I found this at ehow.com and #5 clearly shows why I can't get the shave I want unless I use a cartridge. I feel so stupid now. How to Shave With a Safety Razor By Matthew Fortuna, eHow Contributor Print this article Safety razor Men's shaving has changed a great deal in the last 100 years. With plastic disposable razors emerging as the norm for most men, the lost art and close shave of a safety razor has been lost on an entire generation. But the old-fashioned kind of shaving can be done the way your grandfather used to shave by mastering a few techniques. Instructions 1 Prep your beard. Shaving with a softened and moistened face is best for the skin. This can be accomplished by shaving right after a shower, or by holding a wet towel over your face for a minute or two. 2 Lather your beard. If you are using methods common to the safety razor, take a small amount of shave lather in a cup and dab it with a shaving brush. Use the brush to lather your entire beard evenly with a thick layer of shaving cream. 3 Angle the razor at a 30 to 45-degree angle to your face. 4 Shave with the grain of the hair shaft, angling the safety razor as far away from you as you can while still getting a shave. 5 Go back over the areas of your beard with the razor after you re-lather your face. Unlike a plastic disposable blade, the safety razor is meant for beard reduction, not a clean shave. Going over your face multiple times will gradually allow for a closer shave than one pass with a modern blade will afford. 6 Rinse your face with cold water once you have finished shaving. Dab your clean face with aftershave. Read more: http://www.ehow.com/how_4885109_shave-safety-razor.html
And, I will add, a safety razor used with proper technique will not have all the additional 'afflictions' common to cartridge shaving: ingrown hairs, constant skin irritation/rash and razor bump.
What Holy said. A cartidge is meant to only be used for one pass. It tugs, rips, tears, and burns. The sentence that proceeds what you bolded, "Going over your face multiple times will gradually allow for a closer shave than one pass with a modern blade will afford." Is what gives you the DE close shave. If you are doing just one pass with a DE, you are not going to have a clean close shave. Most people do at least 2, if not 3 or some version of their own. Personally, I go one with the grain, one against the grain, and then do touch up where it's needed. I get a much better shave than I ever did with a one pass catridge. I get none of the burn or irritation that I used to with foam in a can and 3 blades. If saving time is your thing, stick to cartridges and canned foam. You can do your face in about 1 minute, I bet. I think that's what my average had been. If saving your face and getting a better shave is your thing, take the time for DE shaving. You can have it fast, or you can have it good. You can't get have both though.
You want beard reduction with each pass. With proper technique and good quality gear, you will achieve a great shave. A double edge razor is not a weed whacker.
good points. I heard cold shaving isn't a bad idea either. Might give it a shot in the summer. Still too cold now!
Cartridge razors are safety razors, so to properly follow the advice in number 5 would mean multiple passes with cartridges as well.
