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Straight razor vs Safety razor faster shave?

Hi guys,

About 2 years back i start reading this forum and i bought my first dovo shavette steenless steel. Now i'm able to shave without nicks. Sometimes it goes wrong when i hurry to mutch.
The key for me is to use no pressure at all. Now i'm wondering, if i buy a safety razor if i can shave faster then with a straight razor? A safety razor shave will cost me about 20 min incl. cleaning the razor.
 
And a Single edge SS blades razor is even faster. For me 2 passes and touch ups in 5 minutes and BBS. But can only do that with the rituals shaving cream ( no brush, no after needed)


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Could you give me an example of the SS blades razor you use?

O only known 2 for now: the feather professional and the feather proguard.

And I only have 1 SE the rr Hawk2. The best match for me is the proguard + hawk2 because I can somehow forget to use always light touch and gives a so good finish as with the professional. If I use de SS Feather straight razor, then the professional allows a much better result then the proguard


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Safety razor is for when I am lazy. Straight is just zen for me. Of course I shave at night to enjoy the experience. Don’t get me wrong I love DE but it’s hard to ever go back. I saved a few safety razors. I doubt I will ever use them again.
 
A DE can be a much faster shave, even three passes worth once you get the technique down.

My straight shaves are a two pass, and third under my jaw. With stropping, I can do it within 10 minutes I’d guess (I haven’t timed a shave in years). Shaving with a feather SS goes a little longer, because I don’t use it unless I’m on the road occasionally, and requires more care to get proper technique to avoid bloodletting. Straights allow for a more sloppy technique comparatively. That should be similar with a Dovo shavette. Switching over to real straights may be a wash on time saving based on having to strop the blade before you shave (it doesn’t have to be immediately before, but should be done at some point before each shave), and 5-10 strokes after shaving to dry the edge.

My fastest shaves are a single pass ATG with a Gem SE. Maybe 3-4 minutes total. I do that only for a time sensitive quick shave.

You’ll have to master each razor’s technique to see the best efficiency with it. DEs/SEs are very similar, and straights/shavettes are too, but the two groups are fairly dissimilar from each other. I assume going to DEs for you would go faster than someone coming into it from carts and cans of goo.
 
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A decent DE shave can be completed quickly. Certainly more quickly that a straight shave that includes the step of stropping.

But it is possible to do a quick straight shave if one focuses and not looking for BBS. There is an old video of a Russian/Eastern-European guy pausing in between drinks to complete a very fast straight shave. Taking just a couple of minutes to complete all steps. I tried to find a link but my searches came up empty.
 
For me DE is much faster than SR. Should be noted though that I've been shaving with DE since the 1980s, and with SR since 2019. :)
 
If your talking about the shave and the shave only for me the straight or shavette is faster VS a DE. For me it took 3 pass whit a DE to get the same result whit a 2 pass straight or shavette. When you get the tech right whit a straight it takes less pass compare to a DE.
 
If you include the time for stropping a straight razor, shaving with a DE is faster. However, once you get proficient in using a straight razor, the movement of the razor is controlled largely by muscle memory. At that point, the actual shave should proceed as quickly with the straight as with the DE.

A length of the edge on a real straight razor is longer than the blade in a DE. Thus, when shaving the flatter areas of your face, you can cover a lot of ground with one stroke of a SR. Straight razors are also very efficient, so you might be able to get by with fewer passes.

However, if you are in a hurry or distracted, I suggest you skip the straight razor and pick up a DE or (cough, cough) a cartridge razor.
 
I have a poster here that states a straight is way faster from a MAB razor

The_Mab_ad_1896_01.jpg

Yes Nelly Wick shaved 5 men yes 5 in (4mins 42 secs)
Mind you they are small razors but very nimble
Here is my Mab Razor

20190223_091002.jpg
 
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I suspect Nelly Wick shaved five men one pass each, not counting time for lathering. However, I hope the fifth man did not have a tough beard or sensitive face as the edge would have deteriorated by then without stropping. I presume you strop your MAB razor, at least occasionally.
 
I can shave just as fast with a straight as I can with a DE or SE. However, I use a straight when I want to enjoy the shave, to get into that "Zen moment" and start my day off right. If I'm rushed to get out the door to work, and don't have the time to "stop and smell the roses," I'll use an SE. My preference is to get up five or ten minutes earlier in the morning and have the time to enjoy a great shave with a straight.
 
I suspect Nelly Wick shaved five men one pass each, not counting time for lathering. However, I hope the fifth man did not have a tough beard or sensitive face as the edge would have deteriorated by then without stropping. I presume you strop your MAB razor, at least occasionally.

Oh yes it gets stropped without a doubt, but I would have loved to see that contest for sure. I bet they had razor burn from hell....:bayrum2::bayrum2::bayrum2:

I can shave just as fast with a straight as I can with a DE or SE. However, I use a straight when I want to enjoy the shave, to get into that "Zen moment" and start my day off right. If I'm rushed to get out the door to work, and don't have the time to "stop and smell the roses," I'll use an SE. My preference is to get up five or ten minutes earlier in the morning and have the time to enjoy a great shave with a straight.


I never rush a shave I like to enjoy it to much....
 
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