Thread: Why DE?

Okay....This is my first post and first want to say hello. I have been a long time lurker and have been useing a straight razor for about 2 years. I was once a member on B&B but that didn't last long due to rude welcomes but that's another story. I have noticed a very warm atmosphere here at SRP.

So on with my question.........


So I've seen several people that claim they use a DE because they are tired of changing blades on a mach3, fusion, and so on.... But isn't a DE just choosing the lesser of 2 evils. Don't get me wrong. I would use a DE over any of these. It's for sure a better shave but if you switch to be more cost effective why not go full force to a straight?

Anyways hello all!
Sorry for all the miss spelling. I'm on my iPhone and I have not yet mastered it!

Welcome to SRP. I started with DEs 45 years ago and went to disposables for decades until I got back into wet shaving with the DEs. I was intrigued by the straights but didn't know if I wanted to go through what I figured would be a steep learning curve. A couple of years of DE shaving and I took the plunge and coming up on a year of straights I am not looking back.

I still have a small collection of vintage slants and Gillettes and may someday pick one up again but I have no plans to do it soon. I am really glad that I did the time with the DEs again as I learned the fundementals of wet shaving and there was less for me to have to learn to start. I have never shaved with a multi bladed mach. I stuck with the Good News for all of those years but the DE and now the straights beat those hands down.

from what i can gather. convenience. i got my dad and a few buddies to start using DEs and they really like them but won't even consider using a straight. these are guys that do one pass and don't really care about how close they get though, not to say you can't get a close shave with a DE, but they wanted a non-disposable razor that didn't give them razor burn. with a DE the blades can the metal bin for the scrap yard or maybe recycling (we run a motorcycle building shop so we have a scrap metal bin). my dad actually shaves in the shower with no cream or soap, crazy. to them straight razors seems dangerous and tedious as they don't care about getting the closest shave. again i know you can get a good and very close shave with a DE, but they don't.

Welllll...I get a good 8-9 hour, BBS shave with my Futur 4 days out of 7. With more time and skill, I am confident that I will get even better, longer shaves. Don't, please DON'T say you can't get a good shave with a DE, because you most definitely can--with less practice and less time spent practicing than with a straight; I also love the classic feel of a DE. Married to the modern engineering of the Futur, it's just a real pleasure using it every day. I ENJOY shaving, it's a relaxing ritual, and it has taught me a lot about my face and skin. Straights are, frankly, a big commitment. The stropping and honing involves a level of time and work that DEs simply do not; and they ARE called safety razors for a reason. Now, I happen to have a lot of free time, and I am very intrigued by straights so I am going to get into them and do my best to keep at them, but I can imagine that for most daily shaves, I will be using my Futur. Another part of it for many is the nostalgia factor--for both Straights and DEs. They are just from different eras, with different appeals to different people. It's all taste, right? No arguing taste...

A DE certainly has its place. If I'm in a real hurry or am not in a mood where I can concentrate on what I'm doing I'll use DE. You can get a very acceptable shave with a DE.

No its not a straight but in a pinch it will do.

I just had my first DE shave ever yesterday. While at the in-law's farm over Christmas, my wife pulled out her deceased father's Schick Krona. I bought some Personna blades at Walmart or somewhere and tried it out last night.

It felt like cheating. Occasionally I have been using the M3 for touch-ups or days when I sleep in too late, but I think that's done now. The DE will now be my backup, and I'll probably have to get one for my wife as well. She's still a little scared of the straights.

J.