My first DE Shave

Hey all.

I've been a Straight Shaver for years. I like to take my time with the straight for 2 reasons: the obvious safety reason and more importantly, I enjoy the process so much.

Now that being said, work has been crazy busy so I'm going in earlier and earlier and finding that I don't have time in the wee hours for the straight so I found myself reverting back to the piece of S@!t cartridge razors. I hate them.

I went online and purchased a Merkur 34C and a sample pack of DE blades. My first shave was with a Wilkinson Sword blade. I have to say VERY impressive. With just the weight of the razor and no pressure the hair came off like it wasn't even there. No pulling at all. In fact, after the first stroke or 2 I wasn't sure the blade edge was touching my skin. It was. I got a pretty good shave, not perfectly BBS but as I've been reading here on SRP, there's a learning curve and for sure, my technique is far from ideal. Happy to say that I didn't cut myself and really enjoyed throwing the cartridges in the garbage. WOO HOO.

For the record, I'm definitely NOT giving up my Straights. No way. I now have 2 awesomely manly ways to shave.

BTW - I have 7-10 or so Straights in rotation. Something tells me that I'll soon have a respectable complement of Safety razors in the near future. :-)

Have a great weekend,
Doug
RAD Sufferer

Yes, I like my DEs as well but my SRs are my primary shave tool. Nothing wrong with a good DE shave, eh. Next you'll be trying out slants and SEs. Be careful it's another rabbit hole of RAD to fall into.

Bob

Glad you like it, I'm also an advocate of both ways of shaving, DE's mostly when I'm after a quicker shave. It's true what you say about a good DE with a good blade, it doesn't feel like it's doing anything. That's what makes it so comfortable. If you come across any vintage DE's in your travels, scoop them up, as they're cheap as well as excellent shavers. (I can guarantee that your collection will grow fast, just like the straights!) :p

After a few years on straights, I "discovered" the DE for the same reasons as you: a super-busy period in work & life. Now I have three beloved DEs in the rotation with the straights!

I just started on straights after about a year and a half with a DE. I love the closeness and comfort of my DE shaves, and I picked up a straight partly because I like the challenge of learning a new skill. I'm only three shave in but definitely hooked on straight. But, I don't think I will ever give up my DE completely either. I like them both!

The quality of your DE shaves will be up there in no time, the learning curve is not super long I don't think. Congrats and enjoy!

The right DE with the right blade and you can get so close to a straight shave.....well, it's mighty close.

A good DE is a nice compromise when you are in a hurry. And, you can use it in the shower when your beard is a the max moisture....

UPDATE

So I have 6 or so shaves under my belt with the DE. I'm trying different blades. I'm getting a very good shave now but I have one issue:

I'm having problem shaving clean right under my nose. No matter what angle I hold the razor (Merkur 34C) I cant get the blade to shave tight to my nose. I've been cleaning it up with a Straight.

Any tips?

Thanks,
Doug

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JetHed

UPDATE... ...I cant get the blade to shave tight to my nose. I've been cleaning it up with a Straight.

Any tips?

Thanks,
Doug

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Cover it crossways or on the upstroke? Grow a mustache?