Going from Fusion to DE shaving

[London80]

Hello people

My friend is a shaving nut. Has so many cut throat (straight razors), DE (safety razors), creams, lotions and potions..etc

I was always can of gel and my mach3/fusion (i do use a bursh). And slap a bit of moisturiser when i'm done

If i left shaving for a few day's i'd break out in spots on my face. My mate said this was down to hairs growing in, as the fusion cuts into the skin

So after many months of debating should I give DE/straight a chance and moaning to my mate how expensive it was, he let me borrow one of his merkur ones (A 38c), with a couple packs of feather blade

First few times he said i'd porb not get a good shave as i need to get the hang of it. Fine by me...took me a good week to get the hang of it.

Anyway now i knew how to use it was time to compare.

I let my hair grow for a few days, as i can go without shaving at times and then i unleashed the DE....and ouch, how my face hurt. Lather shave, lather shave, lather shave, lather shave, lather shave...not impressed. DE's are supposed to cause less irritation to the skin..but this left me soar.

Anyway, thought the above may be a bit unfair as I let it grow, so i shaved for the next few days everyday and still it took 2/3 attempts to get a decent shave. Still not as smooth as the fusion.

Carried on for over a month and in conclusion i'm going back to fusion

It takes far too long to shave with the DE (although it's a great manly feeling shaving with a blade)...it also leaves my face soar after constantly going over and over the same area

Fusion may be expensive but i've invested in a RazorPit recently so hopefully it will extend the life of the blade

I'm still going to use the creams and soap but, not the DE.

Maybe some day i'll try a straight razor...but at the mo this experience has put me off

 

[Emmett]

Sounds like you are using too much pressure. A common mistake when you are used to having to apply pressure to shave with a lightweight cartridge.

 

[AdrianR]

Sounds like you are using too much pressure. A common mistake when you are used to having to apply pressure to shave with a lightweight cartridge.

+1

IMHO, the most common mistakes newbies make in the transition from Gillette cartridges to DE are:
* Using pressure. DON'T! Let the weight of the razor and the sharpness of the blade do the work.
* Not shaving with a good face/blade angle.
* Expecting a single pass to be sufficient. Not so - each pass should 'reduce' the beard and not 'remove'.

Keep these things in mind and work on your technique. Watch the mantic59 videos on Youtube and remember that a DE blade is, generally, sharper and far superior to a cart and can be ditched after 3 or 4 shaves as it is cheap enough. Sharpening cartridges? Are you serious?

 

[Drubbing]

IMO, if you don't have the patience to learn to use a DE, you'll never learn a straight. It's going to take more than a week. I've been cart shaving for 25+ years and it took me a couple of months of daily shaving before I really nailed it.

Pressure is the key. You can't force a DE on your skin like you have to with carts. Yes, initially it takes longer, but with improved technique the time shortens, and results are just as good as carts.

Most of us aren't in it to save masses of time - the point is that it's time out. I guess when you're young you have all the free time you need. As you get older and have families, time to yourself is in very short supply.

The razorpit is nothing but a cleaner - it won't resharpen blades. Looks like a gimmick to me.

 

[Copierguy]

sounds like you are using too much pressure. A common mistake when you are used to having to apply pressure to shave with a lightweight cartridge.

+1

imho, the most common mistakes newbies make in the transition from gillette cartridges to de are:
* using pressure. Don't! Let the weight of the razor and the sharpness of the blade do the work.
* not shaving with a good face/blade angle.
* expecting a single pass to be sufficient. Not so - each pass should 'reduce' the beard and not 'remove'.

Keep these things in mind and work on your technique. Watch the mantic59 videos on youtube and remember that a de blade is, generally, sharper and far superior to a cart and can be ditched after 3 or 4 shaves as it is cheap enough. Sharpening cartridges? Are you serious?

+1

 

[London80]

Hmmmmm....i guess i was using to much pressure. But only because it wasn't taking enough hair off. Will take this on board and give it another bash me thinks

PS: Yes, making new cartridge baldes. Google the RazorPit. Has worked for me so far...although could all be in the head

 

[DougK]

If my time spent learning wetshaving has taught me one thing, it's that if you use pressure with any razor, be it cartridge, DE, or injector, you're doing it wrong.

I recently switched back to a Mach 3 and I use it the same way as I do a DE or injector razor: zero pressure, short strokes, keep the head at the correct angle, go for beard reduction in multiple passes. I get BBS shaves in two passes plus touch up and I haven't had a single problem with skin irritation or ingrown hairs. However, the downside is that you have to be willing to toss the cartridge at the first iffy shave, which is where DE or injector shaving has a clear cost advantage.

EDIT: I also think using good cream or soap makes a huge difference in the way your razor works. I used to have problems with the Mach 3 gumming up and dragging when I used the gels which would cause me to use more pressure and so on; using real shaving soap or cream, I don't have that problem. No way would I go back to the canned gels.

 

[JPM]

You might want to try something other than a Feather blade to start. They can irritate your skin if you are new to DE shaving. Maybe Derby's, Crystals or 7 O'Clock Yellows.

 

[gollum83]

You might want to try something other than a Feather blade to start. They can irritate your skin if you are new to DE shaving. Maybe Derby's, Crystals or 7 O'Clock Yellows.

+1 If you can go without shaving for a few days and still look presentable, then you do not need use Feathers. Try a different blade, or better yet buy a blade sampler from West Coast Shaving, Bullgoose Shaving or any number of other vendors. And ease up on the razor! It's all about beard reduction NOT elimination.

Also, if you haven't done so already, I recommend you watch some of Mantic's videos on youtube.

 

[BlackBard]

If my time spent learning wetshaving has taught me one thing, it's that if you use pressure with any razor, be it cartridge, DE, or injector, you're doing it wrong.

I recently switched back to a Mach 3 and I use it the same way as I do a DE or injector razor: zero pressure, short strokes, keep the head at the correct angle, go for beard reduction in multiple passes. I get BBS shaves in two passes plus touch up and I haven't had a single problem with skin irritation or ingrown hairs. However, the downside is that you have to be willing to toss the cartridge at the first iffy shave, which is where DE or injector shaving has a clear cost advantage.

EDIT: I also think using good cream or soap makes a huge difference in the way your razor works. I used to have problems with the Mach 3 gumming up and dragging when I used the gels which would cause me to use more pressure and so on; using real shaving soap or cream, I don't have that problem. No way would I go back to the canned gels.

I totally agree with the comment about proper prep and good products. I believe that is the most important component of successful shaving. Without that, nothing else you do will really work. The razor is secondary, as illustrated by the huge number of DE and blade combinations that work for some and not others.

Also, I second the comment about "no pressure" with any razor. Somehow people have gotten the idea that they need to press down with a cartridge razor. Not true! A light touch yields the best results. I believe that many members who have gone back to try a cartridge razor - Track II, Mach 3, etc. - have gotten very good results primarily because they have learned how to lather properly with good products and now understand much more about their own beard growth patterns. In other words, they have learned how to shave the right way. That, is the reason they can get good results from any razor.

 

[MacMelvyn]

I also think using good cream or soap makes a huge difference in the way your razor works. I used to have problems with the Mach 3 gumming up and dragging when I used the gels which would cause me to use more pressure and so on; using real shaving soap or cream, I don't have that problem. No way would I go back to the canned gels.

There's more to DougK than meets the razor! Also, this is a great tip! Thanks Doug, some of the seemingly simple things aren't always picked up during life's little complexities and it takes a level head to remind us.

The last thing to do though is to give-up! There are too many very serious souls around who have put the work in and have had real results to turn belly up too soon. A small dosage of persistence is required I reckon. Also, I am checking-out Method Shaving! There's more than one way to skin a face!
Thanks again Doug.

 

[*King G*]

Little to no pressure, and experiment with blades. We have all had a bad experience with a blade maker (merkur's were horrible to my face, feather's were great). Stick with it.