I used a Mach 3 for several years while I was in the Navy (They hand them out in boot camp). I think they shave great and close. I think the problem for me though was the whole lift and cut thing...I think that they lift the hair out too much for my skin and the result was horrible painful razor bumps. For me a single blade passing over my skin is a better option. I get pretty close shaves with a D/E and as my technique improves they're getting closer and more comfortable and my razor bumps are almost totally gone. For many an M3 is perfectly fine...Expensive but fine...For you, you seem happy with the M3 experience and using a D/E on the weekends. What's wrong with that? Maybe you can't get the closest shave with a D/E. My shaves are not as close as when using an M3. Still, they're more comfortable now that the whisker can get back out and not curl up inside my skin...Somebody already said it, the point is to enjoy it or at least have it be comfortable. Using a D/E is still way cooler though...Have fun!!!
What am I missing? DE better than Mach 3?
- Thread starter Whiskery
- Start date
I never tried a M3 and probably never will.
I used some twin blades (Gillette Sensor and the like) which I still use when traveling.
At home I started to enjoy a nice DE shave with all the nice preparation and concentration it (still ?) requires for me.
Also the results I get are better with less irritation than what I used to get with the cartridges.
.. AND I'm still improving
.. AND I have so much choise of equipment
.. AND a full metal razor feels so nice in my hand
.. :-D
Enjoy your shave, Joerg
I used some twin blades (Gillette Sensor and the like) which I still use when traveling.
At home I started to enjoy a nice DE shave with all the nice preparation and concentration it (still ?) requires for me.
Also the results I get are better with less irritation than what I used to get with the cartridges.
.. AND I'm still improving
.. AND I have so much choise of equipment
.. AND a full metal razor feels so nice in my hand
.. :-D
Enjoy your shave, Joerg
- Thread starter
- #64
+1
There have been a few troll threads last couple of days (the other long cartridge thread on the first page is clearly a troll thread). The thing is, there are 1 or 2 regular members who think that - they're not trolls, but they make it so that the trolls can't be deleted/banned.
Having said that, B&B is remarkebly short on trolls for a board its size. Qudos go to the mods.
Excuse my ignorance, but what is a troll ?
From Wikipedia:
In Internet slang, a troll is someone who posts inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, chat room or blog, with the primary intent of provoking other users into an emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.
-J
+ 1 for the DE...I do use my m3 once in a while when i am in a hurry...
- Thread starter
- #69
Well, I'm no troll. I really wanted to like the DE. Maybe I have not found the right blades, or the correct technique. I will keep trying, maybe I need more time and practice.
I do, and I shave with a Mach 3 or a Trac II most weekdays. I can get a very close shave with a cartridge razor, just as close as I can get with a DE or injector. When my cartridges run out, though, it's going to be DE or an injector all the way (except for when I have to travel carry-on-only by air).
I forgot to add the reason why I will abandon cartridges when my current supply runs out: they just aren't as much fun and I'm tired of spending money that I don't have to. I'm quick enough now with a safety razor that I probably could use a DE or injector most days, and now that my work schedule has changed again, I have enough time to shave properly in the mornings again.
Safety shaving may not be for you. That's really all there is to it.
There is a select few that safety shaving works rather well for, and I happen to be one of them. When I switched from a cartridge to a DE, I went from horrible shaves and and bad skin, to amazing shaves and clear skin within 2 months.
But when you post on a pro DE shaving forum and say things like..."Guy's I realize that it's nostalgic, and romantic to shave like Cary Grant did. .....But come on, A Mach 3 will shave a lot closer and smoother that any DE or injector."......"So who on here really thinks a DE will shave closer and smoother that a Mach 3?"
You may not have meant it this way, and I don't think you did, but the general tone of your post sounds sarcastic and condescending with a tiny bit of ridicule mixed in. You can choose to use a cartridge, and that's great...but please don't tell me that what I know works best for me, is just some romantic fabrication that I concocted to make my inner man feel swell.
It's pretty simple really, for me DE's work better than cartridges do, and that's why I use them.
I don't know if your small post count equates to your time trying a DE, but if so, it does take a little bit of time to get proficient with a DE. I can get just as good a shave with a M3 as a DE, in less time. But, God, it is DULL.
Gillette have sucked all the skill and enjoyment out of shaving - it's your right.. no, bugger it, it's your duty, to reclaim it.
The bathroom awaits...
DE takes a lot more work and attention than does an M3. With the M3, you can dig it into your face and it won't give you much of a problem... That's what the pivoting head is for. The DE on the other hand, requires you to maintain the appropriate angle of the blade yourself, rather than allowing the razor to do that for you. Also, if you dig at your face with a DE, you're practically guaranteed to have bloodshed.
If you want to like the DE, do yourself a favor and watch Mantic59 videos on YouTube and read the stickies around here. Then, practice when you have time to pay attention and take it slowly. It's a lot harder to get a 3-minute shave with a DE when you're new at it and still developing your technique.
Now, that all said, I have an M3 sitting on my bathroom shelf. I take it with me when I travel, so that I don't have to worry about where I'm putting razor blades. Works fine, but I like the DE more, since I have to slow down and pay attention to myself, rather than rush through it and zoom out the door.
Also, do yourself the service of trying several different blades. Some work much better for some people, while other guys have nothing but problems with the same blade. You have to find what works best for you.
Welcome to B&B!
Your polite and non-aggressive responses help to assure you are not a troll.
I don't know if your small post count equates to your time trying a DE, but if so, it does take a little bit of time to get proficient with a DE. I can get just as good a shave with a M3 as a DE, in less time. But, God, it is DULL.
Gillette have sucked all the skill and enjoyment out of shaving - it's your right.. no, bugger it, it's your duty, to reclaim it.
The bathroom awaits...
Standing Ovation
Seriously, you joined this month. It takes at least a month or so to really get the hang of it. After that, if you are still getting the same results, you only have one option. Start straight shaving.
I came to the world of DE b/c I was tired of the almost constant ingrown hairs that I was getting from shaving with my Mach 3 (even when I shaved WTG). Since I can shave ATG and XTG with a DE without having a number of red bumps from ingrowns appear on my face before noon, I absolutely get a better shave with a DE.
If you haven't seen Mantic59's videos on youtube yet check them out!! Huge help there for me last month when I started. Try out lots of blades! I have a SuperSpeed that tore me up with Crystal blades, put a Lord in yesterday morning and it made all the difference! Keep in mind the Crystal is one of the really good blades in my Parker, so just using a different razor/blade setup can change things around enough that it won't work. If you haven't yet check out the sampler packs at westcoastshaving.com, then you can try a ton of different blades, when one is bad you can toss it and hope the next is great, took three different brands on the SS, once this Lord is done I know which one I can go BACK to if the Derby's or the Wilkinsons, or whichever I try next.
Probably time to close this thread...Everything you could possibly want to know is posted on this website. For specific info on methods, razors etc just do a little research and cruise this site... Someone on this forum said once that D/E shaving is a "mindful task". I would add that it is also a task that requires dedication and perseverance with the end result being a comfortable shave. Good luck and ask specific questions next time...
- Thread starter
- #80
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