Just curious...

[Patriot45]

Now that I have been shaving a little while with my DE, I am now starting to ponder the difference between the DE and the cartridge razors. Specifically, I am thinking about the closeness of the shave. In "theory" at least, it would seem that you could (and should) get a closer shave with the multi-blade cartridges as they do the whole "pull the hair out and cut it below the surface of the skin" routine. However, my wife was even noting yesterday that my shave is significantly more close using the DE than it ever was with the carts. Some plausible explanations that I can come up with are:

1) I am paying a whole lot more attention to shaving now than I ever did (e.g., studying growth patterns, being very deliberate with direction of subsequent passes, etc.)

2) Perhaps many of the hairs are not pulled sufficiently out with the cart as it would completely depend on how and where a particular hair was "grabbed" by the razor.

3) On subsequent passes using a cart, perhaps the remaining stubble is too short to be grabbed, and thus, the razor slides right over.

Any other thoughts?

 

[grouse79]

I'd have to say the DE blades feel a whole lot sharper than any cartridge I've used and that makes a major difference to me.

Since I was about 18 I've had a heavy dark stubble needing daily shaving and when I finally switched from an electric (ouch) to the Mach3 Power and gel, it used to take me many, many passes to get a close shave. In fact my "technique" was one application of gel and working away at each area on my face until it got uncomfortable, when I'd switch to another area and then go back to finish off.

Now I can get a passable shave in a few minutes with only two passes, although I usually have 3 or 4, and it never ceases to amaze me how much gets taken off even with just the first pass.

The fact using a DE forces you to use a proper technique rather than just raking it across your face probably helps, as does knowing your grain pattern. It's embarrasses me that I was 28, and shaving for 14 years, before I realised the stubble on my lower neck grew upwards, not downwards. Which explained why I'd almost always had sore skin in that area.

 

[dbconlin]

I agree with all three of your points. I recently tried a cartridge razor again for the first time since switching to DE 9 months ago. I posted some of my observations in another thread yesterday. (I would post a link but it is too hard on my phone.)

 

[brg]

I agree with all three of your points. I recently tried a cartridge razor again for the first time since switching to DE 9 months ago. I posted some of my observations in another thread yesterday. (I would post a link but it is too hard on my phone.)

There it is:

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=132014

As you can see from my post, reduction does not work with carts. The blades are so receded that at a point they stop being able to "grab" hairs to cut them...