Disposable: DE or SE

I was on here awhile ago. I don't have the internet at home and I have been really busy at work so I haven't had time to respond or update.

I am now getting a decent shave with a M3 Power. I told everyone that I was having problems getting a close shave and a shave that didn't hurt for a couple of days after.

Their recommendations were to get a brush and some good soap and get rid of the Power battery activated shaving nightmare. Well, I tried with a brush and good soap from the Gentlemens place. I first tried this with my M3 Power (with the battery on) I needed a comparison. It was okay. I then used a regular Mach 3 no battery. You could hear the screams miles away. It hurt so bad to shave that I didn't even finish.

I kept reading and saw that I should be soaking my face with a towel or for me a shower head as hot as I can stand it. This helped soooo much. Everything combined and I can get a BBS in most areas. I tried the Mach 3 regular again and it still hurt too much.

I think I can get a better shave and be able to shave more often, as with this shave I still have to wait until the hair comes in a bit before it doesn't hurt so much. So, now I am thinking about a disposable razor. I wanted to see what a disposable SE felt like so I went to a local Barber shop, the other one isn't open on Mondays, and found out some very interesting info. The first thing I learned is tat 24 USD is way too much to pay for a straight shave with a disposable razor. Second, California state laws require barbers to only use disposable. Well, I didn't get the test shave but I will find another one cheaper.

SE or DE disposable? I have very dark thick facial hair.

I would fair to say that possibly your prep needs some work or the razor is dull.
As you said, shave once you get out of the shower to help soften the whiskers. And, as you prepare the lather don't be afraid to splash some water on your face to help maintain soft whiskers.
Lather: Make sure the lather is a cream like feel and in appearance. If for any reason it is bubbly you'll find the blade doesn't glide as smooth on the face. Don't rush it as this part can take a few moments to acquire the right lather. Some people can whip up lather quickly some take their time but the end result is the same with a cream like appearance. Use the brush in a circular motion to help the whiskers stand up more. Many on here may have different patterns such as up and down or side to side but the end result is the same.
Once you are ready to start the shave be sure to have a new blade. I still use a Mach 3 or Fusion from time to time and if I don't have a new blade I get skips, pulls, dragging and basically an undesirable shave. I also use the blades that have the aloe pads on the Mach3 or Fusion to help smooth the cheek afterward. But that is just me.
If you intend on using a SE or DE the razor sharpness and angle is key for a smooth shave thus changing the blade as required is paramount. Based off what you have said about your beard I would say about 3-5 shaves would be normal before changing the blade out. If the blade tugs, pulls or feels as if it is yanking the hair out then replace the blade. For me I can make a Mach3 or Fusion blade last forever but as the blade gets closer to dull I get more skin irritation.
Another thing I would recommend is try pulling your skin taut. I have done this even with a Mach3 or Fusion. For one I have felt, personally, that I get a nicer shave doing this and it helped me get used to pulling taut before switching to a straight razor so I could help lessen the learning curve thus giving me more focus on the shave itself.
Also, make sure you go WTG for the first pass then rinse, lather up again and go ATG or XTG for a closer shave. This helps reduce irritation BIG TIME.
Regardless of the razor you use or prefer the prep is key and so is the sharpness of the blade.

I hope I have helped you in some way.

Thank you for your quick reply. I have done most everything you mentioned, except for the circular motion of the brush on your face and probably a thick enough lather. I have read a lot of the wiki and a lot of posts. I am getting one shave from the cartridge. I use an old blade to shave down, then new to shave XTG and ATG. I use the most recent used blade on the beginning of my next shave, if that makes sense. After one shave I can already feel tug and pull from the blade.
I never learned to shave from my dad, as he doesn't really grow facial hair and everyone is surprised I do.
I just want to save money with a disposable straight or safety. I was wondering what people recommended.

The disposable straight you mentioned sounds like a injector straight much like the Feather or a Dovo Shavette. I use a Feather Artist Club RG and I love it. The blade will effortlessly, yes, NO effort slice through and stubble or days worth of facial hair I have in one swipe. Keep in mind the Feather is rather unforgiving and is very sharp in comparison to some straight razors and even the Mach3 or Fusion. Keep in mind that Feather makes surgical razors for the medical community thus they have very high expectations for the sharpness of the shaving razors.
However, I will mention that if you ever get into straight razor shaving that is typically seen on these forums you will have a different standard for sharp. Meaning, the Feather is wicked sharp and uses a lot less pressure versus a traditional straight. Don't get me wrong, a traditional straight razor is super sharp but as I have found, since I started with a Feather, is that I cannot get my Dovo Micarta 5/8 as sharp as a Feather. My expectations are too high for sharpness thanks to machine sharp razor blades by Feather. :gaah:

Some people use the Dovo Shavette and seem to like it, too. However, I have not used the Dovo so I cannto speak for this razor.
I also started using a Feather DE and I can say I really like it so far. I can't wait to get a sample pack of the different kinds of razors offered out there to see what works best for me. I have found it cuts through a few days worth of growth rapidly. In fact, with my new addition of the DE I am half tempted to simply toss my Mach3 and Fusion since it is so easy to use and shaves very well.

Again, I hope this has helped you out. I hope others here chime in and give some input for you.

i was going to say that you are using too much pressure but if you are doing a three pass with the Mach3 then you have probably read enough to know how much pressure you need. its still something to think about, patience with the WTG as you still have two more passes to go. it worked for me as a little less pressure can go a long way in a three pass shave.

i would highly recommend using a DE. if i wasn't using a straight i would use a DE or my injector (similar to the DE). they are much more forgiving as one pass means one blade, not three scraping your skin. my brother in law is hairy, has thick dark hair, i gave him a gillette slim adjustable for his birthday with a brush and some soap, he said he has never had a better or more comfortable shave.

i have thick beard hairs, but there isn't that many of them. i used to get really bad irritation from my Mach3 (which the first razor i ever had), the DE is sooooooo much better for me, now the straight is even better but has taken some time to get the hang of. it was totally worth it and i have no regrets but the DE is very easy to use right away.

Good luck!

Personally I have a lot more experience with a double edge then a striaght but I have also done the job with a cartridge and disposables as well so my words need to be t aken in that light. My recommendations is in this order from the more desierable to the least would be the Double edge, straight, cartridge then the disposables. The quality of the blades are just not there for the cartridge and the disposables in my opinion. The double edge has much better steel used in the blades, again I have not enough experience with the staight to be taken seriously there as yet. I think the disposable that you are referring to is called a Shavette and I have no experience with them so I am going to repeat what other straight razor place members have told me, these are not real straights and should be avoided. My recommendation would be a for a Gillette Super Speed and a sampler pack of blades from someone such as Conguaght Shaving. Of course I am a tad bit biased since I am nuts about the Gillette Super Speed. You can obtain a super speed from ebay or you can get a new version from Merkur or Parker which are available at most internet shave shops and als oprobably from congaught as well, never looked myself.

Ok...I took what everyone had to heart and decided to go with a DE. I hopped over to SRD, Classic Shaving, and Amazon. I didn't go the ebay route yet. Even though after purchasing a DE, I could have found one cheaper on ebay.
After much chagrin for jumping the gun I will have a Merkur HD Slant Bar. I know what you're thinking, this guy is stupid. A slant bar when he hasn't even used a DE? My idea is to go through the motions without a blade in the head and practice a no pressure shave.
I only plan on purchasing a few DE's over my lifetime. I am also going to try to convince my brother to buy a Gillette off ebay.
My grandpa died at 35, which was over 40 some years ago. He may have his razor at my grandmas house still and I called dibbs if I can find it. From what I now hear, he was strictly a gillette man.
I also bought a styptic stick and Proraso's pre and post-shave cream.
I purchased from SRD for the support and cheaper price than even Amazon.

way to jump in!! and i don't think anyone on here will call you stupid for buying a Merkur. sure i have read that the slants are a lot more aggressive but as long as you know that and adjust your technique and expectations at first then i doubt you will regret it.

i like proraso, i like the white tub a lot more then the green (not sure what you have). i bought the pre-shave stuff but don't use it, not saying it is crap, i just didn't find a big difference i guess.

for your first shave just keep in mind that when using a DE the angle is very key to getting a close shave. there is a sweet spot that you'll find so experiment.

Good luck!

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Originally Posted by Kentington

I only plan on purchasing a few DE's over my lifetime.

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Yea, right!! :gl: And I planned on only being married once in my life. :ziplip:



Kev

Attachment 25404
This is my preshave. I used the Proraso (green tub) Pre and Post-Shave after showering, then lathering up some soap from The Gentlemen's Quarter (Savon de Campon or something, made a proper lather this time no bubbles), shaved with as little pressure as possible. I only have one blade the one that came with the Merkur HD Slant. It was okay, even though I got cut up pretty bad in certain areas. One of the problems I found is that I don't pay attention and poke myself with the corner when trying to get certain spots.

I don't know if these pictures will show up because they didn't on the preview.

Attachment 25405

nice pics! it looks like you got the cheeks pretty good, the neck looked a little scraped in the middle and it looks like your chin hairs are pretty thick. i am still trying to perfect my neck technique, but finding the right stretching spots and directions is a key and has melped me a lot. my chin isn't as thick as yours but it is still thicker then the rest of my face, i find that light pressure is especially important on the chin and i tend to try and hit every direction while keeping the skin real tight.

other then that its just going through the motions and learning your own face. looks like you had a good start though ;)

Most of my Adam's Apple scratches are actually pokes. My neck has a concave area and while trying to shave that area I need to pull it further so I don't nick my apple. Some of them were from trying to half swallow and not holding it the whole time. My chin has extremely thick hair and a lot of it.

Part way through the shave I realized my face was really not slippery, it had a lot of friction and tackiness. Should I be rinsing the Proraso before applying lather? Or is this something to do with my lather?

BTW, future Slant owners. It doesn't seem to present a bigger problem than other newbs have had. I am curious to use an SS and I know someone is offering it $12 shipping included. I really want it but I dont have the 12 yet. I will see if I can get my brother to buy it for me.

It's pretty well agreed that the Merkur blades are crap. I would move to feather blades, I think they're the best disposable blades out there. They're the sharpest, but in a good way where then won't leave all kinds of burn and pain all over your face. Merkur did a hell of a number on my face when I was using Disposables, after I found Feather and I never went to anything else for 8 months until I used straights.

My favorite disposable razors:

The gillette NEW open comb
The Gillette Fat boy
The Gillette Slim adjustable
The Gillette Red Tip Super Speed

GEM Micromatic
GEM G-BAR
Gem 1912

Any of those are great razors. Merkurs are good too, but I am a vintage guy. The blades, like I've said, are a different story. Your lather also sounds dry, there shouldn't be any kind of tackiness on your stroke, try more water, but the blades can be the issue too.

Also do a Google search for Country Joe's collectables. He sells all kinds of old razors for very cheap on his site. I've gotten all my razors off him.

Great. I purchased some sample packs from the shaving shoebox. Haven't received them yet, but I will be sure to use the feathers and make a note of how they feel. I was told to way until I get a better handle on technique before using feathers, so I will have to think about it. I'll take the cautions and maybe be really careful, like when I bought the unrecommended for newbs Slant.

Thanks for the advice. I was thinking the blades were shoddy. I tried stropping them on my palm, don't remember who said to do that. But it helped as the next shave was better in the beginning.

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Originally Posted by Disburden

It's pretty well agreed that the Merkur blades are crap.

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Maybe, but only relative to the better alternatives. I bought a whole bunch of blade types with my Merkur Futur. I started with Merkur blades as I planned to work my way up to the Feathers. The shaves were wonderful.

I changed to a straight within a week, so I never found out if/how much better the other blades were.

But I know a DE loaded with Merkur blades is better than a Fusion (or any other cartridge razor I've tried.)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kentington

Great. I purchased some sample packs from the shaving shoebox. Haven't received them yet, but I will be sure to use the feathers and make a note of how they feel. I was told to way until I get a better handle on technique before using feathers, so I will have to think about it. I'll take the cautions and maybe be really careful, like when I bought the unrecommended for newbs Slant.

Thanks for the advice. I was thinking the blades were shoddy. I tried stropping them on my palm, don't remember who said to do that. But it helped as the next shave was better in the beginning.

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You can wait to use them if you like, but I wish I used them sooner when I was using my DE razors. I don't see the problem with a new guy using Feathers, to me they're a lot less irritating than any other blade I've used. They may be sharper, but they're smoother too. The hand stropping thing never worked for me.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kentington

Part way through the shave I realized my face was really not slippery, it had a lot of friction and tackiness. Should I be rinsing the Proraso before applying lather? Or is this something to do with my lather?

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i find i get best results when i rinse my face with water that is as hot as my hands can stand right before i lather and then i really work the brush, i do this in between each pass also.

BTW, i don't mind the Green Proraso, but i will admit that i like the White much better.