SE or DE? Which is best? The great 2012 shave-off

I've recently had my first experience with an SE, a GEM 1912 that was very easy to use and produced a great shave with a single blade for almost a whole week. I started to wonder why SE died out and DE flourished. Was it just the impact of marketing that as DE shavers we put the success of carts down to? I thought it was time to sort this out once and for all.

Thanks to Pete over at Paste & Cut I have an OCMM (see how I slipped that it so casual, like an old SE pro!) so the time has come to compare how it shaves with my current DE of choice - an Eclipse Red Ring.

I loaded the RR with a new Feather and threw the GEM blade into the OCMM - very cool TTO just so you know. So we were ready, the combatants faced off on the vanity, neither willing to take a backward step:



ROUND ONE

I prepared as usual, shower then soak brush (my new MC2) and lathered up. I actually used P.160 Tipo Morbido - a fantastic soap - rather then the C&E Nomad in the pic. The Nomad just looked better

So we were ready to go. This was the first time with the OCMM so I gave it the advantage - the left side of my face. To confess it was a little brutal. Certainly strong aural feedback but I got some nicks, weepers and burn. This shaves close and in hindsight I remembered hearing that these were quite aggressive.

By contrast the RR was s-m-o-o-t-h. Very nice glide and no nicks, cuts, or burn. The second pass on the OCMM was better but still not as good as the RR.

The first pass was north to south, the second south to north. Trying to only shave half your face then changing razors makes for some tricky angles around the chin and moustache area. I didn't go truly south to north on the cheeks with the OCMM, more XTG than ATG.

Finished off with the Lucky Tiger I got this week. The scent reminds me of orange hand-cleanser. A strong orange-citrus smell, which quickly fades away. On the face it is certainly more a balm (slightly oily) than splash with aloe vera in the ingredients this is evident in the strong soothing impact - very useful after the slash and burn approach of the OCMM.

The result for round one: This was a clear victory for the DE. It had the advantage of familiarity but was certainly a much smoother and more pleasant shave with less burn and nicks. Both were certainly very smooth, close shaves. We will come back tomorrow and try again to see if with a little more practice the OCMM can strike a blow for SE razors.

Stay tuned for more...

 

I haven't used my s/e's in a while but I recall them being a quiet razor. ?

 

Quiet? They are like a 6 lane highway compared to the DE's quiet country road!

 

Good comparison Mark1966. I do not know why the SE faded over the years. Perhaps it was always a small market share player. Your assessment that familiarity with the DE is a factor is more true than you probably realize. It is taking me some time to get the OCMM touch. I have had a few great shaves with it, but only after making many technique adjustments and giving myself lots of time to do the shave with care. I try to build up to it by using progressively more aggressive razors prior to using it. When I go right to it from my mild EJ, I tend to pay with burn, nicks, and hamburger neck. Suggest you take it slow with the OCMM and use 100% less pressure than you use with the DE, and use the tightest possible angle that will cut whiskers.

 

As a hardcore SE fan I'll be pulling for the OCMM.

 

Hi, Mark.

That's a great write-up. Thanks for doing that.

Since you're recently new to the SE (I've never tried one...yet) shavers, do you think a more definitive test would result once you become as efficient with SE razors as you currently are with DE?

 

@DLreno - yes I think that familiarity was a bid factor, I could get used to the SEs thought I think....

@ Tom - yes I thought you would be - a long time SE promoter I believe

@Randy - this is certainly only Round One. I suspect I will be doing a few rounds with a couple of SEs and DEs to be fair. Of course YMMV so any such comparison sound be taken with a grain of salt. I'd strongly encourage you to give SE a go - it has been much easier than I thought.

 

I think it's great that someone who has such a fantastic DE collection has developed an interest in SE's.

 

Nice. Great write-up.

 

The OCMM (& other SEs) has already won this war on my face though I look forward to your battle reports.

OCMM FTW!

 

Well, we did twist his arm gently but firmly for a while. But yes, it's nice to see a committed DE dude test the SE waters with an open mind. He's got a few others to try against the Eclipse including a recently acquired GEM Junior bar. Don't be surprised to see his title of "The Antipodean Mr Razor" expanded to include a seriously nice SE collection.

Hello by the way. Been lurking here for a while and was once an enthusiastic B&B member too.

Blobby, aka Blobster, aka Pjotr, aka Pete. I try to create an air of mystique but generally fail miserably.

 

I remember you. Welcome!

 

This is a cool thread....I'll be following aswell....

 

ROUND TWO

It was the Cella today, using my little red tub recently refilled from a kilo brick I brought and shared with another P&C member. I swapped the MC for my Chubby 1 too.

I swapped sides, the Red Ring with Feather starting on the left side of my face. What can I say, it was smooth and simple, but wait, what is that - a little bleeding going on! The RR claimed that this was merely the result of irritating a cut made yesterday by the OCMM. This could be true, but the judges decided that they still have to score it as a cut.

Now to the OCMM. No pressure, no pressure, no pressure was looping around in my head. I've said this on many occasions to those starting with DE but what does it mean? The first pass, north to south, was easy, basically a very light tough to 'steer' while gravity and the weight of the OCMM did its work. But how do you have 'no pressure' going ATG south to north? Once again I tried the lightest of touches with the head of the razor merely grazing my face.

I thought that the touch of the OCMM was so light that it would not be working. But after two passes, WTG and genuinely ATG my cheeks feel unbelievably smooth! There was a nick on the chin, but this was the only one.

The result for round two: I calling it for the OCMM.

This resulted in some protest from the RR claiming that it was working under more difficult conditions, pointing out that the OCMM nick was fresh. I had to point out that maybe a certain laziness had crept in as the OCMM produced the finer shave, there were patches rubbing against the grain of the RR side where I could feel some stubble, whereas the OCMM side was all smooth, with and against the grain.

After this shock result so early in the match I'm sure that the RR will come back with more care next round. So stay tuned to see how this battle unfolds!



Is the OCMM smoking a cigarette?

 

If you look at the progression of the single edge from let's say the 1912 models you can easily see the morphing into the the Bic type single edged razors. Think it was just a matter of price and manufacturing. Why made one single edged blade when you can make a Bic for the same price?

 

Well, since going back to the way I learned to shave in the 1950s, I have been pretty set on, and set up with, DEs. 2 Techs, a Goodwill and a Parker 82R. Settled on Feathers in the Techs and Wilkinson Swords from Sprawl-Mart in the Parker and Goodwill. Just strollin' along fat, dumb and happy until I was PIF'd a Schick Injector and my daughter found me a GEM Clog-Pruf for Christmas. I have only used the GEM twice because I wanted to really test the Schick but so far the GEM is okay (need more practice) but the Schick has the potential to become my fave. So now I have a Schick Krona PIF'd also and it's another neat DE and maybe my fave DE (still deciding on that) but I am planning to get back to the GEM with Walgreen's "GEM by Personna" blades and see how I do with it. First time wasn't great, second was good so we'll see. Threads like this just keep pushing me back to the SEs. Looking forward to more reports.

 

ROUND THREE

Being summer here Down Under you can't go for too long without breaking out the Proraso - a great summer soap and a/s. I got the balm out just in case it got dirty today, but ended up using the splash, my normal summer combination - but more about that later.

The Proraso is teamed with my Semogue 1305 - another great combination. A great boar with loads of backbone.



The Red Ring was smarting after being beaten the previous day. It was Day Three with the Feather - this is the end point for many people with these blades so I was cautious, the RR shouting at me to use 'no pressure' just as I had done so successfully the previous day with the OCMM.

The OCMM meanwhile looked confident, almost cocky. It had the preferred left hand side and started the action. Once again, no pressure and a light touch.

The noise of the OCMM mowing down the stubble was again phenomenal. I have fairly thick coarse hair and it is like a chainsaw blasting through this stuff. The result though - nice, BBS and no cuts. Once again the OCMM had set the bar high.

Not to be outdone the Red Ring moved in, gliding effortlessly across my face. Smooth as silk and another BBS result after 2 1/2 passes, one WTG, one ATG and touch ups.

As I did the second pass with the Red Ring I was asking myself how am I going to judge this. They both produced such a smooth result and there were no nicks at all today. The RR was certainly more comfortable and easy to use, but that may merely be familiarity. I decided to use the Proraso splash to see if that highlighted any differences. Certainly there was a little burn but nothing major and evenly spread.

The result for round three: I'm calling this a draw.

So after three rounds the result is a tie.

I know that the fanbois on both side will not be satisfied with this result. Certainly the RR was easier for me - but I've used one more regularly. The OCMM was no more of a challenge than an aggressive DE, such as the 2011 R41, it took a little more concentration but the results speak for themselves.

What I've learnt from my brief experiences with SEs though is that everybody should give them a go - they are not that hard to use and you need not be afraid, like I was before I used one. All that I'm saying, it give SE a chance - you might be surprised like I was.

Tomorrow we will be having the last shave of this contest - and I've got something special in mind. Make sure you check back to see what weird, wacky and possible heretical approach I'm taking!

 

This thread is quite a treat! As a new DE user I must say that I'm quite surprised the results are this even. I would have expected the SE to run away with this competition. I'd love to eventually migrate to SE shaving, but I really don't see myself ever wanting to take on the added care and maintenance/upkeep of a SE blade.

 

Glad you are enjoying it

SEs blades are no more difficult than a DE, just disposable in the same way. You can get them from here as well as other places around. The original SE blades required stropping etc but that was pre the GEM Junior in 1901 I believe (the experts will correct me).

If I've learnt anything from this thread it is that you should give SE a go. Certainly fun!

 

I just had to re-check the acronyms thread to learn that SE is Single Edge, not Straight Edge... I was thinking you were comparing a Straight Razor to a DE... What is the difference then, between a SE and a DE (and please don't just say that a DE has TWO edges and a SE only has 1!