That's Crazy...I can't shave with a DE

For all the years I've been shaving with a straight razor, I use both hands, left hand for left side, right hand for right side, never been a problem.

Tonight for giggles I pick up a DE and decide to give it a try, been awhile since I used one.

For the love of all that is shaving, I could not shave with a DE using both hands...I literally poked myself in the eye!! :rofl2:

I had to stick to my right hand to do the entire shave. Never had to do that before.

Thought I'd share, as I was laughing my azzz off while shaving....expert straight razor shaver, a failure with a Bic!!

My left hand is pretty much a balance point. I don't even like to turn wrenches, screwdrivers etc with it. I've tried to use two hands with a straight and it's useless. I figured out how to get good shaves with only my right hand but the technique is a bit different.

I think that what happened when you went to use the DE is that the razor Gods took control of your body to teach you a lesson---:w

I always cut myself when i use a DE.

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Originally Posted by cudarunner

I think that what happened when you went to use the DE is that the razor Gods took control of your body to teach you a lesson---:w

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They are, after all, cruel, unforgiving, and vindictive Gods.
:rofl2:

I am like Phrank
Two hands with a straight
One hand with a DE

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Originally Posted by Cangooner

They are, after all, cruel, unforgiving, and vindictive Gods.
:rofl2:

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You forgot--Blood Thirsty:tameshigiri:

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Originally Posted by tintin

I always cut myself when i use a DE.

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Really, that Merkur poked me in the ferkin' eye....at least it didn't cut me....at least I can't see that it did. :-)

I need BobH down here stat for an intervention.....

I feel like I'm being lazy, when I use a DE. Only brake it out once a year, on my Dads birthday. ( it was his )

So long as I remember to. :angel:

I used to take a DE on my summer rides on the Harley along with a small brush and cup of soap but I found a nice small vintage strop and a friend (Leadmeknot) sent me a razor she found in Belgium that I like the way it shaves so I take that along.

Since I retired I usually shave every other day or so/unless something special is happening. Call me lazy--

Since being put on Blood thinners I've been relegated to a DE for the past year and a half. I should be off parole and back to straights in 6 months or so. But to tell you the truth the newest crop of DEs shave almost as good as a straight.

Oh, and I use both hands with a DE. Maybe because I'm a southpaw.

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Originally Posted by Phrank

I need BobH down here stat for an intervention.....

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You rang?

Shaved all my life with a DE in my right hand and still do. It works why change? I use both hands with a straight razor though.

A good aggressive DE/SE gives me about as good a shave as a straight razor in slightly less time to do 4 passes. Personally, I can't

understand people having trouble shaving with a DE/SE. :shrug:

Bob

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Originally Posted by BobH

You rang?

Shaved all my life with a DE in my right hand and still do. It works why change? I use both hands with a straight razor though.

A good aggressive DE/SE gives me about as good a shave as a straight razor in slightly less time to do 4 passes. Personally, I can't

understand people having trouble shaving with a DE/SE. :shrug:

Bob

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Thank-you Bob, so darnit, I'm doing fine with my right hand only (my early teenage years agree)!! :)

Makes me wonder was I ever using two hands for the DE, maybe it was just cross pollination or something.

I did a one pass, needed a quick shave, but not too bad with the DE, sheesh, even face lathered this time and used cold water, that was going back a few years.

Next shave think I'll grab a straight again, but try a nice cold shave (forgot how nice and refreshing they are) and face lather again.

Thanks for setting me straight....:chapeau

Those DE razors scare the pants off of me. I’ve cut myself good several times too. I will stick with the straights. SE razors are fine, they shave well, I especially like the Henckels Rapide wedge style, but even those rarely come out to play.

I shaved with a Gillette Slim and Fat Boy with one hand for over 50 years, until I discovered the joy of using a straight about six years ago. I learned to shave with a DE from the hours of watching my father and grandfather shave as a young boy, and now wish they had shaved with a straight. The instructional videos that I watched of ugly men shaving with a straight emphasized the use of both hands, so that is how I've always done it. Call it muscle memory or the way my stubborn brain works, I could never comfortably shave with a DE with both hands nor a straight with one hand.

I have been shaving with a DE for more than 18 months, with only the occasional SR shave, I have cut myself more with a DE than I ever have with a SR (although more shallowly) :shrug:

1. I use the straight exclusively when home. Two hands.
2. I use my DE exclusively when traveling, as I am now. I travel 1-2 weeks a year. I don't like traveling...
3. I trained myself to use the DE with two hands before I started the straight.
4. I have no troubles at all with the straight but I do feel a little awkward with the DE in my left hand since I get so little practice.
5. DE shaves are faster but not as long lasting as the straight shave.

I shaved with a trap door DE for years and years. I still do occasionally if I'm in a real hurry. That's what my father used predominantly. Call me sentimental. I only use my right hand to shave with. It's funny because I'm cross coordinated. I'm left eyed right-handed and left footed. this means I'm partially ambidextrous. I sometimes catch myself eating with my left hand. I throw a frisbee and flick a bottle cap with my left hand. I can shoot with either hand. Sometimes I surf goofy foot sometimes I surf regular foot. It depends on which direction I'm going. But for some reason I've always shaved only with my right hand. I don't know why but I don't seem to cut myself as badly with a straight as with a DE. Sometimes if the knob wiggles loose I'll deli slice myself with the DE.
I too noticed that the shave of the DE doesn't last as long but I also noticed that a straight shave feels different when the stubble comes out. I want to say smoother or less jagged. I don't know how to describe it but it does feel different.

Any razor deserves respect. If you don't give it the respect it needs it will bite you.

The worst I have experienced is the first time I tried a Rolls.

You could have played poka dot on my face and neck..................LOL

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Originally Posted by 32t

Any razor deserves respect. If you don't give it the respect it needs it will bite you.

The worst I have experienced is the first time I tried a Rolls.

You could have played poka dot on my face and neck..................LOL

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I know I've told this story here before but my dad had a JA Hinckels twinworks straight when I was a kid. I still have it today. RIP dad. anyway when I was about 14-15 years old and had just begun to shave I decided one Saturday night I was going to shave with it. I thought it went pretty well that night but the next day on Sunday morning we went to church and the youth leader looked at me and said, "did you get attacked by a cat?" I had all these tiny nicks on my face that didn't even show up the night before but they were literally all over my face.

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Originally Posted by 32t

Any razor deserves respect. If you don't give it the respect it needs it will bite you.

The worst I have experienced is the first time I tried a Rolls.

You could have played poka dot on my face and neck..................LOL

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I think that might be part of the problem for shavers who predominantly use a straight razor and only occasionally use a DE. They don't treat the DE with the respect it deserves viewing it as a lesser form of razor.

Bob

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Originally Posted by tintin

I always cut myself when i use a DE.

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OMG YES. I thought i was the only one. Not that i'm an expert on straights, but I can get the job done quick enough these days, WITHOUT any nicks...but DE, nope! I've bled more from DEs than I ever have from straights tbh.

MY theory is that: Straight razors are more immediately and more obviously dangerous so we'd tend to be instinctively much more careful. Maybe with a DE, since it's not very obvious that it's sharp just by looking at it a lot of times perhaps there's a small part of us that lets our guard down?

I have no problem handling a DE, but I never get a shave I truly enjoy from it as with a SR. The first (two) shaves I do enjoy, but after that, my skin curses.

Something about the modern type of blades for DE razors, they're not my jam. Too think for my taste, the edge on them are also much different compared with a SR.
DE blades shave really well, I just like a different kind of edge.

I enjoy them when in a hurry or just being lazy and not wanting to strop and shave with a SR, but for daily shaving I can't do it.


I do really like the med preps

Never had a decent shave with a DE. No close shaves without shave irritation.

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Originally Posted by BobH

I think that might be part of the problem for shavers who predominantly use a straight razor and only occasionally use a DE. They don't treat the DE with the respect it deserves viewing it as a lesser form of razor.

Bob

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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
What BobH said! The more I use it, the better I get, but I don't get as close (based on next day growth) as I do with a SR.

When I first started shaving I used my dad's DE. It was a non adjustable one and I don't remember any more damage than a small nick here and there.

Well I was staying at my dad's sister's place for a week and I was going on a date and wanted to shave. I asked my uncle if I could use his DE and he said sure.

The first pass I cut the ever loving crap out of myself! He had a septic pencil and I got the bleeding stopped. Next pass same thing! I called out for him to come to the bathroom. He saw what had happened and he helped me stop the bleeding, THEN he reset his adjustable from 9 to 1 and had me try again. Much-much better.

Once I got back home my dad laughed his ass off at me!

Dad went to the single blade injector and I used his DE, when he went to an electric I gave it a go and my face was torn to shreds. Back to the DE.

I did end up using Bics and the twin blades but since starting using a straight razor not only have my shaves been CCC (Clean Close & Comfortable) but I haven't had an ingrown hair since I picked up straight razor shaving.

dull (well-used) DE blades are like dull knives....more injuries than from sharp blades/knives.

There is quite a difference between experiences using the same DE and different blades. Some feel to me like paint scrapers, some almost like a well honed SR.

I pick my blade and DE razor and keep track of my # of shaves. I can feel when a good DE blade is beginning to lose its edge and I "retire it".

To get a close comfortable shave with a Gillette adjustable set @ 9 takes close to as much patience, practice and skill as shaving with a straight razor. If you are in a rush for a quick shave better not use it @9.

Bob

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Originally Posted by BobH

To get a close comfortable shave with a Gillette adjustable set @ 9 takes close to as much patience, practice and skill as shaving with a straight razor. If you are in a rush for a quick shave better not use it @9.

Bob

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NOW YOU TELL ME!!! 50-55 years too late!:gaah:

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Originally Posted by Haroldg48

dull (well-used) DE blades are like dull knives....more injuries than from sharp blades/knives.

There is quite a difference between experiences using the same DE and different blades. Some feel to me like paint scrapers, some almost like a well honed SR.

I pick my blade and DE razor and keep track of my # of shaves. I can feel when a good DE blade is beginning to lose its edge and I "retire it".

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You mean you don't strop your DE blades?:rofl2: Believe it or not I actually did that a while back. It had been a long time since I used it but it was a pretty new blade. Don't know if it actually helped or not.:shrug:

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Originally Posted by Kees

Never had a decent shave with a DE. No close shaves without shave irritation.

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I am in touch with that. It always gives me rash. The only time I get a rash with a SR is when I bring it on myself by plowing through with one that's not sharp instead of taking the time to choose and strip a different one.

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Originally Posted by PaulFLUS

You mean you don't strop your DE blades?:rofl2: Believe it or not I actually did that a while back. It had been a long time since I used it but it was a pretty new blade. Don't know if it actually helped or not.:shrug:

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Yes, stropping DE blades on the inside of a glass was common in the dirty 30s Depression. I have a green glass Lillicrap's Hone for DE blades, no I couldn't make that name up, from the UK made pre WWII. Couldn't say if that worked or not.

Bob

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Originally Posted by BobH

Yes, stropping DE blades on the inside of a glass was common in the dirty 30s Depression. I have a green glass Lillicrap's Hone for DE blades, no I couldn't make that name up, from the UK made pre WWII. Couldn't say if that worked or not.

Bob

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Anything like this?
Attachment 311383

DE stropping tools might be a good thread. Lots of versions to win over from the straight users.

Many of them tried to imitate the straight style.