why use a DE vs modern?

[Prophoss]

Y'all have a lot of info on here. If someone could direct me to a thread perhaps about why you would want to use a DE razor as opposed to say a modern gillet mach 4 or some such razor? If it is simply financial, cheaper refills, I would try it but may have to pass. If it shaves better then you have my attention. Perhaps this is not the place for this post any help would be appreciated.
PropHoss

 

[nuclearblast]

It's all about the money. We all save a lot of money here on this site.

Seriously, DE razors aren't better or worse, they're just different, although apparently they seem to work better for most people on B&B.
One can also get very good results using a cart or a disposable. You'll have to try it I guess, and draw your own conclusions.

 

[DVPremo]

Hey Prophoss,

As far as financial goes, it can be less expensive, especially in the long run. As far as better shaves go, that is very subjective. I think you will find that most guys here get a better shave going with a DE, but there are plenty of guys here that continue to use their Mach's and Fusions and get a better shave with them. This is a shaving forum and all manner of shaving is accepted and respected here.

What I like about B&B is that whatever advice you are looking for in the shaving world, be it DE, carts, straights, brushes, soaps, creams, croaps, pre-shave, post-shave, A/S, is that you will get lots of helpful advice and usually a touch of humor too.

It is not necessarily about what is best, more so, it's about what is best for you.

Enjoy the journey my friend.

 

[Mr. Scruffy]

Definitely cheaper, but you are the only one who can judge if a DE will shave you better than a cart. You'll never know until you try.

 

[forrestgump]

I can now shave every single day, and I have never been able to do this in my lifetime. I've come to realize I need a different blade aggression on each area of my face. I use a old Merkur Progress and use different settings for the sides of my face, neck and upper lip and this has eliminated all of my irritation problems. Now, I haven't saved any money switching to de, but that doesn't mean you cant. A one razor, one brush kinda guy who buys a 100 blades and shaves that way, yeah, your gonna save money. Ill use de for life now as my shaves are comfortable, irritation free, and I get to do it every day now. Its a huge accomplishment for me personally.

 

[Rockminer]

I do it for the chicks

 

[DVPremo]

I do it for the chicks

We all do it for the chicks.

 

[tvad]

For the best of both worlds...inexpensive, closer shave (equal or better than DE), just as comfortable...try a twin fixed blade razor like the Gillette Good News (about $.34/ea on E-Bay), or a Gillette G2 (Trac 2) and Personna twin blades.

 

[canuckle]

Y'all have a lot of info on here. If someone could direct me to a thread perhaps about why you would want to use a DE razor as opposed to say a modern gillet mach 4 or some such razor? If it is simply financial, cheaper refills, I would try it but may have to pass. If it shaves better then you have my attention. Perhaps this is not the place for this post any help would be appreciated.
PropHoss

Having just changed over to DE from Fusion cartridges for years, here are the differences for me:

* I do get a better shave, because I can do more than one pass without irritation (once I got the mechanics right, it's a learning curve)
* My skin is better. My wife says it looks healthier. I think I'm paying more attention to what I put on my face.
* Cheaper is subjective, this is part function and part hobby for many. As for the cost per shave, definitely cheaper.
* I am now impatient to shave, where I used to dread it.

For me, those are the big differences. YMMV of course, but you can try it fairly cheaply, so dive in and see what you think.

 

[CastleProud]

It sounds like you are curious and there is really only one way to find out if this is for you and that is to get a starter kit and try it. I started the same way. I researched many forums, web articles, and YouTube first. I got my first tools from Walmart, and found I liked using a DE much better than the cartridge razors.

One thing to notice in many of these posts is the term YMMV, or your mileage may vary. There are many at B&B that use the contemporary, store bought products and it works well for them. Myself, I stopped shaving for many years because of the irritation caused by my Mach 3. It shaved close but never sealed the deal. Now, unless I get sloppy or too ambitious, my face and neck have none of the post-shave problems I did before. Some use the cartridges but instead of the canned cream, use a brush and quality shave cream or soap and things are good for them. YMMV.

As far as cost goes, some here were bitten by the collector bug and definitely are not saving any money. They know who they are. However, with a little bit of shopping prowess, you could get a decent startup kit and only have to buy blades and soap/cream when needed. Blades can be bought online for anywhere from 10 to 50 cents a blade and soap fairly inexpensive too. Razors can be had for $15 or less, a decent starter brush for $8 to $10. A little more initial investment, but down the line it can save you money. If it doesn't work out it might mean what you spent for a cartridge and blades that didn't perform.

If you know how to use a cartridge razor, you can shave with a DE. It just takes a little more attention and refined technique that anyone can learn. If you are happy using your current gear, stay with it. Since you are here and are curious, keep reading and learning. Here is a link that you may find interesting about why many of us switched:

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/133334-B-amp-B-passion-explained

It's a little bit of money and a little bit of comfort. It's also the other door. We can't promise you will be happy with the switch, but we can guarantee that if you don't try, you will never know.

 

[tclobaugh]

For me, it's about a better quality shave. Carts cause me irritation and terrible problems with ingrown hairs. DE had fixed that for me. Some of the irritation may be improved due to better soap I'm using but the ingrowns are the reason I'll never go back to carts.

Also, I enjoy shaving now, where I hated it before.

As always, you have to find out what's right for you, but I think it's worth your while to give it a try.

 

[ks6c]

I've been wet shaving with good products (brush & cream) for a dozen years but I was using a 3-blade cartridge until very recently. I have a significant cowlick (hair growing in a circle) in the hollow of my neck on the right side so no matter which direction I was dragging the razor, some of it was With The Grain (WTG), Against the Grain (ATG), or Across the Grain (XTG). To get a close(ish) shave, I would make 3 passes (WTG, XTG and ATG) but that was the equivalent of a 9 pass shave - 3 passes of 3 blades each. YIKES! The irritation and razor burn I used to suffer caused me to limit my shaving to 3 or 4 times a week, and they were mediocre shaves at best.

Now I do 3 passes every morning of a single (DE) blade, absolutely no irritation, and better/closer shaves than I have ever had in my life. I'm hooked.

 

[DaltonGang]

I do it for the skin and cost.
With carts., I would get a lot of ingrown hair, and irritation. Now, no irritation, and rarely any ingrown hair.
Oh, and the wife like the feel, a lot.
The wife now uses a DE razor, and an old injector. Much better for her, less cost, and less irritation.

 

[Dubber]

I do it for the chicks

WAIT! WAIT! WAIT! Let's get back to the important topic at hand. You're telling me there are chicks!

Badgers and boars and chicks? Oh My!

Well, to be fair, some of us do it for the dudes. And a few of us for either

Whatever lathers your soap, buddy. I spend way too much time picking the fragrance of the day to judge anyone else.

 

[Rockminer]

WAIT! WAIT! WAIT! Let's get back to the important topic at hand. You're telling me there are chicks!

Badgers and boars and chicks? Oh My!

I never thought I would ever share one of my personal pics here, but in the spirit of the question here it goes

Spoiler

 

[Dubber]

I never thought I would ever share one of my personal pics here, but in the spirit of the question here it goes

Spoiler

Rockminer, you truly are a man of fine character with seemingly endless generosity. Thank you sir. I stopped paying attention to the USC Nebraska game and had to pick the tablet up off the floor.

 

[NavyShave]

DE shaving is cheaper (if you don't end up with an acquisition disorder) and to me gives a superior shave. That said, DE shaving requires slightly more time and much more awareness and concentration. I find it relaxing though...15 mins of man time each am.

 

[DVPremo]

I never thought I would ever share one of my personal pics here, but in the spirit of the question here it goes

Spoiler

HEY! What is wife doing in one of your personal pics?

 

[GBinOZ]

It's all about the money. We all save a lot of money here on this site.

Definitely cheaper,

DE shaving is cheaper.

Huh...WHAT??? Saving Money??? Cheaper???

I figure I'll have to live to around 300 to break even. Come on guys, it's OBSESSION!! Just accept it...you'll feel a lot better.

Cheers, George

 

[packet]

Honestly for me the preparation is more important than the razor.

I switched from a Gillette M3 razor and spray foam, to a DE razor, lather cream/soap, brush, and after shave; and the results were heaps better.
I tried switching back to the M3, while using the same prep I would use with the DE razor, and the results were just as good as the DE razor.

So for me a DE razor works just well as an M3, but because I can buy a 100 DE blades for the same price as a four-pack of M3 cartridges, I'm more inclined not to try and shave my face with a dull blade. With the M3 I'd hold out for a month with the same cartridge before I'd change it, now I put in a fresh DE blade every week without even thinking about it, because I'm not getting slammed for expensive cartridges.