Thread: The Mach Delivers ?!

Originally Posted by Wintchase

Communist.... Heretic..... Naw, just joshiing.. Sure, you can get bbs with a mach.. We shave with st8ts for other reasons to complex to list, although i am sure others will chime in... For me it brings me back to a time when pocket watches,pipes, and a good straight were man's best friends... It allows me to step back from my thechnical present with ipods, ipads, and cable tv and sit down and watch (from memory) my grandfather shave with a straight, don his fedora and cane while heading off for the day. It brings back times when a handshake was firm ,calloused, andwas a man's bond... So enjoy your mach my friend..for me; i will stick with my pinoud and straights.

To be clear all of these are also reasons for me enjoying the str8. The quality of shave is my question here having clearly not yet reached the level of str8 god to be able to say which is better. Am hoping people here will chime in on the end result quality of shave differences. People who have recently reverted and made an honest comparison.

By the way, Pinoud works either way and one should use the same products they are comfortable with outside the razor itself to make an honest comparison. I will never be without Proraso or Martin De Candre

I had to use my Mach when I vacationed in Costa Rica this summer. I didn't want one of my other razors to be confiscated by the TSA.

I worked, and gave a good shave, but it was not as comfortable. It wasn't much faster either. I have to go slow and be very careful with a cartridge or it will irritate the hell out of my face. Also, I end up with my neck only halfway shaved - can't go against the grain with a cartridge or I get tragic irritation.

I am off cartridges for ever. If I need to shave faster, I use one of my DE's. Those are definitely superior to cartridges. More comfortable and can shave almost as close as a straight, if you get a Merkur slant or the new Muhle R41. I have and recommend both. Try one, you won't be disappointed.

Whether I use my straights or DE's, one of the things that I really appreciate is that I'm shaving with a work of art. It's not a crusty, cheap piece of plastic.

Also, what I really hated about the Mach cartridges was that although they start off very sharp, they clog immediately and dull after just a few shaves. The first shave is okay, but if you want to get any value out of them you need to be able to get at least 5 shaves out of a cartridge. By then, the experience is pretty unpleasant. When Friday rolls around, the five days of irritation have really added up.

To sum up why I only use straights and DE's from here on out:
I get the best shaves I've ever had, without irritation, and for the first time since I started shaving, no more ingrown hairs. Cartridge razors turn my face into a minefield of ingrowing hairs.

Originally Posted by MinATX

..and for the first time since I started shaving, no more ingrown hairs.

Now this is the sort of analytic response I am looking for, something to give me a basis for comparison along my journey...

I do remember have more ingrown hairs come to think of it. In terms of number of shaves I seem to remember the mach 3 giving more comfortable shaves and for much longer then the newer mach 5 blades, perhaps the newer blades are thinner to fit more in the head.

I have an EJ89 DE I use to cleanup after the straight which I really enjoy too, gives a great smooth last pass with a feather blade.

I get razor burn easily from disposables. I think it is the multi blade thing. It lightens somewhat if i use a de. I find that i get a better, closer shave from de's than when I use a str8t. But, i do notice tha i get 5 oclock shadow when i use a de? I don't know why.

I actually wrote a long post on this very topic last winter, when I forgot my DE (my preferred travel razor) while on a trip to Mexico. If you care to read my account here's the link: http://straightrazorpalace.com/gener...evalution.html

Long story short, I found the Mach to be on the bad side of mediocre. No irritation, just uncomfortable and the shave wasn't particularly close. I found a two bladed Bic to be far superior.

I threw my cartridges out probably a month after using a straight and I've never had the need or desire to reconsider. Everybody is different but for me, cartridges yielded poor shaves (in retrospect) even going WTG-only.

I've since picked up a DE to shave my head with and for traveling. FYI: you can carry-on a DE but not the blades. Blades can be bought in pharmacies (e.g. CVS in the US).

Whenever in doubt, just think of the cost of the replacement cartridges, and the packaging & waste they produce! I'm guilty of keeping a disposable around for shaving my chest, but I find the simple disposable works better than the Mach3.

Originally Posted by commiecat

I threw my cartridges out probably a month after using a straight and I've never had the need or desire to reconsider. Everybody is different but for me, cartridges yielded poor shaves (in retrospect) even going WTG-only.

I've since picked up a DE to shave my head with and for traveling. FYI: you can carry-on a DE but not the blades. Blades can be bought in pharmacies (e.g. CVS in the US).

I had the same question to the TSA during my last flight... they indicated a DE would be fine and actually said it probably would not even get noticed on the carry on which surprised me. I have a EJ89 but I really should branch out and try more. Would like to get a feather and an old school 60's fatboy adjustable. Would love to try the new SS feather str8 with the disposible blades.

The pot of gold isn't just the quality of the shave. BBS is BBS whether it's a straight or a Mach3. The pot of gold is the pleasure in standing in front of the bathroom mirror, with a razor that's 150 or so years old, that you honed yourself and just enjoying the experience of shaving yourself with it. Think about what the world was like when that razor was made. How many people have used it? Who were they and what was happening in their lives at the time? In this fast paced world, it's great to spend 20 minutes of "me" time shaving in the morning before heading out to work.

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.