Thread: DE nicks vs straight nicks

Can someone explain to me why if I nick myself with a DE, it bleeds for half an hour, but if I nick myself with a straight it stops bleeding in three minutes? Am I nuts or is this true?

I'll admit it - after a year of straight shaving I still manage to nick myself on the ATG pass – not every time but often enough. But the weird thing is, by the time I'm rinsing with cold water and doing my post-shave routine it's done bleeding and I can't even see the nick. I don't use or even have own styptic anymore. In fact what occasions this post is I just got back from some traveling – I use a DE on the road – and I forgot what a pain in the ass the smallest nick from a DE can be – it just keeps weeping. And then you think it's done and a little later you look in the mirror and there are these tiny dried blood flecks.

I remember someone once saying a straight edge is so fine that when you cut yourself the nick closes up more easily. This might make sense if you're Lynn Abrams. It doesn't make sense in my case, because my edges are nowhere near feather-sharp.

Stropping realigns the edge creating a smaller nick into the skin. A DE isn't stropped and is left with whatever imperfections that have been created over past shaves.

Also, the straights edge is stronger and doesn't get torn up as much to create the nicks in the first place.

Amazing, didn't think about this. One more reason to stick with a straight (like I needed it).

Originally Posted by gugi

Amazing, didn't think about this. One more reason to stick with a straight (like I needed it).

So you guys have noticed the same thing?

I find a straight so smooth its nearly impossible to nick myself. With a DE I nick myself every shave, but I think its the same concept.

I certainly noticed that the nicks with a DE are FAR more numerous than with a straight. More irritation, too.

Originally Posted by DEwey

I certainly noticed that the nicks with a DE are FAR more numerous than with a straight. More irritation, too.

Yeah, they're more numerous. But that I always put down to the fact that they're sharper. After all, I nick myself more with a feather than with a merkur.

What strikes me as so odd (though Alan's post goes a long way toward explaining it) is that DE nicks go on bleeding, and bleeding and then weeping, and finally sort of spotting. Whereas nicks from a straight just do their thing and are done with it by the time I'm rinsing off.

I used to shave with a DE (and before that a cartridge) and then cruise around the house in an undershirt and have my breakfast, etc., and delay putting on a dress shirt so that I wouldn't get any spotting on the collar! Even the tiniest nick had to make a damn fuss of itself.

I've always thought it was because the safety razor blade was under a lot of tension and somewhat more rigid than the full hollows I use, so it's kind of easier to shear skin off, rather than stopping because you feel the straight starting to dig in a little.