Should I also buy a DE?

I'm new to straight shaving, and I've never used a safety razor either. I'm definitely in the stage where I have to use something else to "clean up" after using my straight, and I've been using my old multi-blade razor. Since I'm sure I will be using something for clean up for a while, should I go ahead and by a DE or SE? I'm sure that I will be interested in trying safety razors in the future anyway, perhaps when I'm short on time or taking a quick trip out of town. My only concern is the fact that I've never used one, and I'm not sure I should add any variables as I learn to use a straight razor- I certainly wouldn't want to hinder/lengthen this process!

Opinions? :hmmm:

I know exactly where you are at! I was debating the exact same thing earlier this week!

Here is what I decided to do (just my opinion, that I got to with some help from other members), I orded a DE, brush, soap, and blades to start for a few reasons:

1. I did not have a ton of money to get a full Straight Razor setup like I wanted.
2. I wanted to practice my face prep before I took a Straight to it.
And 3. I ran out of my Mach 3 blades, and did not want to buy more crap that was going to tare up my face!

Now you can go directly to the straight (a lot of people on the forum have) and have no trouble at all. But when all is said and done it mainly comes down to personal preference, and what you are most comfortable with.

I hope this helps you!

Thanks! I actually have already bought the str8 setup and am beginning to learn how to use it. Something you said, probably in passing, about running out of Mach 3 blades may be my real answer. I should probably wait until I run out of blades on my old one, which hopefully will be a while as I get better with the str8 and use the other less and less, before getting serious about buying a DE. Good advice!

Thirty shaves is typically about all it takes for someone to get the hang of using a straight. I've been using a straight for a while & when I'm in a hurry I will use a DE as if you rush a straight it will let you know they don't like to be rushed and you have to break out the styptic pencil. So, should you buy a DE? That's just a personal choice as they too need some "learning". I would actually recommend learning the straight first & use your disposable to clean up. Then, once you feel comfortable with the straight, by all means learn to use a DE...but it's just a preference thing, you don't have to have one, but if you want one...you need one.

When I began shaving, back in the 1960s, the DE was the dominant tool with single edge injectors, like the Schick also available. The disposables had not yet come along. Twin blade Gillette 'good news' were what I shaved with the majority of my life, until I returned to the DE in '2006 and began with the straight in '07. Now I shave almost exclusively with the straight razor but have a few DEs if I am in a hurry.

I've never in my life shaved with the cartridge razor so I can't speak to that , but if you are into 'old' stuff the DE is a great shaving method and can become a hobby in itself. A vintage Gillette or a current production , such as the Merkur or Muhle , among many others, is what I would recommend. Also get a blade sampler pack to determine which blade works best for you. It is surprising how many people like one blade as opposed to another. They don't all work the same for everyone. :gl:

I got an Edwin Jagger de87 to save some time. A lot of people seem to like it and for $35 you can't go wrong.

I had started with DE for my first several years of wet shaving, and just this spring made the jump to straight. I love having the DE still around for clean up because it's a lot safer than the straight in the tougher areas, but still gives me that feedback of knowing the right angle to be dragging a single exposed blade across my face. It's hard to explain, but it helps me get a feel for the proper blade angle and how it's supposed to feel on my face (as opposed to getting used to getting a feel for how to hold a particular razor).

+1 on the previous advice.

As for me, I actually began shaving with a DE razor--after transitioning from a multi-blade razor--before moving to a straight razor.

When I'm in a hurry, I will usually opt for my DE rather than my straight razor. There are lots of affordable, excellent quality DE's out there--Merkur, Edwin Jagger, etc. I purchased a Merkur Progress (adjustable) razor for my son several years ago. He loves it.

You can also pick up a nice vintage Gillette DE razor on ebay.

I hope that this helps.

The blades for a DE also cost a lot less than multi=blade replacement cartridges.

Personally I think it is a smoother transition from DE to Straight than to start from square one with a cutthroat.
I purchased a Merkur Progress Adjustable Safety Razor which I love but it does have a definite learning curve.
I'm sure this will save me some nicks and facial damage in my next stage of progression. :rock:

If you only have one straight, a DE would be a good idea if you have to send the straight out to get honed. It's nice to have a fallback that isn't a cartridge.

I'm still fairly new to straight shaving and that's what I did. Bought a Muhle for touchups and when in a hurry. There's just some places on and under my chin I still can't get close enough. I love using the DE too! Got it with a blade sampler pack. It's easy to learn after using a straight razor as the "use little or no pressure" is already ingrained in your head. I can also go ATG easier with the DE if I want to.

I'd get one. I use a DE from tiem to time, and being manouverable it means I can get 100% ATG on each hair. I wouldn't use it to clean up after a straight shave, though. I'd persist with the straight and use that annoying feeling of some stubble as a means to FORCE you to try and get it right, but that's just me!

Good point about maneuverability. With the DE it's far easier to get around my moustache! I always worry that I'll chop half of it off with the heel of my straight haha

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MBR1965

I'm new to straight shaving, and I've never used a safety razor either. I'm definitely in the stage where I have to use something else to "clean up" after using my straight, and I've been using my old multi-blade razor. Since I'm sure I will be using something for clean up for a while, should I go ahead and by a DE or SE? I'm sure that I will be interested in trying safety razors in the future anyway, perhaps when I'm short on time or taking a quick trip out of town. My only concern is the fact that I've never used one, and I'm not sure I should add any variables as I learn to use a straight razor- I certainly wouldn't want to hinder/lengthen this process!

---

FWIW, I would not invest in any DE or SE safety razors at this time. Instead, I would keep using my multi-blade razor for cleanups and, when my stock of replacement blade cartridges runs-out, I'd re-evaluate my need (if any) for post-shave cleanup -- at that time, I could decide that my straight-razor skills were sufficiently developed and there was no longer any need for "cleanups"; or, I could decide to invest in a DE or SE safety razor, "just because"; or, I could go to Costco and buy a jimongous bag of BIC disposables.

My philosophy is to use-up what I've got; I've learned that, whatever the product, it invariably lasts far longer than I thought it would. There's an old Russian saying: "How many drops remain in an empty vodka bottle? Exactly 21."

Smooth shaving!

I respectfully disagree about the disposables/multiblade razors, but let me give you my reasoning as to why.

While I was learning to hone, I had to fallback on my multiblade. I got such awful irritation on my face. Everything from Gillette mach3's to the bic equivalent multiblade disposable cartridge...same irritation. At first I thought it was because of my st james TOBS, but it was actually the razors. Even my straight on a bad day didn't feel like that.
When you weigh the cost of new cartridges ($15-$18 for 4 mach3 carts) to new DE blades (I can get 25 astras on ebay for under $7, and those are awesome blades) in addition to the fact that you'll have the DE razor itself long enough to pass down to the next generation...it's no contest (to me anyway).

Long before I got my DE, I thought about getting one just for the heck of it and was looking at pretty much the cheapest ones you can find on eBay. After reading up more on SRP, I abandoned the idea because I didn't want to put the money into something I was only curious about (and wasn't sure if I would like), and I didn't want to waste my money on the eBay junk only to have something just slice up my face. It's wasn't until recently that I seriously considered it (see the above reason :P ). I wanted something that would be smooth, irritation free, and get the job done. That's what really led ME to these razors. I can tell you that my Edwin Jagger is everything that I need it to be, and that this point I see $35 as a steal!I also happen to enjoy using it!

It comes down to what YOU WANT. Like anything to do with wet shaving, it's all personal preference. :)

I have to second everything kwlfca said; only difference being I use gillette DE razors & feather blades.
I use a shavette on my face when time permits & a DE when short on time but always a DE on my scalp.

I haven't used feathers yet, I have some though. I'm like the Iridiums a LOT so far! Astra platinums are nice but the Iridiums seem to blow them out of the water!

I was using a DE for years until I decided to try the straight. I have never gone back for the past 9 mo. So I think it's a fun thing to have around but in my case, I don't see using anything but a straight razor again.

Do what you enjoy- Everyone has offered good advice based on their own journey. I've been straight shaving for 1 year this month. I started with a Dovo shavette, then switched for a few months to the Feather Artist Club SS Japanese style with Pro blades with a DE as cleanup. Then began using only the Feather Straight which taught me to use a very light touch. Now for the last 6 months, I've transitioned to using only tradional straights which opened the door to trying new and vintage razors with different grinds.

My several quality DE's with custom handles sit staring at me. The straights are now more fun. I've learned how to do the WTG & XTG passes but am still practicing the ATG pass which I really need.
I don't have a time rush problem so I can do whatever I feel like doing.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JBHoren

. . . or, I could go to Costco and buy a jimongous bag of BIC disposables.

. . .

---

I'm used to shaving with a DE (an Edwin Jagger DE89, usually with Feather blade) and recently tried a disposable.

. . . . What a lousy shave !!! The edge just wasn't sharp!

I'd recommend getting the DE. You might be surprised by how nice it feels.

. Charles

I've used a double edge long before a straight so in a way I can't answer the question. But I still use it once a week for my haircut day and on one pesky mole on above my lip that I sliced the top off with a straight the first time I went over it and since then have been too wimpy to try again. Slicing moles has a very different feeling than slicing your face, not to mention the blood....whoa. I also use a double edge to cut the hair in the back of my neck that wraps around. I probably could do this with a straight but haven't tried yet......you know, I think I will next time....using a mirror, backward, off hand....someone must be doing it. Just thinking that there is a generation on the forum that did not see their fathers using a double edge. Funny though, he still had a strop....not used for a straight razor as he no longer used one but used for ass whippings....sorry, digressing a little. Get a double edge, they are beautiful little tools.

I use the straights every morning but if I am going out in the evening and usually in a hurry the safety gets to come out and play.
Ben

If you decide to try a DE (or SE for that matter) do not use it like a cartridge razor!

All non-cartridge razors have one thing in common, they shave with a very sharp single blade. They all have to be respected and the appropriate technique learned. The key to any single blade shaving system is angle and pressure. Straights are difficult because the correct angle is tricky to learn and must be maintained by the user. SE and DE razors vary in the head design so you have to find the correct angle for each razor, but once you have it the head will maintain it for you. The second and in my mind most important skill is to learn to use no pressure at all when you shave. The blade should lightly and smoothly glide over the surface of the skin. If you press the blade against the skin to get a closer shave as with cartridges, you will cut yourself and remove the top layers of skin (razor burn). Using pressure is always a mistake. Don't do it. That is the hardest thing to learn when you switch to any form of single edge wet shaving. Good luck.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JBHoren

FWIW, I would not invest in any DE or SE safety razors at this time. Instead, I would keep using my multi-blade razor for cleanups and, when my stock of replacement blade cartridges runs-out, I'd re-evaluate my need (if any) for post-shave cleanup -- at that time, I could decide that my straight-razor skills were sufficiently developed and there was no longer any need for "cleanups"; or, I could decide to invest in a DE or SE safety razor, "just because"; or, I could go to Costco and buy a jimongous bag of BIC disposables.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cpcohen1945

I'm used to shaving with a DE (an Edwin Jagger DE89, usually with Feather blade) and recently tried a disposable.

. . . . What a lousy shave !!! The edge just wasn't sharp!

I'd recommend getting the DE. You might be surprised by how nice it feels.

---

---

The OP asked for opinions re: should he also buy a DE razor for "clean-ups"? He's a "newbie" -- he regularly shaves with a straight razor, but it's early days, and his technique continues to develop; after he's done all he can do with a straight razor, he realizes there is room for improvement. In other words, he's looking for an FWB, not an LTR. I figured that by the time he finishes a ten-pack of BIC disposables, he won't need to buy another one. In fact, for his money, I'd rather he "cleaned-up" with a not-nice-feeling disposable razor -- one more reason to refine and improve his straight-razor technique. Anyway, that's how it worked for me; although, to be honest, I do keep a BIC disposable ten-pack under the sink... for shaving down there. :cool:

Thanks to everyone for all the posts and great advice! FWIW, I think I agree with JBHoren, though clearly to each his own (with this and so many other things in this art). Part of my rationale is that I'm a teacher and, for the next month or so, am still off for the summer. This allows me a lot of time to persist with my straight shaving technique. Also, I'm already starting to feel the RAD itch, and I think DE's would add a whole new level.

By the time school starts back and I have to start working the straight into a more strict morning routine, I should be in a place to better evaluate my need for "clean-up" as well as having a better idea of my average shave time with improved technique. For now, I'll continue to press on and use up my remaining cartridges on clean-up.

Things are going well with the str8, btw, getting better with every shave and having a blast. I'm sure that I will want to try the DE's (esp. as my RAD progresses), but I think I'll wait a little while. Thanks again for all the great advice!

I used DEs before straights, and spent a lot of money on them. I could have saved money had I went directly to straights. Not that I don't love my DEs because I do...even more than straights. Just thought I'd mention the cost factor. You can keep your current razor for backup while you learn the straight. DEs have their own learning curve, and I wouldn't advise trying to learn straight shaving and DE shaving at the same time. Good luck.

DE razors are cool, i still buy them if the price is right. If you are progressing from a DE to a straight, a good idea is to use both hands with the DE. I used them for a tidy up when i started, no shame in that.

I'm new to SE shaving as well. I started using a DE about a month before diving in to SE. I personally love the shave I get from my DE. I use it for cleaning up after my SE. I also have been using it when I don't have time to use my straight edge. I'm using a Merkur 34HD. I found it being suggested for beginners because it's not too aggressive. As far as the learning curve goes, I almost feel there was little to none. Just make sure your not using any pressure like you with your cartridge and your good to go. Also, make sure you grab a sampler pack of blades. Different skins require different blades. Good luck!