I hear you. You know this already but the biggest complaints are (1) cost and (2) damage to skin/ingrown hairs/etc. I agree with (1) where the Proglide and some others are concerned but no multiblade has ever given me any issues EXCEPT back in the days before I learned that Techinque (including prep) Is King. Just today I saw Big Lots has the green Schick Xtreme 3, which was the razor I dreaded using before discovering old school. Used to bloody me up something fierce. I should have grabbed a pack for old time's sake but forgot to. I bet they shave just fine.
I decided to try a Pace 4 since I haven't used a cartridge razor in about a decade. I've been using 2 blade disposals for most of the time that I've been shaving until I recently switched to DE razors. It was probably the most uncomfortable shave that I've had in many years. Two days later and my face still hurts a bit, with razor bumps so extensive that I look like a stuck pig. I'm not blaming the quality of the cartridge here - I think the cartridges are pretty great, especially for the price. I just realized that 4 blades is excessive and 7 just sounds ridiculous and beyond unnecessary. The Pace 7 is kind of interesting as a novelty. It feels like the shaving industry has sort of become a parody of itself. I don't think there's any benefit towards using more than 2 blades but as it turns out, I get my least painful shaves from a DE blade so 1 blade is adequate for me. Do they offer any explanation for the 7 blades? The first one lifts the hair, the second seduces it, the third takes it out to dinner, etc., and the seventh blade reads the hair follicle a bedtime story.
Just out of curiosity, did you shave only WTG and XTG where needed or did you try ATG (not recommended with any razor especially a cartridge IMO).
I did a few passes, first WTG and then I finished in parts ATG. I didn't know that this was advised against for cartridge razors. In the all the years I've been shaving, no one ever said otherwise and that's how every other guy seemed to shave. In fact, I had pretty good success going ATG with double blade disposables but I gave that up and now only go XTG at most with DE razors. I'm really not able to get even a remotely presentable shave with cartridge razors otherwise. If I just stick to going WTG, it looks like I didn't even shave.
Just my observation but multiple blades ATG really leads to irritation and ingrown hairs. When I shave ATG with a DE or SE I'm more prone to irritation and ingrown hairs, I'd never attempt it with a cart. There was a time Gillette and most dermatologists advised against ATG shaving but with the recent craze for BBS it seems to have taken on a life of it's own.
I started shaving ATG using multiblade razors about three weeks ago. At first, it was super painful but I kept on going and realized that with daily shave, it goes away. In the beginning, I also faced skin problems such as ingrown hair and skin irritation. The only multibladed razors which are good for ATG, are Gillette Fusion Proglide/Proshield and Schick/WS Hydro 5. For me, Hydro 5 is on top of the list because for some reason, skin guards really play their magic and give the most comfortable ATG pass. Proglide is good, but, lubestrip only stays good for 2-3 shaves and blade mileage also gets affected. Mach-III is a total fail, the blades are not extremely sharp to give comfortable shave and also give me ingrowns whenever I shave with it. There is also a need for a different technique to be employed in order to get BBS results with zero skin problems. In my case, keep your skin tight and slowly move the blade ATG (about half the speed you do WTG). With mulitblade razors, you should never try to get "one more shave" to save money, it will give you skin problems for sure.
Thanks but no thanks. I've been shaving far too long to start playing games with my face. Experience has taught me what I can and should do and those things I should avoid.
Oh, sorry. You might have misunderstood my intention in the last post. I was just sharing my experience and knowledge. It is my fault for using the word "you" in the second paragraph.
Likewise, I was responding to the generic concept of ATG shaving. When I returned to DE and SE shaving for a brief period a couple of years back I tried ATG and was immediately reminded that it is not for me. I can only imagine the discomfort that would accompany ATG shaving with a multi-blade cartridge.
I shaved ATG with disposables for many years and strangely, I never had any serious discomfort apart from nicking myself almost every shave. I stopped shaving for a few years because I found it too uncomfortable and tedious but strangely, I now seem to get discomfort no matter what. Going ATG is also nearly impossible for me now. I guess my facial hair and my skin changed over the years that I sort of stopped shaving. No matter how much lotion or cream I slap on throughout the day, my face is always really dry.
Dorco advises against shaving ATG with their carts. From the Dorco shaving tips: "When possible, always resist shaving against the hair grain. Shaving with the direction that your hair grows will help minimize cuts and bumps."
Well I gave in to the hype and tried a Pace 6, not a good razor for me. My regular/daily razor is the Pace 4 which gives me a clean, irritation free shave every time. The Pace 6 is right on the edge of uncomfortable; spotty irritation, occasional nicks and hard to shave under the nose, under the lip and around the mouth. In addition to the head being too large for me I believe the blade angle is too shallow; I've always been a fairly steep angle shaver with all my razors, DE, SE and carts. Soooo, I'm going back to the Pace 4 and shelving the Pace 6 as a bad idea, more blades isn't necessarily better.
Updated attitude: I went to the DorcoUSA site to order some more Pace4 carts and was stunned by their price which was about $10 higher than the Pace6's I recently bought, nearly the same as Mach3. When I commented to Dorco about the price I was told they put their "deals" on Social Media which must be a new policy based on my ordering experience. I don't do the Social Media nonsense nor I suspect would many new customers think to look there. I went over to WallyWorld and bought some Mach3's, my once again go to cart. Dorco has lost a strong supporter and defender here.
There are some sites that aggregate deals so you don't necessarily have to bother with social media. I recently ordered some cartridges for the purpose of traveling and the current price is a 60 cent increase from when I last ordered. I think it's still considerably cheaper than a Mach3.
When the Dorco carts were really 50% or more cheaper than Mach3 they were worth buying. I got 5-6 decent shaves from a Pace4, I'm at that point now with my Mach3 and it shows no sign of dulling. My philosophy for shaving is the best shave for the best price; my philosophy for buying is the best price from the most trusted dealer, Dorco has let me down in both areas. Something changed overnight at Dorco and I suspect strongly it involves the recent sale of DSC to Lever Bros., probably an agreement to not undercut Lever's pricing.
Just so you all don't think I'm being harsh; about a month ago I paid $34.80 for a 24 pack of Pace 6 carts, they are asking today $47.70 for the same pack, $42.90 for 24 Pace 4's. Excuse me but that's just nuts.
Don't forget Shavemob. Like DSC, these guys are another re-distributors of Dorco and sell pack of 24 cartridges ( four bladed ) for just $27.99.
When I traveled last month, I took a Dorco with me along with some Pace 3 heads. I found that they were only comfortable for about 2 or 3 shaves tops, which was disappointing. I also revisited the Pace 4 a few days ago, sticking to one pass WTG, and it was still really painful. I still don't understand how anyone can handle a cartridge with 7 blades unless they have the skin of a rhino. I was actually using the Pace 4 in hopes that I could take a day off from the DE in order to clean myself up but also give my skin some room to heal, but it ended up doing even more damage than if I had just used the DE.