SWMBO hacked me
Do Safety Razor Better than Mach 3?
- Thread starter seanaherne142
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Great questions and even better responses that will hopefully help you decide.
In a nut shell, that's the whole purpose of this website.... To reveal our experiences in wet shaving regardless of what tool we use and help each other with our issues. Here's my view...
Is it a better experience? Absolutely IMO.. I was a Mach 3 and a can of goo user with a one pass slama jamma out the door and tried to squeeze a month from each $4.00 cartridge. Shaving was just a mundane chore that I had to do.
Do DE's provide a similar experience? Good results are directly related to practiced techniques and once you find yours, I would say that the experience will be better than with a cart. I can get a 3 pass shave with most of my prep taking place in the shower in about 10 minutes or so.
I never really thought about the task of shaving or taking care of my face until I happenned onto this site and it has changed my whole outlook and i'm hooked now on this method of beard reduction.
In a nut shell, that's the whole purpose of this website.... To reveal our experiences in wet shaving regardless of what tool we use and help each other with our issues. Here's my view...
Is it a better experience? Absolutely IMO.. I was a Mach 3 and a can of goo user with a one pass slama jamma out the door and tried to squeeze a month from each $4.00 cartridge. Shaving was just a mundane chore that I had to do.
Do DE's provide a similar experience? Good results are directly related to practiced techniques and once you find yours, I would say that the experience will be better than with a cart. I can get a 3 pass shave with most of my prep taking place in the shower in about 10 minutes or so.
I never really thought about the task of shaving or taking care of my face until I happenned onto this site and it has changed my whole outlook and i'm hooked now on this method of beard reduction.
I went from a Mach 3 to a DE and immediately had a lot less razor burn. There were also a few spots along my jaw and the hollows of my throat where I could never get a close shave. The DE solved that.
Initially you will be much slower shaving with a DE than with your Mach 3. I don't know that it's as much a question of skill as it is one of confidence. A friend of mine wanted to know if it was possible to do a two pass shave in two minutes so I proved it could be done, but it was a little scary. I normally take six to eight minutes for a three pass shave. Anything beyond ten minutes and you are treating yourself to a spa day.
If you don't go crazy about collecting this stuff you can save money. My tips for that are not exactly what I do, but here they are:
Initially you will be much slower shaving with a DE than with your Mach 3. I don't know that it's as much a question of skill as it is one of confidence. A friend of mine wanted to know if it was possible to do a two pass shave in two minutes so I proved it could be done, but it was a little scary. I normally take six to eight minutes for a three pass shave. Anything beyond ten minutes and you are treating yourself to a spa day.
If you don't go crazy about collecting this stuff you can save money. My tips for that are not exactly what I do, but here they are:
- Get a razor and a spare just in case something happens to your regular razor. Your technique has more to do with the quality of your shave than the razor does, so don't bother getting a bunch of them to pursue the perfect shave.
- After you work through a sampler pack of blades, buy what you liked in hundred packs every couple of years.
- Invest in one or two good, natural fiber brushes and call it good until one of them falls apart. None of mine have in three years.
- I am a daily shaver and go through about 4 large pucks of Mama Bear soap in a year. I suggest you get a pound or two of soap pucks and creams, all from different manufacturers. Work through them for 3-6 months before going out and buying something else.
I used to hate shaving. It was a chore to be accomplished as quickly as possible. I started using a safety razor purely because I was sick of spending over $30 for a package of 8 cartridges.
There was a learning curve. My first few shaves were not pretty.
Then a weird thing happened. As I experimented with different razors, blades, soaps, etc., shaving stopped being a chore and became, dare I say it, . . . fun.
Now I actually get up a half hour earlier so I can take my time shaving. Shaving with a safety razor does indeed take more time than a cartridge, but for me this is no longer a negative. My shave time is quality time, and puts me in a good frame of mind for the entire day. I get some of my best ideas while shaving. I can honestly say that wet shaving has improved the quality of my life.
So give it a try. The same thing might happen to you. Or not.
--Bob
There was a learning curve. My first few shaves were not pretty.
Then a weird thing happened. As I experimented with different razors, blades, soaps, etc., shaving stopped being a chore and became, dare I say it, . . . fun.
Now I actually get up a half hour earlier so I can take my time shaving. Shaving with a safety razor does indeed take more time than a cartridge, but for me this is no longer a negative. My shave time is quality time, and puts me in a good frame of mind for the entire day. I get some of my best ideas while shaving. I can honestly say that wet shaving has improved the quality of my life.
So give it a try. The same thing might happen to you. Or not.
--Bob
I agree. People should experiment with different razors, blades, and soaps to find a good combos and make it fun.
Not for you if you are looking to replicate the Mach 3 experience.
I, too, get up earlier to allow more time for my shave. When I used a cartridge, it was 1 irritating pass. I had razor burn and the short stubble that was left on my neck was an irritation through the day. I started out with a double edge safety razor, but somehow, when Gillette used to send the razors free just to get you to buy the blades, I got onto cartridge shaving. It seems that the more blades they added, the worse my shave got, but it was a slow progression. After finding this Forum and watching YouTube videos, I resurrected my old double edge safety razors and ordered both Wilkinson and Feather blades. Got a good badger brush and a puck of soap. The first shave was amazing and it got better as my technique improved (to assist concentration, I closed myself in the bathroom while shaving!). What used to be a chore has become something I look forward to and I've started shaving on weekends as well (I used to use the weekend for my face to heal!). The three pass shave is less irritating than my one pass shave used to be. I now have several razors, a lot of soap, and several brushes. Hmmmm...who said shaving this was saved money! 
In my opinion, the benefits of DE shaving over carts can come down to beard type and skin type. Not everyone is the same. I have very sensitive skin and can't handle more than 2 passes with any blade. Unfortunately my sensitive skin is coupled with a very thick, dark beard. You'll have to forgive me that I roll my eyes sometimes when I see a guy on here say he got a BBS after 4 passes with a DE. And I think, well, yeah, you had to shave 4 TIMES. Or some guys claiming to get a BBS with 2 passes with DE, though they mostly likely have peach fuzz compared to the coarse, sandpaper beard coating my face. You have to take a lot of what gets said on here with a grain of salt. But I digress.
Therefore I DE shave on daily basis with 1 pass, WTG and a few XTG touch ups. It doesn't get as close as a cart, but as a result it doesn't irritate my skin, unlike if I shaved every day with a cart. I can get a DFS or SAS on daily basis with no irritation. I do get a 5 o'clock shadow, but it's an acceptable shave for for work, going out, etc.
However, if I need a BBS for a meeting, night out, date, wedding, etc., I do use a cart because I can forgo the aforementioned 4 pass shave with a DE (which will mostly certainly leave me with a rash) and I can get a BBS in one or two passes without any irritation. I just can't use a cart every day.
That's just my two cents. YMMV
Therefore I DE shave on daily basis with 1 pass, WTG and a few XTG touch ups. It doesn't get as close as a cart, but as a result it doesn't irritate my skin, unlike if I shaved every day with a cart. I can get a DFS or SAS on daily basis with no irritation. I do get a 5 o'clock shadow, but it's an acceptable shave for for work, going out, etc.
However, if I need a BBS for a meeting, night out, date, wedding, etc., I do use a cart because I can forgo the aforementioned 4 pass shave with a DE (which will mostly certainly leave me with a rash) and I can get a BBS in one or two passes without any irritation. I just can't use a cart every day.
That's just my two cents. YMMV
I can shave faster with less irritation with a DE than the Fusion I used to use. It's way cheaper on carts and I do not collect shave equipment or buy expensive products. $1.50 pucks of VDH, a bottle of grapeseed oil and $0.13 Personna Blue blades.
My Mach 3 is in the medicine cabinet, and it will stay there. I didn't care for it since it was new. Both my Atra and Trac II gave a better shave in less time. I need three passes with a Mach 3 and still I had stubble. I can actually shave faster with a DE than the Mach with a far superior shave. As an added bonus no rash, or ingrown hair that seemed to be standard equipment with the Mach. IMHO all multiblade razors are just a marketing gimmick in search of a buyer. I still use the Trac II if I'm in a hurry, but with Personna blades.
Everyone’s different. Here’s my take:
- I can get a very good, irritation free shave with either DE or Mach 3. So yes, I believe you can get just as good results with DE (but remember, everyone’s different)
- There is a 5 - 10 day learning curve with the DE before you should expect equivalent results
- I need ~8 mins for DE; 2 passes and touch up
- about half that time for Mach 3
I prefer Mach 3; but DE can be cheaper if you can control spending on razors, brushes, soap, etc.
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- I can get a very good, irritation free shave with either DE or Mach 3. So yes, I believe you can get just as good results with DE (but remember, everyone’s different)
- There is a 5 - 10 day learning curve with the DE before you should expect equivalent results
- I need ~8 mins for DE; 2 passes and touch up
- about half that time for Mach 3
I prefer Mach 3; but DE can be cheaper if you can control spending on razors, brushes, soap, etc.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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I really think that we are giving cartridge shaving too much credit for ease of operation. I don't think that DE shaving is any more difficult than the cartridge. The time that it takes to actually shave with a DE is only a minute or two. I have to remind myself to stop because I' enjoying it too much. I never had that problem with cartridges. The techniques required for cartridge shaving are very similar for DE. The major difference is DE shaving gives you more control for the blade angle.
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The way most people use cartridges, they are easy. Grain is something you eat to stay regular. Passes? Yeah, that was a great game on last night. The quality of the shave is very degraded because of that. Wet-shavers that happen to use cartridges can get exceptional shaves though. More effort is required though.
My experience has been that a de shave is no better, but is more rewarding than a Mach 3 shave. I need more skill. and make more passes with the de routine to achive as clean a shave as I can with a Mach 3. I get more fun and satisfaction from de shaving.
If I was not retired, I might not feel as I do. The early morning rush to get a task out of the way might sway me to the Mach 3, and some kind of canned lather.
Ron
If I was not retired, I might not feel as I do. The early morning rush to get a task out of the way might sway me to the Mach 3, and some kind of canned lather.
Ron
I get a closer shave with a DE, but I can't get in the folds and creases on my neck as well as I can with a cartridge razor. I have had good luck with a first pass with a DE, and then a final pass with a Mach 3. I've been trying to use an electric, since I have health issues which make it hard to stand for a long period of time at the sink...but I just don't get a satisfactory shave with an electric now (I've tried several models, including Norelco and Braun.) I get a close, irritation free shave, but in about 4 hours it doesn't feel as good as it does when I shave with a blade, which usually lasts 24 hours. I'm retired, so I don't have to worry about shaving daily, but when I do shave, I want it to be a good one. Ah well, I guess I just need to hire some pretty young female barber to come give me a shave every day...but I can't afford that! (Not the cost of the barber, but the divorce!)
+100 this! LOL
If this were the case, I don't think I would care of the shave was done using a Mach3, straight edge, or 34DD... er, I mean 34c, etc...
I used a Mach 3 for years. I personally get a closer shave with a DE. But I never tried multi pass shaves and quality shave soaps with a Mach 3.
Ditto for me.
I used a Mach 3 for over a decade and was very happy with it but haven't used one in 8 years or so, after I replaced it when I started finding razors that were cheaper to keep fed while still giving decent shaves. The handle went missing long ago, but the other day I was shopping and found an inexpensive Mach 3 hanging on a peg so I grabbed it. Just for S&G today I shaved half my face with it and the other half with the Slim and a Derby Premium blade (a good combo for me) just to see if it was as good as I remembered. Did the usual prep with soap and brush and two passes plus buffing with each razor, as per usual.
Result: No real difference. They both did a great job on my cheeks as per usual, a passable job on my neck as per usual, and hours later I'm still smooth on both sides. The real disadvantage of the Mach 3 is that it was harder to edge around my goatee, for obvious reasons. The Slim did a better job of that more easily.
The Mach 3 has gone into my carryon toiletries pouch, because it is much less of a security nuisance than the DE and gives better shaves than the disposables I always used. And now that the blade-handle interface is out of patent, Gillette3 and knockoff store brand cartridges to fit the handle are available everywhere for barely over $1 per cartridge. So it's not even obnoxiously expensive to run anymore either like it used to be if you aren't using it every day. I'm still going to use the DE daily, but the Mach 3 is a keeper.
Result: No real difference. They both did a great job on my cheeks as per usual, a passable job on my neck as per usual, and hours later I'm still smooth on both sides. The real disadvantage of the Mach 3 is that it was harder to edge around my goatee, for obvious reasons. The Slim did a better job of that more easily.
The Mach 3 has gone into my carryon toiletries pouch, because it is much less of a security nuisance than the DE and gives better shaves than the disposables I always used. And now that the blade-handle interface is out of patent, Gillette3 and knockoff store brand cartridges to fit the handle are available everywhere for barely over $1 per cartridge. So it's not even obnoxiously expensive to run anymore either like it used to be if you aren't using it every day. I'm still going to use the DE daily, but the Mach 3 is a keeper.
