YMMV and all that jazz

I use my DE razor since 2002 and it took me a bit of time to find a blade that works best for my skin (SuperMax Titanium). All this time the carts manufacture are coming with new innovative ways to increase the number of blades on their offering.

We tell new DE shavers that blades are YMMV (which I all heartedly agree) but carts makers manage with just one blade type which is basically a pile of single edge blades on top of each other

How do they manage to cater successfully for all types of skin, hair growth etc with just one type of blade?

I've not researched this deeply, but my understanding is that the big players have all put a lot of effort into developing blades that work properly within their cart systems, and so don't all use the same blade as such. Also, I'm not sure they care about catering for individual preferences; it's not part of their marketing plan.

They probably don't. That's why there are different carts. Also people just go through with it if they feel it is their only option. Some people it will be great for others not so much. Shine use a cart for 10+ shaves, others just use them a couple times. Successfully catering comes from peoples perception of what is available.

Some people can't get a good shave from a cartridge no matter what they try, others think they're great. Just like everything else, cartridges = YMMV.

TPL

Marketing voodoo.

There are definitely differences between cartridge razor blades. A Gillette G2 feels different to me from an Israel Personna twin blade, or a Dorco, for instance. I don't have any experience with modern cartridges, but I can imagine they feel different as well.

As always, YMMV!

Cartridges are relatively foolproof. Perfect angle and they usually have some method of keeping the blades from cutting skin unless you really push too hard or slide them sideways. Safe and fast, but I never got anywhere near as close a shave from them. Plus, they cost so much that I would use them way past the time that they lost their edge.

I think that if I held my DE razor at the perfect angle, and never used too much pressure, I would find most every blade to be fine. Probably the sharper, the better. Unfortunately, my angle and pressure leaves much to be desired, especially when I am tired or rushed. A duller blade gives me a little margin of error with technique. Too dull an it tugs too much. Finding that balance would be different for everyone and every razor....

Thats my take on YMMV anyhow.
Best Wishes

I agree. Cartridges are made so that millions of men can consistently end up with a satisfactory shave. That means safe, mild, and easy to use.

DE shaving can be a lot cheaper than a cartridge, and there are more options to change your shaving experience - especially if you have an adjustable or a razor with a plate system.

Shaving follows the 80-20 rule. 80 percent of benefits come from the first 20 percent of effort. Long before cartridges, men differed on how they used DE. Some tried to cut close, but most probably dragged the razor over the face and got a "good enough" shave to move on with the day. Through all the years of using carts, I rarely if ever considered any possibility of getting pre-pubescent smooth. There would be some stubble left, no one would really notice, and that was how it was.
Probably any blade or cart would cut at least some stubble on nearly all men, and that is good enough for the masses. We, as the enthusiasts, fuss a bit more over equipment and technique, and even have different names or different outcomes. We spend the 80 percent of effort to get another 20 percent in benefit.

Bhugo said:

I think that if I held my DE razor at the perfect angle, and never used too much pressure, I would find most every blade to be fine. Probably the sharper, the better. Unfortunately, my angle and pressure leaves much to be desired, especially when I am tired or rushed. A duller blade gives me a little margin of error with technique. Too dull an it tugs too much. Finding that balance would be different for everyone and every razor....

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Agreed, the better the technique, the less the blade matters.

Edison Diplomat the 3rd said:

How do they manage to cater successfully for all types of skin, hair growth etc with just one type of blade?

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Carts have a fixed angle, blades are protected, shaving head is fixed. There is less variables than with DE where people use different technique, razors, and more exposed blade.

BSAGuy said:

Marketing voodoo.

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+1. There is marketing and there is reality. Definitely NOT the same thing when it comes to carts IMHO.

GoneRetroInOH said:

Long before cartridges, men differed on how they used DE. Some tried to cut close, but most probably dragged the razor over the face and got a "good enough" shave to move on with the day.

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Is there any proof to that pudding? Sounds a bit like free speculation, but I could of course be wrong since I grew up in a world overtaken by cartridges and never saw those men with "good enough" shaves.

I am not that old in the DE-game, but I have a pretty good grip on it, yet I don't get the same BBS from my DE as I do from a Gillette Sensor cart. With the cart, I can scrape up and down using an obnoxious amount of pressure and get much closer shave than with a DE. Only a cart can let my fingers feel the BBS in all pre-bearded areas when going over the skin ATG. Perhaps I need to start daring scraping my skin a bit with the DE as well? With time, with time.

My point? I can see how the cart took over the market.

That was a bit of an eye-opener to me, a bit like "Darn! CD actually has superior sound quality over vinyl". But I still love my vinyl, becuase of the tactile contact with the music, and the analogue pollutants that make the sound appear less clinical. And I still prefer DE because of the zen of the ritual, the beauty of the tools, the pleasure of popping in a shiny Polsilver and see how far it takes me (I could never get more than two comfortable shaves out of a cart). And since I haven't been bitten by the get-every-soap/cream/blade/razor-there-is bug (yet!) it is still a lot cheaper than cart.

I don't think I would have sat down and crafted a mosaic shelf for my Sensor cart...


Oops, I am diverting...

GoneRetroInOH said:

Shaving follows the 80-20 rule. 80 percent of benefits come from the first 20 percent of effort. Long before cartridges, men differed on how they used DE. Some tried to cut close, but most probably dragged the razor over the face and got a "good enough" shave to move on with the day. Through all the years of using carts, I rarely if ever considered any possibility of getting pre-pubescent smooth. There would be some stubble left, no one would really notice, and that was how it was.
Probably any blade or cart would cut at least some stubble on nearly all men, and that is good enough for the masses. We, as the enthusiasts, fuss a bit more over equipment and technique, and even have different names or different outcomes. We spend the 80 percent of effort to get another 20 percent in benefit.

Click to expand...

Completely agree. I remember my dad switching from DE to an electric razor which gave him a permanent 5 o'clock shadow and primarily because it saved time in prep and clean up (this would have been mid 60's). We used to comment on daddy's scratchy face.