In a pinch, i shave with a cartridge. If i need to fly for a weekend somewhere and don't want to check my bags, I'll bring a cartridge along.
My experience is that I can get just as good a 3~4 pass shave with a single blade cartridge as I can with a DE - just takes more buffing work at the end. For me... it's all about the prep. I can tell how my shave is going to go while I am lathering. I'm pretty good at it but there are day/day variations. Particularly since I am a face latherer and pick up additional water by lightly dipping the rush in the sink. Good prep / good lather = good shave. I would say ~80% of the shave is the prep.
My experience is that I can get just as good a 3~4 pass shave with a single blade cartridge as I can with a DE - just takes more buffing work at the end. For me... it's all about the prep. I can tell how my shave is going to go while I am lathering. I'm pretty good at it but there are day/day variations. Particularly since I am a face latherer and pick up additional water by lightly dipping the rush in the sink. Good prep / good lather = good shave. I would say ~80% of the shave is the prep.