Is the single blade benefit argument for DE razors really valid?

[rstringer]

Hi All,

I use a variety of shaving tools such as high quality DE razors, multiblade cartridges such as proglide fusion and even an electric Braun pulsonic. So I have no real biases and am on the search for the perfect shave.

After giving the DE razor, both a Merkur and Edwin Jagger a good try for over year, I have come to the conclusion that the single blade does not really provide an advantage, especially if your facial hair is really corse.

The main argument is always that the single balde of a DE does not irritate the skin, but the truth of a matter is that one or two passes does really not do anything if you have a thick beard, you have to go over the same area at least three times to get a smooth shave and as such I don't see how it irritates the skin less if you do have sensitive skin. Now I don't particularly sensitive skin and therefore going over the same spot multiple times with a DE or a few times with a cartridge does not really affect me adversly. But the multiblade does feel way more comfortable and is giving me a smoother shave in a much shorter time window without having to worry about cuts and what not.

With that said, I would like to hear other people's opinions and feedback on the issue as I am in search for the perfect shave .

Cheers,
Rob

 

[Vickers]

Use whatever works best for you.

 

[rstringer]

Use whatever works best for you.

I appreciate the reply. I do love the tradition behind a DE and the cost effectiveness of it. I wonder however if it is something that I am not doing right prohibiting me to enjoy the full benefits of a DE which is what I posted this thread.

 

[Vickers]

What's your prep?

I'm pretty sure I could go back to multi-blade carts and get as good a shave with them using my current pre-shave routine. I have no desire to even try since I enjoy the whole process of DE shaving.

 

[Gingerbread]

You could try a more aggressive razor or slant. Cuts the whiskers good.

 

[global_dev]

But the multiblade does feel way more comfortable and is giving me a smoother shave in a much shorter time window without having to worry about cuts and what not.

Rob, after a year, are you still worrying about cuts and other things with the DE?

I'd say change up the game. An SE or the R41 or whatever it's called.

 

[bbauer09]

I felt the same way for awhile....
My technique has gotten a lot better since then and I think that I actually am starting to get better shaves with a DE (If I use the right equipment, my 34c and Astra blades).

If you think you are still interested in DE, keep at it and work on your technique. I am sure that once that gets better you will see a difference. If not, well I guess its up to you how you shave.

 

[beeranon]

I'm much like you, Rob, in that I don't have particularly sensitive skin, though the use of multi-blade cartridges was neither worse nor better than using a DE or injector from a comfort standpoint.

I would suggest that the multiblade is more comfortable for you because it is designed to be close to the optimal shaving angle no matter how the handle/head is oriented, that is, if you have the working surface of the cartridge on your face, it's pretty close (if not dead on) the correct blade angle for the cartridge design. If you don't precisely change the angle of the razor as the angle of the surface you're shaving changes (as you must do with a DE), no big deal, the head will pivot to stay flush with your face, within reason.

I know I cannot be the first to suggest this, but it could be likened to driving a stick versus an automatic. The stick aficionado will go on and on about control, precision, skill, blah, blah, blah, and the automatic user will respond that I don't have to think about all that stuff, I'm just trying to get from A to B safely. To the manual transmission fan, I say have at it! Enjoy honing your unnecessary skill (and I mean this without a trace of sarcasm, seriously; I happen to be a fan of a manual transmission, also), and the pleasure you get from being as smooth as an automatic even though you're working a lot harder to do that. To the automatic user, I say good on you! It's just getting from one place to another, not an art form.

Economists use the term 'utils' to measure the derivation of satisfaction different persons get from different activities, goods, etc., and I think that's in play here. I get more utils from taking a little more time, and a lot more care in the daily scraping of a sharp piece of metal across my face than going on auto pilot to do so, just as I get more utils from driving a stick versus an automatic (I must confess, however, that I get even more utils from having a vehicle that SWMBO is comfortable driving when she needs a car rather than her Pilot, so I no longer have a six-speed stick...).

So, to expand slightly on Vickers response: use what gives you the most satisfaction. If it's a fast, close shave with a minimum of fuss and care, go for it; if it's handling a single blade in a DE or injector well to get the same results, fantastic.

Still, those straights guys are crazy.

 

[MrLara]

While i may not have steel wool for a beard, i do have thick facial hair. And switching to a DE was the best decision i could have made as far as shaving goes.

Cart razors have irritated my skin for years, Have given me ingrown hairs (every few shaves) and have cost me a boatload of money over the years.

I wish i had discovered wet shaving many years ago. My first DE shave was incredibly smooth, and close. Of course it's not without it's cons, with DE shaving you have to be careful not to overdo it. I have made mistakes where i end up giving myself a little irritation because i go over a few areas more than twice (but that's only because some areas are more problematic than others). Also i started without a brush and used regular shaving gel. The brush and cream/soap really help get your face ready for the task at hand.

Since then i learned how to better my technique , and not longer irritate my face anymore. I also keep a neatly trimmed beard, and it's way easier to shape out my beard with a DE than with a cart. A few friends have actually asked how is it that i can get my beard line that defined.

Finally it's the cost: a pack of 4 carts cost around $15-$17. for me each cartridge only lasted about 2 good shaves, because the small aloe vera strip wore off by then and the shave was no longer smooth. With a DE (at least so far) i have had 5 shaves with one blade. And it's only $18-$20 for 100 blades. i'm guessing those would last about a year for most guys.

IF you keep it simple and just have one razor, one brush, and a few soaps you wouldn't have to buy any shaving supplies for a very very long time. On the other hand if you're like most guys here, you will end up looking and buying more razors and brushes. which is either a gift or a curse (but that depends how you look at it)

 

[Mr5x5]

Use whatever works best for you.

Always happy to enable, why not try a straight?

 

[rstringer]

You could try a more aggressive razor or slant. Cuts the whiskers good.

I have tried , but the more agressive slant becomes then very uncomfortable.

 

[rstringer]

Rob, after a year, are you still worrying about cuts and other things with the DE?

I'd say change up the game. An SE or the R41 or whatever it's called.

I think there is always the concern with cuts, after all you have to be very alert at all times since cuts can occur very quickly. Also, it doesn't really help that I have a very contoured chin and shaving that area always makes me nervous.

 

[Ton Eighty]

For me the single blade benefit argument is definitely valid. Before using a DE I used carts and stayed mostly with the Sensor Excel as it had relatively few blades. Every time a new, more bladed razor would come out I would try it and ultimately end up back at the Sensor, finally giving up on that as well and going to disposable dual-bladed carts only because I couldn't find a single bladed cart with a "lubricating strip." >eek< I always told my wife, "The more blades there are, the more cut to ribbons my face will get." And I tried them all the way up through the latest incarnation. For whatever reason, more blades for me equals more irritation, extreme red bumps and ingrown hairs. Shaving for me was MISERABLE. DE shaving has been the only way, so far, that I have found to be delicate enough on my neck to remove whiskers, yet not get a rash so badly that I am ashamed to be in public.

I honestly have no idea in the science and physics behind why multi-bladed carts do not work for me. All I know is that they don't.

 

[rstringer]

I'm much like you, Rob, in that I don't have particularly sensitive skin, though the use of multi-blade cartridges was neither worse nor better than using a DE or injector from a comfort standpoint.

I would suggest that the multiblade is more comfortable for you because it is designed to be close to the optimal shaving angle no matter how the handle/head is oriented, that is, if you have the working surface of the cartridge on your face, it's pretty close (if not dead on) the correct blade angle for the cartridge design. If you don't precisely change the angle of the razor as the angle of the surface you're shaving changes (as you must do with a DE), no big deal, the head will pivot to stay flush with your face, within reason.

I know I cannot be the first to suggest this, but it could be likened to driving a stick versus an automatic. The stick aficionado will go on and on about control, precision, skill, blah, blah, blah, and the automatic user will respond that I don't have to think about all that stuff, I'm just trying to get from A to B safely. To the manual transmission fan, I say have at it! Enjoy honing your unnecessary skill (and I mean this without a trace of sarcasm, seriously; I happen to be a fan of a manual transmission, also), and the pleasure you get from being as smooth as an automatic even though you're working a lot harder to do that. To the automatic user, I say good on you! It's just getting from one place to another, not an art form.

Economists use the term 'utils' to measure the derivation of satisfaction different persons get from different activities, goods, etc., and I think that's in play here. I get more utils from taking a little more time, and a lot more care in the daily scraping of a sharp piece of metal across my face than going on auto pilot to do so, just as I get more utils from driving a stick versus an automatic (I must confess, however, that I get even more utils from having a vehicle that SWMBO is comfortable driving when she needs a car rather than her Pilot, so I no longer have a six-speed stick...).

So, to expand slightly on Vickers response: use what gives you the most satisfaction. If it's a fast, close shave with a minimum of fuss and care, go for it; if it's handling a single blade in a DE or injector well to get the same results, fantastic.

Still, those straights guys are crazy.

Well I am a stick guy myself, never drive anything but , never have and never will . This is the reason I was drawn to DEs to begin with. But I have simply come to belive that even if your Technique is flawless you are not getting a close shave than with a multiblade. So if cost is not an issue and your skin can take a cartridge withou problems, then the case for a DE is no longer that strong IMHO.

And after a year I simply doubt it's my poor technique, I really think that it has something to do with the limitations of the DE. Yesterday I went back to a multiblade after a very long time and the shave felt so good and effortless. It made it so much harder going back to the DE though still might.

Cheers,
Rob

 

[rstringer]

What's your prep?

I'm pretty sure I could go back to multi-blade carts and get as good a shave with them using my current pre-shave routine. I have no desire to even try since I enjoy the whole process of DE shaving.

Prep is pre-shave oil shaving soap or cream from quality vendors such as Truffit, Edwin Jagger, Art of Shaving etc and decent after shave balm of the same.

 

[Mad Man]

Since ditching a $500 Braun 7-Series electric and switching to DE shaving my shaves are:
1. longer (15-20m versus a 2-3m electric pass)
2. more expensive (I've spent about that on brushes, razors, etc)
3. my ingrowns are GONE!
4. my skin is clearer and healthier (according to SWMBO)
5. I enjoy my shaves and look forward to them instead of seeing them as a chore
6. my self-confidence has improved
7. I have discovered a community of people whom I enjoy communicating with and sharing a common interest

Sure, I don't always get a perfect shave. But I wouldn't go back to carts or the electric. A little time and money invested has given me so much more.

Your results may vary...

 

[Niles]

The main argument is always that the single balde of a DE does not irritate the skin, but the truth of a matter is that one or two passes does really not do anything if you have a thick beard, you have to go over the same area at least three times to get a smooth shave and as such I don't see how it irritates the skin less if you do have sensitive skin. Now I don't particularly sensitive skin and therefore going over the same spot multiple times with a DE or a few times with a cartridge does not really affect me adversly. But the multiblade does feel way more comfortable and is giving me a smoother shave in a much shorter time window without having to worry about cuts and what not.

The benefit of DE shaving, in my mind is that it is a more comfortable shave. Each pass takes a little more of the hair off at skin level. It may take more time/passes, but for me it is much more comfortable than the pulling I always got from cartridges. But it's not for everybody.

 

[Flask]

Rob, after a year, are you still worrying about cuts and other things with the DE?

I'd say change up the game. An SE or the R41 or whatever it's called.

If he is worried about cuts ---- better stay away from the R41!!!

 

[Vickers]

If he is worried about cuts ---- better stay away from the R41!!!

True, but using an R41 helped me with my technique more than any other single factor.

 

[HoosierTrooper]

If the carts work better for you then stick with what works. There are some pretty good options out there, you don't have to use the newest and most expensive models. The venerable old Trac II works great for a lot of us, as does the Atra and Sensor, and some really reasonably priced replacement cartridges are available.

Now, as a dedicated single edge fanatic I am duty bound to suggest you look into the SE's and injectors as a possibility. If you read through the SE forum you'll see a lot of guys have pretty much given up on using DE's once they tried the SE systems.