Thread: Revisiting DE after my Straight...

I live in Queensland. Over the last couple of weeks its been very hot / humid. I work physically so on getting home (usually between 3pm and 5pm) i need a shower right away, mostly just to get out of my sweat drenched clothes.

Usually, in slightly cooler / less humid weather the wet clothes problem isn't an issue so I shower and shave a bit later when its cooler.

The problem I have been having is shaving after a shower in humid weather isn't so pleasant. As its hot and uncomfortable. So shaving with my straight (which takes about 15mins) is just too long and uncomfortable for me. Now many would say, don't shave but I just love a shave, everyday if I can.

So I got my Merkur Progress out of the drawer, loaded it with an Astra, and set it on two (mild setting). Applied an Arko (Arko is my favourite in the heat) stick to my face and face lathered then and began to shave.

Immediately I noticed how mild it was, how little hair it was removing, which I though was strange. So I cranked it up a notch, but It still felt mild. So up it went. My progress is almost wide open. I do two passes one all downwards then a hybrid and I get a BBS in less than 10mins…. no irritation but one careless nick on my chin….

I guess I have got used to a straight and I used to think that a DE didn't compare, but once set to an aggressive setting it sure is every bit as good and quicker for sure…. I was always afraid to open up the progress before, but if you use it with no pressure and with as much care as you would a straight it is every bit as good in my opinion. It's just quicker thats all.


I always though I would never go back to a DE, but I guess I'm going to have to try a slant now….. lol


Looks like my rotation of razors is about to increase… DE's and Straights…. Happy days….

I've just started with straights. About a week now. At first I was doing a couple of passes with the straight until I either got the shave I was looking for, or irritated my face enough to stop, lol.
Now i make one or two passes with the straight and finish up with the DE. Less wear and tear on my face, and still a great shave.
I don't think i'll ever completely abandon the DE. It's just another tool in the toolbox. And there are occasions in which it's the smarter choice.
Nothing really beats the absolute luxury of spending 15 or 20 minutes with a straight in the morning. Love that. But there are times when the DE gives me almost as much enjoyment, but cuts down on time.

I agree. As much as I love my straights, every once in a while, something goes wrong in the morning, and I just don't have the time to invest. For that reason, I throw a DE into my rotation every couple of weeks, just to stay in practice. 3 passes, less than 10 minutes, BBS, done. It's not as satisfying as a straight razor shave, but because I can go E to W on my neck, it's usually a slightly better shave.It's kind of nice knowing that the 100 blades I've got squirreled away is now a lifetime supply at the rate I'm now using them.

Sounds like you'll really like the slant-bar, just as you say. Wide open gap, it really makes you do the work. Fun to use. It was my first DE, & I thought it would kill me before I got some control over it.