Thread: WTF DE Razor?!?

OK I got a DE for my brother to give him both options for a good shave the Straight for when he has time and the DE for when the baby is screaming. I just shaved for the first time with a DE so I could instruct him. Now I normally do three passes with my straight razor, and attempted the same with the DE. My face is on fire!! what the hell?!? I bought a DE from EBay and got some Gillette 7'o clock blades. Now in my ignorance I assumed that the razor made the difference with DE not the holder... am I that wrong?!?! I have never used so mush Balm to restore moister to my face!! If it is the blade what type should I get? if it is the Razor, what type should I get? if it is my technique, then what in the hell am I doing so wrong?? Please what ever help you can give so I can translate to my family would be great.

What razor did you purchase? Do you have a pic? What is your past experience with a DE?

It sounds like maybe to much pressure or bad angle.

No experience wi DE I have always used a straight razor and can shave without problems. The DE i got was a zeepak, I think.... dose the" holder really matter that much? I figured the razor was the big issue.

The problem you're experiencing is most likely due to using too much pressure. For some reason, DEs are very sensitive to pressure, and you literally have to use only the weight of the razor to do the shaving...

Never saw any zeepak DE handles.. but the handle can change the way a shave goes based on how much blade is exposed which would dictate what angle to use for the best shave.

Originally Posted by georgebsummer

OK I got a DE for my brother to give him both options for a good shave the Straight for when he has time and the DE for when the baby is screaming. I just shaved for the first time with a DE so I could instruct him. Now I normally do three passes with my straight razor, and attempted the same with the DE. My face is on fire!! what the hell?!? I bought a DE from EBay and got some Gillette 7'o clock blades. Now in my ignorance I assumed that the razor made the difference with DE not the holder... am I that wrong?!?! I have never used so mush Balm to restore moister to my face!! If it is the blade what type should I get? if it is the Razor, what type should I get? if it is my technique, then what in the hell am I doing so wrong?? Please what ever help you can give so I can translate to my family would be great.

The DE razor itself can make a big difference...for instance, vintage Gillettes tend to be non-aggressive (though early, open-comb models are relatively more aggressive). Also, owing to the different way they hold the blade, the angle at which you hold the razor can differ significantly between razors -- the blade angle isn't at all intuitive (basically, the handle should be sticking almost straight out from your face -- as close as you can get it to perpendicular with the blade still making contact). I'd bet on either too-steep blade angle or too much pressure.

I've only every used my Gillette. I'll second, or third, the advice that pressure is just as much an issue with DE as with Straight. I don't know if you're has an adjustment for how much "flex" it puts into the blade or not. I found on mine if I have too much flex it seems to force me to use too much pressure. Not enough enough flex....and you'll know instantly.

I think the holder *can* make a difference as well. I know that one side of my razor always shaves much better than the other, even on a brand-new blade. It's always been that way. Can't complain though for a $2 garage sale find.

I also learned from experience that I tend to rush the face-prep when using a D.E. (After all, it's in my arsenal for the "quick" shave.) Make sure you don't inadvertently skimp on the pre-shave.

Also, there are a host of different blades to try.

Try different things. I get nearly as much enjoyment out of my DE as I do my straights.

+1 on open-comb Gillettes being more aggressive than the later Goldtechs. My open-comb was obviously army issue (wwii) and the goldtech was a gift from a co-worker. Angle and pressure matter with DEs, safety razors they may be... my transition to DEs was from disposable, fixed-head single or double razors so it wasn't a problem. Trust me, having shaved a total of maybe six times since February of this year with a safety razor (the rest were str8s) the caution and mindfulness is still a part of the shave.

"Safety razor" does not equal no-brainer shave in regards to DE safety razors.

The overly aggressive DE safety razors are worse to shave quickly with than a faster shave with an open-razor. Trust me on this...

+1 to the comments about light pressure and angle. Back when I was using a DE I found the blades to make a world of difference. I found the Feather blades to give a close comfortable shave in any of my DEs and some of the other blades I tried gave much less satisfactory results.

+1 on the coments of pressure, angle, and blades.

I don't know anything about your DE or the blades you're using. My DE in a Merkur Vision (which is adjustable) and I have it set in the middle range of aggressiveness (which is very aggressive for my face).

At my setting, I let the weight of the razor do the work (and it is a VERY heavy razor!). I apply absolutely no pressure to the razor at all on any part of my face. Think "woman's touch" here. Apply any pressure at all and you'll live to regret it! (That was also true of my Parker DE that I learned to shave with).

The angle is also critical as to removing just whiskers, or whiskers and skin. I don't know what the angle I'm using, I just try to "feel" it (very similar to developing a feel for a straight). I only create enough of an angle until the whiskers start disappearing. Beyond that angle (or perhaps too less of an angle, as well), IMO, and you're going to irritate the hell out of your face, and start getting nicked or sliced.

I actually haven't shaved with my DE since I did my first straight shave, so I'm having a hard time remembering what the angle might be, but, you get the jist.

I don't know how good the blade is that you're using, but crappy blades end up with crappy results. I was using Wilkinson blades (not the best, but not the worst, either) and would toss the blade at 5 shaves max (depending on how much I used the blade in earlier shaves for a closer, or not so close, shave).

And, of course, your face prep is just as important, IMO, with a DE as it is with a straight. Just because you can shave faster with a DE doesn't mean that shave prep is any less important!

Kent