Poll: Do you find DE or Straight razors give you a closer shave?
- Thread starter Brent
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Straight for sure, trying to go BBS with a DE gives me a lot of irritation. However to be fair, I have about 300x more practice with straights so its its not really a fair comparison.
If I had as much experience with a DE as I do with a straight it would most likely be reversed. What I can state for sure though is shaving with a straight is much more fun and exciting even after all this time.
If I had as much experience with a DE as I do with a straight it would most likely be reversed. What I can state for sure though is shaving with a straight is much more fun and exciting even after all this time.
Depends on the condition of the straight-razor, I'll suppose, as compared to a DE blade fresh from the factory. One thing I've noticed with straight-razor shaving is that sometimes my shave actually seems to be closer a little while after the shave, rather than during or just after the shave. It's as if the blade has pulled the hair a little bit, causing it to recede in reaction. Never had this experience with a DE blade.
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I'm the same way. I started with straights, got a DE and wasn't really impressed enough to give it the chance it really needed.
The BBS I get with a DE is very different to that I get with my straights. DE's can give me an ultra smooth shave but my skin feel very different. I actually feel that I've shaved. My skin knows it.
On a good day with a straight, I touch my face afterwards and it's as if there was never any hair growth there at all in the first place, like touching the skin on one's forehead. It was this experience of a new type of BBS in my first few weeks of straight shaving that hooked me forever (and got me through crappy shaves).
I think a persons answer to this poll really depends upon their level experience. I am not very experienced with a straight so I'll still use a DE to go back and touch up the tough areas like the chin and throat. Also, the DE learning curve is obviously much lower than that of a straight, so getting good results comes faster with a DE.
Straight, enough to notice, but not enough to matter. And, this is probably because I pay more attention to what I'm doing when I'm using a straight.
For now, it depends on which part of the face. I get a closer shave with a straight (with less passes) on my cheeks and under the nose. However, my straight technique isn't quite up to par when it comes to the neck. For now, I have to finish the neck with a DE, so the DE wins on the neck. So I chose both. I do believe that when I get my technique down (say in about a decade), the straight will always be the superior shave.
+1 It may be easier to get a clean face with a de, but the post shave skin softness of the straight shave is unparalleled in my de shaves and the straight shaves are more satisfying.
Exactly what I was going to say.
It really depends on whether my technique is "in the zone" that day. I have to say that I like shaving with a straight better than a DE, though.
I would venture to guess almost any of us could get a close shave with any good blade, DE, SE, wedge safety, or straight. The skill is not in the tool, but in the craftsman's hands. But, when I use a straight, or even a wedge safety, the smoothness seems to last a little longer for me, too. So, I voted straight on the longevity factor.
I'm still inconsistent with my straights, but when it goes well, it is a closer shave that lasts longer. But over all, for now at least, I can get a more consistently smooth and close shave with my DE or SE razors, but I expect that to change over time.
+1. So I use straights almost exclusively.
+1 Also not much experience with a DE. Easier to get the stubble under my jaw with a DE. But straight shaving is sooo much more satisfying.
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