So, now that Ive been using carts for a little while (Harry's, Mach 3 and Schick Quattro), I decided that its time to give disposables a shot. Carts are great but theyre still expensive, whereas disposables can be had at almost the same price as DE blades. So, today I picked up a bunch of the cheaper disposables: Schick ST2, Bic Sensitive, Bic Twin Select, Bic Flex 3, Bic Metal and Bic Comfort 3 Advance, as well as the Barbosol options (6, 3 and 2 blade). Today, I latered up with some Tabac and tried the Schick ST2. I was actually very impressed with them. They gave a smooth, comfortable shave that was very close with no nicks, cuts or irritation. They actually performed a lot better than I expected from a disposable. I remember back in my younger days using those Daisy razors with some Barbosol and I dont remember it being a great shave. I dont know if its just the disposables have improved over the years or if its me using the techniques that Ive learned from DE shaving, along with using a good soap but it was a very good shave. Id say the ST2 shave was better than Harry's and every bit as good as the Quattro. Id even say it was as good as a DE shave, maybe not quite as close in some spots but much more comfortable and without any of the nicks and cuts of the DE. So far, the ST2 is a winner. We'll see how they do on the 2nd and 3rd shaves but the 1st was quite good.
I think your better experience is due to a solid shaving technique and better prep products. For a shaver who has an R41 in their signature line, I am curious why you are bothering with the carts and disposables...
Partly because I like to experiment. I did the DE thing for about a year, did carts for a few months and now Im trying disposables. Part of it is also because you cant fly with DE blades, so when I travel I need to know what disposables that are readily available in any drug store/grocery store works best for me. I know that in the wetshaving community we like to look down on carts and especially on disposables but I sometimes question the quality of the steel in most DE blades. When a blade is supposedly stainless and it starts to get surface rust after 3 shaves, that makes me question the quality of it. As someone who has worked with metal for 25 years, I can tell you that a quality stainless should not rust after 3 shaves. I mean, if you bought an all-stainless razor and it started to rust after a week, youd probably be sending it back. Anyways, we'll see how these disposables go. I have no plans to throw all my DE gear in the trash and Im still going to use my brush, hard soaps/cream in a tube (too many chemicals in canned goo for me) but I also think its important for us to accept that you can get a really great shave with carts and disposables too.
I think it is a good thing that you are able to experiment. Enjoy your journey. I will definitely follow your findings. Happy shaves.
Im curious to hear about your findings. I should have supported this thread earlier, but it slipped my mind. I think it's neat you felt like experimenting.
Experimenting is what I enjoy most about DE shaving. It never occurred to me to do the same with cartridge or disposable. But I think it is a great idea. You never know when you might need one and more knowledge is always a good thing.
The Gillette Blue 3 disposables give me an amazing shave: sharp, smooth and last for about 8-10 shaves. They might not be easily available in the US but you can get them everywhere in Europe for about 4€ a six pack. If only more people knew how awesome they are, they wouldn't be spending more than twice on the Mach 3.
