Thread: Straight and DE clean up; a crutch? Or acceptable?

I have been mostly SR shaving for over three years. Using a DE after the SR for clean up kept me in the game because I could be sure that the final result would be OK regardless of how well I did with the SR on any given day. As my shaving and stropping got better, the number and size of the area needing DE help got smaller. I kept on with the SR because the areas that I could shave well were smoother and more comfortable than what I could achieve with a DE alone. Today, I usually use only the SR unless I am in a rush, but may hit a very small patch or two with my Merkur slant if I am being picky and feel any very short stubble after applying Thayer's Witch Hazel. I think that using the DE slowed my progress, but kept things fun and let me stay in the game when I was not yet able to shave well enough and maintain a sharp enough edge.

HTH