Does SR Really Give Better Shave Than DE?

I'm new here, but I'm recently addicted to the excellent, baby-smooth shave that I get using my new DE safety razor (with a fresh Merkur or Feather blade). And I can see that there's lots discussion here about straight razor use, which seems to be a whole level beyond where I am now.

So here's the burning question from a less-than-newbie shaver -- is the shave that you get from a straight razor truly, noticeably better than the shave that you might get using a really high quality DE blade and razor? (And of course, all other things being equal, like face prep, proper maintenance of your shaving tool, etc.)

If no, then I can still see the benefits that come from straight razor shaving in the form of learning and mastering a difficult new skill. But then the benefits would be based in personal enjoyment of the process, and not necessarily the difference in shave quality. Or is there a difference in the actual quality of the shave that you are getting? Because, to tell you the truth, I don't see how I could get a shave any closer than I'm getting now, after having my eyes opened to DE shaving after decades of crappy plastic cartridges.

So please give me the unvarnished, honest story behind this straight razor shaving! Thanks.

Welcome SRP
Answer to your question is yes . You can .
it is simple to understand. SR you do have control of the blade . You can change angle and do many more things while you shave.
Now are you going to best great shave as soon as you start using SR ?
of course not. it will take some learning time.
Rest of the SR is obvious.
starting money wise ending up a good habit.
hope this helps.

The only objective superiority that I can think of off the top of my head is that the shave lasts longer. Cartridge good for 2 hours until the shadow, DE, about 4, straight, a good 12. Subjectively, the process is much more enjoyable for me, turning a chore into an activity that interests me and I get less razor burn. Whether that's a consequence of the superiority of the tool, I'm not sure. Could be that it's more the result of having a tool that I'm happier using. I like buying blades that I'm not going to chuck in the bin after a few days too.

If you're interested, give it a go and see what you think. Maybe you'll not see the point or difference, but maybe you will:shrug:.

I switched from a DE (New Edwin Jagger 89 with Shark Blades) earlier this month. The shave I get from a straight now is easily at least as good as the shave I got with my DE after a full year of practice with it. I am smoother longer too. I know it isn't very scientific, but I honestly feel like I get a better shave with a straight than I ever did with a DE.

Plus I feel like way more of a B.A.

Drew

Its a good question, and one that I am exploring myslef. I have about 1 month of solid SR shaving under my belt after coming from truely fantastic shaves with a DE.

The first couple of SR shaves were very disappointing in terms of the immense time it took, and the very poor quality of the shave relative to the DE.

The next few shaves I felt something was begining to click, and things have been improving every shave.

I can say that the condition of the skin on my cheeks since SR shaving is exceptionally good. I will say that it is better than what I was getting with a DE. My neck area is about the same (but that is because its a delicate area for me, and I always refrain from going too close there...perhaps I will try in the future once I improve my SR skills...). However, I have not yet figured out the best way to shave my jaw line, and the chin area is still a disaster compared to what I was getting with DE!

The positive results on my cheeks after a month have led me to believe that SR shaving can provide superior shaves over DE once technique has sufficiently developed.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by AlanII

The only objective superiority that I can think of off the top of my head is that the shave lasts longer. Cartridge good for 2 hours until the shadow, DE, about 4, straight, a good 12.

---

Ditto but with a different metric:
good cartridge: I needed to shave again after work if I was going out. It took a hell of a long time to unclog the cartridge during the shave.
DE: I needed to shave only once a day to look decent, unclog took seconds at the end of the shave.
SR: I can get away with shaving every other day and still look sharper than the colleagues, there is nothing to unclog. I normally still shave every day as it is quite enjoyable.

I definitely get a better shave with a straight than with a DE, more comfortable, longer lasting, and more forgiving. But I still use a DE occasionally for convenience.

Edit: I should add, it took a long time (6-12 months) practicing before the above statement was true.

i'm a one month plus newb as well and not only the ritual of something so old brought back makes me feel great after i have done something my elders have done, as for the shave my technique is still not close to mastered, but i notice no razor burn, and my shaved face lasts longer, plus learning to clean, polish, restore, hone, make it all worth every dime, plus the ability to give back to a young man at some point is just amazing! following roots and keeping tradition is worth everything to a guy like me! my first razor was one that was my grandfathers in poor shape an ERN, then my friend showed me the ropes how to completely restore it, then he gave me a brand new never used Filarmonica doble temple 13, a great and generous gift! this type of hobby and manly/womanly rite will be gladly passed on, and hopefully there will be new people making them more companies to produce fine straights again, besides the three or four manufactures we have today! I say YES a long winded off the beaten path YES!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JeffE

So here's the burning question from a less-than-newbie shaver -- is the shave that you get from a straight razor truly, noticeably better than the shave that you might get using a really high quality DE blade and razor? (And of course, all other things being equal, like face prep, proper maintenance of your shaving tool, etc.)

---

Hi JeffE,

Welcome to the SRP. I would say that after you've learned to use sr, you get better shaves. And yes, even truly and noticeable better ones. This takes time and patience, but it's worth it.

In my opinion, the answer is probably no, not really. In fact, I would say you can get just as good a shave with a cartrige razor as well provided you take the same time and make the same effort with beard preparation, lather, skin stretching and actually shaving. At least for the first few shaves (until the blade dulls a little).

You pretty much have to do this with a straight, unless of course you want a really uncomfortable experience. But, with DEs, and even more so with cartrige razors, you can rush through these elements, or skip them entirely and not suffer serious damage.

Of course, as mentioned earlier, you cannot really strop the blades on these razors, so the quality of a new blade deteriorates rapidly and cannot be easily restored. This means that if you want to keep a sharp blade in play you probably need to change out every 2-3 shaves.

i first tried a straight 9 months ago & after 2 or 3 attempts my face was in ribbons so i gladly dropped kicked it & went back to my trusty slant.
3 weeks back i found it in the bottom of the well & gave it another shot & this time around i wasn't going to give in so easily & was really surprised that with a little bit of practice & friendly advice from the lads on the forum how easy it really is, in comparing a DE shave to a SR shave i find that i'm getting a real close shave in 2 passes & a touch up compared to my usual 4 passes with the DE, it's still a learning curve for me at the moment & it can only get better so jump in with both feet & enjoy the craic.
P.S i have a lovely slant looking for a new home

you can get a perfectly smooth shave with a DE or straight, so not sure how one is smoother than the other. smooth is smooth.

I do find the straight shave leaves my face feeling better and less "scraped". And it's zen as all get out.

yes you can. it will take much more time to learn but i found that i cut myself more with a D.E. than i do with a straight and the level of confort is way better with a straight unless you change blades every shave.and its very calming iam in a better frame of mind after takeing the time to do it right with a straight razor

I have to agree with Cutalot, Iget fewer nicks etc with the sr than I ever did with a de or cartridge. My skin feels better and since I have been using the straight there are no ingrown hairs.

http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/r...GER/ohyeah.jpg

I started DE shaving in 1979. YES, after you have mastered the learning curve a straight eazor REALLY gives a better shave than DE.

• It will always take longer to shave with the straight razor.
• The money to start is several hundred dollars significant.
• The time required to become proficient is significant.

Don't let yourself be talked into straight razor shaving if you are only mildly interested. However, if you find straights fascinating, and look forward to the challenge, you won't regret it.

I would like to second the point above made several times that the "shadow" on the face reappears later than with DEs or cartridge shavers.

i will have to disagree with mr. andro on the expense....you can get great deals on stuff you don't need a 30 to 60 dollar shaving mug, or a 90 to 1000 dollar shaver or a strop that cost over 50 bucks my honest start up cost with everything i have now...not including a rotation of shavers...was $60 total, you can buy a great antique shaver that needs minimal work or sent out to hone if you can;t do it yourself, i bought a horse hide strop used but in good shape for 5$, if your eye's are open you can get great things at a low cost...

but i do agree that if your mildly interested find a good barber first and see how it feel and reacts to your liking, but to me there is nothing like doing it yourself!

no disrespect just a different way of looking at it!

Wulfgar

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Wulfgar

i will have to disagree with mr. andro on the expense....you can get great deals on stuff you don't need a 30 to 60 dollar shaving mug, or a 90 to 1000 dollar shaver or a strop that cost over 50 bucks my honest start up cost with everything i have now...not including a rotation of shavers...was $60 total, you can buy a great antique shaver that needs minimal work or sent out to hone if you can;t do it yourself, i bought a horse hide strop used but in good shape for 5$, if your eye's are open you can get great things at a low cost...

but i do agree that if your mildly interested find a good barber first and see how it feel and reacts to your liking, but to me there is nothing like doing it yourself!

no disrespect just a different way of looking at it!

Wulfgar

---

but you can't stop at just one inexpensive shaver.......:).......the "start up" kit is just a gateway drug.....once you start, fuhgettabowdit.

No offense, Wulfgar! :)

Wulfgar is correct in his statements, and it is quite possible to be satisfactorily up and shaving for not too much money.

I'd say you get a very good shave with de to be onest i get as gooder a shave with straight razor with more effort and you have to learn how to use one but the biggest diferance is the buzz you get from using a sr and it leaves my face in much better condition i can shave everey day with sr no way could i shave with de every day thats the big differance many people will notice.

Define Better?????????

To me there is only one difference in straight razor shaving that matters....
I could care less about close, long lasting, expense, land fills, or any other thing, only one thing defines better to me....

COMFORT !!!!

I can't shave using anything else for two days in a row, just can't, it actually hurts...
Although most every reason that all the guys stated are true in my eyes only comfort matters to me, so like I said define better????

Actually DE's give a much better shave than any straight but all of us here have invested so much time and effort and money with straights we just keep kidding ourselves with straights and hope no one will find out the truth. You know, like the politicians if you keep deceiving enough you think its the truth. (har har)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Actually DE's give a much better shave than any straight but all of us here have invested so much time and effort and money with straights we just keep kidding ourselves with straights and hope no one will find out the truth. You know, like the politicians if you keep deceiving enough you think its the truth. (har har)

---

You can't be serious? :gwh::rant:

I suppose arguably shaves arent any closer with a straight than they are with a DE. Why would they be? At the end of the day both involve putting a razors edge directly onto your skin in order to remove hair. But they definately do last longer.

That said, in my mind I can get a better, closer shave with a straight because I can adjust the angle of the blade to exactly get the optimum cutting angle at any given moment. I also think that a straight razor blade has less flex in it than a DE blade so is more likely to plow through hairs rather than skip over them.

In terms of durability if I get a good close BBS shave with my DE, by the time I leave work I can feel stubble coming through quite noticably. In fact I can feel stubble coming through on my neck already after my DE shave this morning and its only half 11..!

With the straight I can only just start to feel anything by late evening, and even thats only if I rub my hand ATG.

Plus there is the additional buzz of learning a new skill and shaving with a work of art! Always good!

I suppose the best advice I can give is to invest in a restored blade from the classifieds or one of the cheaper DOVO's (SRD sells them shave ready or you can go to The Invisible Edge in the UK and Europe) and see what you think! If nothing else there is the simple enjoyment factor of straight razor shaving!

I have been using a straight almost exclusively for almost a year. I started using the straight first and then decided to try a DE for traveling and if I don't have time. So I have more experience with a straight than a DE, but I am confident at using a DE. Having said that, I can get a BBS shave with a DE easier than a straight. The only difference is that the shave with a straight lasts a lot longer than the DE.

I've not used a DE, but going from cartridge to straight I've found I need to shave a lot less- every other day vs. every day. I hear DE gives great shaves too. I think the biggest factor in choosing between DE vs. Straight isn't so much the closeness of the shave, but rather if you like the hobby side of shaving. Do you like the idea of maintaining your own razors, tinkering around with hones/strops, learning about how the different grinds feel, scales, etc...

-Chief

I don't find that at SR shaves closer but it does last longer. At the end of the day after a DE or disposable shave in the morning. I need another shave. Not so with the SR.

Rich


“All good things arrive unto them that wait – and don’t die in the meantime.” – Mark Twain