Styleforum › Forums › Lifestyle › Health & Body › Mach 3 Upgrade?
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Mach 3 Upgrade?

post #1 of 10
2/21/08 at 3:44pm
Thread Starter 
I've been spending some time at the shaving forums lately and am considering changing up my routine.

I like my M3.. decent shave, little/predictable irritation, quick.
I have looked in to DE shaving, but I just feel like making multiple passes and re-lathering would add time to my morning routine that I am not really willing to sacrifice, even if the end result is a better shave.

If I switched to a Sensor Excel, would I get a closer shave/less irritation than a M3?
Reply
Reply
post #2 of 10
2/21/08 at 3:53pm
I use the vibrating Mach 3 most workdays. Save the DE for the weekend.
Reply
Reply
post #3 of 10
2/21/08 at 3:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by leon12 View Post
I've been spending some time at the shaving forums lately and am considering changing up my routine.

I like my M3.. decent shave, little/predictable irritation, quick.
I have looked in to DE shaving, but I just feel like making multiple passes and re-lathering would add time to my morning routine that I am not really willing to sacrifice, even if the end result is a better shave.

If I switched to a Sensor Excel, would I get a closer shave/less irritation than a M3?

I moved from Sensor to M3, to Schick Quattro, with each step being an incremental improvement (although I think these things are highly dependent upon one's own beard growth, facial structure, shaving habits, or whatever).

I have also tried the DE thing. I wanted to like it, and probably would if I had a lot more time in the morning to devote to shaving as a ritual. But ultimately it just wasn't for me.
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 10
2/21/08 at 3:55pm
+1 to the quattro, though I have to replace the blades on mine more often than I did on my mach3.
Reply
Reply
post #5 of 10
2/21/08 at 4:16pm
I've gone through the Mach 3, Mach 3 Power, the Fusion Power, to a DE for about a couple of months, then back to the Fusion Power. The Fusion Power is the best of all worlds, IMO, it shaves close, is low on irritation if your prep is sound, and it's idiot-proof. The vibrating Power feature won't give you a closer shave IMO, but it does reduce tugging and catching on hair, which improves comfort. The Fusion is a little more cumbersome than the Mach 3 but is generally worth it for the rest of its benefits. Also, I think the Power cartridges are higher quality than the standard version for both the Mach 3 and Fusion, so if you don't like the Power feature it's still worth trying out the blades on your regular model.
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 10
2/21/08 at 7:39pm
A lot of people at the shaving forums say that the excel is the best cartridge razor out there. I think the big key is in prep and the use of a quality brush and cream/soap.

I myself use a DE and after a few months the time difference is little but the quality is much higher.
Reply
Reply
post #7 of 10
2/21/08 at 8:34pm
Thread Starter 
How "little" is the time difference? Right now, I soak my brush, give it a whisk in some taylor's cream, and lather my face. I then make one pass with the grain and I'm done.

The DE shaving tutorials I've looked at involve whisking a dollop of cream for minutes to generate the perfect lather, followed by 2, 3, 4, 5 passes, re-lathering between each. It sounds like a lot of extra work to me..


Quote:
Originally Posted by antigonish View Post
I myself use a DE and after a few months the time difference is little but the quality is much higher.
Reply
Reply
post #8 of 10
2/21/08 at 9:07pm
You're probably not going to get a great shave without more than one pass with a DE but unless you have a very thick beard you should not need more than three.

I face lather as well with soap since it cuts down on the time and do two passes at which point everything above my jawline is smooth, and I mean smooth. Under the jawline there's still stubble but you can't really tell from looking. I can't remember the exact amount of time it took me to shave with a mach 3, but I do remember that I did two passes with it as well and I could feel stubble on my cheeks and upper lip and it didn't take much less time than I use now.

Just watch this guy. He knocks out the first two passes of this shave in like three minutes. http://youtube.com/watch?v=pRO9IVu7q5k

On the forums some of the guys can get a little out of control and demand a parade for every batch of lather they whip up so while the advice is great, they are some big shavegeeks, as opposed to a slight shavegeek like myself.

As an aside I think face lathering with soap is about 5x faster than cream, soap isn't as volatile to the necessary product to water ratio, whereas creams can be very dry or become very runny real quick.
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 10
2/21/08 at 10:10pm
My DE shaves take half as long as compared to my cartridge shaves. If I really work at it I can get a good shave in ~3 minutes with a DE (no cheek stubble, minor neck stubble), a better shave in ~7 (no visible stubble), and perfect shave some time over that.

With a Fusion it would take me 10 minutes to get somewhere between the good and better shave, and no matter what it would not improve beyond that point without turning my neck into road rash.

I highly suggest trying out a DE for a month or two. You can get pretty good razors for cheap, and can also use the brush and shaving cream with a cartridge.
Reply
Reply
post #10 of 10
2/22/08 at 6:16am
I used to shave with a Mach 3. I had terrible problems with irritation. Switched to a Sensor Excel and I am able to get equally close shaves with less irritation. Cartridges are far cheaper too. I would consider switching to one of the vibrating ones, although I don't think they make them for the two-blade models.
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Health & Body
Styleforum › Forums › Lifestyle › Health & Body › Mach 3 Upgrade?