Thread: When did you decide to switch 100%

I gave up shaving with a cartridge razor the first day I used my straight, and haven't used anything else since. I'm a bit obsessive like that.

For me it was new years day 2009. I vowed that a cartidge razor would never again touch my face. For a few weeks I used a disposable straight until I got a razor sharp enough with which to shave.

One week after i got my SR i stopped using my DE, I only use it when i travel,which isnt alot per year.

I switched 100% when I got my second straight razor. It was honed by someone named Lynn Abrams, and it was scary sharp.
I shaved and never looked back. Later I Googled Lynn Abrams and straight razor; that is how I ended up at this place.

I stopped using anything else pretty soon after I got my frist razor. Once I was happy with how to use it that was that...!

I only use my DE on days when I`m in a rush.

I've been using DE on and off for the last 20 years, I bought my last cartridge pack in 2004... said pack is still in the drawer with a couple cartridges.

I have only started to shave with a straight razor this month and I've already reached the point where the DE is only used for the tip of the chin and the patch just under the nose.

Day one when I first got my hands on a disposable straight razor. I did use my Mach 3 to clean up areas that needed better technique and with each shave, my technique got better and ultimately, my Mach 3 started collecting dust. So, mentally, I converted on day one, but technique wise, I was up and running 100% on the 3rd shave, but I was still figuring our how to shave better and that process lasted about 15 - 25 shaves, then my technique took another jump at 30 - 45 shaves.

I still have extra Mach 3 cartridges sitting around, but you never know when you the Mach 3 will come in handy. But it will never give me the shave that I get from a straight razor. Nor do I get those ugly ingrown hair issues anymore.

Started straight shaving and it took 45 minutes and always 3 passes. Today, a 3 pass shave is 20 minutes and a good two shave pass is 13-15 minutes. It takes a little longer than a Mach 3, but the shaving results are superior and worth the effort and the little extra time it takes.

Get through the learning curve and you will thank yourself!

Pabster

Oddly, I switched more because of the goo in a can. I wanted something that didn't smell like shampoo and would last longer than two weeks. Research uncovered the world of DE and straight razors. I stocked up before my last can of goo ran out and I've never looked back. I didn't realize just how poor the shaves were from the cartridge until I realized that with a straight razor, I could shave every day without the extreme uncomfort.

I hacked my face up several times with straights, but nothing that didn't disappear in a day or two. I irritated my face with dull blades, and incorrect technique, and had to let my face rest. But, two weeks in, I was on straights.

Every few days I still use my DE for touchup. It's an hour later, and I feel a spot under my chin that I missed. So, a few seconds later, its OK. The biggest reason for using the DE this way is I am afraid if I started using the straight for these touchups, sometimes because of hurry I wouldn't clean and reoil the blade properly. I really don't want to do that!

Every once in awhile, for years, my wife runs her hands all over my face feeling for missed spots. She's scientific! And, she says my shaves are now closer then they have ever been before.

I haven't primarily used my disposables since the day I received my straight in the mail (mid July 2009)! I can get away with shaving once a week, but ever since I started with the SR, I've been shaving two or three times a week! I did use a disposable once when I was in a rush, but the shave hurt and I noticed it was rather stubbly - even though my SR shaves aren't BBS yet, especially around the chin, they are already better than what I used to get.