After getting interested in DE shaving a couple years ago, I have turned to this forum(among others) for information countless times. Now that I have some experience under my belt I hope to give back some knowledge to anyone new to wet shaving. I will touch upon several points which many new DE shavers have to consider when first starting off:
#1 Quality:
Most people turn to DE shaving because they are hoping for a better shaving experience. When I started, I thought it was this long lost holy grail that I was fortunate enough to rediscover. I thought that I would have a perfect shave with no irritation every time - boy was I wrong. While it is possible, many things have to come together for it to happen. DE shaving is made up of a sum of several parts. If one is lacking, then the entire experience is negatively effected.
Firstly, the DE shaving technique is significantly different from cartridge shaving. DE shaving requires you to go SLOW and very carefully. The odds of getting a smooth, irritation free shave are fairly slim unless under perfect conditions. ie. experienced, good tools, not in a hurry, ect.
With a cartridge, their is no technique needed. You can shave in any direction, at any angle, any speed, as willy nilly as you want and odds are that you will get a decent shave. It feel soooo great to shave with a Mach3 after DE shaving for a while - almost liberating in a way.
Some people will argue that you will get a more comfortable shave with DE. If you go as slowly and carefully with a cartridge razor as you do with a DE, you will have the most comfortable wet shave of your life. When I first started DE shaving, my face would BLEED hard. When first starting off, yours will too. This doesn't really happen with cartridges.
Others argue that you get a closer shave with DE. Again, if your technique is good then 3 passes with a DE will probably be better than 1 pass with a cartridge. But a second pass against the grain with a cartridge will very quickly give you the shave you're looking for.
Most DE shavers use a brush and soap. Using a good badger brush and natural shaving soap is waaay more enjoyable than squirting shaving cream on your hand and rubbing it on your face. But in the end, the result is still the same. I sometimes consider whether I want to put in the extra time and effort for negligible benefits.
#2 Products:
Overall, soap is highly subjective. Just be reasonable. Don't go and spend $30 on a little piece of soap your first time around (art of shaving..). It's just soap...Also, don't get some weird synthetic soap with a huge list of chemicals - you might as well use a gel goop at that point. Try your hand at good soaps in the $10 range and/or get some samples to get a feel for it. Don't forget to try some barbasol to compare. While lathering your face with a brush is awesome, the lack of effort needed to get a perfect coating of barbasol is equally awesome, so it's good either way.
#3 Cost:
One of the reasons many people turn to DE shaving is the cost. Considering the steep cost of replacement cartridges and goop in a can, it seems that these costs would add up quickly. Let's consider the cost over a longer period, of say 5 years, to have a better perspective of how the costs of shaving play out in the long term. I will use middle of the line figures which most people can relate to - it can be higher or lower but it won't be too far off for most people.
Cartridge cost in 5 Years:
80 Mach3 cartridges = ~$160
15 cans of barbasol = ~$25
Total = ~$185
DE cost in 5 Years:
Good Razor = $30
Good Badger Brush = $25
Good Soap/Creme $10 every 6 months = $100
100 Feather Blades = ~$30
Total = ~$185
As you can see, the costs are a wash. This example takes into account middle of the road products that an enthusiast would buy. If you consider the costs of ultra premium razors, brushes, and soaps, DE shaving gets much more expensive very quickly. Although barbasol is quick and very effective, I still like to use a brush and soap - so these costs can shift around.
#4 Time:
DE shaving is time intensive. Some can argue that relishing the experience of a good DE shave is what it's all about. I'm sorry but I don't shave for the fun of it. I shave so that I feel fresh and don't look like a bum. The less time I spend shaving, the more time I can spend living.
Lets look at the minimal amount time it takes to DE shave over 5 years(shaving everyday):
Soak Brush for 30 seconds: 15 hours
Wet face for 10 seconds: 5 hours
Minimum daily total: ~4 minutes
Over 5 years: ~115 hours
This is the absolute minimum amount of time it takes to do a 3 pass DE shave. This doesn't even take into account all the other time consuming tasks such as rinsing the razor in between passes and touchups, etc. Most of us easily take twice as long and a beginner 3 times as long. So over the course of 5 years, we spend well over 100 hours(realistically closer to 200 hours) DE shaving.
Time spent shaving with Mach3 and barbasol over 5 years:
Wet/lather face for 10 seconds: 5 hours
Over 5 years: ~35 hours
As you can see DE shaving takes ~3 times longer by this VERY rough estimate. Time is the one thing you never get back, so spend it wisely.
In the end, it's all about marketing. The resurgence of DE shaving has opened up a market that A LOT of people are cashing in on. Back in the day, a good razor,brush,and mug of soap set you back $10(with inflation ~$30). Today, it's nearly a hundred. Coupled with this bombardment of reviews and ads, we feel compelled to spend exorbitant amounts of money on products that we really don't need and aren't worth their price. In my experience, good old-fashioned barbasol and a Mach3 give you a good enough to great shave every time. A badger brush and soap can be thrown in for good measure. Don't delude yourself into thinking that DE shaving is some kind of miracle. Of course you should try DE shaving. Maybe it's for you like it is for a lot of people. But in the end, take it for what it is and don't spend too much before you understand exactly what it is that you are buying/getting yourself into.
#1 Quality:
Most people turn to DE shaving because they are hoping for a better shaving experience. When I started, I thought it was this long lost holy grail that I was fortunate enough to rediscover. I thought that I would have a perfect shave with no irritation every time - boy was I wrong. While it is possible, many things have to come together for it to happen. DE shaving is made up of a sum of several parts. If one is lacking, then the entire experience is negatively effected.
Firstly, the DE shaving technique is significantly different from cartridge shaving. DE shaving requires you to go SLOW and very carefully. The odds of getting a smooth, irritation free shave are fairly slim unless under perfect conditions. ie. experienced, good tools, not in a hurry, ect.
With a cartridge, their is no technique needed. You can shave in any direction, at any angle, any speed, as willy nilly as you want and odds are that you will get a decent shave. It feel soooo great to shave with a Mach3 after DE shaving for a while - almost liberating in a way.
Some people will argue that you will get a more comfortable shave with DE. If you go as slowly and carefully with a cartridge razor as you do with a DE, you will have the most comfortable wet shave of your life. When I first started DE shaving, my face would BLEED hard. When first starting off, yours will too. This doesn't really happen with cartridges.
Others argue that you get a closer shave with DE. Again, if your technique is good then 3 passes with a DE will probably be better than 1 pass with a cartridge. But a second pass against the grain with a cartridge will very quickly give you the shave you're looking for.
Most DE shavers use a brush and soap. Using a good badger brush and natural shaving soap is waaay more enjoyable than squirting shaving cream on your hand and rubbing it on your face. But in the end, the result is still the same. I sometimes consider whether I want to put in the extra time and effort for negligible benefits.
#2 Products:
- Soap/Creme: In my opinion this is the most important aspect of shaving. Without good soap, your shave will be terrible no matter what. This provides the slickness, protection, and scent that defines the shave. Btw, don't underestimate the scent. I thought it didn't matter at first, but quickly found out how important it is considering the proximity of your nose to your face and how long it can linger. Some of the popular soaps I've tried in no particular order:
- Tabac: Oldish smell (I'm 23), great otherwise
- Proraso Green: Good smell and easy to lather(like all proraso(they are all soft soaps)), not great protection for me, but I went through a whole tub.. The menthol is not really relaxing.
- Proraso Red: Burns my face and makes it feel raw. Good smell though.
- Proraso white: Hate the smell - for some reason the batch I had had a slimey feel to it too.
- VDH deluxe: So BAAAD! Smells likes women's soap. No lather or protection. I don't care if it's cheap, my bath soap is better for shaving, no joke, I've compared it.
- Dr. Harris: Expensive. Good otherwise.
- TOBS Creams: Good smell and performance but my face doesn't agree with the synthetic nature of it.
- M. Wool Fat: 50/50 on smell but shaves great if you can lather it.
- Cella: Smells sooo rancid. Why????
- RazoRock: Just light a fire under my face to stop the burn...
- Mike's: No synthetic ingredients like most of the other soaps. Good value for your money. My recommendation for hard soaps.
- Various drugstore gels: Stay away!!! So many bad chemicals...
- Barbasol Original: Super cheap. Short ingredient list looks better than proraso and most others. Instant lather. Good smell. Good Protection. My go to shaving foam and recommendation above all else - seriously great stuff.
Overall, soap is highly subjective. Just be reasonable. Don't go and spend $30 on a little piece of soap your first time around (art of shaving..). It's just soap...Also, don't get some weird synthetic soap with a huge list of chemicals - you might as well use a gel goop at that point. Try your hand at good soaps in the $10 range and/or get some samples to get a feel for it. Don't forget to try some barbasol to compare. While lathering your face with a brush is awesome, the lack of effort needed to get a perfect coating of barbasol is equally awesome, so it's good either way.
- Brush: The brush is fairly important. It dictates how well the soap gets to your face. But don't forget that it's still animal hair glued to a piece of plastic - 99% of all badger hair is from china fyi. Don't spend more than $35 on some chinese animal hair...
Btw, I made my brush. 22mm finest badger knot set at ~50mm loft in black acrylic handle. cost about $30 but it's exactly the way I want it.
- Razor:
For DE, an old 1980's Gillette TTO superspeed that I found in a drawer at home is what I like the best. I have a 60's fatboy too but don't care to the weight/balance. Tried several others including weber and merkur but they are expensive and lame to use in comparison. Try finding some cheap vintage razors in good shape to get a feel for DE before shelling out your money on something new. You'll quickly find that the price of a razor has almost NOTHING to do with the way it shaves, and the quality of razors back in the day was really good considering it's all they had and everything was made to last.
- Blades: Feather... I bought a sampler pack with like 20 different brands and nothing comes close. If you're buying DE blades online, just get these and don't look back.
- Cartridges: Mach3 Turbo most likely from Costco - nothing compares. Fusion is overpriced, has too much drag and gets blocked easily. All other brands have meh quality.
#3 Cost:
One of the reasons many people turn to DE shaving is the cost. Considering the steep cost of replacement cartridges and goop in a can, it seems that these costs would add up quickly. Let's consider the cost over a longer period, of say 5 years, to have a better perspective of how the costs of shaving play out in the long term. I will use middle of the line figures which most people can relate to - it can be higher or lower but it won't be too far off for most people.
Cartridge cost in 5 Years:
80 Mach3 cartridges = ~$160
15 cans of barbasol = ~$25
Total = ~$185
Good Razor = $30
Good Badger Brush = $25
Good Soap/Creme $10 every 6 months = $100
100 Feather Blades = ~$30
Total = ~$185
As you can see, the costs are a wash. This example takes into account middle of the road products that an enthusiast would buy. If you consider the costs of ultra premium razors, brushes, and soaps, DE shaving gets much more expensive very quickly. Although barbasol is quick and very effective, I still like to use a brush and soap - so these costs can shift around.
#4 Time:
DE shaving is time intensive. Some can argue that relishing the experience of a good DE shave is what it's all about. I'm sorry but I don't shave for the fun of it. I shave so that I feel fresh and don't look like a bum. The less time I spend shaving, the more time I can spend living.
Lets look at the minimal amount time it takes to DE shave over 5 years(shaving everyday):
Soak Brush for 30 seconds: 15 hours
Wet face for 10 seconds: 5 hours
Load soap for 30 seconds: 15 hours
Lather face for 30 seconds: 15 hours
1st pass - 35 seconds: 17 hours
2nd pass - 30 seconds: 15 hours
3rd pass - 30 seconds: 15 hours
Rinse face - 20 seconds: 10 hours
Rinse Brush and shake - 15 seconds: 7 hours
Minimum daily total: ~4 minutes
Over 5 years: ~115 hours
This is the absolute minimum amount of time it takes to do a 3 pass DE shave. This doesn't even take into account all the other time consuming tasks such as rinsing the razor in between passes and touchups, etc. Most of us easily take twice as long and a beginner 3 times as long. So over the course of 5 years, we spend well over 100 hours(realistically closer to 200 hours) DE shaving.
Time spent shaving with Mach3 and barbasol over 5 years:
Wet/lather face for 10 seconds: 5 hours
1st pass - 20 seconds: 10 hours
2nd pass - 20 seconds: 10 hours
Rinse face - 20 seconds: 10 hours
Minimum Daily total: ~1:10 min
Over 5 years: ~35 hours
As you can see DE shaving takes ~3 times longer by this VERY rough estimate. Time is the one thing you never get back, so spend it wisely.
In the end, it's all about marketing. The resurgence of DE shaving has opened up a market that A LOT of people are cashing in on. Back in the day, a good razor,brush,and mug of soap set you back $10(with inflation ~$30). Today, it's nearly a hundred. Coupled with this bombardment of reviews and ads, we feel compelled to spend exorbitant amounts of money on products that we really don't need and aren't worth their price. In my experience, good old-fashioned barbasol and a Mach3 give you a good enough to great shave every time. A badger brush and soap can be thrown in for good measure. Don't delude yourself into thinking that DE shaving is some kind of miracle. Of course you should try DE shaving. Maybe it's for you like it is for a lot of people. But in the end, take it for what it is and don't spend too much before you understand exactly what it is that you are buying/getting yourself into.
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