What's up with Cart users?

Discussion in 'Cartridge Razors' started by subvet, Jun 7, 2016.

  1. brit

    brit in a box

    not a cart hater but no longer a cart user.de gives me a better shave with no more bumps or ingrown hairs,plus the older school cool factor.i like vintage gillettes;some of these razors have been used and abused for decades and they are still holding up strong.was shaving with de razors this much fun in the fifties? or was it just a daily chore then? gillette marketed razors lots in the old days,with many different models and 'improvements' but people get great shaves from their new sc and 40s aristocrats. in the end new isn t always better.
    de shaving is just one of many shaving options,not the only option.were nt gillette razors and blades expensive back in the day?
     
    Last edited: Jul 11, 2017
  2. RaZorBurn123

    RaZorBurn123 waiting hardily...............

    People ask for help because it's something new, not because it's a far less Superior product it's just an honest question.
    We should never turn our backs on helping others.
    I know that isn't in the OP post, just my opinion on helping others.
     
    Keithmax, gorgo2, DE Cartman and 2 others like this.
  3. Hoss304

    Hoss304 Well-Known Member

    I got into DE to combat razor burn I always got from carts . After getting into DE and learning how to properly shave with one I still get razor burn sometimes. For me anyways the perfect shave doesn't exist. I recently bought a pack of disposable single blades and yesterday bought a new cart to try . At the end of the day I just enjoy a shave. It can be a disposable with Barbasol or a DE with Feather blade and fancy soap. To each thier own . Cheers
     
  4. subvet

    subvet Well-Known Member

    Just a few points; I never, ever shave ATG - it isn't good for my face nor is it necessary to get a decent shave; I get a much cleaner one-pass WTG shave with a Mach 3 than from any DE or SE I have ever used and I've used and own several; I use a low-end but good shave soap (VdH) and a good synthetic brush (Razorock and Omega), no goop in a can or tube and finish with a balm; finally, I don't get razor burn from a one-pass WTG Mach 3 shave.
     
  5. gorgo2

    gorgo2 geezerhood

    I'll shave with anything if it works. Carts are about a once a week thing, almost always Trac II/Atra type. The only reason I haven't tried straights is initial expense and knowing I won't be diligent enough to keep up with the necessary maintenance.
     
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  6. Eeyore

    Eeyore Well-Known Member

    Use a Trac II and then again tell me about manual versus automatics.

    Sheesh!

    Besides the Trac being a quite good razor (e.g. with Personna cartridges), I don't understand the "cartridge hate" anyway. It was one of the (many) reasons why I left B&B.

    Edit: I used a Trac II (or G2 as it is called here) for 25+ years, and still use it as my travel razor. Nothing wrong with it, in my opinion.
     
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  7. AaronW1983

    AaronW1983 New Member

    There is absolutely nothing wrong with carts. The problems guys have had with irritation ect is caused by canned goop with no lubrication as well as only learning about beard mapping through DE or SE shaving.
    I can get an amazing shave with a cart now that i know how to beard map.
    Also using a good tallow based soap with a brush can get you an excellent shave.
     
  8. Hoss304

    Hoss304 Well-Known Member

    My past two shaves have been with a Gillette Body cart. I've shaved head and face twice now. It's a great razor. It won't replace my old trusty Tech but I try carts I see in the discount bins.
     
  9. Shave Monkey

    Shave Monkey Well-Known Member

    Totally agree with you. I love my Trac razors and just bought an Atra to try. I still love my DE, SE (GEM and AC)razors, but if I need to shave quickly and don't want to get cut up, the Trac delivers every time with 2 passes . Also, you can get Trac/Atra blades so cheap now it's about as cheap as SE GEM shaving. Once I learned the proper technique with my DE and SE's, trying a cart now when I'm on vacation is a whole new experience. I shaved with a BiC 5 blade roller ball last month and honestly had some of the best shaves (results wise) that I ever had. I won't go back to carts, but I won't discriminate either. To each their own. I think a lot of the "hate" gents have is due to us being taken advantage of by one big company in particular for so many years. I refuse to let that deny me of a good shave and to enjoy the shaving tools presented to us through the razor evolution. Nothing wrong with a Trac, Atra, or even a disposable once in a while. Nothing beats the enjoyment of learning the technique and the feeling of accomplishment after I use a DE or SE though. My opinion, anyway.
     
    Keithmax, brit and DE Cartman like this.
  10. Kilgore Trout

    Kilgore Trout The Smart Bunny

    I used a TRAC II exclusively for many years. Great shaves. I gravitated to the "traditional wet shaving world" not because carts weren't working, but for a variety of curiosities regarding male grooming.
     
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  11. DE Cartman

    DE Cartman Well-Known Member

    I always had excellent shaves with a Mach3 and the reason I quit using them was due to cost. I recently acquired years worth of M3 carts for 60 cents a piece so I'm going to use them almost exclusively for the foreseeable future.
     
  12. Primotenore

    Primotenore missed opera tunity

    Article Team
    I never felt that I was doing anything wrong when I was using a cart. Now that I am a DE shaver, I realize this is just a better way for me.
     
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  13. HolyRollah

    HolyRollah BaconLord

    I was a daily cart-user for over 25 years before switching over to traditional DE safety razors and eventually, straight razors. I struggled constantly those years with post-shave irritation, itch and rash, despite trying a significant variety of canned gels as well as shaving cream and shave soaps (brush-applied). My technique early on with carts no doubt contributed to the overall poor results (hey, what do 16-yr olds know? :D), but after two+ decades of use, I pretty much figured out how to use them properly and with ample lubrication—yet I still wasn't enjoying my shaves.
    I don't knock shavers who enjoy the use of carts—just another way to achieve one's shaving nirvana—I just found a type of razor(s) that better suits me. :happy088:
     
    Keithmax, Shave Monkey and AaronW1983 like this.
  14. brit

    brit in a box

    i used carts from around 1982 til around sept 2016.i used a brush and williams/wilkinson soaps since 2006.i too had irritation /ingrown hair problems.mach 3 razors shaved smooth but gave me issues.vintage gillettes and good blades/soaps seemed to have solved these issues for me.there was a learning curve involved(first few shaves left me irritated but was fixable with balms.)carts have their place in history but aren t for everyone.
     
  15. Terry Thomas

    Terry Thomas New Member

    I get ingrown from any razor that has a higher blade count than a twin blade.

    So after years of fighting with 3-4-5 blade configurations like the Mach3 and Fusion I moved to a DE Krona I which sorted all my skin issues.

    What I discovered is that if I use a twin blade like the Atra I get fantastic easy shaves on par with DE.

    Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
     
  16. gorgo2

    gorgo2 geezerhood

    Korean, Indian, Chinese...I have good luck with carts. Still, when I think "desert island cart," the one that pops to mind is the Wilkinson Bonded.

    One thing that puts guys off is that many (if not most, esp. cheaper ones) are carbon steel blades, which are sharp enough but have a different feel than the stainless they may be used to.
     
  17. Col C

    Col C Well-Known Member

    The "hassle" some have referred to that comes with DE/SE shaving is a large part of exactly why I only do DE shaving now.
     
    PickledNorthern likes this.
  18. PickledNorthern

    PickledNorthern Fabulous, the unicorn

    I hear that. I have wasted a lot of hours of my life "hassling" with antiquated shave gear.
     
  19. dustmite

    dustmite Well-Known Member

    It's not a hassle if you enjoy it! ;)
     
    PickledNorthern likes this.
  20. Eeyore

    Eeyore Well-Known Member

    Switching a blade in a DE razor hardly takes more time than switching a Trac II cartridge. While I sometimes use a cartridge razor at home, it is 90% DE razor shaving for me.

    What I don't really enjoy is the "cartridges are bad" attitude; that was one of the (many) reasons why I stopped visiting the "not to be mentioned" site
     
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