uh-oh great cartridge shave!

rassage · Aug 7, 2012

i had sworn off the m3 and fusion a week ago. i was reminded how much i dislike them, so was my face. this morning i found in my closet "cvs three blade cartridges fit sensor". i figured why not? i used cade. i also found a swissco razor(sensor) from when it first came out. 70's? if i do say so myself this thing is nicer than the as-d1 even though mine now has a chip. so anyways i shaved with it. i got the best shave i can remember! afaik they still sell these blades and these were like 10 years old! plus it looks like the cost per shave may be better than feather de.

so the question is: do i enjoy my hundreds of dollars of straight,de,scuttles etc. or get a better shave? i suppose only i can answer that but id like your opinions. sure, fun is fun but business is business too. unless this was just a fluke and the next time it is going to rip my face off. anyways, given this finding i might as well revisit atra. i wonder if that is even better. seriously folks i am not being a troll here. i was dang amazed at this myself. this is far from what i expected. now, being dumbfounded i do not know what to do. i really enjoy my artist club and as-d1 but they will not shave this incredibly close without a lot of work and possible harm. i am going to throw out there i suppose a big ymmv on this one. perhaps they mellowed like whiskey or cigars since they were obviously in the closet for a reason. i really do apologize for this absurdity.

vegaskid74 · Aug 7, 2012

rassage said:
i had sworn off the m3 and fusion a week ago. i was reminded how much i dislike them, so was my face. this morning i found in my closet "cvs three blade cartridges fit sensor". i figured why not? i used cade. i also found a swissco razor(sensor) from when it first came out. 70's? if i do say so myself this thing is nicer than the as-d1 even though mine now has a chip. so anyways i shaved with it. i got the best shave i can remember! afaik they still sell these blades and these were like 10 years old! plus it looks like the cost per shave may be better than feather de.

so the question is: do i enjoy my hundreds of dollars of straight,de,scuttles etc. or get a better shave? i suppose only i can answer that but id like your opinions. sure, fun is fun but business is business too. unless this was just a fluke and the next time it is going to rip my face off. anyways, given this finding i might as well revisit atra. i wonder if that is even better. seriously folks i am not being a troll here. i was dang amazed at this myself. this is far from what i expected. now, being dumbfounded i do not know what to do. i really enjoy my artist club and as-d1 but they will not shave this incredibly close without a lot of work and possible harm. i am going to throw out there i suppose a big ymmv on this one. perhaps they mellowed like whiskey or cigars since they were obviously in the closet for a reason. i really do apologize for this absurdity.

I think you should do whatever makes you happy. You're not so much asking for advice as approval, and since you're a grown man, you don't need anyone's approval.

MarcV · Aug 7, 2012

It's not the arrow, it's the archer. A skilled workman can accomplish a lot with inferior tools while a beginner needs the advantage only the best tools provide.

I guess you're no longer a beginner. Selecting a good soap is one other sign of your maturity as a shaver.

My advice? Treat it like you would single malts, variety just adds to the pleasure found in the very best you can afford.

cryhavoc · Aug 7, 2012

If carts work best for you then by all means use them! You have to decide if the price of DE or SE blades vs. carts is acceptable for you. You have to decide if carts give you a better shave than DE/SE's. It is your face, only you can decide.

Seraphim · Aug 7, 2012

As much as it has become the fashion around here to bash cartridges, they actually are highly engineered, excellent shavers for the most part. the biggest drawback is price per head and lack of any romance in performing a shave. They also can tend to be a little less close shaving.

The biggest improvement to a cartridge shave is to do so utilizing all of the best wetshaving preparation instead of canned goo.

A cartridge face shave, two pass, BBS can be done in half the time of a DE, and a quarter the time of a straight.

rassage · Aug 7, 2012

thanks guys. i honestly thought you were going to run me out of here. i am still baffled myself. i am not putting down my straight and de but this sort of changes things for me. i am glad that you guys do not feel i have to answer to anyone.

willwhatyoudo · Aug 7, 2012

Nothing wrong with you getting a great shave from a cart. I pack a Sensor when I fly, and I look forward to breaking it out for a pretty carefree shave.

SuperChris · Aug 7, 2012

I got great shaves with the Mach 3 and the Fusion, the $5 a cart price tag is what turned me to B&B and traditional shaving. Now all the money I save from not buying carts goes straight to soaps and creams.

OkieStubble · Aug 7, 2012

rassage said:
thanks guys. i honestly thought you were going to run me out of here. i am still baffled myself. i am not putting down my straight and de but this sort of changes things for me. i am glad that you guys do not feel i have to answer to anyone.

The hobby and nostalgia that I find interesting, is the learned skill of using a vintage shaving instrument successfully. I enjoy using Straights, Single Edge, Double Edge and yes the venerable vintage Trac II. I horde the Wilkinson Trac II blades from Walmart @ a paultry $3.54 for 10 cartridges. I still use all the skills I have learned in this hobby to make that cartridge sing! And they are excellent shaves. I can even get an acceptable shave from a Bic Sensitive! Imagine that!

kmiller0193 · Aug 7, 2012

I always got a great shave on a new cartridge, especially if i took a few days off. It was the following week that tore me up so i would't trust it. I think we are all on the wagon of finding a better shave, whether it be from a cart or straight so enjoy.

vegaskid74 · Aug 7, 2012

Seraphim said:
As much as it has become the fashion around here to bash cartridges, they actually are highly engineered, excellent shavers for the most part. the biggest drawback is price per head and lack of any romance in performing a shave. They also can tend to be a little less close shaving.

The biggest improvement to a cartridge shave is to do so utilizing all of the best wetshaving preparation instead of canned goo.

A cartridge face shave, two pass, BBS can be done in half the time of a DE, and a quarter the time of a straight.

+1. I get much better results now, but probably 95% of it has nothing to do with using a DE razor and blade. At the same time I switched to DE shaving, I started doing proper prep, using quality soaps instead of canned junk, and focusing on technique. I'm sure all of these improvements plus a cartridge razor would still equal a great shave.

PugslyCat · Aug 7, 2012

Seraphim said:
As much as it has become the fashion around here to bash cartridges, they actually are highly engineered, excellent shavers for the most part. the biggest drawback is price per head and lack of any romance in performing a shave. They also can tend to be a little less close shaving.

The biggest improvement to a cartridge shave is to do so utilizing all of the best wetshaving preparation instead of canned goo.

A cartridge face shave, two pass, BBS can be done in half the time of a DE, and a quarter the time of a straight.

I gave up my DE razor for Lent. During that time I worked at using up the carts and disposables I still had on hand when I converted to DE. Using carts with the same procedures I had used with the DE provided very good results. I couldn't do a full three passes with the three-bladed systems due to excessive razor burn, but twin-blade razors worked OK.

Had I discovered the inexpensive, Atra compatible, twin-bladed carts from Dollar General and face lathering with real soaps earlier, I might never have made the jump to DE razors. As it was, a single pass with a triple-bladed cart or disposable and canned goo was expensive and provided a poor shaves. The whole classice shaving routine seemed to provide the solution.

rassage · Aug 7, 2012

well guys..... i got some razor burn later in the day. i can see that i probably only could use this every few days. i am kind of glad. it is quick and shaves close. these cartridges are not expensive either. with a straight or de i do not attempt to shave as close but on the other hand my face feels great all day. so i am guessing the next time i reach for a shaver it will be a de or straight again. the no stubble was very novel but i am too much of a sissy for the burn. i figure these have their place for me but cannot be a daily shaver. i am sorry i got all excited on y'all. it turns out that it is not exactly the greatest thing since sliced bread but it is decent. probably the best cart i can remember in fact.

Skyrider55 · Aug 7, 2012

The few times I've used a cartridge for travel have rewarded me with very nice shaves since joining B&B and learning how to really shave with a good prep, face mapping, skin stretching etc. I've come to realize the kind of razor is only one element in the shave process. I can get a great shave with a cartridge razor faster than my straights. Cartridges are just too expensive and have ZERO mojo. I much prefer my straights AD's and all!!

rassage · Aug 7, 2012

i just remembered i did not lather nearly as well as i do with a straight. thinking that is the whole point of a cartridge. quick. like four hours later it burned a little for two hours or so. now the burn is gone and no bumps. i guess i will try it again tomorrow with a better lather job and see how it goes. still, a straight or even de is much more satisfying to use. i just can't get that close with them with my beard. even the cart did not give me a bbs but much closer than the artist club japanese. with that i would cut myself if i got too carried away. i think this cvs is a real nice cart and they are almost as cheap as feather de. plus i think i will get more shaves out of one. with a feather i get 3 shaves per side. i guess now i would say i am not for or against cartridges. the straight is like a lotus car you enjoy using it. the cart is more like the mercedes sedan. you just drive it. one last thing. i find a cart with three blades is the sweet spot. five is too much. i hope i can find a trac ii in the closet.

rebos · Aug 7, 2012

I agree with the above sentiments. Whatever works for you, dude. Have a good shave.

TonyJoe · Aug 7, 2012

Yeah, I had a similar experience with my Sensor. It shaves just fine. But the price of cartridges is ludicrous. And thus I made the jump to DEs. Of course all the money I save on blades I spend on soaps. And brushes. And aftershaves. And creams...

HoosierTrooper · Aug 7, 2012

There's no question cartridge razors are capable of giving very good results, and there are some very inexpensive systems available if you do a little searching. For the Trac II and Atra the Dollar General Dorks are very good, as are the Wilkinson Sword's at Walmart and the CVS branded cartridges. They don't cost much more than some of the expensive DE blades and are about what SE and injector blades cost at retail stores.

PugslyCat · Aug 7, 2012

HoosierTrooper said:
For the Trac II and Atra the Dollar General Dorks are very good, as are the Wilkinson Sword's at Walmart and the CVS branded cartridges. They don't cost much more than some of the expensive DE blades and are about what SE and injector blades cost at retail stores.

The last time I was in Dollar General they had DE blades 5/$1 and their Trac II carts 10/$2. If I had known that a couple of years ago I would probably have missed out on the whole DE experience, as saving money was what piqued my interest in this.

BJJ · Aug 7, 2012

whats up brow... this happens with me, I still or do get a shave better than DE safety razor, but the big deal about carts with me is the irritation and ingrowing hair, i really cant take it, plus for me only shave with carts doesn't make too funny, i like to variate.

have a good one.

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uh-oh great cartridge shave!

rassage

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rassage

willwhatyoudo

SuperChris

OkieStubble

Dirty Donuts are so Good.

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