Thread: The Mach Delivers ?!

Originally Posted by KrazieSj

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

me too i love my DE and will be back to str8 WTG XTG de ATG as soon as this damn cartridge expires. should be soon.

edited: ...not so fast on discounting the cartridge, see below...

The 5th shave was a complete reversal on Monday's poor shave. I switched back to Proraso soap and the 4 days of growth was taken off with almost no irritation this time, a much friendlier shave then the last and making me suspicious of the MWF or more likely the added trumpers sandalwood skin food. Thinking back on all my shaves that included the skin food as either a soap augmentor or a post shave balm I am starting to believe that might be the culprit. I have have some very good shaves with MWF even though most have had some minor irritation after the 3rd pass but the skin food has always given me trouble.

So it looks like the cartridge lives on to see shave #6 and I will continue to use the proraso soap to keep things all but equal for comparison. Perhaps the 4 days of growth rather then the standard 2 is also something that has increased the quality of the shave.

In conclusion a very nice smooth shave with only a minor sting from the alum in a couple spots.

6th shave same as 5th, very smooth and with only slight sting of the alum. It looks like the cartridge might last awhile as it does not seem to be getting any worse. Apparently the irritation of the 4th shave was entirely to do with the MWF + Trumper's sandalwood skin food combo. The Proraso for sensitive skin with green tea and aloe is really scoring marks across the board. I am actually very suprised that after 6 3 pass shaves the cartridge is still shaving practically irritation free.

Hope I can remember how to str8 shave once this episode is through. I have had more then enough time to fine up all my razors and have even started working on a bag full of ebay restores: 3 18xx's W&B, a Joseph Rogers, a Pipe, a ShurEdge, a Turner, and a Plas.

On a side note I have recently found some really great micro-fiber towels that are perfect for the pre-shave face soak...

Spa at Newport Ultra-Microfiber Fantasy Facial Washcloths 7 pack. Made in Korea. - Microfiber Waffle Weave Wash Cloth with Satin Edge 11" x 11"

Get a stack of the white and simply folding them in half they are the perfect size, super soft, hold lots of water, and clean and dry easily.

This seems really silly when I actually type it out, but even if I got a better shave out of a cartridge razor, I'd still use a straight or double edge. It just makes shaving so much more enjoyable!

Originally Posted by conroygc

This seems really silly when I actually type it out, but even if I got a better shave out of a cartridge razor, I'd still use a straight or double edge. It just makes shaving so much more enjoyable!

I totally agree... I am just curious about the economics and quality of shave arguments. In any case, DE is clearly a more economic shave for the same level of quality. The additional gear you need for a straight to maintain the edge vs the purchase of DE blades over your entire life is probably a wash or bent in favor of DE since a years worth of the best blades cost about $10 but HAD, BAD, RAD, (is) SAD and all it's iterations is the real devil

Originally Posted by groovyd

I totally agree... I am just curious about the economics and quality of shave arguments. In any case, DE is clearly a more economic shave for the same level of quality. The additional gear you need for a straight to maintain the edge vs the purchase of DE blades over your entire life is probably a wash or bent in favor of DE since a years worth of the best blades cost about $10 but HAD, BAD, RAD, (is) SAD and all it's iterations is the real devil

Unless you use a shavette? then it's the same cost as the DE I'd think....

Im a Str8 and DE shaver but I'm also in agreement with many of the others here re: travel. I don't want razors to end up in the hands of TSA so for short trips I bring the Mach since I rarely check my bags. But I also bring my brush, soap, with hazel, shave oil, Nivea, etc...

And as soon as I am in awe over how long the cartridge is keeping up it lets me down again. 7th shave almost as bad as the 4th but I can no longer blame it on the soap. A lasting light burn all over. We might in fact be a shave away from the end here... other possibility is that after 3 shave every other days in a row my face might just need a few days off. These have all been 3 pass shaves. Perhaps taking an extra day or two off shaving every few shaves will also help. I will give it a few days and see. Quantifying this to the average need for the mach to deliver BBS probably requires really only 2 passes and so we should say 7 days of 3 pass shaves is probably about the same as 8 or 9 days of 2 pass shaves or 10-11 days of one pass shaves since the blade bears the brunt of the damage in the first pass. Is this a safe assumption?

Other then the burn it is no longer BBS, maybe a notch under.

Well, kudos to you for sticking to it. If I skip days shaving a Mach 3 can't handle all my beard and I have to use an electric shaver to get things down to where the Mach 3 won't insta-clog. Shaving every day, two pass or three pass would only get me a few days...but everybody has different beards.

I just shaved with a mid 1800's EBRO wedge this morning. Maybe not BBS but a DFS for sure!

Enjoy your straights when you get back to them...(or...you could always send them to me! )

A razor is just a tool, and I will shamelessly use whatever is most convenient/available/economic at the moment.
I do have an Eicker and a Friodur (um and a few others) I am partial to, some DEs and even a Schick hydro and (gasp!) a fusion....
And I have no problems using any of them. There is truth to the shave getting better because we better learned how.
So...
Anyone out there still using the truly old school method of grinding the whiskers off with a pumice stone?
My shard of obsidian is difficult to keep shave ready, looking for something new without being a sissie....
John P.
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