New user with a question (of course) :)

[dmathis]

Hey everybody. I've been wet shaving with a mach 3 for over twenty years, and while I tried a straight razor a few times, it just didn't seem to be worth the trouble when compared to the speed and closeness I normally get with the mach 3. Now I'm seeing ads for Henson and other brand DE razors, and my curiosity has been peaked.

REALISTICALLY, how likely am I to get a shave equal to what I'm seeing from my brush, bowl, and mach 3? I'm normally a daily shaver.

I'm not interested in the "save the environment by using less evil plastic" or "save money on blades" subjects or any other justifications for switching, just the quality of the shave.

Thanks in advance for your thoughtful consideration.

*** Edited to add that I typically make one pass, against the grain with the mach 3, and get a smooth, close shave.

 

[Alum Ladd]

Hi there @dmathis and welcome to B&B! A good place, with great people.

Interesting question. You are using an excellent cartridge system, which is well respected here. The Mach 3 is a good razor, the last of the still sensible cart systems. It's just different. Also you are greatly upping your Mach 3 shave quality by using a soap/cream and brush as you are already doing.

Coupled with a good soap or cream and brush, it does give a very creditable performance in my usage, if one also uses beard mapping and a couple of passes that mimic DE use (as I do). You can improve your shave immediately by adding an extra XTG or across the grain pass, i.e from left to right.

DE razors have more 'presence' and character. The Mach 3 can be a slightly soulless shave (getting metaphysical here) and I use vintage razors almost exclusively, so that adds to the shave experience greatly (to me). The DE shave will be significantly closer and longer lasting with practice.

You have the advantage of using a multiplicity of blades with a DE, so you can tailor the shave, (sharper and smoother or milder blades) and obviously the head does not pivot. Your own brain and hand will substitute for that. That is a skill that is enjoyable to learn. There is also the question of skin health. Many do believe that a DE razor shave is better for your skin, and lowers the occurance of ingrowns and irritation that a cart can cause. You do not use pressure with a DE razor. This is significantly different to a cart, which actually requires some pressure.

I would recommend a Gillette Tech as a first DE, as it replicates the Mach 3 well, is a great daily driver, is a pure classic and is loved here. Also it is very affordable.

Just my thoughts!

 

[T Bone]

How close a shave do you get with a Mach 3? I used a Sensor for most of 30 years, and I get a far, far closer shave with a Henson. With the Henson, after some practice, my face is completely smooth over most of the area even against the grain.

That said, knowing what I know now, I could probably get a closer shave with a Sensor (or Mach 3) than I used to. How much closer, I’m not sure. I’d have to take more time to shave than I used to, and I’d probably have to discard the cartridges after just a couple of shaves rather than stretching them for a full month like I used to.

Hope that helps a little.

 

[Go West Young Man]

If you're getting a good shave already, you're not going to do any better.
And it's going to take months or years of effort, experimentation, and learning to get there.

So the question is why are you looking to make a change? If you want to learn a new skill, DE or SE is probably the best way to go at first, there are many fewer variables to work through.

 

[Old Hippie]

REALISTICALLY, how likely am I to get a shave equal to what I'm seeing from my brush, bowl, and mach 3?

I think I'm gonna hafta agree with @Go West Young Man : If you're getting a shave that pleases you, then you're points ahead in the game already.

It's really hard to predict what your shaves with any other razor would be like. I'm not thinking of any DE, SE, shavette or SR that's going to give you a one-and-done ATG without also causing you significant irritation at the very least. That's not to say you shouldn't go there, I'm just pointing out that the technique you have for the system you use will likely need some modification were you to try on other shaving tools.

Like so much else here, you can choose how you shave. My son is a video and motion graphics producer -- he loves his work and at this point in his life he can chase the creative butterflies until all hours. Like many of us did/do, he has his morning routine pared down to a minimum to allow for more sleep and so shaves weekdays with an electric of some kind. It's fast but can be irritating, no surprise. On weekends he shaves wet. Probably with either a Parker SemiSlant or a Merkur 38C, although he has a Feather DX shavette as well. He likes the ritual of it, but one reason he likes it is that he can take time and not feel rushed on the weekend.

That may offer a congenial way forward to you. Keep on with the Mach 3 on those days when you have more need to get done and out the door, and if you're interested to explore some other modes do that on the days when you can lay out the tools and take some time with it.

No matter what you decide, welcome to B&B! I think even if you were shaving with a hand-knapped obsidian blade, you'd find a couple other guys on here who could give you some pointers.

O.H.

 

[gpjoe]

Don't have much to add other than:

You can try DE shaving for a minimal investment to see if you like it. A nice Gillette Tech can easily be had for well under a $20 on the auction site, and blades are cheap.

Can't say if your shaves will be better or worse, just a different experience. I've used carts and electric, but my very best shaves have been with my DE razors, though as someone else pointed out: If I applied what I know now to cartridge shaving, I may get a shave equal to my DE, but I have no desire to go back to find out.

When I shaved with a cart and canned foam, it was just a mundane task that needed to be done daily. With a DE I look forward to it.

...and it's a good thing you don't care about saving money...because if you're like most of us, you won't.

 

[borwish]

Personally I get a better shave (closer and less ingrown hairs) with a DE than a mach 3, but I will never be able to match the speed that the cart and canned foam provided.

I bought my wife a Henson razor and she was thrilled with it and claimed it was much better than the expensive carts she was using. For myself, I prefer the similar but cheaper Simple Clean Shave razor over the Henson. There is also the Leaf razor that you can load 1, 2, or 3 DE blades that you snap in half. It'll perform similar to a cart, but is larger in size. The Leaf gives me better shaves than I was getting with the mach 3 but that could be the result of my increase in skill and time taken.

 

[NickCutlip]

Welcome to the forum !!

 

[Asland408]

Welcome to B and B!

I shaved with Carts including Mach3 for many years. The difference for me shaving with a DE razor was a real revelation. It was night and day a much better shave. I think using a single DE blade with soap and brush will give you a different feeling shaving. What I mean is that when I used a Mach 3 I felt that I was scraping hair off my face.

I believe that because a DE blade is a single blade there is so much less irritation compared to a multi-blade system that it feels so much better. My face felt so much better after de shaving. I am able to get much better shaves with a de blade than a cart system. After the first shave I was hooked but after a month I could get a better shave than Mach3. If I travel I like the Trac 2 system because I have found 3 blades causes more irritation than I like. Also with a de razor you learn that feather light pressure can give you a great shave. That kind of pressure is hard to duplicate with a Cart in my experience. Just my 2 cents. Good shaves to you.

 

[Dtownvino]

I think you are choosing the Henson because it’s easy to shave with, aluminum, a great starter razor that might be a long term keeper?

I think I get better shaves with a Karve Overlander than the Henson ++ but I get closer shaves with the Karve +++ although it can bite easier. I’ve owned the Hensons in Al and Ti, it is a great razor, I just think the Overlander is slightly more efficient and a better shave.

Bottom line it depends if you want to spend 10 min shaving and if you get goods shaves from your Mach3.

 

[Kaldane]

Welcome to B&B.

I started with a Wilkinson flip-top DE back in the day, but was looking for speed and convenience so I used cartridges for many years. The sort of stuff we go on about on these pages won't work if those are the priorities. Since about 2020 I've reversed my thinking and like to take a bit more time - the quality of the shave has been more about the experience, but once I got my technique sorted the amount of hair removed and skin smoothness afterwards was more than on a par with my cartridge shaves.

The Henson (I'm assuming AL13) and a vintage Tech are solid recommendations - I have both. But watch for the rabbit holes.

If, after a time, the trouble starts to look like half the fun, there's always room for one more on the straight razor threads.

 

[Hms123]

Welcome aboard.

 

[BigJ]

Great advice above! If you are pleased with your current set-up, then stick with it.

 

[know1special]

how likely am I to get a shave equal to what I'm seeing from my brush, bowl, and mach 3?

Possible? Very. Likely? Much harder to say.

For me, there has been a massive improvement since beginning DE. Multi-bladed carts give me ingrowns without fail and that is the main reason why I moved away from them. If you're not experiencing anything similar, perhaps sticking with what you're doing would be best.

The only other thing I'd add is that the carts seem to have a very specific, almost programmed result designed into them. The blade gap, blade exposure, and effective angle are all very much set in stone and they are all quite similar to one another. So, the subsequent range of experience is accordingly narrow.

In stark contrast, the DE world is a cornucopia of options. In addition, each razor/blade combo can be used in a multitude of ways, depending on your requirements. As a result, the range of experience is quite vast. No matter what your particular needs or preferences may be, there is sure to be a combo (more likely several) that will deliver optimal shaves.

 

[Asland408]

Possible? Very. Likely? Much harder to say.

For me, there has been a massive improvement since beginning DE. Multi-bladed carts give me ingrowns without fail and that is the main reason why I moved away from them. If you're not experiencing anything similar, perhaps sticking with what you're doing would be best.

The only other thing I'd add is that the carts seem to have a very specific, almost programmed result designed into them. The blade gap, blade exposure, and effective angle are all very much set in stone and they are all quite similar to one another. So, the subsequent range of experience is accordingly narrow.

In stark contrast, the DE world is a cornucopia of options. In addition, each razor/blade combo can be used in a multitude of ways, depending on your requirements. As a result, the range of experience is quite vast. No matter what your particular needs or preferences may be, there is sure to be a combo (more likely several) that will deliver optimal shaves.

@know1special such a great point about the cornucopia of options I tried a new razor and blade combination yesterday. My first time using Gillette perma-sharp blades what a great blade sharp and smooth to me. Felt better than my normal Gillette silver blue blades. As always YMMV (Your mileage may vary).

 

[ivan_101]

Nobody can tell you if you will have a DE razor shave that is "equal" to your Mach3. You need to take the plunge.

 

[SalS]

If you are looking for options I will tell you what I did after getting a Henson medium. I gave away three other safety razors I had for years. Then after remembering how great Black Jack Beard Lube was about 5 years ago, I got rid of a few creams and soaps and my brush and bought a tube of Jack Black. I couldn’t be happier with the simplicity of the set up or quality of the shaves. My doorman received one of the razors, some blades and my brush and the soaps.

 

[StewB]

The Mach3 does work, but the cost per cartridge is rather higher than SE or DE blades. If you decide to get a SE or DE razor, there will likely be a learning curve. It's likely you can get very good shaves with any of them.

I decided to switch to a DE razor mainly due to the high per-cartridge price. Once I did so I was pleasantly surprised to get far fewer ingrown hairs.

Cartridges have the advantage of not needing any technique. They are super simple to use and are much more tolerant of poor technique. This advantage comes at a relatively high cost, though. In my opinion, learning proper technique with a DE razor is worth it, and to me has developed into an enjoyable pastime.

 

[Guido75]

REALISTICALLY, how likely am I to get a shave equal to what I'm seeing from my brush, bowl, and mach 3? I'm normally a daily shaver.

*** Edited to add that I typically make one pass, against the grain with the mach 3, and get a smooth, close shave.

If I would put these two together I would say it is very likely you will get a better shave with a DE - but REALISTICALLY seeing that you also shave with an one pass against the grain, I would estimate you would have a learning curve in front of you. So just switching and expecting the same results overnight would be unrealistic. I do not do it myself, but we do have brothers that have made the one single ATG pass into an art. You might want to check out @JoWolf ’s notes here:

ASP - ATG SINGLE PASS

I am completing my first year DE. My journey has led me to an open comb one pass ATG face and head shaver. I am pleased and fortunate to have found a shave that works for me. I get consistent, comfortable DFS+ shaves. I hope there are other One Pass shavers who would like to trade notes...

www.badgerandblade.com

And then perhaps start with a small investment like a Tech or Fatip and start experimenting.

Welcome to B&B!!

Guido

 

[Chef455]

Welcome to B&B. Sounds like your satisfied with your Mach 3 cartridge. Perhaps a more appropriate question is are you genuinely happy shaving with a soulless empty feeling razor every day?

I jest. Kind of. Happy shaves.