Do you use a cartridge razor?

Thank you, James. Especially for this encouraging comment..."But I found once you cracked it, you still never quite get it again....:happy102" :rofl

I haven't given up on the straight yet. DE's, pretty much (too often too much irritation), but not the straight. The one I just bought is a beaut and I really want to get it right. I think, of all the things you just listed, stretching is the part I have the most trouble with - and what I will keep working on.

I get a shave that is presentable and I would not be embarrassed to go out in public. Faceturbation, however, is totally out of the question! Unless you enjoy a 400 grit face!

 

That EJ is one beautiful razor. I love their stuff, it's just a little pricier than my budget will allow right now.

 

I might use a cartridge razor once in a while, but I don't EVER plan on giving up my Brush, Creams & Soaps. I absolutely love the BRUSH!

 

Good man yourself, Ron!! :happy088

 

I haven't used a cartridge razor since around January 2008.

 

My experience is the opposite of Michael's. I could get close with a cartridge, but had a lot of irritation. The Fusions was the least irritating. With a DE I can get as close, but minus the irritation. Or at least much much less. If I hurry or don't make a good lather, I can end up pretty red, not in a good way

I'm working my way through a large sample pack or DE blades and have found a couple that are very smooth. Polsilver is on the top of my list right now. I've gotten a few straights but want to get, at minimum, half good at stropping before I give them a try. But I'm expecting a long, if not steep learning curve.

 

I'm relatively new to the world of wet shaving, and am still using the Gillette Mach 3 that got me into it a few months ago. However, I'm waiting for my DE kit to arrive so I can start using it . . .

Unfortunately, I travel by air, and on occasion, travel lightly enough that I don't check a bag, so unless it turns out that I'm one of those rare chins that does best with the Wal-Mart blades, I'll probably have to keep using it for travel.

 

And that is okay! It is about what works BEST for you.

 

It is nothing but part of a fading memory of a decade of sorrow

 

+1

I haven't used one in the more than two years since I swiched, first to the DE, then to straights. I suppose if I had a job that forced me to travel all the time, I might fold to the convenience, but until that day....

Jordan

 

I still have the Schick Xtreme 3 I was using before switching back to DE shaving. I have one Sensor and two Mach 3 handles and a Wilkinson Bonded handle lying in my bathroom vanity drawer. I have a lot of cartridges for it and a hand full of disposable razors that came attached to cans of Edge. These will be my travel shavers until they are gone. At that time I will either buy Trac II cartridges for the Wilkinson handle or move one of my Fatboys to my shaving kit. I don't fly so I don't have any razor blade issues. BTW, if anyone knows of a supply of Wilkinson Bonded original (single blade) cartridges for sale, I'd like to know about it.

 

I use my Sensor for travel along with a brushless cream, usually Alba.
At home, the Sensor only sees the back of my neck about once a week.

 

Yeah, and I still use my Mach3 to shave the hairs on my ears. :happy102 Of course, I have a special electrical gadget for trimming my nose hairs. Still use some barber's shears for the eyebrows!

 

Yeah, same here. It's great to be a purist, but not at the expense of my face. I'm fair complected with a fairly light to medium beard. I've tried DE razors and they make mincemeat out of my face no matter how careful I am.

My Fusion gives me the closest, smoothest shave of any razor I've ever used and I love the little single blade on back to trim beneath my nose, sideburns and hairline in back as I always shave my neck while shaving my face. It never gives me rash or razor burn etc. So I guess my "purist" creds will just have to wait, I'm not going back to DE.

 

I have to admit that during the week I use my Fusion simply because I don't have enough time in my day to do a quality DE shave. I do however, still use a good brush/soap combination and typically a two pass shave with the fusion, one WTG and one ATG.

Once I get back home I highly doubt that any cartridge will see much use in my bathroom. I'll have a private bathroom again and time enough for a quality DE shave.

 

I have said, either at TSD or B&B, that both DEs and cartridge razors have their uses. I use a DE at home (Merkur 38c with a Derby blade) and a cartridge razor (Fusion) on the road, because I can pack it in my carry-on bag. The Fusion gives me a VERY comfortable, BBS shave every time. (Note that my last pass is ATG regardless of whether I use my Fusion or DE.) Shaves with my DE are not quite as close. They feel BBS, but don't last as long until I feel stubble. DE shaves also require me to pay closer attention to what I'm doing to avoid cutting myself.
Why do I continue to use a DE? I think the answer is because I enjoy the retro feeling that the brush, lather, DE shave gives me. It is not because of more comfort.
Finally, as I have said before, I feel that several posters on TSD and B&B look at shaving as a kind of religion and those who likke cartridges and/or canned lather as being akin to heretics. I believe that we should use whatever works best for each of us and not be worried about being part of the crowd.

 

You talkin' 'bout me? Well, I don't know that I SWEAR by them, but I do get a good shave. Still, 95% of the time, I use a DE. If I'm in a hurry though....

 

Well said greychamp! :happy096

Good to know! lol. I have three or four different Mach3's, I bought all the colors they came out with I liked them so much. When they're new they shave slightly better than the Fusion but I get more shaves out of a Fusion blade than a Mach3 and it has that neat single blade on back. I still bring one out occaisionally just for a different feel.

I have to say I was quite sceptical about the Fusion when they first came out with it. Five blades I said, that's just marketing! No way it can be that good much less better than my Mach3! But I can never pass up trying the latest thing so tried it and got hooked.

I do want to point out though that I do not use the powered ones with the battery and the little motor inside. Feels too much like an electric shaver shave to me (I did try the Mach3 one and then threw it away post haste) and While I may not pass the total purist test around here I will never use anything that uses power or batteries to shave my face with again!

 

I think those comments are usually meant in jest. I find it really helps to keep a since of humor about things and always assume the better of a situation or person until proven otherwise.