Thread: The Mach Delivers ?!

My sons bought me the vibrating Mach 3 or 4 and it works fine,the thing that puzzles me is that although it give a very smooth shave when the cartrages are sharp, they dont last as long as a shave from a straight,just my observation,but I prefer the straight,and use the mach as a quick clean up razor once in a while.JMHO

I never doubted that I could get a smooth shave with a cartridge. That is only because I learned proper technique using a straight. As to the cost, this may be a factor for some but being the compulsive sort of personality I am I shudder to think how much money I have spent on straights and all the paraphernalia.

The reason I use a straight was illustrated for me this AM. I was running late and was really pressed for time. I keep a fusion around for occasional touchups and for those mornings like this. I used it with my brush and soap, making my two passes. Checked my face and it was acceptable. Used my post shave balm and after-shave and was on my way. I felt totally flat and unprepared for the day. My shave, which is usually the high point of the morning had quickly faded to a barely remembered chore.

When I shave with a straight the immediate after effects are an uplift and brightness that carries me into whatever the morning holds. My morning shave is almost always the high point of my day emotionaly. I have thought about this and I am convinced that, at least for me, the twenty minutes of focussed attention that straight razor shaving affords me each morning orients my day in a positive direction.

If the goal is to remove the hair on your face then the quickest and cheapest method is preferable. I guess you could defoliate your face and be done with it once and for all. If your goal is to prepare yourself for the day then a more in depth ritual is demanded. In my case one that demands focus with the occasional offering of blood if that focus is lacking.

This morning was my third shave with the cartridge and besides swapping out Nancy Boy signature cream with their cucumber variety the shave was in all aspects identical to the second with only marginally more irritation. I would say I am half way to the irritation I get from a straight. Still BBS after a pass and a half (even though I am forcing myself to do 3 to compare on level) but with a slight sting of the alum. No question the shave is no where near as fun and ambiant-setting as a str8 but the prep and products are still there. It is nice but doesn't make me look forward to it. The quality is better then my skill level with the str8. Should be interesting to see after how many shaves the robotic 'quality' scales tip in str8's favor.

Next week my soap changes to MWF with TOBS lavender and avocado creams. The brush changes to a simson rover supertip. After shave changes to Thayers Original followed by Castle Forbes Lime Balm.

Originally Posted by groovyd

This morning was my third shave with the cartridge and besides swapping out Nancy Boy signature cream with their cucumber variety the shave was in all aspects identical to the second with only marginally more irritation. I would say I am half way to the irritation I get from a straight. Still BBS after a pass and a half (even though I am forcing myself to do 3 to compare on level) but with a slight sting of the alum. No question the shave is no where near as fun and ambiant-setting as a str8 but the prep and products are still there. It is nice but doesn't make me look forward to it. The quality is better then my skill level with the str8. Should be interesting to see after how many shaves the robotic 'quality' scales tip in str8's favor.

Next week my soap changes to MWF with TOBS lavender and avocado creams. The brush changes to a simson rover supertip. After shave changes to Thayers Original followed by Castle Forbes Lime Balm.

HUH???????

Groovy,

Why not use a DE safety?

When I'm in a rush, I go with my Merkur or Edwin Jagger safety razor. Both are a pleasure to use and the replacement blades are a fraction of the cost of the cartridge versions. A DE still takes a bit more skill to use, but feels way better (my experience anyway).

I can't see changing to anything other than a straight razor, but a DE and a few Feather blades will always have a place in my kit.

Originally Posted by Nix

Groovy,

Why not use a DE safety?

When I'm in a rush, I go with my Merkur or Edwin Jagger safety razor. Both are a pleasure to use and the replacement blades are a fraction of the cost of the cartridge versions. A DE still takes a bit more skill to use, but feels way better (my experience anyway).

I can't see changing to anything other than a straight razor, but a DE and a few Feather blades will always have a place in my kit.

I do use a DE. I have a few of them and they are all great. For me this is really just an honest experiment now that I have some experience in both str8 and DE shaving to see really just how does the old Mach compare. And I am at an appropriate point in my abilities (can shave a str8 BBS consistently without cutting myself, can hone, strop, select soaps, make an uberlather, concentrate on prep...) that making this comparison seems just. Not to say I am not still very much a beginner in the world of wet shaving but at a point where I think it is fair to make a comparison.

It would be interesting to do this experiment again maybe even once a year just to see how it changes as my skills improve.

Sorry guys, but I am an engineer. Establishing trials and over analyzing things is kind of like a hobby for me.

Oh, I'd say that we all have one or two of them in the bathroom. Ever once and I while in the shower I'll feel some hair on the back of my neck or on the side by my ear . What am I going to do? The self-contain 5 blade Mach whatever, that just been sitting there in shower rack, comes out and they're gone. No mirror, no lather, no thinking.
Horse for courses!

Originally Posted by groovyd

Sorry guys, but I am an engineer. Establishing trials and over analyzing things is kind of like a hobby for me.

Hey, no need to apologize for expanding the realm of human understanding...not on my part.

But, would you say one guy using a Mach 3 after using a straight for a while really constitutes a reliable trial? I worked for a while testing soil density using a piece of rebar as a test probe--measured the density and compactness of soil for foundations by pressing the rebar into the excavated foundation. So I can understand that some tests may be...ahh...rudimentary, but still useful. (At one point I was costing a sub-contractor some serious coin; I kept making them excavate more and more soil at a dodgy building site, and that meant more rebar & concrete to fill the growing holes. You don't know how much a man can hate you 'til you start him bleeding greenbacks.)

Are you recording any data for further analysis? Never saw an engineer that didn't record data.

Sounds like you are having fun regardless.

recording the data here...

my 4th shave was monday and it was less then comfortable. the blade is pulling and within a day i had my first ingrown hair in a long time. the irritation could very well have been partly from the change to MWF soap with a dose of sandalwood skin food in it. i have noticed irritation with that combination in the past and will switch back to the proraso lineup for my next shave to verify it is indeed the end of the cartridge life.

bottom line is 4 3-pass shaves looks like about the expected life of a mach pro-glide on my face. any more irritation and i would say it is time to throw it away for a new.

have been on an unexpected business trip since my shave on monday and have built up quite some stubble for what appears to be my final cartridge shave tonight.

Originally Posted by Nix

Groovy,

Why not use a DE safety?

When I'm in a rush, I go with my Merkur or Edwin Jagger safety razor. Both are a pleasure to use and the replacement blades are a fraction of the cost of the cartridge versions. A DE still takes a bit more skill to use, but feels way better (my experience anyway).

I can't see changing to anything other than a straight razor, but a DE and a few Feather blades will always have a place in my kit.

I find the closest shaves I've ever gotten are with a DE.