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Razor Blades
thegloaming
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
After years of going with cheap disposable razors, I've decided I want to upgrade my shaving experience a bit. Since my dad uses an electric, he has little advice to offer in regard to non-electric safety razors, so I'm turning to the facial-hair laden PA community for advice.
I'm looking for a razor that's refill-capable, easy to clean, and delivers a close shave. Basically, please list the razors which serve or have served you well.
I'm not looking for anything too fancy. I can't grow a beard or anything, but if I don't shave for a day I wake up with a disgusting mustache, sideburns, and chin hair. It's mild, but very noticeable and not at all attractive.
Help me, burly men of PA!
I'm looking for a razor that's refill-capable, easy to clean, and delivers a close shave. Basically, please list the razors which serve or have served you well.
I'm not looking for anything too fancy. I can't grow a beard or anything, but if I don't shave for a day I wake up with a disgusting mustache, sideburns, and chin hair. It's mild, but very noticeable and not at all attractive.
Help me, burly men of PA!
thegloaming on
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I hear that straight razors are the best shave you can get, but they're somewhat expensive, and alot of maintenance. But hey, you feel like a goddam MAN.
I like the mach 3 turbo as well. Pretty clean shaving experience.
stout's Amazon Wishlist | my lastFM
I have a goatee and I often find the mach 3 a little unwieldy when it comes to cleaning up the edges of the goat. (I use an electric trimmer to keep it fairly maintained otherwise).
As far as keeping the goat clean, I use a small electric trimmer. It has different heads for different uses and has served me well for many years. I think they still sell it, too. Yeah, here it is. linky
This one looks pretty good, too.
I'm sold. Thanks, Red.
The best shave you can get short of a straight razor is with either a DE (double edge) safety razor or a Schick Injector. They're single blade razors originally developed about 100 years ago and most guys find they offer a closer shave with less irritation, but the downside is that until you develop your technique, you're more likely to nick yourself. They're also much cheaper than cartridge razors (Mach 3, etc) and the blade lasts longer too.
Also, about the best thing you can do for your shave is to use better shave cream. Stop using the shit in the aerosol can and get some traditional shave cream and a badger hair brush. Geo F Trumper's, Taylor's of Old Bond Street and Truefitt and Hill, are all great English shave creams. They might cost a bit more than a spray can, but they will last much longer and you'll get a much closer shave with less irritation. Your skin will look better in no time.
Personally, I recommend you start with a Schick Injector as the technique is closer to that of a cartridge razor, so the learning curve isn't as steep. A DE razor requires much closer attention to the angle of the
blade and amount of pressure applied and whatnot that can make the first week or two worse than a cartridge razor as you'll likely scrape the hell out of your face.
Merkur Progress DE razor:
Classic Schick Injector with bakelite handle:
Shave cream and badger hair brush:
Don't nick yourself. 'Cause, I'm telling you, it hurts bad. And is slightly embarrassing.
While we're all using the Mach 3 or the Mach 3 turbo, the straight razor is actually a much closer and smoother shave.
The badger hair brush and creme applies to the folks using the Mach 3 as well. It's a quick and easy way to upgrade your shaving experience.
Also the recommendation for the real shave soap and badger brush are seconded. I use them for my face from time to time and do get a great shave (love the almond scented ones). But since I tend to use Barbasol for my scalp I've been using it for the face as well, but the condition of my skin has suffered somewhat due to it.
I've thought about going the single razor (i.e. Merkur) route or a straight razor, but puss out when I see the inital price and consider the results if I slip in the shower.
It doesn't take all that long to get the hang of the DE razor and it will be much cheaper in the long run so long as you don't do anything stupid to it.
And the shave cream and brush should belong to all men regardless of razor preference; it just makes the shave better.
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I can't find it anywhere. I can find the razor blades (amazon), but not the handle.
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I'll say that the Merkur looks slightly intimidating. I like my chin just where it is, thanks. The Schick Injector has me intrigued and if ebay has them on the cheap, I may grab one now that I know I can get blades for it.
We men of PA. We clean shaven gods.
It's really not all that hard to get used to a DE; I don't think I knick myself any more often than I did back in the double bladed sensor excel days. Besides, it is a "safety razor." I don't think anyone considering a DE should be incredibly worried about lopping their parts off. Though, if you're considering a straight razor, the lopping of parts must be a consideration.
Ryan M Long Photography
Buy my Prints!
stout's Amazon Wishlist | my lastFM
I usually just shave and rinse off. I fail. I'm aware of this.
The ritualistic nature of the straight razor calls to me when I'm getting my hombre on for the night. I'm kind of like a mangirl that way though, I'll spend well over an hour (even two) grooming everything to an immaculate perfection.
Does a regular razor produce less irritation to the skin than an electric?
They stopped selling them in Japan too a couple years ago if I remember correctly. But ebay is definitely the place to get them. From the ancient 1920's models to the most recent models in Japan, they all have the exact same head and angle so they all shave just as well, it's more a matter of preference for looks and whether you like a short or long handle.
The Merkur Futur and Progress are both adjustable, in that you can change the blade angle to a more or less agressive position. Generally, you should start with the Merkur HD (Heavy Duty) as it's non adjustable and has a less aggressive angle.
Also, anyone considering using a DE razor or Injector should watch these videos on wet shaving:
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=mantic59
He knows his fucking stuff.
As for those asking about electric razors, I've tried several times to switch to them merely so that I can shave on the go a little more easily. Only thing is that they've always, always, always given me a rougher shave than a regular razor and they tell you that your skin needs to get used to them, but mine never did so I had horrible razor burn (nigh unbearable).
I also don't use aftershave. The alcohol based stuff dries out my skin too much and the balm/cream based stuff ends up making me breakout. So the 'ol water method is for me (although this soft west coast water is much easier than the hard water back in Mich).
I don't want to be mean to you then, you either have poor technique or you don't have a very dense beard.
I've used a disposable razor once in my life and swore off them, they are akin to rubbing a rock all over your face, a blunt mach 3 delivers a closer shave.
If you want to stick with cartridges, go with the Mach3 turbo cartridges but buy the m3 power handle, that vibrating thingie I find works better than the standard handle and the cartidges are interchangable and as far as I can tell work the same other than the cost and you aren't colour corordinated.
Satans..... hints.....
Classicshaving.com and Leesrazors.com are the two sites I turn to when I want to buy razors or related accoutrements. They've been around a while and they're no frills, not hypercommercialized like The Art of Shaving and MenEssentials, and are consequently cheaper. They've also got way better selection.
You can get DE razor blades and Injector blades at drug stores, but I've never seen a razor, brush or traditional shave cream there. You can get by with a cheap Vulfix boar's hair brush, you'll just need to add a bit more water when you lather the cream. The brush isn't as important to your shave quality as the price of a top grade badger brush would suggest.
First, when you rinse, use warm water to completely remove the shave cream, then use cold water to close the pores. As for post shave products, jojoba oil and rosehip seed oil are great. They're not actually oils, but straight chain wax esters similar to the esters produced by your own skin. Other good alternatives are Trumper's Skin Food and Nancy Boy aftershave. Supposedly, The Gentlemen's Refinery Aftershave Balm is as good as the discontinued, legendary Harris Aftershave Milk, but I've yet to try it because it's $40. Despite the fact that it would take a very long time to use up, I still have a problem with dropping $40 on aftershave balm. Even Trumper's Skin Food isn't that pricey.
If you want a nice cheap badger hair brush, check this one out.
As far as creams go, it depends. The best you'll be able to find in stores used to be Proraso soaps and creams at Target (in the spa section, not shaving), but they've recently dropped their products. If you're lucky, you could find them on clearance. Other products you could get at a drug store are Williams shaving soap (never used it), and maybe Toms & Maine shaving cream. To be honest, it'd probably be easiest to get them online.
If you really want to look into products and other info on wetshaving, there are a lot of resources online. First of all, there is a really comprehensive post on how to cheaply get into wetshaving on the shavemyface forum. There is also a great collection of videos on youtube. I also recommend looking through this guys blog. The link is a general guide, but if you click on the link that says "My Shaving Knowledge", there is a much more indepth one.