Mach 3 vs. DE

mano · Post by **mano** » Sun Dec 24, 2006 7:49 am

I've been very happy with my Mach 3's for years but am interested in learning about the advantages of a DE.

I'd appreciate any info, including directing me to another thread already addressing this question.

DisposableGuy · Post by **DisposableGuy** » Sun Dec 24, 2006 8:19 am

yeh, mach3 is good, innit. I like the DE's, they are nice vintage collectibles, each has its different design. I know some classic people who use them, the way they use them expertly in their hands looks great and i'd luv to use one some day.

So, apart from the mach3 what else have you used? Bic? Wilkinson Sword? etc?

javyn · Post by **javyn** » Sun Dec 24, 2006 8:27 am

Advantages of a DE could be closer shave, less or no irritation or razor burn, less expensive, and of course more fun.

I say could be because everyone is different. I was pretty happy with the M3 too, but not because it was good, but because I didn't know it could get so much better.

Like anything they have their cons too. Ya might nick yourself and burn yourself a little more while you are learning how to use it. But that's nothing to really worry about. The way I see it, if you've been using a multi bladed cartridge razor for a while, your face should already be used to much worse punishment already.

FiReSTaRT · Post by **FiReSTaRT** » Sun Dec 24, 2006 8:28 am

Even though I'm a straight guy and have very little DE experience, I'll chime in with a few:
1) Very close shaves, almost as good as straight
2) More comfortable and less irritating than disposables
3) DE blades, even at full retail, are way cheaper than disposables and bulk-buying makes'em even cheaper. You can get 100 DE blades for the price of 4 Fusion cartriges.

DisposableGuy · Post by **DisposableGuy** » Sun Dec 24, 2006 10:09 am

this guy i know lives around my block who i know uses a DE, i was standing next to him in the elevator and got see the closeness of a DE shave. It is soo extremely close hes got tiny but large empty pore holes and in not even one of those pore holes you could see the edge or tip of a whisker that was cut.

With a mach3, even with the closest shave, on a close inspection in front of the mirror you can see the tips of whiskers that were cut but not from a distance.

gruffydd3 · Post by **gruffydd3** » Sun Dec 24, 2006 10:28 am

I use both the M3 and a DE every day. I find some spots are hard to get really smooth with either, but what one razor misses, the other one gets.

If I had to use only one though, it would be the M3. Overall, it gives me a closer shave, and irritation has never been a problem.

Rick

aircraft_electrician · Sun Dec 24, 2006 10:31 am

I always got a pretty smooth shave from the M3, and it was alway pretty quick and easy. My only problem with it was irritation. Not a little burn at the end of the shave that goes away with a bit of a/s balm, the kind that shows up later and gets worse throughout the day. The kind that compounds every day and after 5 days of shaving would leave my face red and raw, forcing me to take weekends off from shaving.

That and the over priced cartridges. Double edge razors have solved both of these problems for me. I rarely get any irritation from a DE, and if I do, a little bit of a/s balm wipes it right out. Blades are dirt cheap too; $1.36 for 10 American Personna blades.

Tom

mantic · Post by **mantic** » Sun Dec 24, 2006 10:48 am

Welcom, Mano!

These two videos may help explain things.

--Mark

mano · Post by **mano** » Sun Dec 24, 2006 10:53 am

Thanks for your replies. I used a DE about 30 years ago and recall close but harsh shaves. The M3 along with Musgo and a best badger are very nice. I get my M3 blades in bulk on ebay, enough to last about two years, but they're still expensive.

I may invest in a Merkur HD and some good blades and give it a shot for a month. If it's as good as the M3, I'll stick with it.

Thanks again, and happy holidays to all!

DisposableGuy · Post by **DisposableGuy** » Sun Dec 24, 2006 11:24 am

gruffydd3 wrote:I use both the M3 and a DE every day. I find some spots are hard to get really smooth with either, but what one razor misses, the other one gets.

If I had to use only one though, it would be the M3. Overall, it gives me a closer shave, and irritation has never been a problem.

Rick

on close inspection in front of the mirror do you see the tips of stubble even though you get a close shave or do you have empty pores?

DisposableGuy · Post by **DisposableGuy** » Sun Dec 24, 2006 11:31 am

aircraft_electrician wrote:I always got a pretty smooth shave from the M3, and it was alway pretty quick and easy. My only problem with it was irritation. Not a little burn at the end of the shave that goes away with a bit of a/s balm, the kind that shows up later and gets worse throughout the day. The kind that compounds every day and after 5 days of shaving would leave my face red and raw, forcing me to take weekends off from shaving.

That and the over priced cartridges. Double edge razors have solved both of these problems for me. I rarely get any irritation from a DE, and if I do, a little bit of a/s balm wipes it right out. Blades are dirt cheap too; $1.36 for 10 American Personna blades.

Tom

I never had any irritation or razor burn the only little irritation i had is, i would put it that my skin was adjusting to the new razors/blades

heres my cost effective way with the expensive cartridges: i have light beard which doesnt grow so fast (apart from my upper lip) it takes about 5 days for stubble to show up properly and 2 more days when after it gets 1cm long and prpoerly dark. So i shave every 6 or 7 days (more earlier if i have to go on a mission). Therefore, 1 cartridge last 5 or more shaves. For each shave i save £1. So, after 4 shaves i have saved enough to buy a new pack of cartridges.

gruffydd3 · Post by **gruffydd3** » Tue Dec 26, 2006 5:45 am

DisposableGuy wrote:
gruffydd3 wrote:I use both the M3 and a DE every day. I find some spots are hard to get really smooth with either, but what one razor misses, the other one gets.

If I had to use only one though, it would be the M3. Overall, it gives me a closer shave, and irritation has never been a problem.

Rick
on close inspection in front of the mirror do you see the tips of stubble even though you get a close shave or do you have empty pores?

I'm not sure exactly what you mean by empty pores, but even using the 5X side of the mirror I can't see any stubble except a tiny bit at the corners of my mouth. Even that little bit I can't feel by rubbing it.

Rick

fallingwickets · Post by **fallingwickets** » Tue Dec 26, 2006 6:48 am

I may invest in a Merkur HD and some good blades and give it a shot for a month
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I highly recommend that you go to the trading forum and try buy yourself a gillette superspeed. You can also try ebay. The gillette is a lot more forgiving than the merkur is.

Clive

saveonrazors.com · Post by **saveonrazors.com** » Thu Dec 28, 2006 9:51 pm

If this forum is speaking of the Mach 3 disposable blade combined usage with a straight blade I find it very interesting. I'm looking to get a straight blade however I would miss the convenience of a Mach 3 shave. I am currently marketing a product for extending the life of disposable blades that this forum may be interested in.

My website is www.SaveOnRazors.com
While the product has been difficult to market due to skepticism I offer a 100% guarantee and an answer to razor burn and nicks from the Mach 3 disposables.

Thanks
Steve

yoyology · Post by **yoyology** » Thu Dec 28, 2006 10:06 pm

Steve-

If you have a product for sale, etiquette recommends posting in the Shopping forum. It's considered bad form to post in the informational fora about products in which you have a financial stake.

Welcome to SMF.

saveonrazors.com · Post by **saveonrazors.com** » Thu Dec 28, 2006 10:12 pm

Apologies for posting my product here. However my financial stake is minimal and this post is more about sticking it to the disposable manufacturers.