Many folks have attested to the fact that a DE can shave closer than a cartridge. I'm curious as to the reason behind this. Is it because it cuts at a closer angle because the razor has no pivot? In that case - wouldnt a non-pivot razor like a trac 2 cut just as close? Is it because blades are sharper? I can't see how just having one blade instead of multiple ones would lead to a closer shave.
How exactly does DE shaving cut closer than a cartridge?
- Thread starter lamaman3
- Start date
I would guess that a DE (or any other single blade razor for that matter) has a certain amount of adjustability of angle which means you can be as aggressive as you like whereas more modern razors with multiple blades can't do that as the surface area is too large combined with a built in "idiot" factor so they are probably not designed to shave as close so that inexperienced users can't tear their face up and sue Gillette, Wilkinson or whoever.
In essence, the closer shave comes through the technique and the skill set of the user, not just the blade itself. Think of it in terms of automatic transmission versus manual transmission, which may be oversimplifying it a little. There's more control in a DE razor but also more room for error. A straight razor is a step beyond and it's possible to exceptionally close shaves with them but with a cost of even more effort and requisite skill. With that said, it's possible to get just as close shave with a cartridge system, it just costs more and there may be other potential trade-offs.
Last edited:
One reason is when you use a DE (or SE or straight) you have to be much more mindful of the shave as to not slice your face like Christmas turkey, so your shaves would be better for the plain reason of being more careful. I used to shave while half awake in the morning or running out the door. If I do that now I look like an extra from Silence of the Lambs. Another reason is the blades tend to be much sharper, but it’s not all about the razor. A lot can be said for using high-quality (but not necessarily high-priced) shave creams, soaps, and balms/splashes. Just changing from canned goo to some nice quality shave cream/soap lathered up with a brush would increase the quality of a mach3 shave ten-fold.
I am just speculating but I think it has to do with the springs behind each blade which I suspect makes the contact of the blades with the skin a bit flimsy, resulting in the blades missing a hair or two here and there. On a DE, the blade is fixed, so when it makes contact with the skin it stays there and cuts whatever is in its way.
I have absolutely no evidence to back this up, but
. I believe that multi blade cartridges do some of what the advertisements claim, in that the hair is pulled out a bit by the first blade and the next blade(s) cut it even more before the hair relaxes back to its normal position. That leaves a sharp edge on the hair, kind of like the tip of a hypodermic needle or punji stick. I believe that that type of edge is the bane of ingrown hairs and would not feel smooth to the touch if rubbed against the grain. Further more the area at the end of this cut would be larger than if the hair was cut at a 90 deg angle.
In DE shaving most people use the hair reduction approach, making multiple passes from different directions. The first pass would leave a similarly shaped cut on the hair, but probably not quite as short as a multi blade. Subsequent passes from different directions would tend to chamfer off the sharp punji profile and make a more rounded profile on the end of the hairs. The area at the end (tip) of this cut would be smaller than if the hair was cut at a perfect 90 deg angle, making the hair look smaller / less visible. I believe the hair would also feel smoother as some of the sharp edges have been chamfered from multiple directions.
Bottom line is that I do not think that a DE / SE / Straight will cut the hairs any shorter than a multi blade cartridge, but with proper techniques, the profile of the cut edge will appear smaller and feel smoother than the hair cut by a multi blade.
In DE shaving most people use the hair reduction approach, making multiple passes from different directions. The first pass would leave a similarly shaped cut on the hair, but probably not quite as short as a multi blade. Subsequent passes from different directions would tend to chamfer off the sharp punji profile and make a more rounded profile on the end of the hairs. The area at the end (tip) of this cut would be smaller than if the hair was cut at a perfect 90 deg angle, making the hair look smaller / less visible. I believe the hair would also feel smoother as some of the sharp edges have been chamfered from multiple directions.
Bottom line is that I do not think that a DE / SE / Straight will cut the hairs any shorter than a multi blade cartridge, but with proper techniques, the profile of the cut edge will appear smaller and feel smoother than the hair cut by a multi blade.
Are disposable razors really idiot proof?
I've been a DE shaver my entire life. I've used plastic disposable razors maybe 2-3 times.
Can you really not cut yourself or not receive some fool proof shave with one of these?
I guess I have too much faith in idiots to muck up a job..
I've been a DE shaver my entire life. I've used plastic disposable razors maybe 2-3 times.
Can you really not cut yourself or not receive some fool proof shave with one of these?
I guess I have too much faith in idiots to muck up a job..
I agree. If you shave with a DE, one pass, with the grain as though it is a cartridge, you probably won't get as close a shave. Just like a manual transmission can improve gas mileage, but not if you leave it in 1st gear all the time. The advantage of a DE is that by having only one blade and requiring no pressure, it allows you to make multiple passes without irritation. That allows the extra effort and technique to shine through.
I find this to be exactly the case. A single pass DE shave does not shave me as close as a cartridge but I can do an extra pass to compensate and even exceed the closeness of a cartridge shave. Combine that with the advantages of wetshaving, you have a great shave at a fraction of the cost.
I believe it is a overall increase in the effectiveness of the process. Better equipment, better materials, and improved operator efficiency results in a closer and more comfortable shave. Individually each node in the process may see only a factional increase but the cumulative effect over a morning shave can be quite dramatic.
Add to this the benefit over time of less in-grown hairs and better skin condition and I would be amazed if commits like closer shave were not as prevalent as they have become.
Add to this the benefit over time of less in-grown hairs and better skin condition and I would be amazed if commits like closer shave were not as prevalent as they have become.
I think they can both do as good a job - but some men just can't get on with 3 blades.
Plus, cartridges were designed to take all the skill out of shaving, and that's the way most men use them.
For me, a cartridge cut closer, but mostly because I put a fair bit of pressure on and they let me, without cutting my face. Based on my experience, I don't buy any of the lift and cut marketing, I think it's more down to pivoting heads and springy blades.
Plus, cartridges were designed to take all the skill out of shaving, and that's the way most men use them.
For me, a cartridge cut closer, but mostly because I put a fair bit of pressure on and they let me, without cutting my face. Based on my experience, I don't buy any of the lift and cut marketing, I think it's more down to pivoting heads and springy blades.
I get a less irritating close shave with a DE, but not a closer shave. I can get pretty close with my multibladed assault razors, but not nearly as comfortably.
Sometimes I think the razor company puts plants in the membership to keep bringing up this same question.
The fact is modern cartridges are designed to produce maximum profits for the company first and foremost.Then the designed is dumbed down for convenience not performance. That fact and the cost are the real issues to me. I haven't used a cartridge in years and since I use a straight I have no desire to.
The fact is modern cartridges are designed to produce maximum profits for the company first and foremost.Then the designed is dumbed down for convenience not performance. That fact and the cost are the real issues to me. I haven't used a cartridge in years and since I use a straight I have no desire to.
G
GLteam
Learn the theory and science behind 'Multi-blade' technology, and that of Single blade shaving. Basically, multi-blade cartridges are not designed to shave as close as a single blade. The first blade catches the whisker (closest blade), and the other blades (set a minute distance back from its preceeding blade) cut the whisker off in its extended position. The whisker then snaps back against the skin, and usually snaps back below the skin's surface. At first, this creates the illusion and feeling of a closer shave, since the whisker is below the skin's surface. As the whisker begins to grow and the face skin shrinks to its normal hydration, the whisker is now above the surface of the skin (many times just a few hours after shaving). Multi-blade cartridges are designed to shave close, but not BBS close, as their blades are set further and further apart when aligned in the plastic cartridge. You get a fairly close shave with only one pass, taking the hair down to its lowest possible point (only as close as the blades allow). Once the whisker is below the skin's surface, the blades cannot shave any closer, because there's no more whisker to make contact with. Take a close look at an M3 cartridge, and you might notice that the blades set in further than the plastic side frames of the cartridge. The blades can only shave as close as the 'frame' allows them to.
Single edge technology shaves the whisker at the surface of the skin, although it takes more time (whisker reduction passes -vs- shaving the whisker off all at once), the whisker is still at the surface of the skin as the facial skin shrinks to its normal level of hydration. This results in everything being shaved to the exact surface of skin, making it all the same smoothness. There is no 'frame' to disrupt the single edge's distance to the skin, so it will shave skin close because is it an un-impeded blade.
Probably too much explanation, but if you take time to study why single edge blades shave closer, you might discover that there's even better explanations. There is a pay-off when DE shaving... closer shaves, but taking more of your time to produce such close shaves.
Single edge technology shaves the whisker at the surface of the skin, although it takes more time (whisker reduction passes -vs- shaving the whisker off all at once), the whisker is still at the surface of the skin as the facial skin shrinks to its normal level of hydration. This results in everything being shaved to the exact surface of skin, making it all the same smoothness. There is no 'frame' to disrupt the single edge's distance to the skin, so it will shave skin close because is it an un-impeded blade.
Probably too much explanation, but if you take time to study why single edge blades shave closer, you might discover that there's even better explanations. There is a pay-off when DE shaving... closer shaves, but taking more of your time to produce such close shaves.
I don't think a DE cuts closer than a cartridge....... assuming you're using multipass reduction techniques, proper skin prep, high quality soaps/creams, knowledge of grain growth direction, etc with both products. One pass in the shower with Gillette foamy doesn't compare to a full shave-den experience.
Most guys here confuse the new products and techniques they're using with the tool itself. In fact, there's more than one senior member here who uses carts on a regular (if not exclusive) basis to good results.
Most guys here confuse the new products and techniques they're using with the tool itself. In fact, there's more than one senior member here who uses carts on a regular (if not exclusive) basis to good results.
I think it comes down to operator skill and prep more than anything else. On a recent business trip, I took a Bic 3-blade disposable for convenience. I took a sliver from a puck of VDH and my VDH brush and got good (not great, but good) shaves the whole trip.
As a matter of fact, I got great shaves from my Mach3 for years using Colgate, Williams, of VDH soaps and a Burma Shave brush. I took 3 years off of shaving when I wore a full beard and when I decided to grow it back I was appalled by the prices of Mach3 replacement cartridges so I started to seek cheapter alternatives. That's when I found DE and B&B, etc. and a "cheaper" way to shave (well it would be cheaper if it weren't for some of the AD's
). For me, I can get a quality shave using lots of different things, it is the cost of replacement cartridges that irks me.
As a matter of fact, I got great shaves from my Mach3 for years using Colgate, Williams, of VDH soaps and a Burma Shave brush. I took 3 years off of shaving when I wore a full beard and when I decided to grow it back I was appalled by the prices of Mach3 replacement cartridges so I started to seek cheapter alternatives. That's when I found DE and B&B, etc. and a "cheaper" way to shave (well it would be cheaper if it weren't for some of the AD's
). For me, I can get a quality shave using lots of different things, it is the cost of replacement cartridges that irks me.
This makes no sense at all. Why would the whisker grow from below the surface of the skin to above the surface of the skin in the first case and stay at the surface of the skin in the second case?
DE Shaver is right. It is a myth that a DE shaves closer than a cartridge razor, say a Mach 3 for example. The difference is that members of B&B have learned or are learning to shave properly. Good shaving skills make the difference in quality of shave. Most cartridge users do not know how to shave and they generally use inferior products. Few of them use a brush and soap/cream with their cartridge razors, so naturally they get inferior results.
In addition to closeness there is the matter of a comfortable shave. I maintain that cartridge razors are capable of shaving just as close, with as much comfort, as a DE. It is just a matter of skill and good products, along with proper preparation. I guess this is where I should insert, "YMMV."
Last edited:
You make it sound like multiple passes are not possible with a cartridge. I maintain that if you were to shave just the same way with a cartridge razor as you do with a DE, presuming that you do know how to shave properly, you will get a close and comfortable shave. I believe the biggest mistake most cartridge users make (in addition to using inferior products) is to use too much pressure. Unless someone has shown them how to shave properly, they are just as clueless as a newbie DE user about how to get a good shave.
Agree with Blackbard that a DE does NOT shave closer than a multi-bladed cartridge, although it is probably true that most DE shavers get a closer shave than most multi-bladed cartridge shavers.
