I have found that in a rush I love using my two bladed Dorco cart razor and that it gives me a very smooth shave. I am just kind of disappointed at how the marketing today ignores these nice razors. Everything is 5 blade this, and 6 blade that, and of course vibrating everything. People make tons of aftermarket handles for the Mach 3 and the Fusion, but hardly anyone makes handles for the two bladed Gillette's or the Dorcos, which means I have to use a very colorful handle, and I like those faux ivory ones. Just kinda bums me out how everyone thinks that 5 blade systems work for everyone, which leaves us sensitive skin guys in the dust.
Marketing is Such A Shame
- Thread starter NauticalShaver1216
- Start date
I agree. I love my DEs and use them 75%+ of the time (I am a head shaver who occasionally shaves his face, usually sport a full beard) but I have and use both dorco twin and personna twin blade carts from time to time. I get as close a shave as a de with the personna twin carts and only minor occasional bumps. When I use them they usually are in my headblade atx but I also have metal atra style handle I got from a reputable wet shave dealer online that works very well and feels much better in the hand then cheap plastic.
I feel the same way about my Sensor. I never felt the need to "upgrade" to a newer model and still enjoy using it from time to time, and the shave I get is on par with DE. I tried a 3 blade cart with it that Gillette included for free with the 2 blade package over 10 years ago - no doubt to get the users to "upgrade" to a more expensive cart - but never bothered to buy them, the twin blade has always worked great for me, and with a thinner profile it's easier to get under my nose than the multi-blade carts, or DE for that matter. My only worry is one day not being able to get twin blade carts for it.
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- #4
It does seem like it is coming to that. Unless you have the handle already you are kind of forced to by the 9 dollar bag of two blade throw aways
I've had great success finding several reputable online places to find twin blade carts (both atra and trac style) so they are available but may take some looking. I recently learned I'm not allowed to reference other websites here by name (?) but trust me, they are available for great prices from the most common online retailers. I get 100 personna twin blade carts that fit atra handles for around $11 and free shipping. I love dorco as a company for their great customer service but those personna twin carts are the bee's knees! I can do 1 pass atg on my head for a 2 minute BBS every time and they are literally the only non-de razor I've ever been able to get a close shave on my neck without irritation.
Actually... I'm going to use my atra style personna carts today because of this thread! I got a few new (vintage) DEs in recently but I'm in the mood for a quick reliable shave.
Actually... I'm going to use my atra style personna carts today because of this thread! I got a few new (vintage) DEs in recently but I'm in the mood for a quick reliable shave.
That sums it up perfectly. When I'm in a rush I can lather some cream and use my Sensor and within 5 minutes have a smooth face that leaves me walking out the door looking and feeling like a million bucks.
- Thread starter
- #7
I think my biggest issue was finding a handle that I liked, I was really upset at how many aftermarket handles there were for the Mach 3 and Fusion, but not a whole lot for the lesser blades. I went ahead and ordered an aftermarket Atra handle from WCS, as well as some Personna blades, so we will see how they do for me. I would like to get rid of my red bumps on my neck, but no razor not even DE has done it for me yet. I also got a Gillette Guard to see how that works.
So this thread had me wanting to use my Sensor this morning. TOBS grapefruit provided a great lather and the Sensor gave me an excellent shave in short time, 1 pass on the face, a second on the neck, followed by some Fine Platinum. Gillette could've stopped making carts with this one, it's just a damn good razor, period. No need for those 5 blade vibrating trackball space age polymer glow in the dark gizmos.
I admit, I've been using mostly cartridges of late, saving DE for the weekends. No matter how hard I try, I always wind up having to clean my neck up with a cart, so I figure I might as well use it for the whole shave.
In that spirit (and to get in under the wire for the 2017 shave purchase sabbatical), I just bought 100 of the Persona Trac II carts. Assuming I can get five decent shaves out of each cartridge, the per shave cost is going to be lower than my DE per shave cost. Pretty hard to argue against that, considering one of the reasons I got into wetshaving was to save money.
In that spirit (and to get in under the wire for the 2017 shave purchase sabbatical), I just bought 100 of the Persona Trac II carts. Assuming I can get five decent shaves out of each cartridge, the per shave cost is going to be lower than my DE per shave cost. Pretty hard to argue against that, considering one of the reasons I got into wetshaving was to save money.
I've seen a lot of Trac II handles, but very few for Atra and Sensor (still my favorite, need to find a classic handle for that).
My original handle broke on one side where it holds the cart, the little piece of plastic finally gave up the ghost. At first I was ticked I couldn't find an original handle but truthfully I like the second generation one more, which I've had for about 15 years now. I'm seriously considering buying a metal handle, it might be a cool gift to a future grandson some day.
I might pick one up for use after I work through all the Trac II carts I just bought...
Dollar general has the Dorco 2 blade with 5 carts for 3 dollars under their. Brand name. It's the same razor as the 2 blade from dollar shave club and you get an extra cart and handle buying locally.
Dollar Tree sells disposables under the Barbasol name but they are actually the same personna twin blade razors I was talking about except these are full on disposable razors, not just cartridges. I prefer the carts to them as I can use my atx or atra style metal handle if I want but these are a great option for air travel, overnights, or a work/gym bag.
- Thread starter
- #15
I ordered a metal handle and 10 Personna blades and I finally got to use them before my date night with my wife. I have to say I am very impressed! The combo of the blades with pre shave oil and TOBS cream was amazing. They are very smooth but still sharp. I actually cut myself twice because to me the blades seem a little less guarded, which is great. With the Fusion you can just drag the razor across your face, but without pressure it wont do much. These were very responsive to light pressure, and still allowed for some technique and concentration.
How'd it work for you? I got one from a visiting Indian colleague. It did a pretty nice job, I thought!
- Thread starter
- #17
Eh, it did an alright job, but not as well as I wanted. Still, its a really good deal with how cheap they are.
Groupthink can be powerful.
There are some vendors out there that make a nicer handle for the Trac 2 cart system. When I travel I used my trusty old black plastic standard T-2 razor w/out the lube strip. I dislike the lube strip and you can find Gillette or Personna T-2 non-lube carts at many net vendors such as Razor Direct or Amazon. Switching to a T-2 should give you an equal or better shave than Dorco and you would have the ability to shop for a nicer handle.
Yes, I agree. I used to use Dorco's twin blade carts for the reasons we've been talking about but when I find those personna twin carts... Whew! Blew the Dorco's out of the water. Less then half the price for double the carts and man they are sharp! They have been my go-to on non-de days for a few months now.
actually I've exclusively used my headblade atx with personna twin carts and either proraso green or white w/ an omega s brush and bay rum for the last several days. Lovely (head) shaves. Very very minor irritation on the nape of my neck but that can happen with de's if in too quick. I still love and prefer my de's but sometimes I need to just get the job done and on those days I reach for my personna twin carts without any worry
actually I've exclusively used my headblade atx with personna twin carts and either proraso green or white w/ an omega s brush and bay rum for the last several days. Lovely (head) shaves. Very very minor irritation on the nape of my neck but that can happen with de's if in too quick. I still love and prefer my de's but sometimes I need to just get the job done and on those days I reach for my personna twin carts without any worry
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