Head Shave: DE vs. Cartridge

[snakyjake]

I'm tempted to try DE out for my head, but my head is the last place I want to risk nicks, cuts, scars, and blood that I imagine with a DE. Plus, I can't see my head as easy as my face, so shaving with less visibility is to be considered.

Head shaving goals:
Quick
Easy
Simple
Safe
Close shave is not desireable (I like stubble)

With a Schick Quattro, I can shave my head quickly, easily, safely. The only problem is the high cost of the cartridges! This is my main reason for considering DE.

Can the proper blade/razor of a DE be as easy (little required technique)/quick/safe as cartridge?

I would think we don't need the ultimate close shave (I prefer some stubble), so is there anything that cuts good, but a lot more emphasis on forgiveness? Something less aggressive than a face shave?

I'm thinking there might be a shaver that is similar to clippers+guard. If there was a razor guard (is that what a comb/bar is?), that would prevent the razor from touching my skin and increase safety. Again, don't need the closest shave.

Thanks,
Jake

 

[cooncatbob]

I've been shaving my head for 7 years, the last 3 exclusively with various DE razors.
Obviously you should master shaving your face with a DE before you move on to the head.
I use various DEs on my head, Gillette TTOs especially the adjustables make fine head shaving razor but my favorite is the NEW with long combs, the long combs are more comfortable against the head then other opened comb razor and their turned over edges makes it easy to maintain proper blade angle.

 

[snakyjake]

NEW with long combs

Where can I find more information on "NEW"? ...It is a difficult word to search for.

 

[Azus]

i just started shaving with a DE a month ago. first attempt, i shaved my face and head. i feel more comfortable shaving my head than i do my face. it might be due to the skin on your head is tougher and thicker. go for it!!!

 

[HoosierTrooper]

If you want some stubble I would suggest picking up a $20 set of home hair clippers and using it with no comb.

I prefer the bbs headshave and have been using the Personna Magnum M5. I was at a flea market recently and found 8 pack of Mach 3 cartridges for $9 so I grabbed one of those, dug out my old Mach 3 handle and gave it a go. Actually think I like it better than the M5, and this vendor apparently has a huge supply of the cartridges. May stock up on them.

I've used DE, SE and injectors on the noodle but they simply take me too long.

 

[snakyjake]

If you want some stubble I would suggest picking up a $20 set of home hair clippers and using it with no comb.

I've tried electric shears at zero. It's the worse: difficult to clean, easy to clog, takes forever, uneven cut, multiple passes, uneven cut.

To be more clear on what I'm looking for: I'm not desiring stubble, I just don't want to make the ultimate close shave important to my quest. I'd rather sacrifice a close shave for speed/comfort.

 

[HoosierTrooper]

Gotcha. I used clippers for years at zero with no quard every night or every other night so my hair never got long enough to clog it up. Finally decided to just shave it smooth and now I can get it done in about 5 minutes or so.

 

[snakyjake]

Gotcha. I used clippers for years at zero with no quard every night or every other night so my hair never got long enough to clog it up. Finally decided to just shave it smooth and now I can get it done in about 5 minutes or so.

Exactly. It amazed me how quick shaving is. I can shave my head quicker than my face (at least with a quality cartridge...haven't tried DE...hence the post)! Tried Headblade too....wasn't as good as Schick Quattro or Gillette Mach 3...too many nicks with Headblade and not as easy to hold, and didn't like the cartridges that fit (clogs easily).

Jake

 

[kingfisher]

I've never shaved my head but I think it would be hard to beat a cartridge razor for ease. My cartridge razor of choice is actually the Atra. The Gillette branded cartridges for this thing are wonderful (made in China) and you can get them for a little over a buck apiece if you buy that at Bed, Bath, and Beyond (they're 3 bucks MORE at WalMart, if you can believe it).

If I were to try a DE, I'd use a mild shaver like a Tech or maybe a Krona. Come to think of it, a Schick Krona might be just the ticket; light, longer handle, easy to maneuver, and very gentle.

 

[Chester]

It took me a few months to get the hang of clippers. I shave my melon maybe once every couple months, but hit the clippers every 3-4 weeks at zero (no comb) regardless. Honestly, learning how to use clippers is a lot like learning how to wet shave, in my experience. You have to get a feel for the direction in which things grow. I've got a funny cowlick in the back that I remember most of the time, but after a couple days you can't tell that it got a lighter pass. The key for me was finding an easy set of three overlapping patterns I could repeat without thinking.

Shaving my head is a little tough, because I have some bumpy scars and a slightly raised (thankfully small) mole that I have to be very careful with. Try as I might, putting a styptic pencil on cuts I can't see is the worst game of "pin the tail on the donkey" one can play. On the bright side, bloody fingertips can point the way, and the tracks from the rivulets of blood down my neck and back are good at pointing me in the right direction. My head bleeds like a stuck pig, but I digress.

The best tools I ever had for shaving were these (I think Gillette) disposables that had a head that flexed to a curve. Fantastic results. Pressure was nice an even, and rarely ever got cuts. I'm using a mach3 now, and it's doing well, but I have to locate the aformentioned mole in advance to make sure I treat it gently. I did see a similar kind of flexi-blade razor (for shaving the dome) at Walgreens the other day. Looked like a plastic triangle (more of a chevron with an acure angle), with the blade suspended between the arms. Looked like it would do the trick. Try as I might, I can't get as consistent results with a DE blade.

Hope it helps,
-- Chet

 

[Pike]

I've been shaving my head for 7 years, the last 3 exclusively with various DE razors.
Obviously you should master shaving your face with a DE before you move on to the head.
I use various DEs on my head, Gillette TTOs especially the adjustables make fine head shaving razor but my favorite is the NEW with long combs, the long combs are more comfortable against the head then other opened comb razor and their turned over edges makes it easy to maintain proper blade angle.

+1 I like a smooth head....I have been using an Improved Big Fellow, the long handle makes it easier to control/maintain blade angle. I just made a long handle for a Deluxe head....I'll be posting a pic in a few minutes. The DE is one awesome headshaver!!! Note: I've been shaving with a DE since I was 13...so I guess my technique is pretty good!

 

[kingfisher]

The best tools I ever had for shaving were these (I think Gillette) disposables that had a head that flexed to a curve. Fantastic results.
-- Chet

Maybe you're thinking of the old Schick flexible blades? If Gillette ever made flexible blades I certainly have never seen them. Schick was successful with them for a few years. I still have some of the cartridges at my house but I don't have a handle that they will fit.

a lot of people swore by these old Schick flexible blades, but from a physics standpoint, the idea is fundamentally flawed. Any metal that's ductile enough to bend is not firm enough to hold a really great edge for long. I'm guessing that's why the blades are no longer available.

 

[CaribbeanSoul]

I also have been shaving my head for several years now. I discovered the Head Blade awhile ago and use it and any cartridge that fits an Atra. The ingenious part of its design is that the blade goes in reverse of normal so that you are actually pushing it across you head...not pulling. Quick easy and painless IMHO.

 

[Chester]

Maybe you're thinking of the old Schick flexible blades? If Gillette ever made flexible blades I certainly have never seen them. Schick was successful with them for a few years. I still have some of the cartridges at my house but I don't have a handle that they will fit.

a lot of people swore by these old Schick flexible blades, but from a physics standpoint, the idea is fundamentally flawed. Any metal that's ductile enough to bend is not firm enough to hold a really great edge for long. I'm guessing that's why the blades are no longer available.

I'll defer to you on that -- could very well have been Schicks. I'll have to see if I squirreled any of them away, actually. As for durability, I got a lot of shaves out of them, probably because 1) I have really fine hair generally, and 2) I seem to have lost a goodly amount off the top without employing any razor at all.

-- Chet

 

[leeparmet]

I find it hard to leave stubble with most DE's I have used on my head. Your best bet to leave consistent stubble would be clippers. I have friends who really like the Wahl Balding Clipper. They leave a days worth of stubble without being patchy.

~Lee

 

[Yonjuro]

I find it hard to leave stubble with most DE's I have used on my head. Your best bet to leave consistent stubble would be clippers. I have friends who really like the Wahl Balding Clipper. They leave a days worth of stubble without being patchy.

~Lee

+1 Wahl Bald Fader is an awesome tool if you want tight stubble. I use DE these days for the ultimate chrome dome though.

 

[Soopercat]

I've shaved my head and face with a straight razor the first day I got it. A few paper cuts not real cuts as they stopped bleeding before the second pass and I shaved the next day with no irritation. DE was no problem, EXCEPT it took longer, way longer. The clogging and constant thumbing of the edge to get the hair out!! I found one razor the did the trick but that too has it's own issues. Finally settled on a GEM 1912 SE very recently. Closest thing to a straight and as efficient without honing and touch ups to the blades in the rotation. Clogging is minimal on long pass's.

Kind regards,