Just about everyone who’s been searching around for the ideal manscaping tool has asked themselves this question. What should I be using… An electric razor? Or should I stick to the tried and true method of traditional shaving?

A simple question that can be tricky to answer. Of course both methods are effective when done properly (Proper Shaving Technique is key), but both come with their advantages and disadvantages.

So today we’ll be putting these two different methods of shaving up to the test! Just to make things easier, we’ve created a set of criteria that we’ll be comparing to see who pulls through in the end.

• Convenience & Maintenance
• Cost
• Quality of Shave

1. Convenience & Maintenance

Traditional:

Anyone that’s done traditional shaving knows that it can take some time (If you’re shaving properly) to get everything prepped up and ready before you actually shave. Having to wet your face, lather up, and applying aftershave can make for a lengthy process.

Maintaining your razor blades is thankfully a much easier and straight forward task. Being able to chuck out an old blade and swap in a new one in a matter of seconds makes for a world of convenience.

Electric:

One of the main reasons many people switch to electric shavers is because of how little preparation you need before you start shaving. With an electric shaver, there’s no need to wet your facial hair or lather up (you shouldn’t be skipping aftershave though because they can still cause micro tears in your skin which can lead to infection and irritated skin).

Although replacing the blades is easy, having to constantly brush off all the hair that gets on the shaver and remembering to oil your blades can be a bit of a pain.

2. Cost

Traditional:

With traditional blades, a sturdy and good quality handle will set you back about $15 and new razor blades costing as low as 15 cents each, this is the cheapest and most economical way of shaving by far. The only exception to this however are multi-blade razor cartridges, which can still be much cheaper than electric shavers depending on how often you replace them.

Electric:

Now you may be thinking that electric shavers are cheaper when you see them on sale for less than $30… With many users reporting these types of shavers breaking within a few months, or even worse tearing apart their skin when trying to get a close shave, there’s a reason why they’re selling for that cheap!

Unless you want to make your shaving experience a nightmare, we recommend investing in mid or higher end shavers. Ranging in cost from about $50 all the way up to a whopping $400, and with replacement blades costing well over $20 each blade, there’s no doubt that going the electric route is definitely more expensive.

3. Quality Of Shave

Traditional:

Traditional shaving will always give you a more superior and close shave compared to electric razors. You also have more control of the blade and can choose exactly where you want to shave next, which is helpful if you’re still learning how to shave or trying to shape the edges of your facial hair.

Not only that, but shaving this way causes less irritation compared to electric if you’re trying to get a close shave. Of course traditional shaving can still cause cuts and razor burn, but that can be greatly reduced with shaving creams and proper technique.

Electric:

Electric shavers may not be able to get as close as traditional razors, but their strength lies in their speed. Being able to quickly trim or shave off your facial hair within a few minutes makes for a great positive, especially when you’re running short on time. And with a number of attachments, you’re able to easily trim around your beard and moustache. You also don’t have to worry about getting cuts, although razor burn can still be a problem if you don’t handle your razor properly.

And The Winner Is?

After looking at the pros and cons of each, we would have to go with electric shavers! Of course traditional shaving is still a great and economical way to get your shaving done, however we feel the convenience of not having to apply shaving cream, wetting your face as well as how quickly you can shave and trim your facial hair we feel is a great trade-off for the cost and closeness of the shave.

Hopefully this has given you a better understanding of electric and traditional shaving. If you’re still not sure what route to go, stay tuned in as we will be recommending our favourite shavers that our professional barbers use every day in the barbershop!

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