"It's enough to make you sick at your stomach, isn't it?"

[Paul]

Said the Mrs. when I emerged from my parents' guest bathroom after getting a perfect shave from a $.20 Bic disposable... :

I took my kids camping and fishing at my parents' lake, and I didn't want to bother with a straight. So, I just grabbed a disposable and my soap. It seems understanding shaving is more significant than the gear used :thumbup:

 

[Guest]

Well, different strokes and all that. Dovo Vision with various blades, still getting razor burn in the lower neck area. Ah well...

 

[Bart]

I have never in my life used a cartridge razor, but I remain convinced that anyone who puts in a 10th of the effort that we have put into learning traditional razors, will come up with the technique and the brand of disposable that provides a perfect shave.

I used to shave with a DE a couple of times per year (relied on a beard trimmer for the rest), and my wife would nearly weep every time she saw the butchering I did to myself. But it was all just a matter of technique and knowledge. Absence thereof actually.

But do yourself a favor: next time you go camping or hiking, grant yourself the 15 minutes it takes to shave with a straight razor into the wild. Do it once, and you likely won't skip the next opportunity to do so. And your children wont mind witnessing their dad shaving like a man who likes to seek authenticity.
And they can roast their sausages at the fire you used for heating the water (coffee and lather ), while you're shaving.

Kind regards,
Bart.

 

[Paul]

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I'm going to do just that next Friday night/Saturday morning. We've already made arrangements

My problem was having a wife who wasn't entirely into the trip and having to get out early this morning... I'm looking forward to it actually :thumbup:

 

[Deckard]

I have sometimes used canned foam whem I'm in a rush for an every day shave.:sleep:
Doe's it make a difference? Yes, but not that much IMHO.
I believe that the key to comfortable and close is a sharp razor and good technique.

 

[Guest]

Agreed with regards to the razor and technique. But I beg to differ when it comes to canned foam. There is exactly one I have tried that can compete with good creams or soaps, namely

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. And that's it, really. Every other canned foam will make for a sub-optimal shaving experience. YMMV, of course, but I would much rather use a good shave stick (Valobra comes to mind) and a good travel brush (Thäter, anyone?).

Best regards,
Robin

 

[decraew]

I've never had really bad shaves with disposables and canned stuff. Sometimes skin irritation, ingrowing hairs, but not actually too bad.

That being said, when I'm going camping with the family I can't be bothered taking a straight razor and strop with me. A decent soap/brush and DE will do for me, thank you very much. The wife thinks I spend too much time on the whole wet shaving business as it is anyway ...

 

[Emmanuel]

Maybe i am coming from another planet. I never used something else ,even a DE.I don't know if i have the experience to shave with a DE,however i haven't.But I prefer to shave with my razor even without a mirror, rather than something foreign to me.
Best regards
Emmanuel

 

[chti_lolo]

I have never had a bad shave with a cheap disposable or a DE. That's being said I'm not sure that my straights shave me better than my DE:. The only thing that coud deliver me a butchery shave is my shavette:scared: .

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Emmanuel you are an alien. I don't know anybody in my neighbourhood who shaves either with a DE or a straight.


Regards

Laurent

 

[Paul]

$.20 of pure shaving excellence (except the one I used only had 1 blade. Bic Sensitive)

Robin, I just looked up the Dovo you referenced... Too much engineering. :

 

[Guest]

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Actually, I got it on the cheap and had wanted to try one ever since I saw it. Robin's final verdict: A DE is a DE is a DE. Anyone in their right mind who claim that there are significant differences between DEs ought to have their heads checked. Yes, blades influence the shave, but as for the DEs themselves, forget it. Marginal differences blown totally out of proportion.

Just thought I'd mention it. If anything get a Pils (the original, not those 3rd world counterfeits, Icon or whatever they're called). Now that is German craftsmanship at its very best.

 

[Paul]

Yes, I agree with that. For me, I'd stick with the fat handle Tech for about $10. I've never had a DE provide an appreciably better result, but I've had several do much worse

 

[Toff]

Some days are like that, You just cannot get a bad shave. I spent most of my post puberty life shaving in the shower with whatever came to hand, bath soap, and no mirror. "Schick" injectors with the original "PAL" blades were the best. Then the first "Atra" cartridges. So I had BBS shaves at "O" dark thirty in the AM before going off to sometimes 12+ hour days as a design machinist model maker. Now I have slowed down to enjoy a long awaited 9Am shave.
What happens... I still get a great shave before I shower using a straight, BBS most days with a two pass. But when in a hurry or on the road, a DE, or injector, or cartridge will give me great shaves.
So, I chime in in favor of the idea that after one has mapped their face for shaving, any good sharp razor type object will do the job. I have tried most everything I brought home from antique and junk shops after cleaning, and all removed hair from my face with some a bit better than others.

Again, I do like the use of my straights and the zennish moments they may allow during use and honing, having OCD makes the "slow down and feel" a rather new experience for me. Emmanuel put it nicely, he can shave with a straight without a mirror, How well he knows his steel and his face. .
Respectfully
~Richard