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The Electric razor thread

Thank you, I watched those links and honestly if I saw someone who has shaved with this I wouldn't be able to tell a difference.

Exactly! The negative comments I read about it around here always have something to do with it "not shaving close" and I disagree. Side by side from 6ft away (see what I did there lol) even the most seasoned B&B member couldn't tell which guy has a safety razor shave and which guy has a Philips oneblade shave by look. My wife is very serious about smooth skin or full beard so it doesn't pass her test, even after a fresh shave, but she is the only person who is getting that close to my face anyway.
 
Exactly! The negative comments I read about it around here always have something to do with it "not shaving close" and I disagree. Side by side from 6ft away (see what I did there lol) even the most seasoned B&B member couldn't tell which guy has a safety razor shave and which guy has a Philips oneblade shave by look. My wife is very serious about smooth skin or full beard so it doesn't pass her test, even after a fresh shave, but she is the only person who is getting that close to my face anyway.
Same goes with classic electric razors. Noone can spot the difference, except us, same goes for BBS DFS or CCS
 
Same goes with classic electric razors. Noone can spot the difference, except us, same goes for BBS DFS or CCS

And I doubt that most of "us" could spot the difference in a true blind study. Certainly visually, and I doubt by feel in the majority of cases. I can't tell a difference in a blade shave and my Arc 5, except the Arc 5 probably has fewer missed spots. :001_smile
 
i have to disagree. And i have been using electrics almost exclusivelyy over the last 10 years. I had to switch back because i was getting annoyed by battery faults. Weel i have been back to wet shaving using brush & soaps + various multiblades (harry's, personna, bic etc) and my BBS is a) much more lasting b)more profound . With the arc5 i had to shave again at 6 pm. With whatever multiblade i can surely get a BBS lasting more or less until 9 pm. So, *for me* there's no contest, Not even close.
 
i have to disagree. And i have been using electrics almost exclusivelyy over the last 10 years. I had to switch back because i was getting annoyed by battery faults. Weel i have been back to wet shaving using brush & soaps + various multiblades (harry's, personna, bic etc) and my BBS is a) much more lasting b)more profound . With the arc5 i had to shave again at 6 pm. With whatever multiblade i can surely get a BBS lasting more or less until 9 pm. So, *for me* there's no contest, Not even close.

I've actually used DE, carts and a variety of electrics, over about 50+ years, and like everyone else have a subjective opinion about each one. The point was more related to - as noted - a true blind study. Not how I feel about my individual shave. Meaning, a variety of shaved faces at a variety of distances, in various lighting, at various times of day, with a variety of bladed and electric razors (heck, throw in straights) either with an objective panel of judges scoring or IR reflectance or some other method of visually scoring a shave. To my knowledge, no such study has ever been conducted, but it would be interesting. My educated guess is, on average, hard to tell the difference. Maybe impossible. I could be wrong. I've been wrong once before. Somebody, anybody, put together a study and prove it.... :001_smile For example, blade or electric, 6 hours post-shave?

20200710_143220.jpg

You'd need a frame of reference - pre- and post-, side-by-sides of the same area with different razors, time after shave, etc. But...having actually compared my particular face...I can tell you, for me, impossible to tell.
 
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And immediately post-shave:

20200710_145916.jpg

One of the above is electric, one is with a DE razor. Other than a critique of my shaving technique, which is which?
 
And I doubt that most of "us" could spot the difference in a true blind study. Certainly visually, and I doubt by feel in the majority of cases. I can't tell a difference in a blade shave and my Arc 5, except the Arc 5 probably has fewer missed spots. :001_smile
There is no difference visually. However I wanted to believe that I can spot the difference between a stubble grown after electric, cartridge or DE, but I can't.
I'd say first picture is electric, second is DE.

i have to disagree. And i have been using electrics almost exclusivelyy over the last 10 years. I had to switch back because i was getting annoyed by battery faults. Weel i have been back to wet shaving using brush & soaps + various multiblades (harry's, personna, bic etc) and my BBS is a) much more lasting b)more profound . With the arc5 i had to shave again at 6 pm. With whatever multiblade i can surely get a BBS lasting more or less until 9 pm. So, *for me* there's no contest, Not even close.
I have corded phillips still going strong and, and corded ones are still in production, but usually lower quallity without any additional features as higher end ones
 
i have to disagree. And i have been using electrics almost exclusivelyy over the last 10 years. I had to switch back because i was getting annoyed by battery faults. Weel i have been back to wet shaving using brush & soaps + various multiblades (harry's, personna, bic etc) and my BBS is a) much more lasting b)more profound . With the arc5 i had to shave again at 6 pm. With whatever multiblade i can surely get a BBS lasting more or less until 9 pm. So, *for me* there's no contest, Not even close.

There’s no doubt in my mind that a wet blade shave will last longer than an electric shave. However, the time and effort involved to achieve a couple of extra hours to get to a 5 O’clock shadow is not worth the effort or extra time. With an electric I can do a touch up shave quickly before going out for the evening if I need to have a smooth face late in the day. The most important reason I stick with electric shavers is that I don’t have to call an ambulance to stop the bleeding from my chin face which is inevitable regardless which kind of blade I have tried. 😩
 
There is no difference visually. However I wanted to believe that I can spot the difference between a stubble grown after electric, cartridge or DE, but I can't.
I'd say first picture is electric, second is DE.


I have corded phillips still going strong and, and corded ones are still in production, but usually lower quallity without any additional features as higher end ones

Correct, but probably by chance. :001_smile The first is with a Braun 7071 (not my closest shaving electric), the second with a Timeless Titanium 0.68 and Astra SP blade, 3 passes. Both identical to touch, and visually to me the electric shave at 6 hours looks as good as the blade shave immediately after, if not better. Both shaves lasted, for me, acceptably close 12 hours later. This is my face, my beard and my shave, but dollars to donuts an objective study would validate that you can't tell the difference between an electric shave with a modern electric (and I qualify that I use a brush and lather), and a blade shave for many shavers (perhaps not all, and perhaps not most) - certainly enough to raise the question. Realizing that there are all levels of skill and experience with both, and that one is not de facto superior to the other within that range of variability. Where are Mythbusters when you need 'em? :wink2:
 
i'm not here to spark debates or flames but if you say a (whatever) electric shaver can get as close as a blade, well you know it's plain false. With a manual razor the blade(s) actually directly cut the hair at skin level (and with multiblades even below the skin level) while an electric shaver will never do that : foils or rotary are a phisical barrier between the skin and the blades. You cannot defy physics.
 
Correct, but probably by chance. :001_smile The first is with a Braun 7071 (not my closest shaving electric), the second with a Timeless Titanium 0.68 and Astra SP blade, 3 passes. Both identical to touch, and visually to me the electric shave at 6 hours looks as good as the blade shave immediately after, if not better. Both shaves lasted, for me, acceptably close 12 hours later. This is my face, my beard and my shave, but dollars to donuts an objective study would validate that you can't tell the difference between an electric shave with a modern electric (and I qualify that I use a brush and lather), and a blade shave for many shavers (perhaps not all, and perhaps not most) - certainly enough to raise the question. Realizing that there are all levels of skill and experience with both, and that one is not de facto superior to the other within that range of variability. Where are Mythbusters when you need 'em? :wink2:
honestly first picture looks closer, so I thought it was a trick question.


@Oldrazorsharp well that's true about closeness. If I use DE or cartridge I could manage one day without shaving, with electric the next day I literally have stubble, but freshly shaven face has little difference.
 
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i'm not here to spark debates or flames but if you say a (whatever) electric shaver can get as close as a blade, well you know it's plain false. With a manual razor the blade(s) actually directly cut the hair at skin level (and with multiblades even below the skin level) while an electric shaver will never do that : foils or rotary are a phisical barrier between the skin and the blades. You cannot defy physics.

The real test is how close it feels right after shaving. Of course the blade will get closer because the cutting part is right next to the skin. However, the stubble will show up sooner with the electric because it can’t get as close to your skin. That trade off with an electric shaver is in convenance and safety. A modern electric shaves very close and will feel as smooth right afterwards. My experience has been that the stubble, 5 O’clock shadow, returns a little sooner. The last time I had a barbershop shave was many years ago and the only thing I remerbed is that I didn’t have to shave the next morning. I could never reproduce that at home with a safety razor myself. A search on the internet revealed that a barbershop shave locally is about $35.
 
i'm not here to spark debates or flames but if you say a (whatever) electric shaver can get as close as a blade, well you know it's plain false. With a manual razor the blade(s) actually directly cut the hair at skin level (and with multiblades even below the skin level) while an electric shaver will never do that : foils or rotary are a phisical barrier between the skin and the blades. You cannot defy physics.


Not really debating or flaming - I believe we're all gentlemen here (and gentle ladies?) - but this is a forum for all things shaving. And actually, I don't "know" that a blade or electric is "closer" (which is also not really defined), because as far as I know it hasn't been researched - true, empirical "physics" has not been evaluated, to my knowledge. I think that a blade is closer (in this case meaning the tip of the cut hair shaft is nearer to the surface of the skin), because, well, I have this visual of the blade scraping the skin at skin level, shearing off the hair level with the skin (which may in fact not be the case at all - it's just what I think, subjectively). But as far as the micro-level, perhaps there is some sort of compression of the skin at the base of the hair shaft with a foil or rotary comb, allowing the moving electric blade to cut the hair even below the skin level. Perhaps a rotating or reciprocating blade microscopically elevates a hair before it cuts it. Norelco claims that their "Lift & Cut" system shaves closer than a blade, again with the visual of pulling up the hair just before it's cut, allowing the hair to recede back beneath skin level afterwards. But I don't "know" that either, because I haven't seen any research. I merely proposed you couldn't tell the difference in many cases, because I don't believe you can. I don't "know" that either, because again I haven't read any objective studies to prove or disprove it, but visually, and to touch, for me that seems to be the case. At this stage, it's just observation, as many really scientific studies begin. We "knew" that the sun rotated around the earth a short while back. Really, it didn't - and actually, quite recently, it turns out observationally that they both rotate around each other. We found that out by objective research. Not by what we "think."
 
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Not really debating or flaming - I believe we're all gentlemen here (and gentle ladies?) - but this is a forum for all things shaving. And actually, I don't "know" that a blade or electric is "closer" (which is also not really defined), because as far as I know it hasn't been researched - true, empirical "physics" has not been evaluated, to my knowledge. I think that a blade is closer (in this case meaning the tip of the cut hair shaft is nearer to the surface of the skin), because, well, I have this visual of the blade scraping the skin at skin level, shearing off the hair level with the skin (which may in fact not be the case at all - it's just what I think, subjectively). But as far as the micro-level, perhaps there is some sort of compression of the skin at the base of the hair shaft with a foil or rotary comb, allowing the moving electric blade to cut the hair even below the skin level. Perhaps a rotating or reciprocating blade microscopically elevates a hair before it cuts it. Norelco claims that their "Lift & Cut" system shaves closer than a blade, again with the visual of pulling up the hair just before it's cut, allowing the hair to recede back beneath skin level afterwards. But I don't "know" that either, because I haven't seen any research. I merely proposed you couldn't tell the difference in many cases, because I don't believe you can. I don't "know" that either, because again I haven't read any objective studies to prove or disprove it, but visually, and to touch, for me that seems to be the case. At this stage, it's just observation, as many really scientific studies begin. We "knew" that the sun rotated around the earth a short while back. Really, it didn't - and actually, quite recently, it turns out observationally that they both rotate around each other. We found that out by objective research. Not by what we "think."
You are over complicating things. Just look at a blade and at a foil razor. In the first case the blade touch the skin in the second case the blade simply cannot do that : the foil is a physical barrier. You can minimize that barrier by thinning the foil, increasing holes but the phisical limitation will remain. Again you cannot defy physics. You may "feel" the result is similar just afterwards but the difference in closeness is night and day. Especially if you go atg with a blade (as every serious shaver chasing a very close shave should do).
 
You are over complicating things. Just look at a blade and at a foil razor. In the first case the blade touch the skin in the second case the blade simply cannot do that : the foil is a physical barrier. You can minimize that barrier by thinning the foil, increasing holes but the phisical limitation will remain. Again you cannot defy physics. You may "feel" the result is similar just afterwards but the difference in closeness is night and day. Especially if you go atg with a blade (as every serious shaver chasing a very close shave should do).

I can understand what you are saying and I think alot of this is generalized by use of 'close shave' as an all-in-one statement. Immediately following the shave, just as @Scaramouche proved, you couldn't tell the difference visually. From personal experience I do agree that a foil shave doesn't last as long as a BBS blade shave. However a BBS blade shave takes me 20-30 mins and always leaves me with a sea of ingrown hairs whereas a foil shave takes me 5 mins and gives me one or two occasional bumps.
 
I can understand what you are saying and I think alot of this is generalized by use of 'close shave' as an all-in-one statement. Immediately following the shave, just as @Scaramouche proved, you couldn't tell the difference visually. From personal experience I do agree that a foil shave doesn't last as long as a BBS blade shave. However a BBS blade shave takes me 20-30 mins and always leaves me with a sea of ingrown hairs whereas a foil shave takes me 5 mins and gives me one or two occasional bumps.

Hence the comment about defining "close." :001_smile Actually, I'm just positing a theory and suggesting the scientific method. Look at the sun - it clearly orbits the earth East to West, because I'm standing still, and can observe its orbit daily. It's preposterous to think I orbit the sun - I'm not even moving! That was "correct" for a few thousand years, based on observation and common sense.

We have an ongoing thread here about the sharpness of DE blades. I was firmly in the camp of believing that the first shave was the sharpest - because a blade can only get duller with use. That's true for knives, it must be true for blades. It makes no sense for a sharp edge to get sharper with use - especially considering facial hair is actually considered to be the toughness of equivalent copper wire. It turns out, there is an engineer/shaver who actually tested DE blades empirically, by accurately measuring the cutting ability. And guess what, cutting ability improves with use, to a point, for most blades. Theoretically, the coating often applied to DE blades from the factory gets worn off, exposing the keener edge. Or some sort of "face honing" is occurring. Or something else. The reason, right now, is unclear, and actually counterintuitive. But the probable fact is, the blade gets sharper. Validating the "feeling" many users of DE blades have that their second or even third shave is better than their first with the same blade. But now no longer because that's what we "think." We now "know."
 
Unfortunately, this debate is moot because everyone’s skin and beard are slightly different. There’s no way to conduct a scientific study that would apply universally.

My concern is safety. It’s been awhile since I shaved with a blade of any kind, but the results were that I would cut myself regularly. I could keep the septic pencil folks in business by myself. I assume that if I took a lot of time to shave very carefully around the angular parts of my face then I could reduce the number of cuts. However, even if I could get the injury level to zero, it would take a lot of my time to accomplish the task. Using electric shavers I can get the job done quickly, easily and safely everyday.
 
You've anticipated my next question. I really like the nostalgic looks of the Heritage - it reminds me over the shavers I'd had previously.

Do any of the gentlemen have any experience with it?

Cheers,

Gauthier

Time to bump this. Walmart now has the Heritage shaver under $100, so I pulled the trigger. No bells and whistles, other then a pop-up trimmer. Looks really cool:

819tUToiBDL._SY355_.jpg


Pros:
  • Does not need a charger - it uses mini USB cable to charge. Great for travel, obviously.
  • It's smaller than you think.
  • Replacement heads are available and they are not too expensive.
  • Shaves really well, very similar to my Braun Series 6 (you can read my review of that shaver on this sub-forum).
  • Excellent for traditional wet shaving, using brush & soap method.
  • This is a matter of taste, obviously, but IMO, it's one of the best looking electrics on the market today.
  • The on/off switch is too cool. :)

Cons:
  • No pivoting head is possible with this design.
  • Other than the small charging/low battery light, it has no other indicators.
  • No special modern features here - it had to look retro no matter what.
  • Price: it's under $100 now, which still doesn't make it cheap; you are paying for the design.
 
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