I’m getting tired of cutting up my face everyday with a regular razor. I use a Gilette Mach 3, and I still get about 8 or 9 nicks on my face. I’m getting fed up with this and am thinking of switching to an electric.
Will this help reduce nicks or am I doomed to bleed for all eternity?
What kind of electric shaver do you recommend and why?
Thanks in advance.
An electric razor should eliminate nicks.
I use a 3-head Norelco. Works well.
Keep in mind there’s a tradeoff: While an electric razor is much more convenient, it will not shave as close as a blade (no matter what the commercials say).
I can’t offer any advice in the electric department, but I can offer this:
I used to use a Mach 3. I think it was the commercials that made me switch - who doesn’t want to be a fighter pilot? But I got a ton of nicks each day, and my neck was just a big swath of razorburn each week.
One day I ran out of razors, and used my old Gilette 2-blader. I found a fresh blade in the back of the medicine cabinet. It worked great. Sure, I get a few nicks and some burn every now and then, but nothing near to what I got with the Mach 3.
I recommend any shavers built by Braun. Very reliable, as close a shave as I’ve had with an electric.
I have used gilette sensor (i think it’s the model) ever since they sent me a free one 10+ yrs ago (man time flies)
I guess I had no more then 10 nicks in those 10 yrs (ok maybe 20 - and 1/2 the time it’s a defective blade which I just get rid of) and laugh when I hear about people using electric rasors. I am amazed many times on how much pressure I could apply and not get cut. Also the blade is very fast - I never uses an 'lectric so can’t compare.
brujo - more “shaving” advice than 'lectric razor advice, but here it is:
Shave in the shower. Get yourself a fog-free mirror (depending on how affluent you are, Sharper Image has deluxe ones). The steam in the hot shower will soften up your beard - I like to lather up my face, wash the rest of my body while the foam works its way in, then shave. Use a good moisturizer/balm on your skin afterwards, not an astringent aftershave. I never get nicks - and I used to be plagued with sensitive skin and razor burn. I use a Gillette Mach 3 because of the “fighter pilot” commercials, to compensate for my small penis. 
I’d recommend against picking one up in a McDonalds washroom.
http://cbsnewyork.com/national/ExplodingRazors-aa/resources_news_html
Consider yourself lucky. It doesn’t matter what kind of razor I try. It’ll always be a pain to use it because my beard is so tough that I have to slowly shave with the grain, then do it all over again against the grain. There’s no way I could do it quickly without ripping my face up.
I’ve used a braun and a couple norelcos for most of the past 15 years and agree with Crafter_Man. Neither brand will get as close as a razor, but for me electric shavers are so much quicker and convenient that I don’t mind the tradeoff. And I’ve never cut myself with one. I can’t really recommend a brand, but I will recommend that if you get one, spend a little more to get one that runs off an internal battery as well as a power cord.
Thanks to everyone who replied.
Darrens, I’ve tried doing this a few times. I still tore up my face pretty well. I’ve tried several different razors and they all had the same effect. Me with several bits of toilet paper stuck to my face.
From my reading of the replies, it seems that the general consensus is that you will get fewer nicks with an electric but not as close of a shave.
I have a few questions still.
How much should I expect to pay for a good electric razor?
Does anyone have any kind of razor they would recommend avoiding at all costs? Please share any and all horror stories.
This month’s (Nov. 2002) Consumer Reports has an article on electric shavers. Worth the $3.99 to avoid getting one you don’t like. They did say that none of them was quite as close as a blade, and almost all of them were more expensive on an annual basis (replacement heads tend to be costly), but they also listed some good models.
I was in the same boat as you a few months back. I broke down and bought of the “close as a blade” electric shavers.
It seemed to work pretty good for the first few days. It wasn’t as close a shave as I liked, and my face really felt rubbed raw after using it. The nice thing though, I shaved sitting in front of the computer or while watching TV.
So fast forward a week later. Now the damn thing feels like it plucks every 20th hair out of my face. It can’t be the blades getting dull already?
Fast forward another week, now it plucks every 10th hair out of my face. I’m also finding I’m dry shaving with the Sensor razor to clean up the bits the “close as a blade” shaver is nop longer getting.
And yes, they do live up to the “close as a blade or your money back” bit.
i’m back to using the Sensor blade and a good shave lotion (I hate shave cream)
Have you tried a good shaving soap? I used to nick myself ALOT when I used canned shaving soap. On a whim I bought some mug soap and a brush and used that for years. It worked great. You should try it. Buy a bar of Williams mug soap (it’s really cheap) and give it a shot.
Neither my Norelcos or the Braun I had needed a new head until about a year (at least) after I bought them. If your blades quit after a couple weeks, you should be getting your money back. I’m glad to see you didn’t have a problem with Braun (I’m assuming that’s who it was).
The only time I really feel any pulling is when the battery is low and the blades slow down.
I moved from a Mach 3 - although I sure wasn’t getting 8 or 9 nicks per shave - to an electric razor. I have a pretty fast-growing beards.
Here is my advice:
PAY A LOT FOR YOUR ELECTRIC RAZOR. The difference in quality between cheap ones and expensive ones is enormous. If you spend less than $150US you are not spending enough. Incidentally, if you were using Mach IIIs, you’ll save money in the long run.
GET A WET/DRY RAZOR. Again, they’re way, way better than solely dry electrics. Your skin will come out a lot better for being able to use a little shaving cream.
BUY FROM A PLACE WITH A 30-DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE. A lot of stores, especially ones that specialize in these things like The Sharper Image, will take it back no questions asked if you think it sucks after two weeks. Given the amount of money involved it’s worth it.
DON’T BE DISAPPOINTED IF IT DOESN’T SEEM TO WORK RIGHT AWAY. Shaving with an electric razor, I have found, is a very different process. Despite what others have written, I started finding, after a month or so, that I could get just as close a shave as I did with a blade once I started to get the hang of it. It’s a very different skill. Having a wet/dry razor helps a lot with the closeness of your shave.
It’s important to make sure you tighten or stretch whatever you’re shaving, then run the razor back and forth at least several times over the area. One sweep will not get it all. Also, attack an area in multiple directions.
BTW, I use a Panasonic Linear.