What is the recidivist rate for new DE shavers? Straight shavers?

[oakeshott]

All,
It would be a shock if we actually had statistically meaningful numbers on this, so I'm willing to settle for well informed impressions and anecdotes, both tasteful and off-color. How many of the people who try DE shaving from carts or electrics slide back go back to them? Also, how does this number compare to those who were DE shavers and then moved on to straights and then returned?

From reading this board, my impression is that the people who move to straights (though a smaller total number) tend to stay there in higher percentages than those who move from carts/electrics to DE's. I have nothing to support this though and am interested in what others think and why.

[smalltank]

for me..having sensntive skin...a good pre shave and a well honed straight razor works very well for me as far as closeness is conerned..technique is another skill

[type2camper]

I'm only into DE shaving from an electric (after ten years) for about 6 months and the temptation to go back to electric is there (for convenience and closeness, which I was able to get without irritation), but the experience and hobby-factor of wet shaving is keeping me in the DE game.

[YetiDave]

I moved from cart to DE then DE to straight. I prefer the level of required skill as well the the comfort of the shave from a straight over anything else. Plus there is no more badass way to remove hair from your face than with a ninja assassin sharp knife. I won't be going back

[The Easy Life]

I have been DE shaving for almost 3 months now (moved from a Fusion Proglide). I "went back" once just to see the difference in the closeness of the shaves. DE was closer. I still do however use a cartridge to shave other parts of my body.

[NicFreeman]

I'm pretty sure that the population of B&B is going to significantly skew these results. I wouldn't think there are too many people who switched to DE, joined B&B, switched back to carts and still post here.

[htownmmm]

No plans or thoughts on ever going back to cartridges, electric, or goo.


marty

[Pkrankow]

I enjoy my straights. I enjoy my DEs. I enjoy my brushes and soaps.

I always hated electric, except that there is a clipper on the device. Dedicated electric clippers are cheaper. I won't go back to carts, other than a single blade bic, or bic metal if I must, when traveling, I get a better shave from DE or straight razors. Straights are just fun to use though!

Phil

[Obiwan]

I used carts for years, switched to DEs for a very brief period of time and then moved to straights for the last few years. I can't see a situation where I would ever move back to another form of shaving. I enjoy using (and the results from) straights too much.

[Illadelphia]

I moved from cart to DE then DE to straight. I prefer the level of required skill as well the the comfort of the shave from a straight over anything else. Plus there is no more badass way to remove hair from your face than with a ninja assassin sharp knife. I won't be going back

Love the avatar :megusta:

[kingfisher]

I'm pretty sure that the population of B&B is going to significantly skew these results. I wouldn't think there are too many people who switched to DE, joined B&B, switched back to carts and still post here.

This.

I think there are probably quite a few people who dabbled in DE and then said, "Screw this!" and went back to carts. Most of them have moved on from B&B to someplace else.

I went back and forth for awhile, then mixed it up for awhile, and now have settled on DE.

[TonyBrown]

i've gone back and forth between carts and electric for better than 2 decades, i went DE a few months back, never returning to cart/electric unless i'm physically unable to use a DE or straight.

[timj219]

Given my own experience it's hard to imagine why anyone would shave with cartridges again after using a DE. I guess I can believe there might be some but I'd be shocked if it was many. I could see lots of people going back to DE from straight though. I love the straight but the shave improvement from DE to straight is miniscule compared to the improvement from cartridges to DE.

[jrp316]

I've had some yo-yo recidivism. I started out with a shavette and bought a straight and strop soon after. I bought a Gillette SS as an afterthought. I came to realize that I liked the DE shaves a little better and there wasn't as much maintenance or cleanup involved with them. I stuck with DEs for a few months until I saw my straight sitting forlorn and decided to get it back out again. It ended up being the best and closest shave I'd ever had. I've been exclusively straight shaving ever since.

[Hayden]

Ive been DE shaving for about three years and Ive only used a walmart 3 blade throw away on vacation once. Ive learned I will always take my DE on vacations since. Now Ive tried straights for about a month and then went back to DEs. I sold off all my straights and now im kinda mad that I did cause I want to try and get back into it again. For me the hardest part of straight shaving is honing, I just couldnt get it and im upset that I gave up, but maybe one day ill get back into it again.

I kinda feel that almost everyone that reads these boards wanna try straights, but its a lot steeper of a learning curve then DEs at least it was for me. As far as people going back to fusions or machs I kinda think its a fifty fifty thing. I do know the three people that Ive tried to get involved in this type of shaving havent continued with it.

[JDTTO]

Started with carts when I was 15, switched to electrics (both wet and dry) in my late twenties. Got back to wetshaving at 33 (last november) with carts and switched to DE in december. Not likely to ever go back but if I would, it would be to electrics. Electrics have evolved over the past decades, carts have gone backwards (the ones offered in the western world). Multiblade carts cause too much irritation and tug the crap out of me on the first pass. The only cart razor I use occasionally is the Gillette Guard which does give me a nice shave and can be taken as carry on lugage.

I switched to DE initially for the cost of blades and curiosity about shaving with a single blade. I have not saved any money yet...will probably happen when I settle on a set up.

[Manning]

Carts (some electric mixed in, which worked terribly and I hated)--> DEs --> Straights. Not going back to DEs or carts. For me, closeness and comfort of the straight are far superior to any other method.

[dpmtherrien]

I moved from carts to DE's and then onto straights. I have no intention at all of going back to carts.

I enjoy my straights, but I also like using DE's, so at times I'll switch between them. It all depends on how I feel just before my shave. Quite often, if my beard is several days long. which it often is, I'll do my first pass with a DE, and then the second pass and any touch up with my straight. Doing this gets the longer first pass whiskers gone, and leaves a nice smooth field for the straight to finish up on.

[AverageJoe]

Well, my electric has probably long since rusted into a single crusty blob, a fate it surely deserves, and I just can't bring myself to use a multi-bladed contraption ever again. I enjoy my Merkur HD and Dovo straight too much, as well as the MWF, AOS, VDH, and other soaps/creams. I could live with these 2 razors the rest of my life and plan to.

[celestino]

[QUOTE=htownmmm;4092291]No plans or thoughts on ever going back to cartridges, electric, or goo.

+1