I know we had discussions about what kind of razor one uses… Many people said Mach 3… Is this just due to some sort of advertising scheme? My experience with them is limited, but I’ve never found them to be as good as my schick xtreme 3. However, thinking about it logically, exactly how much difference is there between the two? It seems that one 3-bladed razor is going to be remarkably similar to another, just like 2 bladed ones… (my 2 blade razor shopping has consisted of… hmm… which one is cheapest per razor?)
And 2nd question. For some reason, the hair under my chin grows in sideways… Is that normal? And I shaved it against the grain this morning, and there are little bumps all over there… is that anything to be concerned about?
The Master speaks; of course, he’s referring to two blades vs. one, but it’s basically the same thing.
Now they are coming out with a 4 blade razor. Oh the horror.
I don’t care how many blades they have. I just wish they’d quick putting that slimy “lube strip” on them.
:smack:
(In some areas of the country, “quick” is pronouced “quit.”
Yeah, I think so. It’s like that below my jaw too. Perhaps we should go around my rub our hands against other guy’s faces to obtain a broader sample? 
Not only do I find no difference in closeness given by single/double/triple blades, I find that dingle blade razors are much easier to clean with a single dunk in water. Gunk tends to get wedged in the multiblades.
I’ve found the Bic disposables (12 for a buck at the dollar stores) to give a great shave. The secret is to buy the “sensitive” version. They won’t hack the face like other disposables.
And they don’t have that damn lube strip!
Those single BIC disposable???
I cut myself nearly to death when I use them. I found the MACH 3 to almost never cut me and give me a much closer shave. But I don’t have a heavy beard. I can almost get away with shaving every other day.
any replies about the weird bumps though?
Did you try the “sensitive skin” version, or the regular ones? The regular will leave you hacked and bleeding like a slasher movie!
Oh, and screw shaving cream. Use a shaving oil like King of Shaves You can usually buy it on Ebay 6 bottles for $20.
I have not used a blade for probably more than 10 years. My neck was the biggest problem area and I found that my electric razor did as good if not better job than my then twin blade. Because of some of the posts on this site and because I am considering shaving my head, I went out and bought the Mach 3 Turbo.
I tried it and I must admit that it gave me probably the best shave I ever had. It even did a good job on my neck. In fact, now I can shave in the evenings and have a better shave than if I use the electric in the morning. So even though Cecil may disagree, I found that for me the Mach 3 lived up to its hype.
Hmmm, it´s just me or other people around here shave against the grain always? It works nice for me.
Doubel blades with some “cushion” (flexible mounting) and shaving cream; If I want to look really smart a particular day I don`t shave the previous day.
FWIW, I have both the Gillette and Schick versions and my Mach 3 is the only one I use. My beard goes sideways as well under my jaw but just shave straight down from the chin.
Also, skip the barbasol and get Edge shave gel. Also instead of shaving with standing water use HOT running water to rinse (never clogs even after 4 days growth).
Since switching to Mach I haven’t has even a single cut/nick in 3 years.
I’ve got four different brands of triple bladed razors, which is very useful for the “which blade is cheapest” shopping method, and I experiment with disposables. Right now I’m happiest with the Xtreme 3 sensitive skin disposables I picked up because they were the same price for 8 as for four blades for any of my handles.
That said, I don’t think it’s a big enough difference to warrant spending more money. They seem to be within a very fine degree of one another.
Of course, I have been known to shave with a Bic single blade disposable. In the car. I may not be the best judge of these things.
I love my Mach3. After using it for a while, I’ve tried to switch to the 2-bladed Sensor Excel and a few others to save some bucks, but I always come back. The Mach3 really does give me a better, closer, easier, more nick-free shave than anything else out there. The 3 blades really do seem to make a difference, to me, anyway.
Last year I switched over from shaving cream to a shaving brush and shaving soap, and find it also makes a world of difference. Oh, and I need to buy more pre-shave oil from The Art Of Shaving. Good stuff.
I get bumps if I shave up too. I can get bumps below my jaw even if I don’t shave up. I’ve got bumps below the jaw with an electric razor too. I think some peoples skin is just more sensitive than others. I may tend to push down to hard too. Especially when I have a hard time getting all the hairs.
I experienced a very similar problem. When I first began shaving, i was able to shave with the grain and get a close, clean shave. But once my hair became thicker, only an against the grain shave got it close and clean. But eventually, my hair became so thick, like a goddamn carpet on my face, that the same mach 3 I always used began to give me terrible irritation, and shaving became very difficult. The shaver literally would get stuck in the hairs and instead of cutting, pull on them. About 24 hours after a long tedious shave, I would notice little red bumps form, mostly on my cheeks and under my chin. My face would be sore to the touch and shaving was definetly not an option until it healed. They would heal in 24-48 hours, after coming to a head, kind of like small tiny pimples. They were not ingrown hairs, let me make that clear, as some would form not actually in the beard, but in its general area, where the blade must have rubbed against at the end of a stroke.
How did I solve this problem? I tried a couple different electric shavers, (i got that norelco one w/ the goo… i thought it was terrible. It was always missing spots and it was very difficult to shave in tight places) until I found a really great one, the Panasonic Linear Shaver, which is wet dry, so you can shave in the shower, which is nice. The shave is nearly as close as the best blade, and I never get any irritation or cuts.
From Cecil’s column:
The innocence of 1983. It makes one weep.
I think I just got the Philips version of the same, which is a vaguely disturbing sex-toyish-looking device which squirts lotion out the top. After using it for a couple of days, I’m beginning to suspect that they deliberately made the blades extra-cruel in a transparent bid to sell more of the little emollient refills, the mercenary bastids. Leaves me looking simultaneously in-need-of-a-shave and razor-burned, which is something of a surreal effect.
FWIW, I’m a gal and I sometimes get those bumps behind my knee. I always figured it was because the skin’s kinda thin back there.
Guys, (and girl) skip the blade and go with a long lasting, no cream buying, electric shave. I’m no shill, but once you learn how to use an electric (yes there is an actual method, that’s why lots of people hate em) you can get a no cut, no burn shave every day. Now if that extra 1/64 of an inch of hair is a huge problem for you, deal with the blade/cream thing.
I bought one of the cheapest Norelcos out there, and when I shave with a blade the difference is negligible at best. If you drag a razor blade across your skin every day…you HAVE to expect some negative repercussions. With electrics you need to go against the grain because that’s the only way to really get all the hair, but once you know how to do that you’re cut free for the rest of your life. BTW, my 40$ electric has been going strong for over 2 years now, I have to think that the hassles of blade shaving, cream buying, and cut tending, can’t be worth the 30 seconds you save by using a gillette. JMHO