Thread: To DE or not to DE

DEs can be nice but frustrating too. They are recipe driven. This razor, with that blade will be different with anther blade. One DE and 10 different blade makers gives you 10 different shaves. 10 razor makers with 10 blade makers becomes a dizzying effort to find a good, nick free, shave.

Originally Posted by AFDavis11

DEs can be nice but frustrating too. They are recipe driven. This razor, with that blade will be different with anther blade. One DE and 10 different blade makers gives you 10 different shaves. 10 razor makers with 10 blade makers becomes a dizzying effort to find a good, nick free, shave.

+1 DE shaving is all about getting the right combination if you blades you have don't give you a good shave with your razor try different blades. that's why sample packs are so useful. I tell this story to everyone starting with a DE. I own two DE a modern Merkur as well as a Gillette Slim from the 1960's. Merkur blades in the Merkur razor are crap and don't shave worth a darn. However IMO they work very well in the slim. The counter example is derby blades which work very well in the Merkur shave horribly in the slim. This is all just personal opinions and I'm not saying these combinations will work for you. I am only encouraging your to try different blades in what ever razor you end up will untill you find a combination that works for you.

Cheers
-Omid
p.s. As far as a first razor I will just echo the opinions of all the other contributes old Gillette's (any will do) are excellent first razors as well as Merkurs. What ever you choose go with a closed comb to start. And pick first razor based on weight Merkur's tend to be a little on the heavier side which will shave more aggressively.

I started with a DE (A Merkur Progress) that I still use from time to time, I like the progress since it's adjustable and can be dialed up or down for aggressiveness as I feel necessary.

For me, the progress with either an Astra or Feather blade gives me a good BBS shave

Hi, i'm new to shaving with a cut-throat, and whilst i really enjoy it and wouldn't use the M3 now unless really pressed, i was still annoyed by "having" to use it a couple of times, this is mainly a speed thing. in order to get a nice cut-throat shave i think time needs to be taken to get blade angles and direction of travel correct, and time is not something that i always have, with my soon to be 1yo in the room next to the bathroom! lots of running water in the morning is a no-no.

so i decided to go for a DE. i was quite taken with the merkur travel razor. and bout that with a sampler pack of Derby extra's, merkur and feathers.

thoughts so far (2 shaves)

the merkur is a nice smooth thing to shave with. it is head heavy, which is something to be carefull of. it can be bought open and closed comb i got a closed comb as being better for a newbie. i have been using the derby extra blades at the moment (well one blade! so far) and i get a nice dfs to bbs without much effort. if you can shave with a cut-throat then you can use a DE.

i am glad that i started with the cut-throat. the DE just isn't as much fun, and it doesn't have the same cachet as the naked blade. i prefer to shave with the cut-throat, but i think it will be a weekend luxuriate shave from now on.

just my 2p

what ever, have fun
steve

There are several kinds of DE razors. Differences are in the way the leading edge of the razor. There are at least two different kinds of comb edges. In addition, some edges are paralell with the shaving stroke, some are slanted for a more aggressive shave.

I think that you would enjoy a DE for those "quickies".

Absotutely! GEt yourself a DE and keep it handy for those days you're pressed for time or need to travel. As someone else mentioned, once you have a good straight and DE combo, you'll never need a cart again. I have a single edge Gem razor I found in the house I moved into, an old Gillette DE from the 60's and a Merkur I got from a member here. All shave very well, but I'm partial to the Merkur right now.

Half the fun is trying blade/shaver combos until you find the one that's right for you, just like the cut-throats... right now, I think I like my sight-unseen plain-Jane razor better than the snazzy Allentown I got on ebay. I'm new and still learning how to shave, so who knows? Maybe when I get better, I'll like the Allentown more than the no-name one I'm using now...

Bottom line, for the price, you can afford to experiment with various different DE shavers and not break the bank. If you have a decent thrift store in your area, they are usually great palces to find old DE razors for under 5 bucks.

I'll be a straight razor shaver till the day I die, but have just added a 70's Gillette Super Adjustable to the stable, mainly out of admiration for the intricate mechanism on those old TTO razors. Can't hurt to try as far as I see it!

I have open comb gillettes, TTOs, three pieces, FatBoys and just bought a Muhle R41. The Muhle makes the open combs look like they use plastic blades, it is AGGRESSIVE. I wouldn't suggest it for your first razor, but man it is sweet. Go slow and light and I think you'll love DE shaving. I really like the old Gillettes, but the Muhle is a bad boy.

I started with DE shaving. I have have over 2 year experience with DE razors before I decided to switch to straights. Pros of DE shaving is that it gives closer shaves than Multiblade razors, provided you have enough experience. They are quicker than straight razors shaving and depending on how fast you can use them, might be faster than electric razors. On my little experience with straights I found straights give a much closer shave than DE razors, however, it takes much more experience to get good at straight razor shaving. In my short time using straight razors, I found that they are smoother than many DE razor blades.
That being said, DE razors are great for daily shaving and I use it for that purpose. However, I use straights on the weekends, days off from work and before special occasions such as a date.

I've been using a merkur 34c for over 20 years it's as good today as it was when new. I've just got a merkur futur which is also a very good shave and use this razor when time is at a premium. Still new to a SR and used this on days off or on a late shift or nights. Good DE you won't regret it