Electric Razors?

Hey guys...

this post is purely for my own information...ever since I started to shave, I've used real blades...started with Sensor, then Sensor Excel, then Mach 3, then Fusion, then Straight razors and DEs.

However, I have never in my life used an electric razor to shave.

I will never give up my DEs, but I am very curious and therefore asking anyone here who has the knowledge, what has been your experience with electrics? Have I missed out on anything? I'm looking for some honest opinions.

My guess is that the responses will be a resounding "NO!!", especially here at B&B, but I figured I would ask anyway. Who knows....maybe YMMV with everything, including electrics.

I never really got along with them too well.
I've had a couple of Remingtons and a couple of Norelcos, but found that they made a hash out of my neck, gave me acne, and all that good stuff. I quit using them when I was still pretty young and didn't have that much of a beard yet, so I couldn't imagine trying to use one now.

I tried using about every electric razor made trying to get a decent shave; I actually used them for several years before getting back to wetshaving. Some were really bad, at least for me (rotary shavers), and some were better than others (Braun and foil shavers.) I always had ingrown hairs and razor burn regardless of the shaver, and never really got a close shave with any of them. No YMMV that I can see, they just don't do as good a job as a DE, SE or straight.

I tried many electrics over the years. I found that electrics wouldn't shave as close as whatever multi-blade systems I was trying but I had less irritation with an electric.

I used electrics for a while. I think I had a Braun that was the best of the bunch. Even so, electrics never got as close as a blade (cartridge or otherwise) and my face always had a slightly ashen look. When I switched back to wet shaving, even with cartridges, it was a definite improvement.

I used an old Norelco electric for several decades before switching to DEs . . . I'd been using Trac IIs before that, and it had belonged to a girlfriend's grandfather who had passed away . . . I ended up with it.

It was a timesaver, but I never got what I'd consider a decent shave from it, and it tended to leave irritated patches here and there. Used "Lectric Shave" and that helped some, but there's no way I'm going back.

NANP™

Same as the above, I still have irritated patches under the back of my jaw from electric use. The skin feels fine, but especially on the left side it is darker and a little pebbly looking. It is slowly but surely fading now though. I think. That's a big part of why I found my way here.

My problem with rotary electrics was the odd stray whisker that missed being cut for a couple of shaves, then would get caught in the slot and be yanked out. Ouch!

Wish I'd just kept up with the DE my dad gave me years ago when he taught me to shave instead of switching to electrics. I have no idea what ever happened to that razor or his own after he died. Really bums me out now.

As long as I'm on memory lane, one of the reasons I like Proraso is the scent reminds me of the Gillette canned foam Dad used.

I tried an electric for a bit, it was acceptable on the flat parts of my face, but horrible right around my adams apple. Also, its not fun

I had a Remington. It chewwed, rather than cut my hairs off, which was awkward to say the least.

Ive some scars on my chin and top lip where the hair grows in all directions (my primary motivation to begin my decent into this B&B spending frenzy) and while the electric did a tolerable job on my cheeks etc, over these scars it chewwed and pulled. New blades for them are expensive too.

Well, I guess there must be something wrong with me, cause I used Phillips/Norelco rotary shavers for 50 years and have no complaints, and I know that some day I'll go back again.
Rotaries do WTG, XTG and ATG on every revolution, you just have to give it time to get used to.
Four months ago I decided to try st8s and I'm having fun with the razors, hones, strops, etc.
I'm not sure why yet

The best electric I have tried is a Panasonic 8003 foil shaver that could be used either wet or dry. It actually gave pretty good shaves but not nearly as close as a DE or straight.

I used a Braun foil shaver for awhile... It works okay if you have really short stubble/use it every day, but more difficult the longer the whiskers are. Also it would shave some parts fine, and then other parts I would just be going over again and again.. usually I just used a few dry stokes with the mach 3 to clean up after every electric shave, because it just wouldn't get those patches.

Also, sometime instead of cutting a whisker, it would grab one and pull it out. It's also hard to shave close to your sideburns/goatee/etc...

I still use it every great once in awhile for a super-quick beard reduction, but it has been on the blink lately(it hums lightly when you turn it on and you have to keep hitting it for it to work)

I used electrics most of my life. You name them and I tried them. Thje best of the lot was an Eltron made in Japan with a xtlized diamond coating on the foil. It gave a "great shave" if you used pre shave but of course by five o clock I needed another shave. No comparison to the straight I;ve been using the last 5 years. Even a DE is far superior.

Axis sent me a few electrics to try with the grooming lounge pre-shave, shaving cream, and aftershave. They gave outstanding shaves (9 out of 10) but were a major pain in the butt to use, and to get the desired result (which was an exceptional shave with no irritation) took a little over a half hour from start to finish. That, coupled with having to replace foils (expensive) the battery's effective life being about 1-2 years (then the things junk or you have to buy a replacement unit) and having to clean the thing after every shave made it (in my opinion) not worth the effort.

It did however, as they claim, give a blade close shave with zero irritation. Gotta give 'em credit there.

Braun foil type shavers are just ok for my skin. I use sometimes still today if I am in a hurry. The quality of a shave, especially in the neck part is nothing as good as with a DE or even a cartridge one.

I get no skin irritation from an electric counting I apply alcohol aftershave splash after the burrrrr. I did a test a week ago, since when I was an electric shaver I never used an aftershave. So count me out of the ones that get irritation unless having the stubbly look in some places of my face and irritation cause of that. If I travel and need not to look so clean like to my father's summer cottage with no running water I just take my cheap braun PocketGo and sure miss my morning DE shaves. But it much better than look and feel like a bum I do if no shaving.

That sayed I prefer and much more a nice traditional DE wet shave.

EDIT
I posted on this forum once of applying an electric to my upper lip after the DE shave. I dont do it anymore. It is just DE shave and that makes me look good.

I used one for about a year. When I started my face felt like I shaved with a belt sander. Someone told me your face gets used to it, so I kept going. Eventually it did get used to it, but it always felt rough. I kind of think your face just gets calloused, or that is my experience anyway. I have a friend that insists some of the new ones that clean themselves and stuff are the cat's meow, but I will leave that to him. I am perfectly happy.

rodd said:

I used one for about a year. When I started my face felt like I shaved with a belt sander. Someone told me your face gets used to it, so I kept going. Eventually it did get used to it, but it always felt rough. I kind of think your face just gets calloused, or that is my experience anyway. I have a friend that insists some of the new ones that clean themselves and stuff are the cat's meow, but I will leave that to him. I am perfectly happy.

Click to expand...

More likely something from the cat's litter box, I'll bet...

I have two that I also picked up out curiousity. A Norelco that gives a close and comfortable but not long lasting shave. The biggest problem with Norelco is ingrown hairs that are a result of the lift and cut system. I also have a Remington that shaves very close but again my beard will cast a shadow by late afternoon. The Reminton will give you irritation unless you prep well and shave wihout pressure. In both cases, williams lectric shave makes a significant closer shave.

The bottom line for me is that a straight shave is so superior to the electrics is that they gather dust. I will only use them on the rare occasion when I need a late night touch up or on the weekend when I have an early tee time.

I've tried the most expensive Braun and Norelco shavers in the past couple years, hoping the technology might be up to the task. No dice - horrible rashing, acne, entire forests of ingrown hairs, and nothing close to a good shave. And before someone from the electric razor industry asks - yes, I gave it a fair shake; I used the Braun every day for at least 45 days. Man what a waste of time, in the name of "allowing the skin to become conditioned".

My advice; stay away from electrics!

I started shaving as a wetshaver, then for some ungodly reason, decided I should try an electric shaver. I got one of those rotary shavers that spits out the nivea goop. It worked, in the sense that it RIPPED THE GODDAMN HAIR RIGHT OUT OF THE FOLICLE. Not pleasant, but something you can get "used to". I used it for ~2 years, then went back to wetshaving about 8 years ago (and now DE shaving).

I never really got a close shave from one of those things, but tolerable in the college senior kind of way. Good enough, didn't need to do much, looked "rugged" in ~4 hours later. I have nothing religious against them, just practical, they are expensive and don't do what they are supposed to.