Thread: The Mach Delivers ?!

I really want to start this post saying that I mean no disrespect, but I have to ask,Why are you posting this thread on a place called STRAIGHT RAZOR FOREM ? I'm sure all of the members here know that the cartridge razors work pretty well, but we use straights for various reasons, and I also use a Mach when I'm in a hurry, and it works well,but not as good as a well prepared shave with a straight,and I don't have to buy a cartridge...EVER. I was just wondering,I might be missing something, such as the people who say they have just discovered wet shaving,what exactly did they think we were using before
Electric razors were invented? That one question has me completely baffled, did they think they used sandpaper back then? As I said and I mean NO disrespect,but this is a place for users of straight razors, and also old fashioned DE,or SE razors, so whats the deal and more importantly,whats the point? What am I missing? The cartridge in my mach3 has at least thirty shaves on it and it still works fine,but when it doesn't I'm not going to run out and buy more,Ill just wait for another sample to come in the mail.
thanks
Griz

comparisons of cartridges to straights to de come up all the time on this forum, clearly it is the right place for personal impressions and understandings of the differences. no disrespect taken.

Originally Posted by groovyd

comparisons of cartridges to straights to de come up all the time on this forum, clearly it is the right place for personal impressions and understandings of the differences. no disrespect taken.

We do appreciate the discussion, but this subforum is specifically about shaving with a straight razor, which is outlined here. Obviously we keep a rather open interpretation of that and usually don't move posts unless we feel they'll get better visibility and responses in another forum (e.g. honing).

After nearly 100 posts this thread is starting to feel more like a cartridge SOTD than anything else, with a few straight shaves peppered in. Maybe continue with your experiment while posting your prep work in the pre-shave forum or provide your shave details in the weekly SOTD forum. When you've finished your experiment you can start a new thread here detailing how you find your straight shaves to be better, lesser, or equal to your cartridge ones.

What is important in this experiment is what has already shown itself; that the cartridge gives a considerably better shave and for far longer then I (and probably most) would have expected and that apparently some appreciate not really hearing about in between. Nuff said. I will keep the results to myself, anyone curious can ask me directly.

Couldn't it just be moved to the "General Razor/Shaving Related Discussion" instead?

That sounds like a better place for it anyway, I agree...

It started as just a thought and this seemed like the appropriate place for it and then became an experiment and I guess I never expected it to continue on to becoming an out of place nuisance for some. For me the experience of straight razor shaving is what lead to the curiosity in the first place and I had figured others might share a similar curiosity getting into straight razor shaving and appreciate the honest review. I thought the thing would be well shot after 4 shaves and I would have some simple conclusions to share but yeah over 10 shaves later and it is still going strong, could be another 20 like grizzley says and I can see how it would get old for people who feel the need to follow every thread posted to this branch of forum. Personally I ignore threads I have no interest in but I can appreciate their position that it no longer belongs.

Is commie an admin who can move it for me as alluded? I have trouble just uploading photos to the site, moving threads is far beyond my pay scale.

Originally Posted by groovyd

Is commie an admin who can move it for me as alluded? I have trouble just uploading photos to the site, moving threads is far beyond my pay scale.

Done, and nobody told me that there was a pay scale! Feel free to continue accordingly.

This threads been very interesting, I've had a similar experience tonight. Airport carry-on only, proper prep and a surprisingly good shave from a Mach 3.

I think the preps been a real lesson for me. I have a course beard, and only get 2 shaves out of a Mach if I'm willing to accept the pulling (grandfather shaved twice a day!). It made me realize I never gave cartridges a proper go (not that I'd go back to it regularly - wish I could find granddads cutthroat). While this is the same thing as a lot of people have said, it's also made me think about the passing of shaving knowledge from one generation to the next.

My father has only ever had an electric shaver, and when I got my first bit of bumfluff I tried to copy. Painful experiences, rash, etc so months later I decided to figure out cartridge shaving. It was a steep learning curve, and I still have bad habits. I don't know if it's just me, but most of my mates have said similar things ie the old man handed a cartridge and said 'go with the grain' and that's it. Are these 'package deals' resulting in knowledge only being kept in these communities? Did you guys get a guiding hand on how to use a cartridge the first time?

groovyd,

I figure since your thread's here in The Parlour, you should continue to post away as you have been. I think your findings on cartridges is every bit as valid as anything I might have to say here, anyway. There is a lot of discussion on reasons why people use a straight razor vs. cartridge and I think, like jdto's thread/blog on "The Straight Road", your information is insightful and useful.

Lynn has always said that whatever works for you is what you should do, and he pushes wet-shaving of all kinds. I can't speak for anyone but myself, but I think Lynn would certainly favor old safety razors over any new cartridge and again straights over safeties. I've seen Lynn's videos, and especially considering the videos out of the recent Chicago meet, it makes me think even more your comments on using wet shaving to improve the utility of an otherwise hated product, the cartridge razor, should be most welcome here, especially now that it has been moved to The Parlour.

In fact, I am ashamed for having made some of the cutting comments I made in the infamous closed thread.

--

Bob, I'm one of those fellas who was never taught how to shave. I suppose my father never saw the need in it. I think any teenaged boy should have guidance from his father in this area even with something as simple as a cartridge razor.

When I started out with the straight a couple months ago, for the first couple days I cleaned up after the straight with my cartridge, but using wet shaving techniques and understanding a little more about how hair direction affects the shave. I did much, much better than I ever had simply because of this.

Even so, after the first couple days I stopped using the cartridge altogether. For a long time there I had some really bad looking shaves, but I refused to clean up with the cartridge. I wanted that extra drive to get good with my straight. Every day, every day, it gets better and better.

-Mark

Originally Posted by bob

This threads been very interesting, I've had a similar experience tonight. Airport carry-on only, proper prep and a surprisingly good shave from a Mach 3.

I think the preps been a real lesson for me. I have a course beard, and only get 2 shaves out of a Mach if I'm willing to accept the pulling (grandfather shaved twice a day!). It made me realize I never gave cartridges a proper go (not that I'd go back to it regularly - wish I could find granddads cutthroat). While this is the same thing as a lot of people have said, it's also made me think about the passing of shaving knowledge from one generation to the next.

My father has only ever had an electric shaver, and when I got my first bit of bumfluff I tried to copy. Painful experiences, rash, etc so months later I decided to figure out cartridge shaving. It was a steep learning curve, and I still have bad habits. I don't know if it's just me, but most of my mates have said similar things ie the old man handed a cartridge and said 'go with the grain' and that's it. Are these 'package deals' resulting in knowledge only being kept in these communities? Did you guys get a guiding hand on how to use a cartridge the first time?

There's a picture of me with my dad, our faces coated in shaving cream. I think I'm about four years old. That was the extent of my shaving education. It was about twelve years before I had any fuzz to speak of, sixteen before I really needed to shave. By that time, any four year old's memories of "how to shave" were long gone.

I have a great relationship with my dad, but this is one area where I plan to make a big deal of teaching my boys to shave as a coming into manhood opportunity, and not leaving them to try and figure it out themselves.

Peace,
Jim