Why did you start shaving with a DE safety razor?

[Lazylathe]

I love old stuff!! Especially tools and things that have a distinct purpose.
In my basement I have a 1942 South Bend metal lathe, weighs a ton but it is so beautifully made it's a pleasure just to look at!

I also love browsing antique stores and always used to see then DE razors but never bought any of them since I was a die hard Gillette Mach 3 user of over 20 years! It was my first "real" razor when I was still in school and it became habit to just pick up new cartridges.

A few months ago, I ran out of cartridges and went to the store to pick some up.
Almost $40 for 3 cartridges???? ***!!! they did not last me very long either, maybe 3 shaves and then they were pulling and tugging the hair.
Looked around at what else was available, think I was in a WalMart at that time, and saw a super cheap Gillette Butterfly razor with blades for around $15!! Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!!!
Shave was awful but I persisted for a month or so until discovering there was a whole world of people going back to the traditional wet shaving. It blew my mind!!

Asked a few questions and picked up a RockWell 6c in gunmetal.
I am never looking at another cartridge razor again!!

The only issue now is I want some older razors to try different styles.
Shaving was never a hobby for me but it seems to have grown into one very rapidly.
Shave soaps, shave creams, aftershave balms, aftershave splashes, Alum sticks, blade sampler packs and shave bowls....
Where does it end!!!
It's nice to actually enjoy shaving again!

 

[Dodger59]

Started to decrease my use of plastic throwaway items. Found B&B after some simple on line searches, got momentarily caught up in RAD, shored up my technique and settled in.

Though I still occasionally use a cartridge or disposable, I have met my initial objective! Many helpful insights here over the past few years that I am thankful for.

 

[Eric_75]

B & B.

 

[Curkio]

Hobby picked up during lockdown.

 

[Ranyart Finn]

Shaved with a cartridge razor for years, and hated shaving. I'd put it off whenever I could, and then during covid, decided to grow a beard and be done with it. Discovered that the beard required more maintenance than I was prepared to give it, and, as my head hair had become an ungainly monk's tonsure, decided to shave both head and face and go full Yul Brynner.

As I needed a new razor for the face, went shopping for my usual disposables, and discovered a Wilkinson Sword Classic along with a brush, both costing less than a pack of 20 disposable cartridge razors, so took the plunge, shaved off the lot, and haven't looked back. I now love shaving, look forward to it, enjoy the ritual, enjoy the enormous variety of soaps, brushes, blades, razors and balms, and am completely captivated. In no time at all, I've acquired vintage Gillettes, cleaned them up (another mini-hobby; I love hunting for and then getting a vintage razor ready for use) and a bunch of brand new DE razors.

It's fair to say it's become a new obsession. I can no longer hide it from my wife (she was with me at an antique fair where I knew I just had to have a Gillette Aristocrat in its original case with blade bank), and so she's graciously allowed me a corner of the bathroom sink area to make my own (it used to be filled with about 20 of her myriad collection of shampoos and conditioners), and my vintage stuff lives in a very nice wooden box in my den.

Save money? As if. I've spent more on shaving supplies in the past few months than I have in my entire life - but it's a good habit to have, I can afford it, and it keeps me in good grooming habits. My wife even borrowed one of my razors for legs duty a little while ago. It was my Henson AL13+, and I thought she'd love it. Nope. She wants to use my Leaf. May have to get her her own in an appropriate colour.

And she still has more shampoos and conditioners that I have soaps and razors...

 

[MrSpeedy]

To save money and get better shaves.

 

[GoodShave]

I used cartridge razors for a very long time but I had switched to using traditional-style shaving soaps/croaps since they were kinder to my face than the canned gel I had been using (which dried out my face and had a ton of chemicals in it). Many years later, a buddy of mine challenged me to try out DE razors. I had no idea they were still available (new or used). I found BnB and discovered Mantic59 videos. I then bought a Muhle R89 and a blade sampler and was off and running.

 

[Grundi]

A friend of my son was starting to check out Wet Shaving to save money, and convinced my son to check it out, too. As he was, I got curious about what he was getting in to. Shaving for me then was a chore with lousy results (clogged carts, damaged skin, resigned to my fate, but did a bunch of research).

My son and I made the jump together. I picked out a bunch of items (great razor which is still my go-to, a lousy brush with great reviews but shedded hairs with each shave, a wonderful apothecary style shaving mug that died on the bathroom floor, and some soap that my son picked out), that my wife and kids bought for me as Christmas and Anniversary (in February) gifts. My first couple of DE shaves were not very good. With a heavy beard and constantly clogging cart razor, I had developed a habit of pressing harder to get any type of SAS results. That had to be unlearned in relatively short order. After a couple of weeks, I threw away my cart razor handle and committed completely to Wet Shaving.

So, I started because of my son, and continued because of the excellent shaves, no-clogging razors, and the VAST ARRAY of products!!

 

[nlife]

I switched after seeing the cost of Fusion blades continually increase. A $5+ a razor and three shaves before it starts tugging and pulling, I wanted something different.

I started with a cheap Wilkinson Sword Classic from walmart. It wasn't long before I looked at upgrading my razor and picked up a Henson AL13+. I've since moved on to the Game Changer and haven't looked back. I keep the handle and the old cartridges around for the times when I'm on the road. My wife also uses them, but I don't have any intention of going back.

 

[bdehne]

I started collecting vintage razors in the late 80s but had never used them. At the time, I didn't know DE blades were still available. After moving several times, my collection ended up packed away in a box. At the time, I was using a Norelco. When the Norelco stopped working, I switched to disposable carts. I hated shaving, razor burn, ingrown hairs, just like others have stated. What I hated most was banging the cart on the sink as it continually clogged. Never got a smooth, close shave and would only shave every 3rd day to limit the frustration. Then one day, I was in a local store and noticed they had DE blades. I remembered seeing an Old Type Gillette at a local Antique shop so I went and picked it up. I polished it up and used it for probably a year. Williams Mug Soap was available locally so I purchase a brush shortly after the razor and have never looked back. Like many others, I caught RAD and now have many razors, soaps, brushes and blades. DE razors took the chore of shaving and turned it into an enjoyable hobby. B&B has been a big part of that enjoyment for me. I am glad to know many others are just as addicted to wet shaving as I am.

 

[Lockback]

I started to save money. I reckon if I stop buying now and live to around two hundred, I'll maybe break even.

Same.
I switched from cartridge razors to save money (boy, did I fail at that!) but also for the nostalgia. My dad wasn't around when I was a kid but I remember my grandfather and uncle having safety razors in their bathrooms.
I wasn't terribly concerned about closer shaves or razor burn stuff but as it turns out, the safety razors are indeed much better in that regard.

 

[dan86]

I had something of a freak incident 10 years ago and woke up with my top lip looking like it had been on the receiving end of a fist!
Glad it happened though as it resulted in me trying a DE razor. Went to see my doctor, who took one look at my lip and asked, ”do you use cartridge razors?“ That led to her telling me how she’d seen quite a few other male patients with similar problems over the years and why they caused ingrown hairs. “Try a single blade razor and see how you get on.”

I’d already abandoned Mach 3s for Wilkinson Sword Quattros by this point, to save a few £s. I’d seen the Wilkinson Sword Classic - black plastic - in my local Boots store a few times and my barber used a shavette, so I knew these razors existed. However, because I’d only ever known cartridges or electric shavers I had never considered them.
I had a look on YouTube and watched one of Geofatboy’s videos about DE razors as well as one from the Village Barber. They made DE shaving look effortless and convinced me to buy a Wilkinson Sword Classic.

 

[steveclarkus]

Thought it would be fun to have a poll to see why so many of us decided to make the switch to DE razors.

In 1965, DE & SE were about the only choices. Never really liked them though.

 

[mozartman]

Good question. With the Fusion ProGlide, Gillette finally lost me after 40 years of shaving. The razors arrived in the mail for free, but the cartridges were so expensive they were kept behind locked sliding panels at the drug stores. Each cartridge was supposed to give you 30 shaves, but they were difficult to keep clean and dry, and tended to last me only about 15 shaves at most. I decided there had to be a better way, and started researching the whole thing seriously for the first time ever. I never expected to end up back with the DE razors of my earliest shaving experiences. But after looking into it all carefully, that is exactly where I ended up. In my opinion, beginning in the 70s, Gillette sacrificed everything else on the altar of speed, ease of use and convenience. Good grooming seemed to go out of style for a while there, and men forgot how much better a shave could be with a little time and effort. Equally worthwhile was ditching the drying can o' foam for better quality shave soaps and creams.

 

[LRod]

I'd been using electrics for like 30+ years and found shaving to be a chore. And electrics sometimes would give me ingrown hairs. Had my first go with wet shaving about a decade ago and gave up really fast. I had no guidance!
Then I found B&B about 2 years ago and rediscovered it by learning all about it and how to do it right.
Now it's a passion (and a problem for my wallet)
The good news is that I've never had ingrown hairs ever again and I actually love shaving now!

 

[LRod]

Because in G.O.D. Good old days there was DE, or Straight.

Nothing else.

Do electrics count?
My dad used Norelco electrics since the 60's. Matter of fact, I never saw him use a regular razor ever. And of course that meant that I started with an electric as well. That's why I used them for like 30+ years. I eventually got him to try a Braun and then a Panasonic. Up to this day he still uses a Panasonic and it's impossible to get him to try wet shaving. He upgrades to the latest & greatest every couple of years. Now my Grandfather was a different story, I remember seeing the old Gillette's in his house as a kid. But even he eventually started using a Norelco.

 

[blethenstrom]

The older I get the more I appreciate the old ways and find that they were onto something. Their ways was simple, but much more thought through than a lot of new fangled things. This I find myself drawn to. I want to learn how things were done and I get a lot of satisfaction from that. I did not have a father/grandfather show me how to shave, but I did see my dad use a DE once in a while. I think like I mentioned above the curiosity of the old ways is what brought me here.

 

[LeroyR]

I used various electrics for many years, and once about 12 years ago while traveling my battery died exactly 50% through a shave. I had no charging cable. I immediately ditched the electrics, bought the cheapest disposable razors I could find, and started looking for an economical & less wasteful way to shave. I found this and never looked back. I never did save any money though.

 

[StewB]

I used various electrics for many years, and once about 12 years ago while traveling my battery died exactly 50% through a shave.

I went through a phase with battery-operated razors too, and that happened to me numerous times. More than once I remember the razor shutting off mid shave with it "stuck" to my face, and I had to yank out a group of hairs to disengage the razor.

 

[LeroyR]

I went through a phase with battery-operated razors too, and that happened to me numerous times. More than once I remember the razor shutting off mid shave with it "stuck" to my face, and I had to yank out a group of hairs to disengage the razor.

Lol, luckily that never happened to me, that sounds terrible. The battery dying once was enough for me to call it quits, I never wanted to be let down like that again. I knew I had to go analog, so to speak. If I had a razor stuck to my face with no choice but to rip my hair out, I'd consider that an attack.