Thread: How many of you started out with (or still periodically use) a DE?

Wet shaving with soap/cream and cartridge razors for about 20 years. I never was a fan of canned goo. It was body shop cream, wilkinson soap or Florena cream.

Switched to DE of January of this year then permanently to straights in April of this year. I haven't used a DE in about 4 or 5 months.

Switching to DE introduced me to the following:

- reduction/multi-pass shaving
- blade angle/pressure
- lather making
- beard prep and post shave care (alum/witch hazel/AS/balms)

All this let me focus on shaving with a straight without all the other variables. Also, I found that making a clean switch helped me. If I didn't have a good shave, I didn't clean up with a DE.

Started electrical shaving, then switched to the Gillette Mach2 (yes, that long ago there were only 2 blades) kind of rakes, couldn't stand those and shaved a long while using Wilkingson Protector blades. The recent switch, couple of months ago, to the straight razor went without any problem. Somehow the straight razor doesn't attack my skin as the Gillette type razors used to do. Havn't had any major injuries (touch wood) . . . yet.

I don't think DE-shaving is a good stepping-stone. It's a different thing altogether. But I am of the camp that thinks a DE is a respectable razor in itself, nothing like a cartridge razor. I've only ever had one DE, a gold Gilette "tuck-away" from 1914, but I like it as much as any of my straights, and it's what I take with me when traveling.

I used to do "clean ups" with my adj. Gillette DE after the str8 shaves. Many times I pushed (litterally) too much and suffered greatly all day long. My skin would be on fire. I kept creaping back to the bathroom, putting on many applications of Coral skin food or some of my balms.

Since my shaving techniques and honing skills have improved greatly, I haven't used the DE for many months now. With my str8, I get a BBS whenever I wish with no burns or irritation; + the close shave lasts much, much longer.

Steve

I went from a mock 3 right to a Dovo str8. Once I could shave without butchering my face I haven't touched a mock3 3 again.

Same as Rich - Mach 3 to straight. I actually threw away all my Mach 3 stuff as soon as I bought my first straight so that I had no choice but to quickly (sort of) come to grips with straights.

James.

I went from a Braun electric to str8s. Since then I've also diverged into picking up a few 'safety' razors, both SE and DE, just for variety. I've also got a Japanese style Feather, again for a change of pace. The best shave I've gotten from these was BBS for less than twelve hours vs. sixteen for the best str8 shave. The Feather would be the worst razor for a newbie, IMHO. Due to extreme sharpness coupled with no feedback, that razor could easily do severe damage in inexperienced hands. Regular str8s are the way to go for a comfortable bloodless shave!



Wayne

My first razor was a DE , a Gillette adjustable I bought back around 1969 . I didn't like the DE so I bought a SE . Then I went to a Shick injector , which I used until Gillette came out with the Trac-II , and I used the Trac-II until they came out with the Mach-3 . Out of all of those razors , I think a SE or an injector razor is the closest to shaving with a str8 , but there really isn't any way to compare them . IMO , it's like asking which fast food hambuger is the closest thing to a porterhouse steak .

first DE shave was at grandma's when i forgot my mach 3. never used one, no research, foam in a can. when i was done, i wanted to stick my head under water and freeze the water. my neck and cheeks were so burnt, and they itched and hurt for 2 days. good thing is i had no problem staying awake in church that morning. couldn't concentrate though. swore i would never use one of those evil things again.

now that i have some knowledge, i would love to try a DE again if the opportunity arises, however now that i have a couple of str8s, i don't see that happening. i am to happy in utopia to go back.

vgod

Went directly from M3 to straight here...