shaving with an electric razor

I started off shaving with a Norelco in the 70's and was used to getting burned skin. I never thought about the blades, all three of 'em going dull, I just remember pressing harder to get a shave. All of that changed when I moved to the Track II, then Sensor Excel. Now having gone one big step to DE's which I've been using for about six months or more, there's no going back. Blades are cheap and the experience is golden.
 
Thinking of buying the philips norelco at830 but reading mixed reviews at the moment. Anyone recommend this shaver?? Its above my budget but I need a shaver that will last (none of these cheap ones!!). Any help would be great!!!
 
I would look at the wirecutter article on electric shavers. They generally do a well referenced head to head and give good reasons for going with different options. It looks like they are currently doing an update on their electric shaver article, but the current one may be of some help to you.
 
I am saying this VERY toungue in cheek. I'm joking around, I don't intend to offend.


Electric??? WHAAAAAT???? That is crazy. I wouldn't use an electric if that was the last razor made. I'm a DE, Traditional Wet shaver from waaaay back. Like, a year. Hahaha. :) In all seriousness, I'm a fan of my new (to me) Coles (Merkur) 37c slant. Load that bad Fred with a new, fresh, Feather, and man o' man, THAT'S a shave. I could not imagine the ingrown hairs and the shaving irritation I would get from an electric. If you Gentlemen get a good, clean shave from an electric, I say "Good on Ya!!"

I just wanted to jump in and sound like a 90 year old curmudgeon. :) But hey, "I'm a Dapper Dan Man!"
 
I quit using electric (Norelco's) after maybe 20 years, and am still with Gillette Sensor Excel. Canned for work days and a bar of soap from the local shave shop on my days. Big box stores have much, much better prices on the cartridges.
 
I have always shaved with a razor and decided to try a electric a few years back. Every single electric I tried tore up my face and gave a patchy terrible shave. I will NEVER shave with a electric again. They might work for some, but I have a thick beard and a easily irritated neck so electric is like taking sand paper to it. I used DE for quite a while with excellent results and I rather like shaving with a DE, but I shave in the shower now so DE is a pain in the ass to do in the shower. Disposables for me.
 
When I'm not prowling my local mall, in full "tacticool black", I prefer the close comfortable shave that I can only get from a BudK Katana. When It dulls, I open the sideboard, withdraw a plate, fling it in the air and quick as a rattlesnake, pull my 13" barreled .454, with green dot laser, and usually by the time the cylinder is empty I have a small enough shard to hone the edge on. I was taught this method by my Uncle Horace, who when he wasn't in jail for hanging too close to the schoolyard in his van was quite the jack of all trades. We all grow VERY heavy beards, so by the time I was 4&1/2 i learned the method with a tanto, by the time I was 10 it required a wakazashi, and now I'm up to a katana. Next year i may have to buya naginata. Not sure yet. What's crazy is that nobody has a group or forum for guys like me that do it this way. When i called BudK to ask if they knew other katana shavers, the guy laughed and then the line went dead, they must be having phone line problems or something.
 
I suppose I'm on the opposite side of the fence as most here. :eek:

I use one of the high-end ultrasonic Braun electric shavers, and nothing I've ever used gets a closer shave for me. Granted, it has been awhile since I've been to a barber who used a straight razor, but I have used a modern DE more recently and it still doesn't get as close for me. :eek:

I often let my stubble grow for a few days (yes, I get lazy and do not particularly enjoy shaving), and at that point it is faster to use a DE or cartridge razor to get the hair off. However, for that really close shave I always do a final pass with the Braun. This particular model has the "clean and renew" system, and I have to admit, it does make a difference. Makes it smell like lemons too. :foot:

YMMV...

I use a Braun 4-5 days a week and am very pleased with the shave. I have a heavy beard and the Braun provides a close shave and smooth face. While a straight razor cannot be beat, my Braun rates an 8.5 out of 10
 
For many years, I shaves with a Norelco electric and felt I worked well. It was a rechargeable and I routinely got ten or eleven shaves from a full charge. So, as I headed to a five-day professional conference in San Jose, California with some colleagues, I fully-charged my razor and put it in my suitcase leaving its grapefruit-sized charger at home. When we arrived at our hotel, we agreed to meet back in the lobby in 30 minutes to go to this great store that I had been to in the past, Fry's. (This was long ago and so we were heading to the original Fry's in San Jose complete with produce section and gas pumps in front.)

As I unpacked, I realized that somehow my razor had gotten switched on in my suitcase and the battery was completely depleted. I faced a week at a professional conference without shaving.

The razor had no markings about AC or DC or voltage or polarity (remember, I am an electrical engineer). But, I noted the razor model number and sketched the proprietary connector. At Fry's, I found the toiletries aisle, but the few Norelco chargers they had did not match my sketch and they did not have my model such that I might be able to find out the voltage, etc. and cobble some alternative together (we were at Fry's after all). I was just stuck looking at shelling out $100 for a new razor I didn't need.

Then, I saw it: a Gillette Sensor "starter pack," a razor and a few blade cartridges, for something like $5. Add a can of foam for $2 and I would be set... if only I could figure this thing out.

The next day, I discovered two things: First, why they call it a "safety razor." I had no problem with it at all. And, second, the best shave I had ever experienced; I didn't know a shave could be that good! I don't think I ever did recharge that Norelco. I have no recollection on what happened to it.

Five years ago, I stopped at the grocery store on the way home one day. I needed eggs and some butter... oh, and don't forget Sensor cartridges. I really needed the cartridges. I got to the checkout and gave the cashier a twenty awaiting my change. She held out her hand waiting for more money. "What? $34.95?"

"Well, sir, the razor blades at $29.95 alone."

"Oh my goodness. Ok. Here's another $20."

On the way home, I was fuming. $30 for a package of five razor cartridges, six dollars each! And I typically got six good shaves from each. I was paying a-dollar-a-day just for razor blades! It was as if I got up each morning and faced one of those bill slots where I had to insert a dollar bill just to get my day started.

I resolved that that would be the last package of Sensor cartridges I would buy. I would switch to a straight razor. I had seen them at knife shows. I knew that they were expensive, but, once purchased, could last a lifetime. They make economic sense.

In researching that, I discovered two things:

First, straight razor shaving harkens back to a day when a man did not shave himself. An upper-class gentleman was shaved by his valet who also took care of the razor. A working-class bloke was shaved by his wife (or one of his daughters as part of her training in the domestic arts in preparation for marriage) who also took care of the razor. And a middle-class man dropped a penny every few days at the neighborhood barber where he also got caught up on the latest gossip. A man who, today, undertakes the straight razor undertakes something he was never intended to do by himself and that had to be motivated by more than the persuit of an economical shave.

Second, this thing called "DE Shaving." Some people think it's "old fashioned." But this is like saying that the latest Dell Server with it's multi-core, multi-gigahertz processor and DDR3 memory system is old-fashioned because the plug that plugs it into the wall outlet dates back to the 1800s. Yes, the blade is shaped the same as great-grand-dad's. But I doubt that he ever had a blade that was Platimum and Teflon coated and made in an ISO9000-registered factory from modern steel. Today's DE shaving is quite modern.

So, I made the investment and the switch and I discovered two things: first, why they call it a safety razor. And, second, the closest and best shave I have ever experienced. I haven't seen that Sensor razor handle around here in a long time either.

Amen bro, well stated I have been using straights over 45 yrs. started with one, tried numerous other types mostly gifts from wife and relatives who thought I might want an upgrade. I tried and trashed them if I had to do a mach 3 shave or electric razor I would have a 45 yr old beard. the straight two pass cannot be beat. I had a braun my wife paid around 200 for and it was a challenge to use aftershave after using the thing,with a properly honed straight I do not even get a tickle from the aftershave, no sting no burn just a cool splash.if you ever find an electric that does that let me know.
 
Sad to report my "katana shaving " days have come to an end. I decapitated myself, and after a 14 hour surgery, it was revealed my head was reattached backwards. Totally NOT cool, let me tell ya. Anyway, I now have a lovely collection of BudK brand katanas in luxurious 420 J2 steel for anyone that needs a semi functional blade. And by "semi-functional", I mean something to hang on your wall and irritate your father-in-law with. Believe me, "Big Stu" does NOT like "them damn Japaner back-scratchers round his little baby girl, No Sir, not one bit"!! SO, i find myself in the awkward position of seeing my own ass every single waking minute, AND having to sell my treasured collection of "semi-functional but highly ornate faux samurai swords". PM me with any serious offer, like five bucks or more. thanks.
 
Heh, I've run the gamut from plastic razors thru DEs to electric and now I'm back to plastic (not by choice, I'm traveling and have nothing else available right now). I never got around to trying a straight razor, although I'd love to. My grandfather was a barber, and we've still got a couple of his old straights.

Fellas - when you switch from blade to electric, you need a while to get the best out of the electric beastie. 30 days is the usual time given. This provides time for your skin to 'adapt' and for you to gain skill with the electric shaver. I put the 'adaption' idea down to adaptations you skin makes through its 30-day renewal cycle (yes you grow a new skin every 30 days, look it up ;)) but I nor anyone else has anything to back up the idea that your skin changes based on what kind of shaver you're using.

Different guys are going to get different results from rotary and foil shavers. Like folks have said here, it's a really ymmv situation, but most guys will find something that works for them eventually. Also, the $million shaver will work like a charm for some guys, and some guys will get $million performance out of a $30 shaver.

Best thing you can do is go for the brands that have try-and-return periods (Braun's is 30 days, Philips offer 45), give the shavers a spin, and return them if they don't work out for you. Bottom line - don't give up after a couple tries. Did you shave perfectly first time with a DE? I doubt it.

Full disclosure - I run a shave gear site, and we have a long-ish (non-sales) article on choosing an electric shaver right here. I'd love to get some feedback if you think it's useful.
 
I have a beautiful DeHaven razor.It has a blade which could probably be sharpened, but it looks to have been used quite a bit. So I wait, and hope that someday I can either find an extra NOS blade or two, or successfully figure out a way to modify or recast the blade carrier to accept a new blade.
 
I started shaving with a "safety" razor in the late 60's, because that was what my dad always used. He later switched to an electric, liked it and got me one. I hated it. It made my neck sore and I didn't think it shaved as close as a blade. I used it for several years till it got dull and went back to blades. Somewhere along the way, double blade razors like the Trac II came out and I switched to those. They were a pretty good shave if you bought a decent one instead of a disposable. Eventually, these things got 5 blades in them and felt like i was shaving with a sharpened canoe paddle. The price of blades for them was outrageous. If I hadn't gotten a free one in the mail, I never would have even tried one because of the cost. They remind me of ink jet printers. The razor/printer is cheap but the blades/ink cartridges cost as much or more than the machine that uses them.

My mother passed away a couple years ago and cleaning out her house I found the old safety razor that started it all. I bought some blades which were incredibly cheap compared to the canoe paddles and am back to enjoying a good double edged shave.
 
I've always shaved with an electric. I'm afraid if I used a razor I would be bleeding all the time, and if I used a straight razor I would be dead.

For a long time I've used a foil razor. I also have a Norelco rotary that I use occasionally. In my experience the foil will shave closer to the rotary, but is more difficult to use and best case won't equal a blade. But there isn't any blood involved with it either. However the foil doesn't work well with longer stubble so for me I have to use it everyday. It can also miss a whisker here and there. So if I miss a day shaving then I use the rotary the next day, and occasionally after using the foil every day I use the rotary to pick up anything missed by the foil. My morning routine is to shower or otherwise wash my face, then let it dry completely while I eat breakfast or get dressed. Only after the skin has dried completely do I use the shaver. I discovered one time that the shaving lotions you can buy for electrics will work if for some reason you can't let your skin dry completely. I'm not a "pretty boy" so I don't require a perfect shave, I'm more interested in convenience. My foil shaver is a Remington and I've had to replace the batteries in it at least twice myself. I go to Frys or in the past Radio Shack, buy a couple of NiCad batteries, take the thing apart and solder them in. But it is convenient for travel and lasts reasonably long. My Norelco rotary is corded only. I bought it for occasional use and thought the corded model would be cheaper and also would be ready to go whenever I needed it.
 
I use a Panasonic Wet/Dry that I picked up new for $70. It does a good job though not perfect. When using razors and shaving cream, only the premium Gillette products worked well for me, and I couldn't figure out how to salvage the diamonds and precious metals that they are obviously made from. I've got ex-wives that are less expensive!!

Update: I went back and calculated that I was spending approximately $200 a year - probably more - on disposable Gillette razor blades and shaving cream. If I throw away my Panasonic electric razor and buy a new one each year, that would be a savings of $130/year minus whatever I'm spending on my electric bill to recharge it weekly.
 
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When I'm not prowling my local mall, in full "tacticool black", I prefer the close comfortable shave that I can only get from a BudK Katana. When It dulls, I open the sideboard, withdraw a plate, fling it in the air and quick as a rattlesnake, pull my 13" barreled .454, with green dot laser, and usually by the time the cylinder is empty I have a small enough shard to hone the edge on. I was taught this method by my Uncle Horace, who when he wasn't in jail for hanging too close to the schoolyard in his van was quite the jack of all trades. We all grow VERY heavy beards, so by the time I was 4&1/2 i learned the method with a tanto, by the time I was 10 it required a wakazashi, and now I'm up to a katana. Next year i may have to buya naginata. Not sure yet. What's crazy is that nobody has a group or forum for guys like me that do it this way. When i called BudK to ask if they knew other katana shavers, the guy laughed and then the line went dead, they must be having phone line problems or something.

That is pretty funny. Russ
 
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