What happened to make you see the light regarding DE shaving? What made you switch? Was it one incident? What was it?
What happened to you?!
- Thread starter baba
- Start date
Thirty-nine years of ingrown hairs and bumps--not being able to shave every day because of the irritation. I guess I'm a slow learner since the eight years before that were problem-free DE with a Gillette and Palmolive cream in a brush. I was so blinded by science it never occurred to me the multi-blade cartridge is the perfect design for generating ingrown hairs.
Last edited:
Being totally unhappy with electrics, cartridges and disposables I found an Astra TTO in Czechoslovakia (still was back in the days) some 20 years ago and never looked back.
I'd never gotten a particularly good shave with a Mach 3/Fusion since I started shaving about five years ago. Last year, I thought I'd try something more technologically advanced and bought a mid-range Phillips electric, but it was still irritating and was an even worse shave. Then I found traditional wetshaving about three months ago and never looked back.
I simply forgot my wash kit one trip away. Cheapest razor I could find was a DE and once I'd tried one again I saw the light.
Learned on a DE, but hadn't used one in years. I'd been using an Atra since the 1980s. Didn't even know about using soap and brush to lather.
I was searching on Amazon to see what they charged for generic Atra compatible cartridges. The searches led to the discovery that DE razors were still made. Customer reviews of DE razors led to information about wetshaving in general, such as lathering with soap and brush. One guy reviewing a Merkur gave a link to an informative web article on wetshaving, which led to many other sites, including this one. All of this led to me ordering razor, brush, and blades from Amazon, and picking up some Williams soap at my local grocery. It just kept snowballing after that.
So if it weren't for Amazon, I'd still be scraping canned shaving cream off with an Atra.
I was searching on Amazon to see what they charged for generic Atra compatible cartridges. The searches led to the discovery that DE razors were still made. Customer reviews of DE razors led to information about wetshaving in general, such as lathering with soap and brush. One guy reviewing a Merkur gave a link to an informative web article on wetshaving, which led to many other sites, including this one. All of this led to me ordering razor, brush, and blades from Amazon, and picking up some Williams soap at my local grocery. It just kept snowballing after that.
So if it weren't for Amazon, I'd still be scraping canned shaving cream off with an Atra.
Last edited:
I stumbled across this website looking for other alternatives to the crazy costed Fusion cartridges. My first posting was actually asking which was better, "the sensor, atra, or Trac II".
The site quickly steered me towards a DE instead, and I was PIFed a Gillette Ball End Tech, VDH Deluxe soap, and Derby blades.
I picked up the VDH starter kit from Wal-Mart, and was all set, and on my way to shaving nirvana.
At the same time, I got a promotion at work, giving me more disposable income, so the cost issue became pretty much a non-factor.
STUPID ADs!!! 
The site quickly steered me towards a DE instead, and I was PIFed a Gillette Ball End Tech, VDH Deluxe soap, and Derby blades.
I picked up the VDH starter kit from Wal-Mart, and was all set, and on my way to shaving nirvana.
At the same time, I got a promotion at work, giving me more disposable income, so the cost issue became pretty much a non-factor.
STUPID ADs!!! 
Shaving was just a boring chore for me. No matter what I used from electrics to cartridges etc.
One day I found my Dad's Super-Speed.
The rest is history.
One day I found my Dad's Super-Speed.
The rest is history.
To sum it up quickly, it's all about the money. The rising costs of cartridge blades made me eye the DE realm. Granted, to buy the startup kit which was about 30 bucks seemed expensive, but after weighing that cost in comparison to the amount of cartridge blades, I'm way ahead of the game as far as money spent. Now to control the AD is proving to be quite a challenge.
I'd been thinking about changing for a couple of years, but kept putting up with cartridges. Finally, finding empty shelves for "last years" blades forcing me to upgrade to the newest system, I got round to doing some proper research. A plastic WS Classic was my first DE...but I was still using goo in a can...some friendly, balanced advice here led me to real soap and a brush combined with vintage Gillettes and I was hooked 
I had gone 18 or 19 years with a beard because I hated shaving. Then I got my latest drivers liscense back and noticed how much grey "just showed up" "overnight"!!!
About the same time my Father gave me my Grandfather's shave mug and brush. He'd received it from his Mother-in-law a few years earlier and finally decided to pass it down to me since I was named for the man.
That got me wanting to find a straight to display with the mug since it was from the late 20's and I didn't dare use it. Did the reasearch and found out that he probably used a DE instead and since I had started on a DE now I had something else to find.
So, ebay to the rescue, a few days later I've got a DE and used it for a few months. A couple more DE's joined them and now my Wife uses one.
After finding this forum I switched to straights (about 6 months ago) and now only use the DE if I'm in a real hurry - like today.
Zacsdaddy
About the same time my Father gave me my Grandfather's shave mug and brush. He'd received it from his Mother-in-law a few years earlier and finally decided to pass it down to me since I was named for the man.
That got me wanting to find a straight to display with the mug since it was from the late 20's and I didn't dare use it. Did the reasearch and found out that he probably used a DE instead and since I had started on a DE now I had something else to find.
So, ebay to the rescue, a few days later I've got a DE and used it for a few months. A couple more DE's joined them and now my Wife uses one.
After finding this forum I switched to straights (about 6 months ago) and now only use the DE if I'm in a real hurry - like today.
Zacsdaddy
I was sick of paying more and more for poorer and poorer cartridges, but I wasn't thinking about an option until I was in my footlocker one day and saw my great-grandfather's DE. That is when the light came on.
The rest is history!
mrscottishman
Hiram's law- "the more razor blades you buy the more likely it is that they will turn out to be dud's"
The rest is history!
mrscottishman
Hiram's law- "the more razor blades you buy the more likely it is that they will turn out to be dud's"
Would have lived happily ever after with my twin blades. Suddenly, the twin blade cartridges were unavailable and I had a Mach 3. Annoyed, I found John's article on DE (but the photo shows a guy with a straight) which led to B&B. Went from the twin blades to a straight razor. Bought my first SE and all my DE's while looking for straights. Eventually had to try the SE's, DE's, and Rolls I've accumulated over the past couple years.
I'd been wet-shaving (badly - throw on goo, scrape off goo) on and off for years and using a leccy when in a hurry (most mornings).
Stumbled on a discussion around 'Charles Robert's Method of Wet Shaving' and read one of his essays on the subject (Wet Shaving Systematics: A Primer on the Roberts Method of Wet Shaving (RMWS).). And whilst the whole MS didn't hook me in, it did make me realize that with shaving it can either be:
Specifically, it was this point during Robert's essay:
That was my epiphany.
That led to B&B and the ongoing quest for which shave is the best for me, with best defined on my terms. And so far I'm enjoying the journey, and if never get my system down - who cares when I'm having fun?
Stumbled on a discussion around 'Charles Robert's Method of Wet Shaving' and read one of his essays on the subject (Wet Shaving Systematics: A Primer on the Roberts Method of Wet Shaving (RMWS).). And whilst the whole MS didn't hook me in, it did make me realize that with shaving it can either be:
- A dull chore to be completed in as short a time as possible, or
- A pleasant daily ritual to be savored and anticipated.
Specifically, it was this point during Robert's essay:
as opposed to
That was my epiphany.
That led to B&B and the ongoing quest for which shave is the best for me, with best defined on my terms. And so far I'm enjoying the journey, and if never get my system down - who cares when I'm having fun?
My husband hated shaving. He put it off as long as possible, but he didn't like having stubble, either, so he was always having to put up with something. I figured there had to be some other way, so I did a little research, and ended up here. He was willing to try anything that might help him hate shaving less, and DE shaving was just what he was looking for. He's never looked back. Me neither, as it's turned out; I gave his razor a try for my legs and now I'm looking for a DE of my own.
memories of my grandfather with his Gillette DE.
Great Question...
Had been shaving with an electric since high school. Being a traditionalist with retro/vintage leanings, I started searching for scents that I had grown up with, i.e. scents my father wore. Immersion in that genre inevitable led me to Badger and Blade. And, as they say, the rest is history.
For me, B & B is a perfect fit, not to mention the shaves are so much better than my old Norelco.
Had been shaving with an electric since high school. Being a traditionalist with retro/vintage leanings, I started searching for scents that I had grown up with, i.e. scents my father wore. Immersion in that genre inevitable led me to Badger and Blade. And, as they say, the rest is history.
For me, B & B is a perfect fit, not to mention the shaves are so much better than my old Norelco.
Grew a beard during motorcycle rally season 14 years ago and decided I liked it. Still shaved my neck with Sensor and then Mach 3 and wet bar soap.
Lost my job last January (2009). Decided that the white beard didn't do anything for my looks, so decided to shave it and didn't want to pay for Mach 3 carts that often. At first I figured I'd get an electric razor to make the chore quick and simple each morning, but when I visited the Consumer Reports electric razor report I found the following passage: "The closest of shaves should make a face feel like fine, 1000-grit polishing paper." I knew that that wouldn't be very satisfying, so I googled "how to shave" and ended up watching the following video by MarkGauvrea: [YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6SglZopfmk[/YOUTUBE]. Good start. In the comments section, someone asked him if he belonged to B&B, then explained what B&B was. Mark also recommended Mantic59's videos as the ultimate source to another commenter, so that's what got me here.
Now all I need is a job.
- Chris[YOUTUBE][/YOUTUBE]
Lost my job last January (2009). Decided that the white beard didn't do anything for my looks, so decided to shave it and didn't want to pay for Mach 3 carts that often. At first I figured I'd get an electric razor to make the chore quick and simple each morning, but when I visited the Consumer Reports electric razor report I found the following passage: "The closest of shaves should make a face feel like fine, 1000-grit polishing paper." I knew that that wouldn't be very satisfying, so I googled "how to shave" and ended up watching the following video by MarkGauvrea: [YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6SglZopfmk[/YOUTUBE]. Good start. In the comments section, someone asked him if he belonged to B&B, then explained what B&B was. Mark also recommended Mantic59's videos as the ultimate source to another commenter, so that's what got me here.
Now all I need is a job.
- Chris[YOUTUBE][/YOUTUBE]
Last edited:
In the early 1990s it got where I could not find blades for my injector so I went to disposables, Fast forward to Grad School and I had nick issues so I went to a Remington Electric it did a passable job but I still got some ingrown hairs and redness from going over area trying to erase that just below the jaw line shadow. Replacement blades and shavers over next 14 years. OUCH. I go looking and go back to disposables. While cleaning out a closet one day I found my old mug and brush I had got from Sears for Christmas back in 1980. Plus 2 old pucks of Colgate shave soap with the grand price of 35 cents a puck from a Freds Dollar store. Anyway in the kit was my Injector and a old Brass Gillette 3 piece DE razor I google and found B&B and the addiction was started. I know use a 1960s Adjustable and a Undated Butterscotch SE Gem that belonged to one of my Grandpa's.
I save money, I get a better shave and I have cool looking stuff in my Bathroom.
I save money, I get a better shave and I have cool looking stuff in my Bathroom.
