Wet shaving and the new fancy razors..?

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stevewestern

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They look like any other razor to me. Cleverly packaged and marketed on social media so as to demand an inflated price tag.

I have a Gillette sensor (two blades). Had it 16 odd years. It shaves me, what more do I need?
 
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As above, I have a DE razor (Merkur). I buy enough blades to last me a year. The shave quality and finish is muh better than any of that Gillette stuff (and I've been buying them from when the Mach3 came out until the Mach3 turbo power or some such product).

I have seen Harry's advertising and sponsoring on youtube.
 
I remember my Dad had a double edge razor and the ensuing and obligatory chin/cheek covered in small pieces of tissue paper. That always put me off a DE razor. I've always used cartridge razors but they have got a little too gadgety now, as well as expensive blade cartridges.

I've been tempted to try the DE razors but have never been sure. I suppose being 'safety', they have come along since my Dad's day?
 
There was a bit of a thread within a thread a little while ago, and as I said then ...

Dale. said:
I remember my Dad had a double edge razor and the ensuing and obligatory chin/cheek covered in small pieces of tissue paper.
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That was all that was available well apart from cut throats when I started shaving.
Top Tip FFS don't grab the sides of the razor head especially with wet fingers and then try and unscrew the top!
It'll bleed for quite awhile ... :rolleyes:

I've used a Wilkinson Sword Quattro Titanum Razor for some years and TBH the price of blades seems to rise every time I go to buy some! :(

Almost tempted to go back to the Double edge ...



 
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I've had the same razor for about 20 years - still got the rest of the pack as well!
 
I stopped shaving whenI returned to Ireland and now will visit a barbers shop in Liverpool on my return to England next week. Old style wet shave with open razor and hot towels..... maybe even "something for the weekend" if offered!

I have my own old but usable Rolls Razor but since my stroke in Descember..... let's just say I am likrly to cut my own head off if I tried to use iton myself!
 
ecoleman said:
They look like any other razor to me. Cleverly packaged and marketed on social media so as to demand an inflated price tag.
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Totally agree.

ecoleman said:
I have a Gillette sensor (two blades). Had it 16 odd years. It shaves me, what more do I need?
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I tried one of the 4 bladed jobbies when they first came out & found them a bit awkward to use TBH, too big & bulky to get in the nooks & crannies (around my nose not my bawbag :D )
They gave a good shave, but a few hours later I still had stubble, just as I do with any other shave.

I think it's bonkers how many of us seem to get sucked in by the marketing............ then complain later about the prices :rolleyes:

I've used a G2 for many years & bought these (which fit) https://www.superdrug.com/Superdrug/Superdrug-Multi-Fit-Twin-Blade-Refill-Cartridges-x-10/p/402053 & they do the same job for a lot less money. :cool:
 
I made the mistake of buying Lidl blades - every time i used it cuts so went back to gillete, far more expensive but cut free!
 
Dale. said:
I've been tempted to try the DE razors but have never been sure. I suppose being 'safety', they have come along since my Dad's day?
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IMO it's all about preparation and technique. I rarely get any shaving nicks. If I do, it's usually down to sloppy technique (ie in a rush or too aggressive with the passes). Have a look at mantic59's channel on youtube. That's where I learnt about DE shaving from.

If you do go down this route, get a sample pack of blades (usually 5-10 of several brands) so you get a feel for how blades differ and you learn about your preferences.

strumstrum said:
Gillette 7 o'Clock or Feather for blades.
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I love the Feather blades. I also like the 7 o'clock sharp edge ones.
 
I use a Merkur closed comb double edge razor for short stubble and a Merkur open comb to fell the trees. I always warm my face first and if I remember use shave oil to soften the bristles.

Tried a few double edge safety razors until I found one I liked.

I always use shave soap and a badger brush to create lather in a bowl and use the 3 pass method.

Stiptick pencil rarely get used, but I keep an alum block for those nicks I get once in a blue moon.

Like Omens has said it's down to good prep and techniques
 
ChrisH said:
I use a Merkur closed comb double edge razor for short stubble and a Merkur open comb to fell the trees. I always warm my face first and if I remember use shave oil to soften the bristles.

Tried a few double edge safety razors until I found one I liked.
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Did you buy all these razors you tried? DE are upwards of £20 so must have cost you a lot? I assume you can't return them/sell them on due to hygiene reasons?


I always use shave soap and a badger brush to create lather in a bowl and use the 3 pass method.

Stiptick pencil rarely get used, but I keep an alum block for those nicks I get once in a blue moon.

Like Omens has said it's down to good prep and techniques
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How long does it take you to shave?

I've been toying with the idea of switching to a DE razor for a while. My stubble is really thick, coarse and fast growing. I can't shave more than twice a week without getting irritation/ingrown hairs.
At the moment I shave just once a week using beard trimmer to shorten the stubble followed by shaving in the shower with a 3 blade razor from Aldi. The blades are cheap, don't cut me too much but don't last long either. My skin feels uncomfortable for a day afterwards and I get the occasional ingrown hair particularly around the jawline. It's quick and convenient but ideally I'd like to shave up to 2/3 times a week without discomfort.
 
Had a short beard for a few months and switched to a straight "cut throat" razor to keep the shape well defined. Very inexpensive. Takes quite a lot a practice.
 
@273K

some of the razors I tried I got second hand off ebay. You can boil all metal razors , or like I did buy a sterilising jar and barbicide liquid like they used to use to sterilise cutthroat razors st the barbers.
I tried a few old Gillette razors but found them a bit aggrasive. The only hugely expensive one I bought was a Merkur Futur adjustable, it was nearly £100 and I can't use it because no matter how I adjust it its too aggressive.
I take about 10 minutes to shave including all the faff.
Multi blade razors and ready made lather in cans are really only for bumfluff not beard hair.
The reason most men can't shave without beard rash or ingrowing hairs is down to the way multi blade razors pull the hair slightly out of the skin before cutting the hair. The 1st blade pulls up on the hair and snags it to alow the next blades to cut it. The hair then drops below the skin so successive blades scrape the skin. Because the remaining hair shafts drops below the skin it can turn in or get trapped.
If you fancy a try find a shop that still sells shaving kit, they are still around, get yourself a Merkur or Edwin Jagger razor. They retail at about £28 to £35 do not too deadly. Get a packet of Merkur blades, they are nice and slick and cause me no trouble. You'd need a shave brush badger are best but you can get away with pure bristle. Lastly some shave soap, Edwards of bond street is nice but there are dozens to choose from, finally an Allum block for the nicks you'll get when you first start out.
Watch loads of yutube videos on techniques, there's many of good lessons to watch.
I guarantee within a month you'll be able to shave every day if needed without beard rash, razor burn or ingrowing hairs. Shave st night and still have a clean face in the morning. I'm 56 and only started 4 years ago. I treat it as me time and enjoy the 10 minutes of old fashioned ritual.
 
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ChrisH said:
if I remember use shave oil to soften the bristles.
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I'd be interested in which preshave oil you use. I've tried a couple and found they cause the blade to skip. Instead, I lather up some foam, let it sit on my face, wash it off, apply the foam and shave with that.

I also find shaving cream to be better than soap for generating a rich creamy lather. I'm currently using Truefitt & Hill shaving cream.

273K said:
My stubble is really thick, coarse and fast growing. I can't shave more than twice a week without getting irritation/ingrown hairs.
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I used to get this with the cartridge blades. Even my first go with a DE razor produced much less irritation and bleeding than with my mach3 razor. One will vary is the blade you use. I found I think astra blades were beginner-friendly. Feather blades used to leave my skin raw until I learned how to adjust to it. But I found it gave the best finish. Obviously YMMV.

I used to go to connaught shaving and traditional shaving for supplies. Now I used shaving-shack.
 
I just use water, disposable razors and a tin of shaving gel. I feel a right peasant reading about all this fancy gear and the amount of preparation I'm not doing. :D I've got a goatee so shaving round the sides takes about..... two minutes.
 
I'm a barber and the way to get a decent shave is nice hot towels or water,good lather and any decent blade and stretching the skin and correct direction of strokes,nothing complicated ,don't get taken in by clever marketing
 
Wow - I never expected this to get so many replies..
I also never imagined there was so much to shaving.
The one time I tried to grow a beard no-one noticed after 6 weeks, and it was a fluffy little thing that blew about in the wind. Not the manly image I was hoping to portray..

I spend about two minutes - a quick wash, then on with some 'King of shaves' gel and I shave downwards till I get to my neck, which gets an upward scrape. I tend to do it just before I go to bed so that my skin can recover, and clearly I need to look into learning more about this whole business.
There is a barber shop near my mum in west London, so maybe I should treat myself to a shave next time I am visiting - I've always been slightly put off by the fact that it seems to be staffed by mustard colour trousers and check shirt wearing bearded hipsters - not really my kind of look....
 
stevewestern said:
I also never imagined there was so much to shaving.
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Unless you WANT it to be,.............. it really isn't.

As said by Chris;

SsSsSsSsSnake said:
I'm a barber and the way to get a decent shave is nice hot towels or water,good lather and any decent blade and stretching the skin and correct direction of strokes,nothing complicated ,don't get taken in by clever marketing
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boogie man said:
I've got a goatee so shaving round the sides takes about..... two minutes.
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I vary from goatee to trimmed and/or sculpted beard. Even doing the cheeks, jaw and neck takes me longer than two minutes.

stevewestern said:
Wow - I never expected this to get so many replies..
I also never imagined there was so much to shaving.
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Honestly, anything in life can be taken to an enthusiast/extreme level. Look at the washing your car thread. There are forums dedicated on how best to clean your car. Similarly, there's a few on shaving (I joined badgerandblade.com for a while to get a feel for things). Just like how there are nutters who go around taking photos and discuss the minutiae of detail about equipment. :p
 
Untill my hand got too shakey for wet shaving, I used cheap bics, shaving soap sticks, and a brush. Before that i used wilkinsons DE blades.
I had never even heard of pre conditioner or shaving oil, befre reading this thread.
I now use a Braun 5040 electric, which is very nearly as close and pretty much takes the same time for a good shave, and more importantly I do not look like dracular has been at me every the morning.
Strangely, I bought a new one for my son in law last night, on behalf of my daughter, from amazon. More amazingly it is due to arrive Sunday.

Probably the worst shave I ever had was in a barbers in Paris, during a stop on a train journey from Madrid. It took me several days to heal suficiently to shave again.
 
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strumstrum said:
DE shaving for me, I have a Merkur and a Parker(prefer the Parker). I was using Bluebeards Revenge cream but after trying Proraso I stuck with that, and Gillette 7 o'Clock or Feather for blades.

best shave ever
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Which Parker do you have?
 
Just in case anyone's interested I have two razors, a Mercur 25c open comb for long stubble and a 33c for daily use. Open comb razors don't have a smooth bar running under the blade so tend to be more aggressive on the hair but can nick you. The open comb allows some soap to stay on your face so lubricate more plus they don't clog.
 
A couple of things spring to mind, while reading through, the old adage about there is more than one way to skin a cat,
certainty applies here. Who'd have thought it?

All this nappy rash, sorry shaving rash, we seem to have rather a lot of "baby faces" posting :D
You don't get a rash when your skin turns to leather :D

As an aside, I wonder if women have this sort of in depth discussion on the subject?
I'm scared to look ( Google) TBH :D
 
Lidl, handle and pack of 20 blades for about three quid here. Some folk just need to man up :D
 
It is a problem of the internet in general but these forums seem to be particularly affected in that people often confuse having an opinion and being given a platform to air it with actually having something interesting to say.
 
stevewestern said:
Wow - I never expected this to get so many replies..
I also never imagined there was so much to shaving.
The one time I tried to grow a beard no-one noticed after 6 weeks, and it was a fluffy little thing that blew about in the wind. Not the manly image I was hoping to portray..

I spend about two minutes - a quick wash, then on with some 'King of shaves' gel and I shave downwards till I get to my neck, which gets an upward scrape. I tend to do it just before I go to bed so that my skin can recover, and clearly I need to look into learning more about this whole business.
There is a barber shop near my mum in west London, so maybe I should treat myself to a shave next time I am visiting - I've always been slightly put off by the fact that it seems to be staffed by mustard colour trousers and check shirt wearing bearded hipsters - not really my kind of look....
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If I shaved at night I would need another in the morning. Though I don't know what skin needs to recover from. When I have shave I feel more comfortable not less.
 
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