A couple of years ago I had a minor cardiac scare and the cardiologist immediately put me immediately on a blood thinner. A couple of weeks later, I was happily shaving with my safety razor with Feather blades and I nicked my self under the bottom lip. What should have been a five minute issue with a little bit of spit and pressure turned into almost 90 minutes of bleeding! Just wouldn't stop leaking. I purchased a Mach 3 and eureka, not only no more nicks, but a superb shave as well. Two passes and BBS all the time. I use a Simpson Commodore X2, Arko soap, Proraso Green soap, and currently also have in my rotation Speick cream. That said, what's the beef with the Mach 3 or any other cartridge razor? It can't be cost, because you guys seem to spend small fortunes on other parts of your shaving arsenal (razors, brushes, soaps, creams, etc). I'd appreciate any feedback. Thanks.
What's wrong with Mach 3 razors?
- Thread starter Rumpled
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Nothing wrong with carts, shave wise. The same can't be said about their price.
It's different when you're spending on something you enjoy, or when you see it as a hobby, collecting vintage razors for example.
It's different when you're spending on something you enjoy, or when you see it as a hobby, collecting vintage razors for example.
Glad the Mach 3 works for you. Pure, minimalist DE shaving can be a lot less expensive than carts. One razor, one soap/cream, one brush, and blades that cost 7-10 cents per shave are much less costly than carts and canned shaving cream.
The rub comes in when gents want to buy 10's of razors, multiple soaps/creams/brushes.
The rub comes in when gents want to buy 10's of razors, multiple soaps/creams/brushes.
Enjoy your shaves your way.
For me, I wouldn't say that there's anything necessarily wrong with a Mach 3. And I certainly have not saved any money since I switched to traditional wet shaving (DEs and straights). However, I have taken what used to be pure drudgery and turned it into something that I truly enjoy. I actually look forward to getting up, selecting my gear, enjoying the acting shaving, and appreciating the results every single day (even weekends). It's even caused me to take more pride in and try to improve how I look, dress, and act in general. But, that's just me.
My intro to wet shaving was a pure badger brush, Williams Mug Soap and a Mach3. I used this for decades before I learned more and joined B&B. Now I've returned to my former go-to rig, a Schick injector and will never go back.
I got good shaves with the M3. I just enjoy the whole wet-shave ritual with a real blade.
I have not (yet) succumbed to terminal AD so the $ I spend on this "hobby" is what I WANT to spend on something I enjoy.
I have PIFed my M3 to the CBSU. [emoji2]
I got good shaves with the M3. I just enjoy the whole wet-shave ritual with a real blade.
I have not (yet) succumbed to terminal AD so the $ I spend on this "hobby" is what I WANT to spend on something I enjoy.
I have PIFed my M3 to the CBSU. [emoji2]
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I feel like an artist with a paint brush and canvas when I shave with a DE razor. 
I feel like a kid with chalk on the ground when I shave with a cartridge. 
I feel like a kid with chalk on the ground when I shave with a cartridge. 
I've got no beef with carts. They work great.
Spensive 
Blade vs. squeegee.I feel like an artist with a paint brush and canvas when I shave with a DE razor. [emoji106]1: I feel like a kid with chalk on the ground when I shave with a cartridge.
I tried a cartridge again recently, SuperMax's version of Sensor3. Even using all my well-trained shaving-fu, the damn thing took off half my skin. Not so as to produce blood; just enough to expose nerve endings and kill off a living layer of tissue. I suspect that the basic problem with cartridges is, they use the first blade as the guard for the second blade, etc., and over time, the blades have gotten sharper, making them into dermaplanes more than shaving tools.
Shaving is like peeling a cucumber. You can peel a cucumber any way you want with a Chef's knife, if you know what you're doing. The vitamin-rich green layer can be conserved, while removing enough waxy skin to make it palatable. You can use a tiny paring knife to do the same thing with greater ease, but the sensitivity of control makes it more likely you'll see little cucumber divots when errors are made. Finally, you can use the potato peeler, and lose the green part altogether.
Shaving is like peeling a cucumber. You can peel a cucumber any way you want with a Chef's knife, if you know what you're doing. The vitamin-rich green layer can be conserved, while removing enough waxy skin to make it palatable. You can use a tiny paring knife to do the same thing with greater ease, but the sensitivity of control makes it more likely you'll see little cucumber divots when errors are made. Finally, you can use the potato peeler, and lose the green part altogether.
ive spent thousands so far on wet shaving. ridiculous? to most people yes. i even feel guilty that ive spent that much so far. i actually saved a lot more money using disposables. and to be truthful, i did get quick, easy, carefree bbs shaves using them. i could use one everyday from now on and be just fine, id get great shaves, no doubt. only difference would be it is boring, and did i say boring yet? i love de shaving, and its what ill use till i hit the grave. so all i all, we pick on carts and put them down pretty hard quite often, but honestly they do give just fine shaves, they're just not worthy of my money anymore, im excited to shave everyday now, and thats the difference.
Even if the cost more to wet shave, I would still do it. Actually, my RAD has caused it to be much more. Anyway, there is just something about shaving how my forefathers shaved; its nostalgic even though I never wet shaved when I started 25 years or more ago. In this modern world, it is sometimes refreshing doing something the old fashioned way even if it is more work. It takes me about 10 minutes longer to wet shave at the sink with 3 passes than shaving in the shower with my disposables.
Furthermore, I like gadgets and I see collecting and using double edge razors as an enjoyment. It feels good holding something American made in your hands that will last another lifetime. Pride and ownership were put into these razors. You just don't see that much anymore. Nothing wrong with disposables at all if they work for you. Heck shave with a Bowie knife if it is what you like and works for you.
Furthermore, I like gadgets and I see collecting and using double edge razors as an enjoyment. It feels good holding something American made in your hands that will last another lifetime. Pride and ownership were put into these razors. You just don't see that much anymore. Nothing wrong with disposables at all if they work for you. Heck shave with a Bowie knife if it is what you like and works for you.
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There are some pretty mild DE/SE razors out there you could try but if the carts are working good, it all comes down to what works for you !!
I guess when you cut yourself, with the Mach 3, you might need to get an electric razor. Using the Mach 3 over time might degrade your shaving skills, and you might not concentrate as much.
I used the mach 3 before DE razors.
Hopefully you can enjoy your shaves still. Did the stypic pencil help any, with the cut?
I used the mach 3 before DE razors.
Hopefully you can enjoy your shaves still. Did the stypic pencil help any, with the cut?
Modern razors all look like sex toys.
I'd like to have a little bit of dignity first thing in the morning.
I'd like to have a little bit of dignity first thing in the morning.
You can't generalize about everyone and what they spend. It can definitely be cost. Per cart versus per blade is more than an order of magnitude of difference. I can get a 2 year supply of Feathers for the cost of 12 Mach 3 carts. I was wetshaving even when I used carts so the cost of soaps and brushes is irrelevant to me.
The bigger issue for me is shave quality.
Why does the beef matter? Everyone has to pick what works best for the individual anyway. If carts are working for you then it really doesn't matter why others use DE's, SE's, straights, injectors, etc. One size does not fit all.
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using a DE is a lot cheaper than a mach 3.
My first investment was for a merkur 33C (now PIFed), 100 astras, proraso green and a tweezerman brush. All in that was about $60, and I could have saved 15 bucks off of that if I'd bought my slim straight away with the arko I use now. I'm only just starting to run out of blades right now after two years of wet shaving, and I donated at least 4 of the 10 boxes from my astra carton.
If I were content to shave with one razor and use Arko soap (which I am), my costs per year could come in at under $5.
With the Mach 3, the costs come in around $30 a year and about double that for the Fusion, so there is most definitely a cost saving with DE's versus the cartridge.
Also, I enjoy doing things the hard way because it leads me to learn something new and keep a necessary task from becoming monotonous. I believe I speak for a lot of gents here when I say that as well. The ability to change blades for a new experience, to challenge your comfort zone... these are things that no cartridge could ever give you. That's fine for the billions of men who don't care what they shave with, but not for me. If you figured that the billions of men who never cared, used a DE, they would cumutively save billions of dollars a year.
My first investment was for a merkur 33C (now PIFed), 100 astras, proraso green and a tweezerman brush. All in that was about $60, and I could have saved 15 bucks off of that if I'd bought my slim straight away with the arko I use now. I'm only just starting to run out of blades right now after two years of wet shaving, and I donated at least 4 of the 10 boxes from my astra carton.
If I were content to shave with one razor and use Arko soap (which I am), my costs per year could come in at under $5.
With the Mach 3, the costs come in around $30 a year and about double that for the Fusion, so there is most definitely a cost saving with DE's versus the cartridge.
Also, I enjoy doing things the hard way because it leads me to learn something new and keep a necessary task from becoming monotonous. I believe I speak for a lot of gents here when I say that as well. The ability to change blades for a new experience, to challenge your comfort zone... these are things that no cartridge could ever give you. That's fine for the billions of men who don't care what they shave with, but not for me. If you figured that the billions of men who never cared, used a DE, they would cumutively save billions of dollars a year.
There's nothing wrong with a Mach3 that can't be improved by going backwards in time to the Sensor, or further back, to the Atra or Trac II.
In my humble opinion.........
In my humble opinion.........
I would be remiss in my duties as a SchickHead if I didn't suggest looking at injector razors. In another thread, someone opined that shaving with an injector is very similar to shaving with an injector. That's a good observation...injectors are indeed smooth shavers, but use a real blade, which is sharp, so some skill and care is required.
