DE advice.

I have made the decision that a Straight is for me (Just waiting for the one I want to be back in stock.) My question is I have a busy life with 5 children, beautiful wife, job ect. I know there are going to be times where a quick shave is going to be necessary. Would you recommend a DE for those times? I am fed up with the plastic deposable crap! Also in my researching on Straights I think I have my wife almost talked into using one as well or would a DE be better for her legs.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks!

I don't have the greatest experience with DE's, in fact I've shaved with one only a handful of times, - but one of those were today. In the beginning, before you aquire the needed experience with a straight razor, it's not going to be very fast shaving. Perhaps a DE is a faster option on those days when time is of the essence. These days I can litterally shave in just a few minutes with a straight, if I so desire. What's more, I don't get half as smooth shaves with my DE as I do with my straight - but I'll chalk that down to limited technique :) Anyways, they are not expencive and might throw some extra fun in there. Oh. and I hear many ladies like them as well.

I use a DE whenever I am in a rush or tired. Bad things can happen when using a STR8 razor when tired or rushing. DE's are not hard to use or master and provide a nice shave.
I know this may be heresy to say on SRP but having a multi blade around for emergencies or a quickie shave is a good idea as well.

Good Luck and enjoy.

I have been thinking about getting a DE just to have one and compare how it shaves. I would say go for it, anything is better than disposable.

I learned a hell of alot with my DE years before I ever tried a straight. If I have times where I need to be quicker (but don't be fooled - you can still move too fast with a DE) I turn to my DE. The alternative is to stick with only one straight pass. But dang, I find it SO hard to stop after one pass.

If wet shaving is new to you, I would actually recommend you learn a DE before trying a straight. Again, you learn about making a lather, your hair growth, post-shave, etc without worrying too much about the finesse of a straight. My two cents anyway.

I keep a few DE's handy for those busy days or just feel like a change.

I also got the wife using a Merkur Futur instead of the disposable crap. She loves and will never go back. Adjustable was good for her because I wasn't about to have her trying multiple DE's to find the right one lol. I knew I only had one shot.

Finding a DE and blade combination can take a fair amount of trial and error. That said, I would get a Merkur open comb or Progress. The open comb heads are all the same, so get the one you like. The Progress is adjustable and is a great starter razor as it can be dialed down to start with and opened up as your technique improves. Both razors are efficient for all but the toughest beard problems. As for blades, get a sample pack and see what works for you. Once you get the technique down, you can get a very good shave in one pass. Two or more passes for a BBS. The prep and cleanup are faster with a DE, but you still have to take enough time to use good technique, i.e. no pressure, correct head angle. I don't see a DE as a straight replacement, but another tool in your shaving kit. I really enjoy my DE shaves as much as my straights.

Any particular brand of blades you all recomend?

Thanks! Looks like my page did not refresh fast enough.

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Originally Posted by seawolfcc

Any particular brand of blades you all recomend?

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It's all personal preference, combined with what a particular razor likes. Your best bet is to buy a sampler pack.

My favs include Feather, Crystal/Personna, Astra and Gillette Bleu.

If you don't want to go through a sample pack, I can recommend the Gillette 7o'clock series as a decent place to start. But a good blade sample pack is worth the effort. Also, you'll want to try new or improved blades as they come out. I rely on Feather, but have recently tried PolSilver SI blades and am very impressed. It's all part of the fun. :gl:

Thanks Ryan!

A DE is a great thing to have and shave with. i am sure your wife will be less intimidated with it to shave her legs. They work very well for that.
i can attest to how great of a shave you get once you perfect your technique, find the one that suits you along with great blades.
As for blades, that is going to be a personal choice, but the Astra Super Platinum are a commonly good one to try. Personally, i think the Super Iridiums are the best.
Good luck and don't get discouraged as it takes time to get your technique down and finding the DE for you. If you are interested, i would highly suggest starting with a Mekur Progress as it is an adjustable DE razor and you can set it to whichever setting you want to make it more aggressive or milder. Good luck.