Thread: DE vs straight razor

Originally Posted by Chet

My neck is hard to shave. My mid neck hairs grow left to right and a straight razor is too big to go against the grain and my DE has no problem when use the J Hooking technique.

My neck is similar. Even with de it is hard to get smooth. Usually with straights I just to down stroke and upstroke and call it good. I have never been scolded by anyone for the non-smoothness of my neck. Most people just think I am crazy for risking death. lol.

Good point!

Originally Posted by Chet

Do you shave mostly with a DE ?

For a while I shaved with de during the week in the morning because of time, and the thought of being half asleep with a str8 didn't sit well with me. I would save the str8s for weekend. For the last few months I just wait until the evening to shave and almost exclusively use my str8s.

Originally Posted by Chet

Today I shaved half of my face with a DE and the other with straight 3 pass on both. I must say my DE was a closer BBS, not big difference. Is something wrong with my straight razor or my technique or is this just a fact.

I would say technique. It's a lot easier, and faster, to get a BBS shave with a DE than a straight when you're just starting out (IMO anyway). Shaving with a straight takes more time to master, but in the end you'll have a better shave with it. I can get a closer one pass shave with a straight when compared to a DE. Having a DE was actually very useful in figuring out the angles in which I need to attack my beard. Both have their uses!

Shaveing with straight razor is not about the BBS, it's about the fun/meditation/relaxation and so on.
If you need BBS so badly you can do the epilation laser/chemical or else.

Originally Posted by BobH

My DE shaves are neck and neck with my straight shaves. I really don't buy into the idea a straight shave is closer or lasts longer than a DE. Done right both will do nicely.

Bob

Agree.
For me some razors just have an edge that beats any DE as far as feel on the cheek. Other than that, I find shaves last about the same, and DE is easier to use in certain areas.

Whether you got BBS on both sides or more so from one than the other doesn't mean much. The real question is 12-18 hours later what do the two sides feel like?

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Whether you got BBS on both sides or more so from one than the other doesn't mean much. The real question is 12-18 hours later what do the two sides feel like?

For me they feel is about the same, that is why I don't believe one shaves closer than the other all things considered. YMMV.

Bob

I've been using straights for a little over two years now and when I was only using a DE, I always went for BBS with 3 passes (and still do sometimes). What I have found through the learning experience is that I can get a closer shave with the first and second passes using a straight, compared with similar passes using a DE. This makes a 3rd pass unnecessary for me when using straights. It's not quite BBS but pretty close.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Whether you got BBS on both sides or more so from one than the other doesn't mean much. The real question is 12-18 hours later what do the two sides feel like?

I love them both - but after 12-18 hours... no question, its all about the straight.