Had to go back to a cartridge for about a week now... thoughts

[Scottyb06]

I used the latest and greatest Gillette cartridges from the age of 16 to 37 as I did not know DE razors existed. I've been properly wet shaving since February of this year (or so) and took a business trip to Phoenix in April. I didn't want to bring my new Futur with me so I took a new Pro Fusion with me with new blades. I then understood what people meant when they said that shaving with multi-bladed cartridges felt like shaving with sandpaper. The experience (at least for me) between the two types of products is night and day. I now have a Merkur 34C and am even more pleased!

[jrm]

Thanks for te kind responses and the concern about the gear. Nope, no theft... it was a house fire that claimed the shaving kit. But, everyone got out safe and we're all doing good. So, now I get to enjoy a little bit of a shaving shopping spree! Things like this cause one to appreciate the little things... like an enjoyable shave.

Indeed, as stated above, I used carts for a long time. I didn't know there were any other options out there. Now that I am aware and can make the choice, I'm glad that I'm exploring the DE world (and soon, straights). Certainly, the cartridge can do an acceptable job for me, especially when I treat it like a DE shave and use quality products, good prep, and some extra time. However, even with that it isn't an enjoyable experience to me. Maybe that sounds odd. I'll still keep a cartridge system around for situations like travel (I'm a carry-on guy), but am looking forward to some packages in the mail filled with razors, blades, soaps, creams, and brushes! To each his own, and certainly some tools are better suited than others for different purposes. It seems that DE is the right tool for me!

[harmoni]

My first thought on reading the OP was "oh you HAVE to tell us how you lost your gear". With that question now answered, now I'm wondering how the house fared in the fire?

[jrm]

Well, the whole place burned down, (8 units in a set of condos... One of which was ours) but my wife and daughter got out safely! So, I figure that in the grand scheme of things, I'm stil on the winning side of the table! It's just stuff! Thanks or asking though. The spirit of kindness around is here is a wonderful thing.

[harmoni]

Well, the whole place burned down, (8 units in a set of condos... One of which was ours) but my wife and daughter got out safely! So, I figure that in the grand scheme of things, I'm stil on the winning side of the table! It's just stuff! Thanks or asking though. The spirit of kindness around is here is a wonderful thing.

Being displaced from your home is never nice, be it flood, fire, foreclosure, etc. As long as you and yours got out without harm, that's good. As for your enforced return to carts, tackling four days of growth with a cart would leave my face on fire.

[BlackBard]

Cartridges do have limitations, no doubt. The 5 day growth clogging is ridiculous- the first time I shaved off a proto-beard with a straight I laughed out loud at the first stroke- GONE....just like a train.
But.
If you don't have a monster growth of barbed wire coming out of your cheeks and treat the exercise seriously, you can get a very good shave from (in my personal experience), Sensor, Vector, Contour Plus, Shick's version of the Vector and Dorco's TGII. I have a feeling that some who are into traditional gear, when 'trying out' a cart spend 20 seconds on 'prep', rake their face without a thought about what they're doing, declare the cartridge concept 'garbage', then rave about their new R41, which they took 5 minutes prepping their face to use and then concentrated on the angle and pressure of every stroke.

Bingo! Cartridges shave just fine. Certainly they are not as much fun and they lack that cool retro thing, but if one were to shave (prep., lather, technique and finish) the same way with a cart as he does with a DE, he could get the same good results.

If someone writes about a problem with bumps or razor burn while using a DE, we all rush around trying to assess what he is doing wrong - did you map your beard? How's your prep? Maybe it is a lather problem - too wet? Not enough water? Perhaps it's too much pressure or bad blade angle. If someone claims they got a bad shave with a cart, we just trash the razor.

I believe that a great deal of the bashing seen on this board (other than the justifiable issue of cost) is a result of so many members being zealous recent DE/SE converts.

[PugslyCat]

I gave up my DE razors for Lent, seizing upon the opportunity to use up various disposables and carts. My experience what pretty much what you described. I was using the techniques I learned with my DE to get the best shaves I had ever gotten from the Mach 3 and Atra carts as well as some disposable razors. I definitely learned that more blades made for more pain, but was getting much better shaves than those same tools had given me in the past.

[KarlMaldensNose]

Bingo! Cartridges shave just fine. Certainly they are not as much fun and they lack that cool retro thing, but if one were to shave (prep., lather, technique and finish) the same way with a cart as he does with a DE, he could get the same good results.

If someone writes about a problem with bumps or razor burn while using a DE, we all rush around trying to assess what he is doing wrong - did you map your beard? How's your prep? Maybe it is a lather problem - too wet? Not enough water? Perhaps it's too much pressure or bad blade angle. If someone claims they got a bad shave with a cart, we just trash the razor.

I believe that a great deal of the bashing seen on this board (other than the justifiable issue of cost) is a result of so many members being zealous recent DE/SE converts.

+1 but also YMMV. More than a year into DE and SE shaving and I can still get a just as good a shave from a two-blade Sensor, and I'm one of those guys with barbed wire hair. But I don't doubt that for some, DE shaving actually does fix many problems with rash, bumps, ingrowns, etc. I just don't understand how.

[Captain Coconut]

I don't doubt that for some, DE shaving actually does fix many problems with rash, bumps, ingrowns, etc. I just don't understand how.

The concept behind a multi-blade cart is to pull the hair up and cut it as low as possible, ideally below the surface of the skin. That's a sure recipe for bumps and ingrowns for many people.

[Mredison]

I like to sport a beard off and on throughout the year. Using a cartridge to remove a beard (after trimming it down a ton) felt like such a waste since I'd go through two of them just to get to where I could see skin peeking through. Then it was back to the store for replacements.
Plus, beard or no, it was never a comfortable shave even with lots of prep. In the end I switched to DE due to vanity and thrift--I hated to rock an irritation beard on the way to spend $25 on a new pack of carts that were just going to hurt my face.

YMMV of course. I have a buddy who uses Mach3 carts for months at a time and doesn't blink (or look like a room temp sirloin)

[HoosierTrooper]

Bingo! Cartridges shave just fine. Certainly they are not as much fun and they lack that cool retro thing, but if one were to shave (prep., lather, technique and finish) the same way with a cart as he does with a DE, he could get the same good results.

If someone writes about a problem with bumps or razor burn while using a DE, we all rush around trying to assess what he is doing wrong - did you map your beard? How's your prep? Maybe it is a lather problem - too wet? Not enough water? Perhaps it's too much pressure or bad blade angle. If someone claims they got a bad shave with a cart, we just trash the razor.

I believe that a great deal of the bashing seen on this board (other than the justifiable issue of cost) is a result of so many members being zealous recent DE/SE converts.

Double bingo +1.

[shaveitoff]

I think carts can give you a good shave. When I used them I did multiple passes and the shave was always close and comfortable enough. I only used one type, Atra, which had "only" had two blades and a pivoting head. You have to do a little more work with the DE to make sure you have the right angle, but because a DE razor doesn't pivot, you get great control and can do better with it than a cart. I recently picked up a Merkur Progress and because it is adjustable, I can open it up and get an amazingly close shave. I wish I had picked up a Progress a couple of years ago.

It all boils down to tools and technique. I firmly believe that the tools for DE shaving are better than the tools in the cart world. Because the tools are better, you can get the most out of your technique.

[celestino]

Congrats, Jon. Thanks for sharing your insights.

[ThePatrician]

Hey OP, glad you and your family got out safely. That's really the important thing, everything else is just stuff that can be replaced.

As for carts, I think if someone were to bear in mind all the lessons about DE, like prep, proper soap, and minimal pressure, that a good shave could be achieved. However, if we bear in mind the life of the cartridge, then the cost becomes astronomical! Three shaves, MAYBE four, out of a three dollar cartridge?! That's just insanity! Three shaves, maybe four, out of a ten cent blade? Okay, that's not bad at all. If I were traveling and couldn't take my Fat Boy and 7 O'clock yellows with me, then yes I could probably manage for a couple of days with a Mach3. Any longer than three or four days and I'm checking a bag anyways, so I'll check the blades and bring the Fat Boy and my brush in my carry-on.

I think most of our dismissal is due to the financial insanity that goes hand-in-glove with using carts instead of DE. A fairly good shave can be had with carts IMO, but the cost is beyond insanity. It would be much more economical to get an inexpensive Tech and use cheap DE blades. And it would probably cost the same as a four-pack of Fusion carts.

[wurls]

You boys who hate the carts have obviously never shaved with a Sensor. Best. Shave. Ever. Guaranteed.

Used a Sensor first when I was 15 for about 5 years, then switched to the Mach 3, then Mach 3 Turbo. In total, about 20 years of using carts. Have been using DE's for about 6 months, and DE's blow carts out of the water! Only thing a cart is good for is if you need a terrible 3 minute shave that'll get you out the door...that, and scraping off paint.
Carts are good for one other thing...lining the pockets of corporate greed!

[duokun]

YMMV obviously, but for me I never got a very good shave from a cartridge razor. I used a Sensor before and a Fusion. Both resulted in razor burn and irritation. All the time. I didn't like to shave. Heck, for a few years I just got a beard trimmer and kept a face full of stubble. After learning about traditional shaving I actually enjoy shaving and get a much nicer shave from my DEs, SEs, and Straights. If I rush or don't pay attention I will still get some irritation, but even then it is muuuuuch less than I used to get from carts. Now, proper prep work may have a lot to do with it, but I feel the quality of the shave is just so much better.

[Mandina]

After having a full bear for 40+ years and then doing 3-4 months of Fusion shaving, I switched to DE shaving 6 months ago No doubt it has made shaving MUCH more fun, as well as cheaper (as long as you don't go the hobby or boutique route) and better on my skin. But my guess is that--leaving aside the major issue of cartridge cost--a large part of the improvement has been (a) learning to do proper pre-shave prep; (b) not using canned shaving cream/gel; and (c) learning about multi-pass shaving. I'd bet that with proper prep, shaving cream, and technique, the average person can get quite acceptable shaves with, say, a Mach 3. Even so, I don't plan on going back.

btw, with multi-day beard growth, I--using an EJ89--have to first use my beard trimmer to scale back the growth, and then use a fresh, very sharp blade like a Feather or Gillette Yellow. I can see, though, where an open comb or adjustable would help a lot.

[mancho]

I am on the Dark Side.

I used DE (Muhle R89) for 3 months and left it last week. I restarted using Fusion Proglide. I do not shave ATG. Cartridges give me better shave with less irritation.
DEs were fun but not worked for me. I surely will continue using brushes and soaps, I quitted gels and foams for good.

[Nova316]

My fastest and closest shave is with a Mach3, mild irritation but nothing that last more then 1/2 an hour or so. But it does leave my face feeling raw. While DE/Straights leave my face feeling refreshed, I can get just as close but it takes a bit longer. I do greatly enjoy the experience of shaving now tho verses just getting it done while I'm in the shower.

[jsj_297]

I'm with the pulling and tugging crowd, and the omg I'm not paying $32+tax for an 8 Pk of carts crowd too.