Anyone sahved with a DE, gone back to cartirdge and forgot how bad they were?

Hi guys, I'm at a crossroads. lol first of all, sorry about the spelling mistake in the title.

I'd been shaving with a DE for a couple of years after using a Trac II for the longest time. I always struggled with the DE at first, and thought my Trac II gave me a much better shave.

I finally settled on the DE and had generally good shaves, that lasted me all day (Id shave the night before) with little irritation.

when I decided that I could get a better shave on my neck from the Trac II, and save on not buying the fancy balms and scalding hot water all the time, I went back to the trac II.

Now I'm finding the shaves feel terrible!!! They pull and tug, and I find the blades only last 5 shaves.

Am I dreaming, or did the cartridge razors get worse in the last two years?

I'm almost wondering about going back to a straight razor.

Just another question.......how do you keep your wives happy when they see you bouncing back and fourth trying new gear, and usually losing money?

Nope, you're not dreaming or crazy, that's very typical. What usually happens is this: after using a cartridge for X amount of years you try a DE and struggle for awhile until you get satisfactory shaves. Then the quality may seem to drop off and you go back to a cartridge for a shave or two and find that those shaves have REALLY dropped off. Sounds familiar? My theory is that the quality of shave from the DE didn't go down, it's just that your expectations have gone up. Makes sense?

I find that once you find a good razor/blade combo that DE's shave very consistently and closely and can still be fun to use, which is why I continue to use them.

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Originally Posted by Ryan82

Nope, you're not dreaming or crazy, that's very typical. What usually happens is this: after using a cartridge for X amount of years you try a DE and struggle for awhile until you get satisfactory shaves. Then the quality may seem to drop off and you go back to a cartridge for a shave or two and find that those shaves have REALLY dropped off. Sounds familiar? My theory is that the quality of shave from the DE didn't go down, it's just that your expectations have gone up. Makes sense?

I find that once you find a good razor/blade combo that DE's shave very consistently and closely and can still be fun to use, which is why I continue to use them.

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Thanks for the reply. I wonder if its just a matter of getting used to the trac II again. the shaves DID feel better than this I'm thinking. I almost wonder if the DE made my beard more coarse, as I can kill a gillette Trac II blade in 4-5 shaves now!

I think most of us bounce around a little bit in what we use and on occasion find ourselves using a cartridge razor. Most I think would agree the cart works but the shaves are not really pleasant. That's why most of us decided to change how we shave.

Now I do have a trac ii that I use on occasion it does the job with little to no irritation but the shaves are rarely as close and do not last as long as a de or SR. So that leads me to think that my idea of a good shave has changed from the days that I used a cart. So for me a cart will give me a presentable shave it won't give me a good shave.

As for you beard being coarser I do not think that would happen. I think you are just more sensitive to the dulling of the blades of the trac ii then you use to be. That would cause you to want to switch blades faster. If you are really serious about going back to using the tract ii full time then I think you will eventually get back to using them as long as you use to use them.

I don't think I could ever use a cartridge again. If I were in a situation where I didn't have a straight or DE/SE, and I had to shave, I would have to go with the old yellow handled Bic disposables.

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Originally Posted by Castel33

So that leads me to think that my idea of a good shave has changed from the days that I used a cart. So for me a cart will give me a presentable shave it won't give me a good shave.

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+1. That's basically what I was trying to say in my first post. :)

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Originally Posted by Theseus

I don't think I could ever use a cartridge again. If I were in a situation where I didn't have a straight or DE/SE, and I had to shave, I would have to go with the old yellow handled Bic disposables.

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I also agree with that, though for me it has to be the two bladed version as my beard laughs at the singles. I did a write up awhile ago on this subject. While on vacation I forgot me DE blades, but had a Mach III and two bladed Bics at my disposal (pun intended ;)). I found the Mach III lacking and the Bic to give a superior shave. I chalk this up to the fixed head.

I wouldn't say bad..over priced disposable plastic is what I think..even when I use my de once in a while..my hands automatically wanna try to stretch my skin after using straights for so long..lol

We've had quite a few members who have gone back to cartridges and even some who went back to electrics however we took care of them so they never have to worry about using anything anymore if you know what I mean. The few you still see here, well, we haven't gotten to them just yet.:)

Actually many switch between a DE and a straight all the time. A cartridge less so but some do especially for trim work.

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Originally Posted by thebigspendur

We've had quite a few members who have gone back to cartridges and even some who went back to electrics however we took care of them so they never have to worry about using anything anymore if you know what I mean.

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Ve toook gud kare of zhose types, herr Schpendur... :rofl2:

I switched back to a Schick extreme 3 disposable from straights and DEs......for about three years 08-11.

When I switched back to using straights and DE's again 9 months ago, it had nothing to do with the quality of my shaves with the Schick. The schick worked like it always did. It gave me a quick, easy, one pass shave.

But I am glad I'm using the straights again. My shaves ARE better now, and more comfortable. And I love being on this forum too.

Michael

Gentlemen,
I have a yellow plastic razor tied with a bow and mounted on the wall in the shave den. It's a reminder not to look back at that beastly method of shaving. And I have not.

And it's a mighty good thing for you Obie you don't because it's not just Santa that sees everything the mods do too.

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Originally Posted by thebigspendur

And it's a mighty good thing for you Obie you don't because it's not just Santa that sees everything the mods do too.

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I know what you mean about the ever present moderators. They're everywhere, like the mother-in-law. I know that if I fall off the wagon, a squadron of moderators will invade my dreams and scare away Kim Novak.

I still use my Fusion ProGlide from time to time, just for comparison, and have always gotten fine shaves with it. I also use a Dovo Shavette, a Feather SS DX, some DEs and, of course, lots of straights. They're all fine. I find I don't have to hate other methods just because I like my straights.

About once every couple of months I will skip back to a Mach 3 or a Fusion for one reason or other. I find that I can get a serviceable reduction in growth, but oddly getting anything close to a decent shave requires more effort than using a safety or straight.