Do cartridge razors give users a more user friendly experience than the double edge razor since it wouldnt take as much practice to use a cartridge razor? Is this what makes cartridge razors popular? Theyre just more user friendly???
User friendly
- Thread starter donald bathe
- Start date
Back in the days when most folks did "one pass and out the door," the Trac II really was better in that scenario with less risk of nicks or cuts and it's definitely easier to slide on a new cartridge than to change a DE razor blade. That being said, it's not difficult to change blades in a DE razor, but you do have to pay a little bit of attention to what you're doing or you can cut yourself (been there, done that). It's also not that difficult to shave with a DE, but it does require you to devote a little bit of time and practice to do it well.
For me, a cartridge razor is slightly faster as I only need a WTG pass and then an ATG pass. With a DE I need a three pass shave. With all the cartridge razors that I have tried I finish up coming back to a twin blade cart. They are what works the best for me in cartridge razors.
Putting things in context;
1) Needs less technique so anyone can use one, 2) Quicker shave especially if you use canned foam, 3) Readily available, 4) Lots of profit for the retailer and manufacture, hence they fill the shelves, 5) Handy for air travellers as they can be packed in the carry on luggage and handy for those regularly on the road, 6) Handy for those who think shaving is a chore.
It does require good technique to get the best shave from a DE razor. There is a learning curve as many have found; look in the Shave Clinic section for topics and issues regularly posted.
Cartridge razors are popular for a number of reasons;
1) Needs less technique so anyone can use one, 2) Quicker shave especially if you use canned foam, 3) Readily available, 4) Lots of profit for the retailer and manufacture, hence they fill the shelves, 5) Handy for air travellers as they can be packed in the carry on luggage and handy for those regularly on the road, 6) Handy for those who think shaving is a chore.
The user has a number of parameters they apply and the cartridge is the best fit for some when they weigh up all the parameters.
@donald bathe Are carts more user friendly? Guess they are but a DE is not that hard to master. With that said a DE gives a better shave IMO, so the small extra things to learn, far out way the pros of a cartridge razor.
Do you use a DE or are you a cartridge razor man?
Do you use a DE or are you a cartridge razor man?
surely i don't want to unleash any flame, but i personally think all the snobbery about DEs , brushes & soaps etc is just that: a bit of snobbery plus resentment against the ever-rising cartridges cost. Because (again, IMO) shaving with a cart and a good foam or with a DE and a brush and soap you end with the same results, a good BBS providing you use the right technique. But that's just me.
All things being equal, the chief DIS-advantage with cartridge shaving is the per-shave cost, which is multiple times more than the per-shave cost of DE shaving. If you add in, however, the sunk costs of multiple "accessories" most (or many) DE shavers use, including the razors themselves - brushes, scuttle/bowl, soaps - it becomes a lot closer. You can, of course, use the same do-dads with both types of shaving, or trim it down to a can of foam and a razor, but cartridge shavers tend to be the shave-n-go crowd, and DE shavers tend to be the enjoy-the-experience crowd. Recurring costs - basically soap and blades - are again more for cartridge shavers, by generally at least a factor of five. So it becomes a cost vs convenience discussion (you pay for the convenience of using a cartridge). And we're all here to save money in our shaving journey, right? 
i'm not really sure, anyway, that cart shaving is really so much faster than DE shaving. I know a friend of mine that's able to do a 2 pass (wtg+atg + touch ups) with his EJ89 in 7 minutes (filmed). And using brush and soaps,too.
I get fairly equivalent shaves between cartridge and DE, I can get true BBS with either. I might give a slight edge to the cartridge for closeness.
With DE sometimes I get nicks or cuts, and often there's at least a little post-shave sting when I put on the aftershave, which I don't like. To avoid cuts or irritation, I have to do a fair amount of prep, like the right soap, building a good lather, etc etc.
With a Fusion Proglide, the BBS comes in half the time or less, I never get any cuts or nicks, and the best part is, I don't even need aftershave because there's no rawness or irritation. While I do use some soap, cream or oil, there's no real necessity to do so - I can just splash some warm water on my face and go for it and STILL not get any irritation. In fact it's quite amazing how little effort and time it takes to get a drama-free BBS shave with a Proglide.
I do like the "feel" of a DE shave better, but that's just subjective. The results for me of using DE are not superior to a cartridge.
With DE sometimes I get nicks or cuts, and often there's at least a little post-shave sting when I put on the aftershave, which I don't like. To avoid cuts or irritation, I have to do a fair amount of prep, like the right soap, building a good lather, etc etc.
With a Fusion Proglide, the BBS comes in half the time or less, I never get any cuts or nicks, and the best part is, I don't even need aftershave because there's no rawness or irritation. While I do use some soap, cream or oil, there's no real necessity to do so - I can just splash some warm water on my face and go for it and STILL not get any irritation. In fact it's quite amazing how little effort and time it takes to get a drama-free BBS shave with a Proglide.
I do like the "feel" of a DE shave better, but that's just subjective. The results for me of using DE are not superior to a cartridge.
No flame at all and well said. I have been on the forums since MSN started up in the late 90’s and it is a recurring theme with a lot of shavers.
Snobbery is a factor. Some do get closer shaves with a DE and no ingrowns but a lot are just trying to convince themselves. I love my Wolfman and Karve’s but the Proglide and SkinGuard (for 24 hour growth) give me closer and smoother finishes every time over any DE with a great soap and brush.
@Tostig summed it beautifully as well.
I have to agree with @magneto, @Tostig, and @vtmax. I can get great shaves with either cartridges or DE razors and love them both, but after years of experimentation, I find that I use cartridges much more often than I do my DEs because I need a good shave quickly without cuts or nicks so I can get out the door (virtually, in these pandemic days, but you get my point) and get on with my day.
I just think that, after all, a blade is a blade. Your skin doesn't give a damn if you use a DE, a 2-3-4-5-9 multiblade razor,a shavette etc. Yor skin just "knows" you are moving a piece of iron over it to remove hair. So, IMHO, all things being equal (good technique, beard mapping etc) the end result must necessarily be the same, a good, lasting BBS.
