I WAS using shaving gels and foam in a can.

 

[ricardo9505]

from reading the posts I may stand corrected as many great points are made.

 

[HoosierTrooper]

Brush and cartridge razor.

 

[NCJack]

Only tried canned stuff a few times, Barbasol the best, but none can compare to even a mediocre lathering soap or cream, hot water, and a good brush.

 

[cb91710]

Almost every night.

The face gets a straight, but the headshaves are with a Mach-3.

 

[Watasha]

Brush and cartridge razor.

Yep.

 

[TonyJoe]

I've tried my Sensor with soap and brush a couple of times and it was a nice shave. I haven't tried DE and canned foam. Might have to run an experiment. I voted for cart and brush anyway.

 

[dreaded_rust]

before my straight razor arrived from Whipped dog, I was using cheap brush and soap and a multi blade razor. my shave quality improved dramatically.

 

[Fishin Phil]

I take it "death" is not an option?

 

[Songwind]

I tried that DE can goo trick once and it did not work. I have a can of Gillette Foamy, nearly full. I should try to dish it off on someone, I mean pay it forward! Any takers for the Foamy in a can?

You can smear some on your stubble in the shower and let the stearic acid go to work on the hairs while you clean up, then use a real lather for shaving. It's a pretty effective preshave. Works under a hot towel, too.

 

[Songwind]

Brush and cartridge razor. My brush/soap improved my shave by a bigger leap than my DE. I started with a Shea Moisture badger brush and a puck of Van der Hagen soap with my Fusion. Face felt better right away.

 

[rajagra]

The only way I would ever use a can of goo again is to cut it in half and use the sharp edge to shave with.

 

[Steveareno]

I can count on one hand the number of times I've used canned shaving cream in going on 40 years of shaving. But I started using a DE razor only about a year ago. I was really happy with the Sensor Excel I used (except for the price of the cartridges). I've been happier with the DE razor. But the common denominator of a good shave is good prep and good lather, which you can get only with a brush. So I would rather use a cart with a brush than a DE with canned goo.