Thread: Why anyone would use a disposable over a DE, I wont understand.

When I started shaving there was the Gillette DE, the Schick injector and the Gem single edge. There were no disposables yet. There were no stainless blades for the Gillette, only blue blades and they were not pleasant to shave with.

I remember when Gillette introduced their 'Platinum Plus' blades. They were expensive but they were so much better that I was truly grateful for them. At some point I switched to the Schick injector. It was better than the Gillette at the time. It was lighter in weight and easily maneuverable and the blades were good. I felt that the blade angle was better than that of the Gillette DE at the time.

IIRC it was in the early seventies when Gillette came out with the "Good News" disposable razor with the two bladed head. This became my shaving tool for the next thirty years. They were cheaper than buying the good blades for the Schick or the DE and they did end up taking over the market. I would occasionally buy a package of the equivalent Bic razors but the Gillettes were better IME. I never tried the cartridge razors with more blades than the two in my disposables. It was working so I didn't fix it.

If you are shaving with the Good News type razor and the head loads up with whiskers it is because you are only going in one direction with the blades. They are designed to clean themselves of cut whiskers and lather by moving in the opposite direction. Imagine back honing a razor.

IOW keeping the razor on the skin do your shaving stroke and then reverse your direction without lifting the razor.... go back and forth and the razor won't load up. This works on the two bladed disposables. I don't know about the multi bladed razors. I shave the skin where the tattoo is going to be placed on customers with these disposables every working day so I know it works. End of ramble.

Wait, I was supposed to strop a disposable on my face after a stroke (backstroke)? :P I've been shaving for 15 years and never heard of that. Now I'm gonna have to dig up a disposable and try it, just because I can't imagine that is what kept me throwing out my disposables every 2 shaves since no amount of effort could get the crap out from under the blades all these years.

Thanks for the history on how disposables took over. I figured it had to be a price thing in their favor at some point.