Cartridge vs DE razor shaving - my experiences so far

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evoke

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The majority of my shaves over the last few weeks have been with my Merkur 34C razor with Astra SP blades. It's been quite a learning experience as I've tried out various shaving soaps and creams and also varied my technique. My beard bristles are extremely thick and tough - a point that would be a major factor in my overall conclusion.

So, in terms of a comparison, here's the products I use for an end-to-end shaving experience:

DE Shaving Items
  • Merkur 34C razor
  • Astra SP blades
  • TOBS sandalwood shaving cream
  • Vulfix 404 shaving brush
  • Haryali London Classic Stainless Steel Shavign Bowl
  • Nivea Sensitive Post-Shave Balm
  • TOBS Sandalwood After Shave
Cartridge Razor Shaving Items
  • Gillette Fusion ProGlide Power razor
  • Gillette Fusion ProGlide Power cartridge
  • The Real Shaving Co Super Slide Shave Gel
  • TOBS Sandalwood After Shave
Preparation
DE shaving requirements a fair amount of preparation: soaking the brush and preparing the lather (around 10 minutes). Cartridge shaving requires no preparation.

Shaving Experience
The shaving experiences are significantly different. DE shaving is more of an 'event' - something that I plan. I have to concentrate a lot more on technique and there's usually one or two very small nicks on my skin, no matter how careful I am. The shave takes a lot longer too - around 30 minutes in total. This is down to being extra-careful, several passes required and applying lather before each pass. There's also a lot more 'mess' created with DE shaving with water and lather splashes around the basin area. Cleaning up also takes much longer. However, the most negative aspect for me is that the blades struggle to cut through my facial hairs. I can feel the blade edge pulling on my face no matter how well lubricated my skin is. I think it's just down to the lack of stiffness in the Astra SP blade.

Due to this, my skin does feel a bit sore after the shave so I need to apply the post-shave balm. I'm also finding that the shave isn't as close as I was hoping for, even if I perform multiple passes over an area.

The cartridge razor shaving experience (for which I've got decades more experience) is a lot more straightforward. With zero prep, I just apply the shave gel to my wetted face in seconds and then shave away. The shave is over in about 9 minutes which includes multiple passes, with no reapplication of shaving gel required between passes. Cleaning up takes about 1-2 minutes at most.

Now, the most important aspect for me with cartridge razor shaving is that the blades are able to cope with my facial hair quite easily. The shave is extremely close and my skin feels very soft afterwards with no nicks and no post-shave balm required.

Cost Per Shave
Since the shaving soaps, brushes, creams are generally common across both types of razors, it's only the blades that affect the cost per shave. Due to the DE blades struggling with my facial hairs, I change them after each shave.

DE blades: £9.46 for 100, 1 blade used per shave = approximately 10p per shave.
Cartridge blades: £24 for 8 cartridges, 3 shaves per cartridge = £1 per shave.

So from a cost perspective, cartridge shaving costs me 10 times as much as DE shaving. However, the convenience and better results from cartridge shaving outweigh the cost-savings of DE shaving for me at the moment.

I still enjoy the experience of DE shaving and will continue to enjoy that at weekends when I have more 'my time'.
 
evoke said:
The majority of my shaves over the last few weeks have been with my Merkur 34C razor with Astra SP blades. It's been quite a learning experience as I've tried out various shaving soaps and creams and also varied my technique. My beard bristles are extremely thick and tough - a point that would be a major factor in my overall conclusion.

So, in terms of a comparison, here's the products I use for an end-to-end shaving experience:

DE Shaving Items
  • Merkur 34C razor
  • Astra SP blades
  • TOBS sandalwood shaving cream
  • Vulfix 404 shaving brush
  • Haryali London Classic Stainless Steel Shavign Bowl
  • Nivea Sensitive Post-Shave Balm
  • TOBS Sandalwood After Shave
Cartridge Razor Shaving Items
  • Gillette Fusion ProGlide Power razor
  • Gillette Fusion ProGlide Power cartridge
  • The Real Shaving Co Super Slide Shave Gel
  • TOBS Sandalwood After Shave
Preparation
DE shaving requirements a fair amount of preparation: soaking the brush and preparing the lather (around 10 minutes). Cartridge shaving requires no preparation.

Shaving Experience
The shaving experiences are significantly different. DE shaving is more of an 'event' - something that I plan. I have to concentrate a lot more on technique and there's usually one or two very small nicks on my skin, no matter how careful I am. The shave takes a lot longer too - around 30 minutes in total. This is down to being extra-careful, several passes required and applying lather before each pass. There's also a lot more 'mess' created with DE shaving with water and lather splashes around the basin area. Cleaning up also takes much longer. However, the most negative aspect for me is that the blades struggle to cut through my facial hairs. I can feel the blade edge pulling on my face no matter how well lubricated my skin is. I think it's just down to the lack of stiffness in the Astra SP blade.

Due to this, my skin does feel a bit sore after the shave so I need to apply the post-shave balm. I'm also finding that the shave isn't as close as I was hoping for, even if I perform multiple passes over an area.

The cartridge razor shaving experience (for which I've got decades more experience) is a lot more straightforward. With zero prep, I just apply the shave gel to my wetted face in seconds and then shave away. The shave is over in about 9 minutes which includes multiple passes, with no reapplication of shaving gel required between passes. Cleaning up takes about 1-2 minutes at most.

Now, the most important aspect for me with cartridge razor shaving is that the blades are able to cope with my facial hair quite easily. The shave is extremely close and my skin feels very soft afterwards with no nicks and no post-shave balm required.

Cost Per Shave
Since the shaving soaps, brushes, creams are generally common across both types of razors, it's only the blades that affect the cost per shave. Due to the DE blades struggling with my facial hairs, I change them after each shave.

DE blades: £9.46 for 100, 1 blade used per shave = approximately 10p per shave.
Cartridge blades: £24 for 8 cartridges, 3 shaves per cartridge = £1 per shave.

So from a cost perspective, cartridge shaving costs me 10 times as much as DE shaving. However, the convenience and better results from cartridge shaving outweigh the cost-savings of DE shaving for me at the moment.

I still enjoy the experience of DE shaving and will continue to enjoy that at weekends when I have more 'my time'.
Click to expand...
You can't ignore those savings but I understand and respect your decision to DE shave at weekends when time is not an issue.
 
How long have you been DE shaving for? When I first started, it took 20+ minutes. Now, if I need to, I can get shaved in 10 minutes - three passes. I may do this with a Gillette Knack rather than a Merkur 37c, on the basis that I can get away with a lot more with the Knack without needing to be careful, but it's still a magnificent shave.

Of course, what's best for you is what's best for you. There's something to be said for leaving DE shaving for when you can take your time and enjoy.
 
I am loathe to give anyone shaving advice as I am novice. I would however, suggest that you change up to a sharper blade - Feather or Polsilver Super Iridium. I have found that Astras and Derbys do not work for my beard but the SI and particularly the Feathers are brilliant.
 
I've been shaving for over 50 years and I've tried a myriad of DE, SE, blades and cartridge razors. I've not tried a cut-throat razor as the thought of shaving with one terrifies me. About three years ago, however, I decided to use a Mach3 and Sensor cartridge razor exclusively. As you've experienced, I found using either a DE or SE way too consuming and not very satisfying; in fact I would finish my DE and SE shaves with either a Mach3 or Sensor to get the close, irritation-free shaves I like. I only used canned foam or gel for a very short time preferring instead to face lather with a badger or boar brush. Today I own 36 shaving brushes, 5 shaving creams, 3 shaving soaps and one shaving soap stick. I use the latter only when I travel due to its convenience, but when I'm at home I use cream 95% of the time, predominantly TOBS. I also have 12 bottles of alcohol-based aftershave splash, but I don't use balms, colognes or E d'T. Even though I don't use a DE/SE razor now, I consider myself as much a wet shaver as those who do. Cartridges are expensive, but I think the trade-off of cost for a smooth, close and irritation-free shave I get from cartridges more than outweighs the expense. I want to enjoy my daily shaves and I very rarely did with a DE or SE. So, stick with your cartridges, but use a brush for making and applying your lather and take time to prep your face and beard.
 
I agree with @David68 , try some different blades, they do seem to vary on how they work and feel for different people. For me Polsilver SI and Feather are sharp, but they give me irritation and while clearly the Feather is a sharp blade it feels quite "tuggy" for me. For me a Feather blade is not too bad in a Gillette Tech but not so good in my Fatip Piccolo. For me Astra SP, Lord Platinum, Gillette Silver Blue and Bolzano work well in almost any of my DE razors, and for me these blades work better than Feathers or Polsilver SI, both closer and smoother shaves.

Might I also suggest that you consider trying a more "aggressive" razor or even a single edge, maybe get in on one of the pass arounds on this forum to try before you buy. I say this because since trying Injector SE Razors and SE razors using the the artist club blades (Ikon El Jefe in my case) I was amazed at how much better they shaved.

To my surprise I got as good a shave with a BiC disposable as a Mach 3 this week, yes the Mach 3 is a good cartridge and I still have some and will use them if I need to travel.

And then of course there is the prep for your actual whiskers, I notice you don't mention any pre shave routine or products, this does seem to vary for many people but getting those tough whiskers nice and soft before shaving might help. Apologies if you are already doing this but I found this and getting the shaving soap/cream lather right had the most impact on a shave for me, yes blade sharpness does come into play for me but my bad shaves normally have bad prep and a poor lather as key factor.
 
Thanks for all the replies with some great advice!

I've only been DE shaving for a few weeks so am a novice, although I've been shaving every single day or every other day with my Merkur razor. I tend to get the 5 O'clock shadow due to the speed my beard grows at.

Some context on the toughness of my stubble: I know people who use the same or very similar cartridges and they can get 6-8 shaves per cartridge. The most I can get is three. The third shave takes a couple of minutes longer as the blades in the cartridge are already fairly blunt.

I'll order some sharper blades and also think more about the pre-shave prep. I'm also going to research single-edge razors as they may cope better with the toughness of my stubble.

I do enjoy the 'occasion' that DE shaving is to me so I won't be ditching it.
 
My thoughts:
You blame the preparation on DE shaving, but you can (and I do) use the same prep with brush and soap for cartridge razors. You can also use your shave gel with DE razors. I sometimes use just shaving oil for my shaves, DE, SE or cartridge. How you prep and what soap/gel/foam/oil you use has nothing to do with the type of razor used.
If your DE blades struggle to cut your stubble you could try different blades (get a sampler pack), but I always suspect technique being the problem. Make sure that you use the correct angle. Make sure you know your face very well and always shave WTG first. If the blade tugs WTG, you're probably not going WTG to start with or your angle is out. Just guessing, but your Gillette Fusion is very good at getting the angle right no matter what you do. It takes quite a bit of practice to match a Gillette Fusion shave for closeness with a DE or SE, but I think it's worth trying. The Fusion is many things, but most of all it's boring :D:D
 
you must have a lot of time on your hands! i am showered and shaved in less than 10 mins, using a DE and brush. any longer seems like fannying around to me but each to their own i guess! its still a pleasant experience, two passes and a perfect shave.
EDIT: i dont mean to be dismissive, i just re-read my post and it might sound that way. i am just trying to demonstrate that a DE shave doesnt have to be all prep and ritual and can with practice be as efficient (both time wise and shave wise) as a cartridge
 
Took me much longer than I expected to get the kind of shave I wanted from a DE ( perhaps 6 months or so, I must be a slow learner), but I'm really happy now. Close shaves in a reasonably short time, no irritation or cuts (nearly all the time). It certainly wasn't always that way; I thought for some time that I would have to accept irritation as normal. When I used carts, I got great shaves but ingrowns were almost impossible to avoid for me. That alone puts me off mutiblade carts.
 
heres the MAIN thing that I see.

The choice of shave cream is the biggest problem here. The TOBS almond in my own experience SUCKS. Im just trying to tell myself its ok to dump it out so I can use the big tub for my little red bowl of Cella to have room to play with.

The super glide stuff you use for your cartridge shaves, use that with your DE shave. Doing so will eliminate the main variable. Use it on your brush and you wont have to wrry about extra time relathering between passes.
Note: some of the Gillette shave gels are actually meant to be used with a brush. They have little brush icons on the back.

Only go with the grain. do so for 3 passes. that's your shave. Youll notice an improvement.

And please stop the practice of cartridge Monday, de Tuesday, cartridge Wednesday, DE Thursday..... that is only making things worse as far as irritation goes for your DE shaves.
It can take 2-4 days for cartridge irritation to go away and let your face restore itself. Shaving is an exfoliating face scrub, and a cartridge razor is 5 at a time.
 
One of these English boys should send you a couple blades, id say anything like say a treet carbon, a Gillette silver blue, a platinum plus, and a Wilkinson german.

I have heavy tough thick facial hair. I need the holy Tallow for proper shave. Sure the TOBS formula is OK, I find Erasmic in a stick to be superior in the realm of skin care, and glide, and shaving comfort. Just not as glamorous.
 
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