First DE shave ever (or why I can't believe so many people use cartrige razors)

[neostyles]

So, I have been a cartrige razor user ever since I stopped using electric shavers (ever since I was a sophmore in High School.) I never liked them. They caused my skin to break out everytime, which probably wasn't really making me look any more appealing to girls. Still, I had resigned myself to the idea that shaving would just make my skin break out and other sorts of things that would make me look more unattractive to the opposite gender. I didn't even know that there were other kinds of razors out there or, for that matter, anything beyond canned foam shaving cream. Things were looking down.

Then, about a month ago, I discovered a promising new alternative in DE razors. I read the numerous testimonials about people who switched and stopped gettiing irritation. But I was still skeptical. Was it really possible to achieve a super close shave without irritation? Was it even physically possible. Well, thanks to ironbrewer (who generously sent me a classic Super Speed) , I finally had the opportunity to find out. The sight of it was very thrilling by itself. Could this finally be the answer to 4 years of shaving woes?

So, after I took a hot shower and did my prep, I took out the razor and inserted the blade. Off the bat, I loved the feel. It felt very intricate and sturdy at the same time, as opposed to gillette's modern flaky plastic things. I gazed nervously at it for a moment, but as soon as I took my first stroke, all my fears all but vanished. The razor went through my hair like a hot knife through butter. I did my first pass ATG doing short light strokes and when I inspected my face, I was astounded. My beard has been reduced by almost 50%. When I did ATG passes with cartrige razors, nothing would happen. Then, I finished up with an across the grain pas (ear to nose basically) and then against the grain. As I stepped back, I literally could not believe my eyes. I looked like I did when I was 14, and hadn't started growing any facial hair. On top of that, there was no redness or bumps. I can confirm that everything that I have heard about switching to DE razors has really happened to me.

The only downside is that I cut myself a few times, but for a first shave, it was unbelievable. I would take cuts over irritation any day. Honestly, this is probably the most promising thing ever since I went on my first date.

Over all, I noticed
-Shaving was much funner, unlike the mundane "routine" feel of cartridge razors. It really felt more like an art rather than going through a standardized set of motions.
-You can really hear your whiskers being cut, which is very satisfying.
-NO more irritation!
-I feel much more confident about my appearance. Almost like I can have a peace of mind now.

It really feels like I this has changed my life for the better and given me a more positive outlook overall.


If you have any friends who still use cartridges, I would definitely urge you to suggest that they make the switch. I have absolutely no idea why cartridge razors dominate the market.

Now, if anyone had any tips as to maintaining a DE razor, I would be interested to hear them.
-

 

[Escosse73]

Welcome to B&B !

Keep at it and the shaves will get better . You can tell your family and friends about your success - though most guys don't put much thought or interest into shaving. A couple of my pals have switched , but most either think I'm nuts using a razor 44 years old (1966 Gillette Slim Adjustable ) or just prefer an electric. Standard response is "I don't have time to old school shave !" .

Keep in mind that Gillette makes huge profits and can pump a ton of money into ad campaigns , to convince us (the mass herd) - that a seven blade razor is what we need to achieve maximum face smoothness.


Cheers for now ,

Scott

 

[RandalltheRed]

It is a great feeling isn't it?
Practice makes perfect and soon you will have a great shave without nicks.

 

[Tom Frost]

Welcome to DE shaving! While I was reading your post I was clearly seeing myself -though I began a couple years ago, at 35 y.o.

Good advice: use no pressure, Just let the razor's own weight do the job. And take extra attention -and time- to the lather. I've found out that one minute of good lathering for each day of stubble makes a perfect, dense and thick layer of cream.

But don't believe that you're going to convince your pals and friends. Escosse is right, and most guys just don't give a damn about decent shaving.

Good luck!

 

[Magruder]

Welcome to shaving nirvana! It is just wonderful to rub you hand across your face and feel the smoothness.

 

[Groat]

Welcome to the world of DE shaving! As others have said, you will get better every day in the beginning. Lather is important, so make sure you've got that down. If you want to practice, you can create a batch of lather even if you don't plan on shaving with it. I'd strongly recommend a blade sampler pack if you don't already have one. Different blades rub people different ways and they work differently in different razors as well.

 

[Someguy]

Had the same feeling about a week ago. I could get a close shave using cartridges, but the end result would be irritation and razor bumps like no other.

First shave with a DE and I knew I wouldn't be touching my old razor again.

 

[neilt]

liberation from the habit of 30 buck carts for an 8 pack!

 

[grouse79]

Until May 2008 I thought a cartridge razor *was* the safety razor. I had no idea what a DE was, where to find it or how to use it. So I stuck with cartridges after the electric proved too painful anymore as they were what was on offer in the supermarket. Most men must be in that position. Isn't it a great feeling having found the DE though?

 

[TMH478]

I agree! I love my DE, but definitely have the Mach 3 on standby for those mornings that I cannot manage to get out of bed on time to get ready.

 

[neostyles]

I agree! I love my DE, but definitely have the Mach 3 on standby for those mornings that I cannot manage to get out of bed on time to get ready.

Looking back on my mach 3, I would probably rather go to class unshaven than use my mach 3 again. Im curious to see what is next for the cartrige razor sheep though. When 6 bladed razors are introduced, will people hop on the bandwagon? It's truly a pity. Gillette used to make great DE razors that give you fantastic results. Now they seem to have decided that looks are more important than giving you a good shave. I found this this to be very interesting. We all hate paying $30 for new cartriges, but how many people knew that they only cost 80 cents to produce and that gillette is inflating the price over 4,000 percent?

I guess every great company has their peak and their decline. but this is just so sad. Why did gillette decide to stake their reputation on paid celebrity sponsorships and elaborate marketing rather than quality products. I guess im just surprised that I didn't see it earlier... When they claimed that each, vastly more expensive razor was the "best shave."

If only I had known about DE back in high school... My dad told me that every razor and ever kind of shaving cream is basically the same back then.. If only I would have known.

 

[Go West Young Man]

Other than the price differential and the enormous amount of plastic waste involved, cartridges give 99% of guys as good a shave as DE's do. Newbies tend to forget that they're also now using proper creams/soaps and learning good technique and put all the credit on the razor.

 

[neostyles]

Wow, you are from Palo Alto too? Where abouts?

TBH, I haven't changed creams so far. I think a lot of is the razor. When I use a cartrige, the blades just don't cut nearly as effectively and all that extra surface area touching your face (such as that helpful thing that is supposed to tell you when you need to switch your cartrige means more irritation for a lot of people. In just a single day, I got a better shave with DE than I had with 4 years of using a cartrige razor.

DE razors have been used for over a century. It's a time tested principle from what I can see. Gillette was even making razors for our troops as far back as WW1 (not that I would remember) and now I guess they figured that they don't even need to put any effort into creating a good razor because they already have such a huge market share.. So, the solution was apparently to make a razor that is ultra cheap to produce and sell it for as much as possible, thereby maximizing profits and minimizing expenditure. Or atleast that's just how I see it.

 

[neilt]

I don't hate gillette for making cartridge stuff, they still make some decent DE blades.

If they want to sell cartridges at margins of nearly 500% to people who have no clue...or are too lazy to take 3 more minutes a day out of their life...well, whatever....

 

[Bit2]

JB