Why are you using DE?

[El Dingo Satanico]

I started DE shaving for the cost factor. I stayed with it because it's cool. I have the coolest ablutionary routine of every other human being I know. I use multiple apparati and implements (one of which is a big, deadly-looking razor) to perform a formerly mundane and tedious daily task. I use soaps and creams from countries that no one I know has ever even been to. I rub soap on my face using wet animal fur then scrape my skin with a piece of sharpened metal. When I shave, I feel like the biggest badass in the neighborhood.

[Batman]

I use a DE because multiblade carts hurt, give me bumps, ingowns and pimples, and last carts cost too much.

+1

[indymtb]

I am an ADD kind of person so I thought my interest might flame after 1 month of longer shaves. It is great because:
1) Even though 10-15 dollars for a set 4 razors wasn't a show-stopper, I always hated buying them knowing it wasn't too long ago that 1 dollar per refill was getting to be expensive. Now its cheap.
2) It is a relaxing ritual.
3) The shave is notably closer and it feels like you are completely in control of how close your shave gets.
4) It is rewarding when you feel your face. You get a mini sense of accomplishment when you start the day.
5) It is interesting because there is so much feedback on every blade/shaver combo.

[Gammon]

Why?

To puzzle SWMBO.
She simply cannot understand how is this amount of equipment going to save me money.
Eventually she will get it. I hope.

I might be almost to the point of breaking even right now except SWMBO is now on DE razor #3, and SHE'S USING UP ALL MY FEATHERS.

[shaverjoe]

I could only shave every 3 days with a cart. With a DE, I can comfortably shave every day, twice if necessary, with a DE.

[Gissy]

I got good shaves with my Mach 3, never had any problems with it. No cuts, no irritation to speak of. I usually shaved after showering without any product, just the water left on my face. So why change it? Even if the shaves were good I always hated it. I waited as long as I could between shaves, just because it was boring.

Now I love shaving, I get some weepers and some irritation from time to time. The shaves aren't always that close, but that keeps getting better. So for me it's really about the feeling and fulfillment and the feeling of it all. I just enjoy it!

[dogmir]

I was never a fan of the price of carts. I am frugal when it comes to many things. Oddly enough that was only a small a factor to switching to DE. For me it was curiosity plain and simple. I like the nostalgia. I don't believe everything needs to be re-invented with some new space age polymer. I think as a whole we are forgetting a lot of what made our forefathers manly. Gone are the days of flannel, black coffee, and cars made entirely out of metal. I can remember as a kid my dad had no less than 20 different kinds of aftershave. When you go to the store now they have 4 kinds that are pretty basic and don't impress me. For crying out loud I can't even find a good honest to god old school barber in my area. I guess I just doing my part to keep tradition alive. In 20 years when you are shaved by a laser or something even crazier, I will happily break out my brush/mug and smile. Knowing that it might have taken longer, but that won't make me enjoy it any less!

[badgerRN]

I got into the DE because I have been a history buff and thought it would be neat. I stayed because it is a better shave.

[yohimbe2]

I use DE and SE because straights are too much work.

[CHSeifert]

BUMPING an old thread to life again

I actually get fine shaves with my Mühle Sophist Fusion razor, as long as I only go for BSS shaves having 3-4 days growth.

DE Razor shaving can provide med with a BSS shave on a daily basis, even though T rarely shave daily (I like the stubble look) I could do that and get BSS with one of my DE razors, not so with my Fusion. The Fusion could give me a decent shave daily, but not DFS or BSS.
I also like the ritual DE shaving gives me - I know now that one reason I always had fine shaves with my cartridge razors was because I've always used skin products in the shower before the shave, during the shave and especially after the shave.

If you use the exact same products and routines and only factor you changed was going from a DE too a Fusion, 90% would get awesome shaves - maybe not BSS daily, but probably DFS daily.

I just like that you can buy different DE razors and different types of razor blades and use one blade for one DE razor, another for your second DE razor and a third blade for your third DE razor and improve your shaves because of that.

I can still use brush and shaving creams and pre shave cream when I use my Mühle Sophist Fusion, so nothing has changed there, but as said the DE razor gives me an element of extra choice and I like that a lot

The Fusion will never leave my den, but I only use it when I'm in a real hurry and I don't get the same good feeling, when I have shaved with a Fusion as I get when I have shaved with for instance my Feather DE with a Feather blade, my Mühle Sophist R89 De and an Astra SP or my Mühle R41 Grande and a Gillette 7 O'clock Blue SP blade - it's just an entirely different and more satisfying feeling to shave with a DE razor, once you learn the process and adopt the necessary skills

This is why I shave with a DE razor - most of the times now......

And please excuse me, but the guys using the $$$ saving argument for using a DE - take a look at yourself in the mirror, then open your shaving den - so you saved a lot of $$$ by buying all that shaving gear.......don't fool yourself, because you can't fool us with that poor excuse

I have spent literally thousands of $$$ on shaving and male grooming gear since I started using a DE razor. You don't have to, but most of B&B members have a pretty significant budget for shaving gear......just saying..... ;)

[The Kiwi]

BUMPING an old thread to live again

I actually get fine shaves with my Mühle Sophist Fusion razor, as long as I only go for BSS shaves having 3-4 days growth.

I think that you actually had "BBS" in mind each time you wrote "BSS".

DE Razor shaving can provide med with a BSS shave on a daily basis, even though T rarely shave daily (I like the stubble look) I could do that and get BSS with one of my DE razors, not so with my Fusion. The Fusion could give me a decent shave daily, but not DFS or BSS.

I also like the ritual DE shaving gives me - I know now that one reason I always had fine shaves with my cartridge razors was because I've always used skin products in the shower before the shave, during the shave and especially after the shave.

If you use the exact same products and routines and only factor you changed was going from a DE too a Fusion, 90% would get awesome shaves - maybe not BSS daily, but probably DFS daily.

I just like that you can buy different DE razors and different types of razor blades and use one blade for one DE razor, another for your second DE razor and a third blade for your third DE razor and improve your shaves because of that.

I can still use brush and shaving creams and pre shave cream when I use my Mühle Sophist Fusion, so nothing has changed there, but as said the DE razor gives me an element of extra choice and I like that a lot

The Fusion will never leave my den, but I only use it when I'm in a real hurry and I don't get the same good feeling, when I have shaved with a Fusion as I get when I have shaved with for instance my Feather DE with a Feather blade, my Mühle Sophist R89 De and an Astra SP or my Mühle R41 Grande and a Gillette 7 O'clock Blue SP blade - it's just an entirely different and more satisfying feeling to shave with a DE razor, once you learn the process and adopt the necessary skills

This is why I shave with a DE razor - most of the times now......

And please excuse me, but the guys using the $$$ saving argument for using a DE - take a look at yourself in the mirror, then open your shaving den - so you saved a lot of $$$ by buying all that shaving gear.......don't fool yourself, because you can't fool us with that poor excuse

I have spent literally thousands of $$$ on shaving and male grooming gear since I started using a DE razor. You don't have to, but most of B&B members have a pretty significant budget for shaving gear......just saying..... ;)

I didn't come to B&B because I expect or aspire to regularly achieve a BBS shave, and I haven't spent money that I don't have on loads of products that I don't need.

I will tell you that a Gillette Fusion doesn't shave as well as a Gillette Sensor (2). I tested the Mach3 when it came along as was supposed to be better. It was not. The apex of the cartridge razors came in 1993, with the Sensor. The Sensor3 was no improvement over the original Sensor.

There are a great many members here who have not spent large amounts of money on any kind of shaving. I didn't need to buy any new DEs. I already had five. I never totally quit using my Super Adjustable DE while usually using a Sensor.

[CHSeifert]

I think that you actually had "BBS" in mind each time you wrote "BSS".


I didn't come to B&B because I expect or aspire to regularly achieve a BBS shave, and I haven't spent money that I don't have on loads of products that I don't need.

I will tell you that a Gillette Fusion doesn't shave as well as a Gillette Sensor (2). I tested the Mach3 when it came along as was supposed to be better. It was not. The apex of the cartridge razors came in 1993, with the Sensor. The Sensor3 was no improvement over the original Sensor.

There are a great many members here who have not spent large amounts of money on any kind of shaving. I didn't need to buy any new DEs. I already had five. I never totally quit using my Super Adjustable DE while usually using a Sensor.

I used the Sensor from 1990 to 1995 and while I loved it, the Fusion does give me a better shave overall. The little extra blade opposite the 5 blades is an ingenious thing. I use it for nose hair, even when I DE shave I still pull the Mühle Sophist Fusion out for this area. So again it's a YMMV thing..... I prefer both Mach 3 and Fusion over Sensor - but not by much.

When I have 3-4 days stubble the Fusion is perfect for me. I prefer DE for shorter stubbles and longer stubbles YMMV :)

[reactionjr]

I'm not gonna lie, the reason i started with a DE is because i was watching "how its made" and i thought to my self that looks pretty neat so i bought a Merkur futur to try it out. After 3 weeks i went back to a multy blade and i noticed that i couldnt get a close shave as with my DE. Since then i have not gone back to a multy blade.

[Christoph]

My first interest came simply because I saw them as really cool in a very retro sort of way. I had used DEs a few times in my youth, but as I got older cartridges were quickly becoming the norm. I think if you'd asked me about a DE when I was 22 I would have thought you were being ridiculous. But I rediscovered them around 8 years ago and haven't looked back much. I still think they are beautiful, refined, gentlemanly, and just plain cool.

So that's a big reason.

Why do I keep using them?

I can get awesome shaves with them very easily.

And the other MAJOR reason -- cost!

I am still using the packs of blades (totalling a few hundred) that I bought 7-8 years ago. Haven't bought a single blade since!

All these cartridge systems right from the trac 2, to the Sensor, to the Machs, Fusions, Quatros, etc are just MASSIVE RIP OFFS pure and simple!

I can get awesome shaves for maybe $5 worth of razors per year and maybe $30 on cream or soap and some aftershave, or I can spend a ridiculous amount on modern stuff and get merely good shaves.

[bpuckett02]

I hated shaving. Kept getting razor burn and ingrown hairs, and finally gave it up for a while. Then I discovered an old Gillette fatboy that used to belong to my grandfather. Interested in how to use it, I looked up videos on youtube and much to my surprise, I found that many people switched to DE wetshaving for the same problems I was having. I bought my first puck of soap and a brush, and after a while I got the hang of it. It has turned shaving into a small indulgence rather than a daily chore. I will never again use ripoff cartridge blades or goop in a can. I use a Merkur futur and an array of soaps and creams. I have to say my favorite is, at this moment, Tabac shaving soap with a feather blade.

[digital_injection]

Not only are the blades much cheaper but you get a closer shave. Plus, there's the nostalgic factor. Shaving like a gentleman of days past. It's kind of sad that most men think shaving is all about smothering gel on their faces and scraping it off with a plastic power tool. I love my Merkur!

[deafficianado]

I use DE because it's just as fast and conveniant as cartriges.I started like many here for economic reasons. Then finding this site, razor & blade AD kicked in. Then straight and hone AD came about. Forced myself to stop after I calculated how much I spent. I guess vintage razors will have good resale value. Anyway, before I got into DE late last year, I was using Sensor Excel. I think it's Gillette's best since the 30's. Mach 3's and Fusion are not so great. It will do the job, however the increased cost and and not so great performance turned me off.

[The Kiwi]

I use DE because it's just as fast and conveniant as cartriges.I started like many here for economic reasons. Then finding this site, razor & blade AD kicked in. Then straight and hone AD came about. Forced myself to stop after I calculated how much I spent. I guess vintage razors will have good resale value. Anyway, before I got into DE late last year, I was using Sensor Excel. I think it's Gillette's best since the 30's. Mach 3's and Fusion are not so great. It will do the job, however the increased cost and and not so great performance turned me off.

The one thing that I could previously relegate to my Sensor as an advantage over DEs was just below my jawline, where I just can't see what I'm doing so very well. I had tried one Mach3, and the head kept falling off. That put an end to experiments with those. Later on, I spotted a really cheap price for an Excel3 but my opinion was that it didn't shave me as well as the two-bladed cartridge. If I tried a Fusion, and I may have, I've disposed of it or lost it.

Between 1966 (roughly) and 1993, I shaved with DEs most of the time, occasionally using whatever was the cartridge of the day. Prior to 1966, I used an electric, although before that I had used a Single Edge, either the one that I think now was a Gem Junior, or one of the Injector razors. Anyway, during the 1993 - 2011 years, I held onto my classic razors, and occasionally DE shaved. Late last year, before a trip, I looked for a spare Sensor handle, and didn't turn one up at home (there were two or three, but they kept themselves out of sight for a time).

The absence of Sensor handles led me to 'net searching, which led me to the long lists of eTailers supporting this Retro interest. Eventually, I found a total of sixteen razors here, and there may have been more. I'd stopped digging with that many. There was no Injector or SE. There were a pair of Slim Adjustables, plus the "middle size" Super Adjustable. I've never been as casual about the way I handle a DE, and take longer shaving that way. But I have no need to rush any more. I'm retired.

Eventually, I bought an SE razor and some blades. It shaves me so well I have no idea now why I changed to Injectors when I did so. Again, shaving with that razor doesn't seem to invite a casual approach. I have Schick's G8 model razor that I found at a Flea Market for $4, although it took awhile to order blades for it. That razor compares to a cartridge system for light weight, automatic shaving that can be performed fast if desired, and can take care of the blind spots that elude me with DEs and SE.

I bought the right model Injector razor for twenty times its original cost, I just got tired of being outbid and accepted a Buy it Now offer (the G8 model dates to the early 1950s). I might have had one in 1954, had I wanted it, but on my 14th birthday, I was given a selection of several heirloom razors -- 3 DEs and an SE.

I plan to try the Hydromagic in the shower, shaving by feel. I think it will match the Sensor in there.

[hutchster]

i got into DE shaving in kind of an odd way really, i was in the hospital recovering from surgery and realized one day my 2 week beard was getting that weird itch, i then realized i forgot to pack my razor kit, so i asked a nurse if they had clipper's or something.

she came back with a blue and white gillette brand plastic safety razor and asked if i had ever used one, i respond no, and she tells me to take it slow and don't go side to side and all will be well.

i was hesitant, but i proceeded, and from that moment on i was blown away :)

i have short dense facial hair and my mach3 and fusion razors always gummed up after an inch or so of cutting, DE's mow it down like crazy.

[Jack Russell]

Because I just love it.

Jack Russell