Thread: BAD BAD BAD Idea

My wife has always used my old Sensor Excel blades to shave her legs. When she refused to try one of my straights, I decided to get her a DE as was suggested here and on SMF. I bought a clean/steralized Gilette Adjustable off ebay for her.

Last Sunday I decided to give it a try, just for sh*ts and giggles

BAD BAD BAD Idea - I put in a fresh personna blade from mall-wart and the passes on my cheeks and neck felt smooth, but when I finished up, I was bleeding all over!

My skin still hasn't recovered completely yet.

That'l teach ya

Originally Posted by tombuesing

My wife has always used my old Sensor Excel blades to shave her legs. When she refused to try one of my straights, I decided to get her a DE as was suggested here and on SMF. I bought a clean/steralized Gilette Adjustable off ebay for her.

Last Sunday I decided to give it a try, just for sh*ts and giggles

BAD BAD BAD Idea - I put in a fresh personna blade from mall-wart and the passes on my cheeks and neck felt smooth, but when I finished up, I was bleeding all over!

My skin still hasn't recovered completely yet.

That's what you get for using a Wal-Mart blade.

-Tye

Personnas are ok, even the american made ones from wm. When shaving with a DE you have to let the weight of the razor do the work, without any pressure on your part. I've shaved with a DE (thanks Tony) and israeli Personna blades (thanks Ed) without any issues other than a straight shave being more satisfying hands down.

You can log that one now in the "Worst Shave" thread and everyone should reread all those bad shaves to know what mistakes not to make ... EVER.

X

I'm not surprised. I became reasonably competent with a DE before moving to straights. Nowadays, I might use a DE once a month if I'm running really late. Since the switch, my technique with the DE has gone down the drain. I don't nick myself too bad, but I really have to work to get a decent shave.

As they say, practice makes perfect - or in my case, just better.

Oh well, all the more reason to keep at it with the straight!!!

Jordan

I still use a DE on occasion as well, and I find that although I get great BBS shaves with them, I don't like the result as much. There is a thread over at SMF about how DE stubble feels pretty unpleasant compared to other razors, and I think this has something to do with it. I find I don't worry about BBS nearly as much when I shave with a straight, what little stubble is left after a pass or two generally feels softer and less sandpapery than it would if I had shaved with the DE.

It's not an uncommon experience for a str8 shaver. The two razors require different techniques and a DE must be treated more delicately. If you just jump into it this often happens.

I have my doubts about the stubble difference. In a controlled experiment where both blades are shaving sharp and are cutting the whiskers, not tearing them, there should be no difference. Your beard sees a sharp edge, not the blade you're using. I'm willing to bet that in blind tests where the beard is shaved by someone else you couldn't tell the difference.

The one thing I do notice between the two shaves is that the skin feels different after it settles down.

The wife doesn't see me shave - I keep my stuff in the second bathroom. She can tell what I've shaved with from the feel, and prefers the straight shaves.

My wife now only uses DE on her legs...she loves it...she is so proud of how smooth her legs are...she especially loves using proraso and my boar brush....and yet...she still thinks that shaving with straights is dumb lol...go figure!