Giving a safety/double-edge razor a try...

[sciphi]

In my quest for a better shave, I'm giving double-edge/safety razors and blades a try. I have a well-regarded electric shaver with a fresh cutting block that works for quick shaves, but allows a 5 o'clock shadow by about 3 PM. I've also tried most of the cartridges out there, and found them to be lacking. Even with 3-5 blades, I still need several passes to get a smooth shave. Those cartridges also cost a lot for what they are, and I'd ideally go through a cartridge every week to keep a decent shave. I've found Mach3 cartridges to be the best so far, but even they start giving a pretty poor shave after 2-3 days.

After doing a little research, I decided to get a proper shaving kit. Merkur Model 180 safety razor, shave soap, badger brush, stand, and a variety pack of well-liked blades. It should arrive later this week, so I will give old-school shaving a try. Let's see if shaving can become something other than a necessary evil...

 

[cb_13]

Be prepared to go slow with the first couple shaves or you will look like you were involved in hand to hand combat with that badger the brush was made from. I sure did! It's different using the old safety razor but once I got the hang of it I get a much closer shave from them.

 

[bepperb]

Double edge is the way to go. The blades are very different from one another, as I'm sure you've read. Take it slow the first week or two, and if a blade isn't working for you move on to something else.

 

[sciphi]

I read a bit about the technique and proper blade selection. With both my current razors quite a bit of pressure is needed, which is the exact opposite of what a DE razor needs. That will be a change, as well as whipping up a mug of lather compared to squirting it from a can.

 

[TallPaul]

I go with the plastic razors that have 4 or 5 blades. Rarely get a nick that way, but the less blades the more likely to get a nick. No shaving cream, just the bar soap lathered well does the trick.

 

[supton]

Dumb question: is the blade 90 degree from skin, or some other angle? Am curious.

Been threatening the wife that someday soon, like for my 40th, I will shave my head. Would a straight edge work for that, or would my good ole Mach 3 be better?

 

[sciphi]

Originally Posted By: supton
Dumb question: is the blade 90 degree from skin, or some other angle? Am curious.

Been threatening the wife that someday soon, like for my 40th, I will shave my head. Would a straight edge work for that, or would my good ole Mach 3 be better?


It's at a pretty narrow angle. There's a lip in front of the blade that dictates the angle needed for the blade to hit skin. Since the blade cannot pivot independently from the handle, a bit more control is needed.

Your Mach3 will work fine for shaving your cranium.

 

[65cuda]

I've used the double endge blade, but don't like them since they seem to be more bulky and heavy. Wish I still had my single edge injector razor, but haven't been able to find one.

 

[Dave Sherman]

Good choice on the Merkur. I too just started using a DE (Parker 99R), and pleased with the results. You might want to invest in a styptic pencil too. They are inexpensive and if (when?) you nick yourself it will stop the bleeding almost immediately.

There are some good Youtube videos on the technique. What I've learned is what others have mentioned. Go slow, and don't put any pressure on the razor.

 

[Cristobal]

I have two of the old Gillette razors & some blades for them.

 

[Deltona_Dave]

I have the Mekur 180 long handle and use Astra blades. As others have said, go slow. Let the weight of the razor do the work. Try about a 30 degree angle (handle of razor from your cheek). I go once with the grain and re-lather and then go against the grain. I used to get ingrown hairs with Electrics and other multi blade disposables. The brush and soap do a great job of getting whiskers soft and standing up for a close shave.

There are some good videos on you tube.

Dave

 

[jcwit]

I've returned to double edge razor and the brush & mug for shaving 3 + years ago IIRC.

I shave daily and to get a nick? Well that is the exception not the norm, usually means I left the blade in for one to many shaves.

 

[DBMaster]

Originally Posted By: 65cuda
I've used the double endge blade, but don't like them since they seem to be more bulky and heavy. Wish I still had my single edge injector razor, but haven't been able to find one.


Lots out there...

Injector

 

[Benzadmiral]

I've been doing the DE thing for almost a year. I too have gone with a Merkur long-handled razor, and I use Personna blades. My attempts at using the Japanese-made Feather blades, which are *sharp*, haven't worked too well (though a mosquito or a vampire would disagree); I keep them as a backup only. Some Aveeno shave cream, some soothing/moisturizing lotion and bay rum aftershave, and I'm ready to go.

 

[Drew99GT]

Originally Posted By: Dave Sherman


There are some good Youtube videos on the technique. What I've learned is what others have mentioned. Go slow, and don't put any pressure on the razor.


geofatboy on Youtube has some good vids. I like his technique of doing 2 or 3 quicker passes as opposed to trying to get it all done in one pass with one lather of cream. It does take a bit longer, but it makes for a smoother shave with less irritation.

He also has reviews of every possible razor you can think of.

 

[sciphi]

I've been experimenting with my DE razor the past few days. The first conclusion is that for a Merkur blade, it's good for 2 shaves tops. The second is that I like the experience.

Right now I am experimenting with different ways of building a lather, and which blade I like. Not a Merkur blade, that's a certainty.

 

[Deamos]

Originally Posted By: sciphi
I've been experimenting with my DE razor the past few days. The first conclusion is that for a Merkur blade, it's good for 2 shaves tops. The second is that I like the experience.

Right now I am experimenting with different ways of building a lather, and which blade I like. Not a Merkur blade, that's a certainty.


You might look into getting a blade variety pack so you can work through a lot of different blades to find the one you like.

I got a variety pack either off of amazon or off of westcoastshaving.com which really helped me with that process.

Ended up using Feather's. I get 3-4 shaves per blade before I notice a reduction in performance, but Feather's are wickedly sharp. If you slack on your technique, they WILL let you know. If I remember correctly from the process, my second choice would have been Astra's. But that was a while ago. Anyway as with all things and especially with DE shaving, YMMV.

 

[Joe1]

I jumped on the DE bandwagon a few weeks ago and really like it.
I am still experimenting with different blades and getting the hang of it.

I purchased an Edwin Jagger DE 89 razor which is priced comparably to many Merkur razors, but not as popular.

I've been using the Derby blades that were packaged with the razor, but am looking forward to trying the Japanese Feather blades. I'm a bit intimidated by the purported sharpness of the Feathers so I am waiting to get my technique down before using them

I'll try various blades until I find the one that works best for me.

I have been using Proraso pre-shave, Proraso shave soap, and Proraso after shave. The Proraso shave products are priced reasonably and receive favorable reviews on Amazon. The labels are printed in Italian though.

The technique described in the link below works very well with soft Italian shave soaps. Once I started following it, I got much better results with the Proraso soap.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/199887-My-lathering-technique-with-Italian-soft-soaps

 

[andyd]

Is it as close as the multi-blade razors? Prolly not. But you can't beat the price. 20 Bic single edged disposables for 5 bucks. I shave immediately after showering. I only shave 2-3 times a week.Going white has its advantages. I can get 30 or more shaves out of a razor. Foam is Barbasol if it is on sale, whatever if not.

 

[UncleS2]

I learned to shave originally on a double-edge razor starting in 1966. I returned to it almost 10 yrs ago.

For those of you who grew up on the Trac II &/or its descendants, here are a few tips.

*Infinite info- & some misinfo- is available on the shaving forums. The 2 biggies a couple of years ago were Badger & Blade and- I forget the other.

*Prep is the single most important thing- no foolin. Hot water & soap face wash, goal is to cut all the oil off whiskers & skin before you lather up.

*The best DE blades you can buy today- *Anywhere*- will be no better than what was availble in the corner grocery or drugstore circa 1972 or so. Gillette, Schick, Personna, Wilkinson- all had stainless, coated blades that were excellent. (If you find any unused today that are 30-40 yrs old at a garage sale or when you're cleaning out Grandpa's old house, if you can separate individual blades you'll find they are still excellent. But do *Not* try to shave with any old uncoated carbon steel blades.) That's right- with all our manufacturing progress, the DE razor blade hit its peak by the early/mid 1970's. These days almost anything decent will have to come from overseas.

*You don't need an expensive razor, or soap, or brush. I really like the Omega brand(mfg in Italy) boar brushes, I have a bunch & it looks like the only one I really use is gonna outlast me! Last I knew you could get most of them for ~$10-$15 or less, might even find 'em at a big chain drugstore. Williams soap is cheap & works well for me, & after all these years I still have a tough beard & tender face.

And Razors? $pend all you want for a Merkur or some other pricey foreign make- but you ain't gonna beat a plain old Gillette. My Dad's old Aristocrat- with all the gold long worn away- still shaves great. The Gillette Tech & other 3-piece razors they sold- if they're not bent or damaged- shave as good as anything. Just be sure to get the heavy brass models- the last few years of availability they had some flyweight aluminum models that were terrible.

Having said all this, what do I use?

Prep? Hot tap water & whatever hand soap is handy.

Brush-Omega Boar bristle

Shaving soap? Williams(though I have some fancier/nicer ones)

Blades? Recently, some Gillette-branded(mfg in Russia?) yellow-pak 7 O'Clock blades- really good.

Razor? An old 3-piece Gillette New, circa mid/late 1930s, short-toothed comb style, with all the gold plating long worn away. Canadian mfg. Ugly & shaves great.

For razors, I say hit the yard sales, ask your relatives, etc. You can't beat an old Gillette- and they used to almost give them away so you'd buy the blades!