Thread: Finishing with a DE

Originally Posted by sheajohnw

I use one of my DEs to cleanup after each SR shave. I want to get the smoothest longest lasting shave possible since I shave at night and find that I get a smoother longer lasting shave on most of my face by using the SR before the DE rather than the DE alone. The DE allows me to complete my shave as close as possible everywhere on my face.

If I could take almost an hour to shave in the morning before work, the shave that I get from using only the SR would be good enough. I would like my SR shaving, stropping, and honing skills to improve enough some day that I will no longer be able to improve the shave I am getting from my SRs by using a DE for cleanup.

Using the DE for cleanup takes away any concerns about the final quality of the SR shave while learning SR use because the shave end result will always turn out acceptable for work with the backup of the DE.

I can't agree with you more, that is why I use my DE- to get the closest shave possible!

I've gotten to where I can get a pretty darn good shave with just a straight, but there is still that one direction on my neck. If I rub in exactly that one direction I can feel stubble. That's good enough for getting up and going to work most days, but if I've got a date that night, I'll do that one pass on my neck with a DE. (I've been married to the same girl for 28 years and we go out on a date maybe, once a week) Maybe one day I'll figure out some weird combo of stoke and stretch that will allow me to perfect my shave with a straight, but even then I'll keep some DEs and SEs loaded and ready. (Taking a bunch of kids to camp and shaving in a big community shower room is just not a safe place for a straight razor. )

about 95% of the time i use both , i can get closer with my straights WTG then i can with my DE's ( well if i go WTG after a straight i dont see or feel any hair come off ), i started using the DE to "clean-up" around the goatee but now i just use it for ATG as i can be lazy and dont wanna spend the time with the straight ..lol.. not to mention i really enjoy using a DE ...

Everybody is different. I use straights only but shaved 2 days I a row with a de. Good shave but I always got that itchy neck a half hour later. Shaved with the straight today. BBS always lasts longer. And no irritation with the straight. I can get a 2 pass bbs with a little touch up on the chin. Never could get bbs with a de without doing 3 passes and buffing.

I rely on a DE less now. But I have used it many times in the past. I keep one ready and charged by the sink just in case.

I made a conscious effort to ditch the DE finishing option about a month into my time with the straight, but I have shaved with the DE a couple of times since when I was in a rush. I don't miss finishing with a DE since I became confident with the straight…doubt that will change soon.

I use my de during the week, when I'm in more of a hurry. Also, when my 3 kids are running around. Nothing like trying to gently glide a straight razor over your carotid arteries with a 3yo running in and out of the bathroom, lol. And forget locking the doors, that's just an invitation for everyone in the house to suddenly need Dad's full attention. When I first started out, I always used my de to clean up. Now that I'm about a year and a half into weekend only sr shaving, I've finally gotten to the point where I don't need to do that. It really is nice to take some time to fully enjoy a good shave. Enjoy.

I think that there is nothing wrong with it. It makes sense if you are in a time crunch and you are still building up your experience. But, to be a straight razor purist, I do not like personally to mix the two. As I've got better at honing and stropping and shaving I'm getting better results with the stubborn areas- like my neck areas under the jaw line- with my straight razors. I really can no longer tell a difference. My benchmark to make sure my straight razors are keen is to occasionally shave with a Feather Artist Club to note if I get a closer shave with it. Now I'm happy to say I can (usually) get the same shave from a Feather as I do with my regular straights. When I travel I don't always have the luxury of checking in bags which necessitates taking a DE with me on the trip. I always seem to feel that my shave with it is actually inferior- but then I know I'm straight razor biased, What can I say?

I'm trying to think of who would ever say or argue that there's anything wrong with keeping a second razor handy for touch-ups, and why. Perhaps if I was trying to place first at a barber's competition (is there even such thing?), but otherwise it's the smart thing to do.

I seldom only use one razor, save for my best straights. But most often, when I shave with one of my Gem safety single-edgers, I finish with a Feather Artist for the coup de maitre under my nose, to do the point of my chin (which seems impervious to any kind of safety blade) and to get a straight sideburn line.

Also, it all depends on your shaving style and the type of beard and skin you have. My beard is so thick and tough, if I let it grow I would look like JEB Stuart on Rogaine--so, keeping a super-sharp, somewhat heavy razor handy is just the ticket. Also, the Feather (as 1holegrouper said), is a great benchmark for checking sharpness, whatever the main razor you use.

Anyway--as long as you have fun shaving, you're doing it right!

Here's a photo of the one I use for touch ups. Works great.