Switching from Injector to DE

[musicman1951]

You can shave every day. When first starting, don't strive for a perfect shave at first. Try a single pass, using a light touch, With The Grain (WTG). You should be able to get a Socially Acceptable Shave (SAS) that looks clean and is suitable for work.

As you improve, add a second pass Across The Grain (XTG). You should now be approaching a Damn Fine Shave (DFS). Smoother than SAS but you might feel some stubble running your hand Against The Grain (ATG).

The ultimate shave, or Baby Butt Smooth (BBS) is the unicorn shave, achieved with a third ATG pass, and a bit of touch up. I've been doing this for over two years and never achieved TRUE BBS, which I define as feeling absolutely zero stubble in any direction anywhere on my face. For me to get there I would need to shave and touch up for far too long, and repeatedly dragging a blade across my face only leads to irritation.

The best I've gotten is what I refer to as DFS+...better than DFS, not quite BBS, but miles better than any cartridge razors or (shudder) electric. I'm getting the very best shaves...ever.

Good luck, and welcome to the show.

Good advice here. The best combination of razor/blade for you will take some experimenting. Get a blade sampler (or just get a small pile of blades) and see what works with your razor (whichever you select) and your face/beard.

It's going to take a little time to find the sweet spot for your razor angle. Again, don't be afraid to experiment. Try a little steeper angle and then go the other way. You don't need to experiment for the whole shave, a couple of strokes can tell you what you need to know. If there are Feather blades in your sampler I strongly suggest you save them for the end of the trial. The more experience the better with Feathers. They are great blades, but very sharp and very unforgiving of any lapse in technique.

Since you've been using an SE for some time I expect it won't take you very long to find your groove. Shaving every 3 days with a tough beard presents its own problems. I'd be much happier - and much more presentable - with a daily one pass shave. But do what makes you happy. And do ask questions along the way, we love questions here. Be as specific as you can. Good luck.

 

[dmshaver]

Glad you've joined, welcome!

 

[Guido75]

Welcome! I use a Schick Injector for my head shaves and for that purpose it is unparalleled. Almost BBS in one pass. One my face the Schick is a scraper so I already applaud you for feeling that it’s right for you. That would make the step to DE a lot easier I would reckon.

You might want to consider GEM razors as well. They are single edge too with more blade rigidity compared to DE blades. And they shave very comparable to the injector. For what it’s worth for my face a GEM might actually be the best shave I have had. But I like my rotation too much.

Enjoy!

Guido

 

[AshleyC]

I only just recently started using injector razors in my lineup, as opposed to just exclusively using DEs. I have some Gem Blue Star single edge blades on the way from Amazon so I can finally try out the Gem type razors I've found in antique stores over the months. And I now keep some Artist Club style blades in inventory because I stumbled across my all time greatest razor bargain in the wild when a vendor sold me a stainless steel Mongoose B-3 for $8 a few months ago.

I don't see myself buying any other SE Artist Club razors though. But my shaves will never again be exclusively DE.

The only downside to the injectors and Gem stuff is the limited choices in blades. Luckily, the more common Personna injector blades I discovered yesterday to be great.

 

[Filudo]

Welcome, you have some great advice here. Maggards has a 10% sale today (SEP10), you can get the Henson Middle and a sampler (they have one for 9.75$) and then jump into the pool.

Samplers I find are like those 12 beer packs, they have 3 good ones and the rest are not. There was one in Amazon, only Gillette blades, was really good (all of them) and was the most expensive.... I think now gone.

I like those injectors....but Schick is the best one. I never liked the Parker.
If you are getting many cuts, you might be pressing hard, just go easy on that?

Cheers and enjoy the ride.

 

[AshleyC]

Since my last comment on this thread I've had chance to use a Schick Hydro-Magic loaded with a Chinese injector blade.

Really? That may be the sharpest, smoothest blade I've ever tried. Just insanely good. Like the Soviet designer who upon looking at the competing AK design from Kalashnikov, ordered that his own prototype be put in a vault and hidden from view.

And yeah, the blades are more expensive. But if you're on this forum, odds are you don't give a tinkerer's cuss about additional cost.

 

[mountaingift]

Hi guys,
I finally got my razor and sample blades a few weeks ago.
And here goes my initial review.

Original razor: Supply SE single edge with Supply "Black" blades.
New razor: Henson AL13-M (medium: between the mild and aggressive)

I got the razor a few days before the blade pack, so I tried out the RK blades I got with the razor.
The shave was awful.
The blade scraped and scratched and left me raw.
I thought I made a terrible mistake switching and wanted to go back to the Supply SE.

Then the sample pack came, and I've been trying out the Astra blade for the past few weeks.
it feels like I'm using a completely different razor.
The shave is smooth, much smoother than the Supply and I almost enjoy the experience.

Getting used to the shaving angle was relatively easy because the Supply also guides you to predefined angle of shaving.
I get a mild razor burn that disappears the morning after; I'm probably pressing too hard.
And the blade lasts about 3 shaves before it starts scraping. I don't know if that's poor technique or just the physics of the blade and my stubble.

Next week I plan on testing out other blades, maybe I'll get even better shaves.

thank you all for all the precious advice, it really helped in taking the plunge to the DE side.

 

[spacemonkey42]

Hi guys,
I finally got my razor and sample blades a few weeks ago.
And here goes my initial review.

Original razor: Supply SE single edge with Supply "Black" blades.
New razor: Henson AL13-M (medium: between the mild and aggressive)

I got the razor a few days before the blade pack, so I tried out the RK blades I got with the razor.
The shave was awful.
The blade scraped and scratched and left me raw.
I thought I made a terrible mistake switching and wanted to go back to the Supply SE.

Then the sample pack came, and I've been trying out the Astra blade for the past few weeks.
it feels like I'm using a completely different razor.
The shave is smooth, much smoother than the Supply and I almost enjoy the experience.

Getting used to the shaving angle was relatively easy because the Supply also guides you to predefined angle of shaving.
I get a mild razor burn that disappears the morning after; I'm probably pressing too hard.
And the blade lasts about 3 shaves before it starts scraping. I don't know if that's poor technique or just the physics of the blade and my stubble.

Next week I plan on testing out other blades, maybe I'll get even better shaves.

thank you all for all the precious advice, it really helped in taking the plunge to the DE side.

Congrats on trying out the DE side! I use both of those razors and they are good. Both clearly guide you to the right angle. Beyond that, they take very different technique.

On the Henson, head over to the Henson club for great discussion. I agree and found the RK blades to be quite bad, great to hear you are trying others. I find that the Henson likes much sharper blades.

Yes, my bet is that you're using WAY too much pressure. I did too. The Supply is a brick and the Henson is a feather. Make sure that you are not adding pressure. Only use enough to keep the blade on your face, nothing more. It sounds unbelievable, but the lighter you go, the better the shave you will get. It took me months and a lot of concentration to lighten up my touch. Each time I lightened up I thought I had it, then I unlocked a lighter touch, and repeated that several times. The reward is worth it - developing a much better technique and getting a great shave.

Keep on shaving and sharing, you've got this!