True or false?

[kingfisher]

As far as shave quality is concerned, anything I can do with a Bic sensitive disposable I should be able to do with a DE razor, if I had proper technique.



Please expound, at least a little, on your answer, particularly if you think the statement is false.

thanks in advance

 

[americanarmsdealer]

I would say "true". My very 1st shave with a DE was better than just about any of the shaves I ever got from any of the cartridges I used.

I'm surprised more people haven't replied to this thread yet. Thought I might as well be the 1st one!

 

[kingfisher]

thanks for your input.

I ask the question because I get consistently good shaves using a Bic sensitive disposable. But this razor is nothing more than a single edge blade in a non-pivoting handle, so it seems it's pretty much like a DE.

However, when I try to replicate the shave with any of my DEs, I can't get as good a shave.

I just can't figure out why there should be a difference....

 

[nole1]

The difference is blade angle. The bic has a fixed blade angle that remains consistent. Your DE constantly changes with every flex of your hand. And its really hard to be 'too aggressive' with the BIC whereas with the DE its very easy.

 

[talibeard]

The BIC sensitives are nice compared to a lot of other disposables but are too light and not sharp enough to make me truly happy. If I lived in a world without DE's, SE's or injectors the BIC's could easily become my #1 though.

 

[kingfisher]

The difference is blade angle. The bic has a fixed blade angle that remains consistent. Your DE constantly changes with every flex of your hand. And its really hard to be 'too aggressive' with the BIC whereas with the DE its very easy.

But if I move my hand wrong, the Bic would give me a bad angle, too, wouldn't it?

My suspicion is that it has to do with the shape of the plastic "head" behind the blade. If you haven't seen one in awhile, it's "cantered," for lack of a better term. It seems to encourage maintenance of the correct angle, even on corners, jaw lines, etc.

The second thing I wonder is whether the light weight helps me for some reason. Maybe it's easier for me to tell how much pressure I'm applying because it's light?

 

[Go West Young Man]

I was going to mention the fact that a disposable is much lighter, allowing you to put a bit of weight behind it without fear of irritation or cuts. A DE on the other hand has much less tolerance for pressure.

 

[steveclarkus]

There is one huge difference; with a Bic, you get a shave; with a DE you get a pleasurable experience with a shave on the side.

 

[papi]

This is a trick question, so Im going to say false.

 

[DE Shaver]

I was going to mention the fact that a disposable is much lighter, allowing you to put a bit of weight behind it without fear of irritation or cuts. A DE on the other hand has much less tolerance for pressure.

These were my thoughts exactly. The dynamics of the shave are quite different, despite seemingly similar form factors. In fact, there can be a wide variance between DE razors alone, so a plastic shaving razor will certainly shave differently.

 

[kingfisher]

Do you think the new Merkur bakelite razor would more closely approximate the Bic?

 

[Doric]

there is one huge difference; with a bic, you get a shave; with a de you get a pleasurable experience with a shave on the side.

+1

 

[Marcoparis]

There is one huge difference; with a Bic, you get a shave; with a DE you get a pleasurable experience with a shave on the side.

+1

Very well said sir!

 

[GoldenBacon]

Do you think the new Merkur bakelite razor would more closely approximate the Bic?

From what I've heard, the Bakelite is a very light razor and exceptional shaver.

 

[spinyeel]

Bic's are nasty,horrid implements at the best of times.

 

[brg]

Having used the BIC Sensitive only once, I would say "false". It gives a decent shave for something that costs 15 Euro cents, but I didn't like it one bit. It is kind of a mix between the DE and a disposable. There is not tugging or pulling (like a DE), but the plastic body just smears the lather everywhere (like a disposable) and the end result is a bit rough (again, like a disposable).

Going back to the original statement, with more effort I could coerce better results out of the BIC, just like what happened when using a safety razor. But that would be like saying that I could get the same results with the Wilkinson Sword Classic as I do with the Merkur 34C. I've tried it and I'm sorry, it's just not going to happen...

 

[ateace]

I say that they are different animals.

Bics give you a predetermined blade angle and almost no weight at all.

A typical DE weighs more since it's all metal and requires more refined technique to master blade angle.