Browsing all of the beautiful Double Edge razors people own while browsing the forums makes me really want one but I'm scared to use them as I have a rare form of epilepsy. Is there really that much more of a risk of cutting yourself with a DE vs a cartridge?
I’ve cut myself with both. I’ve also cut myself using a straight razor and using an injector. I’ve never cut myself with a Shavette but that’s probably because I’ve never used one. Most of my cuts were because I was in a hurry or just not paying attention. The other factor has been inexperience but I had that when I first used a cartridge razor. If you’re prone to seizure without warning then I suppose any sharp object is a problem. It also might depend on whether you’re prone to hang onto the object or drop it. Which brings up a safety note; don’t shave in the nude, always keep your equipment covered. I guess there’s multiple questions. Have you ever seizured while shaving? Do you think handling individual blades should be avoided? Could someone else possibly load and unload blades for you? Back to your original question though, I suppose there’s a little more risk but that will go away with practice and experience.
I'm aware during my partial seizures but I just get a little dazed, but sometime I have absence seizures where I'll freeze up and not even realize that I had a seizure. They dont happen often but I never know when they will
I've probably got a spare L Type laying around if you think you might want to give it a go. There's a learning curve but lots of guys (me included) get a dandy shave from an injector and you don't have loose blades to be concerned with.
Another member, @billdog2, has mentioned experiencing tremors in his shave of the day posts. I believe he times his shaves for when his meds are at their best effect to allow for a safer shave. Don't know if this would help in your situation.
There are DE razors of all kind of aggressiveness. Some of these razors are so mild that they are (in my opinion) even more safe than cartridges. Merkur 15C is a such razor. Mine is having a smaller gap than any cartridge I have seen and the blade exposure is slightly on the negative side. Merkur 15C is not my absolute favorite among my super mild razors, but it is the most safe razor I own. My favorite mild razors are iKon X3 and Saiver travelers razor (loaded with the included shim and only one blade). They are not fully the same safe as 15C because of bigger gap, but still very mild. Mild razors requires a lot of skills because they only give a close shave if you keep the angle perfectly. Even smaller deviations from the angle will affect the result. It is so easy to fall into the temptation to add a bit of pressure to compensate for a wrong angle and this would cause irritation even with a mild razor.
