It will take forever to kill someone with a Gillette Fusion, so I'd pick the straight razor. Oh...wait...
Straight blade or Fusion?
- Thread starter whizbyu
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I find DE Safety Razors work best.
I got into it because I was going for a week between shaves and was tired of using a beard clipper to shear it off before rubbing a Braun electric all over my face for 10 minutes.
So I looked at Shavettes, figured I could do it all in one shot like a slob.
Then I saw the DE blades on Amazon... What are these used in?? Researched a bit then found out about DE razors...
... With the accompanying brushes and soaps...
... Bought a few more DE Razors and some more soaps...
... Will stop after I get my Stainless DE Wolfman head...
... Hopefully...
Did I mention I can't wait to shave now? Problem of waiting a week before shaving has been officially SOLVED.
I got into it because I was going for a week between shaves and was tired of using a beard clipper to shear it off before rubbing a Braun electric all over my face for 10 minutes.
So I looked at Shavettes, figured I could do it all in one shot like a slob.
Then I saw the DE blades on Amazon... What are these used in?? Researched a bit then found out about DE razors...
... With the accompanying brushes and soaps...
... Bought a few more DE Razors and some more soaps...
... Will stop after I get my Stainless DE Wolfman head...
... Hopefully...
Did I mention I can't wait to shave now? Problem of waiting a week before shaving has been officially SOLVED.
Originally Posted By: whizbyu
Some swear by straight blade shaves. For me, nothing beats a brand new Fusion.
Fusions are nice but my wife and got tired of voluntarily bending ourselves over the blade refills barrel.
A quick thread here got us a recommendation- a Merkur 34C and a tryout pack. On the first shave, I was sold! We settled on the Feather Platinum blades. $25.00 bought us 100, and that will last more than a year. Heck, before $25.00 would get about 6 refills, which would last about 1 month- and the shave wasn't even as good. One thing my wife pointed out was the drag- or lack of it compared to the 5 bladed fusion.
Some swear by straight blade shaves. For me, nothing beats a brand new Fusion.
Fusions are nice but my wife and got tired of voluntarily bending ourselves over the blade refills barrel.
A quick thread here got us a recommendation- a Merkur 34C and a tryout pack. On the first shave, I was sold! We settled on the Feather Platinum blades. $25.00 bought us 100, and that will last more than a year. Heck, before $25.00 would get about 6 refills, which would last about 1 month- and the shave wasn't even as good. One thing my wife pointed out was the drag- or lack of it compared to the 5 bladed fusion.
Originally Posted By: BobsArmory
This has me really intrigued so I went to Amazon to see what they had to offer and there is literally thousands of combinations with blades and safety razors. Since I don't want to spend in excess of a year with trial and error finding the best combination, what would you all advise me purchasing?
I'd advise an adjustable razor, because it lets you adjust the aggressiveness of the blade. As someone new to shaving, you really can't know yet what works best for you. I will never give up my adustable razor. If you decide to go with a non-adjustable razor, I suggest you rather err on the less aggressive side. You can always add another pass, or use a sharper blade, but you can't put skin back on that you have just scraped off your face.
Likewise with blades, I would not suggest the sharpest blades, Feathers, to a beginner. Maybe try Derby blades at first.
For ultimate adjustability you can combine a mild razor or an aggressive razor with mild or sharp blades. My classic Gillette adjustable with a Feather blade allows adjustment from very mild to pretty agressive. At the most aggressive setting, the blade protrudes like the one one a meat slicer, but is still not all that aggressive.
Don't forget to buy a stypic pen, or keep witch-hazel close by.
hotwheels
This has me really intrigued so I went to Amazon to see what they had to offer and there is literally thousands of combinations with blades and safety razors. Since I don't want to spend in excess of a year with trial and error finding the best combination, what would you all advise me purchasing?
I'd advise an adjustable razor, because it lets you adjust the aggressiveness of the blade. As someone new to shaving, you really can't know yet what works best for you. I will never give up my adustable razor. If you decide to go with a non-adjustable razor, I suggest you rather err on the less aggressive side. You can always add another pass, or use a sharper blade, but you can't put skin back on that you have just scraped off your face.
Likewise with blades, I would not suggest the sharpest blades, Feathers, to a beginner. Maybe try Derby blades at first.
For ultimate adjustability you can combine a mild razor or an aggressive razor with mild or sharp blades. My classic Gillette adjustable with a Feather blade allows adjustment from very mild to pretty agressive. At the most aggressive setting, the blade protrudes like the one one a meat slicer, but is still not all that aggressive.
Don't forget to buy a stypic pen, or keep witch-hazel close by.
hotwheels
Originally Posted By: BobsArmory
This has me really intrigued so I went to Amazon to see what they had to offer and there is literally thousands of combinations with blades and safety razors. Since I don't want to spend in excess of a year with trial and error finding the best combination, what would you all advise me purchasing?
I've bought from Lee's Razors: http://www.leesrazors.com/ A Merkur safety razor (http://www.leesrazors.com/products/Merkur-23C-Long-Handle-Safety-Razor-%28aka-180%29.html), Personna red blades, and some Aveeno or Gillette shave gel, and I'm set. Two boxes of 5 blades = 6.50 = .65 a blade, and I get 4-5 shaves out of one blade; so it's much better cost-wise than the disposable or cartridge razors.
And it makes shaving more of a pleasure instead of a chore.
This has me really intrigued so I went to Amazon to see what they had to offer and there is literally thousands of combinations with blades and safety razors. Since I don't want to spend in excess of a year with trial and error finding the best combination, what would you all advise me purchasing?
I've bought from Lee's Razors: http://www.leesrazors.com/ A Merkur safety razor (http://www.leesrazors.com/products/Merkur-23C-Long-Handle-Safety-Razor-%28aka-180%29.html), Personna red blades, and some Aveeno or Gillette shave gel, and I'm set. Two boxes of 5 blades = 6.50 = .65 a blade, and I get 4-5 shaves out of one blade; so it's much better cost-wise than the disposable or cartridge razors.
And it makes shaving more of a pleasure instead of a chore.
I found Derby blades to be harsh on the 1st shave, but very good indeed for 3 to 5 shaves after that. I'm gonna disagree on the adjustable razor too- I find it it an ingenious solution to a non-existent problem. Get a razor that's not too aggressive & learn to shave with it. If you can find one, the old Gillette Tech is pretty close to perfect. For your 1st few shaves while you're learning- and if all you've ever used are the modern cartridge-head razors &/or electrics, you *are* learning a brand new skill- IMO the Dorco 301(Not the 300!)is a good choice. It may drag just a bit, but in return is beginner-friendly & you may bleed a lot less. I agree 100% that Feathers are best left until you develop some skill. If you do get an adjustable, start about 1/3 of the way "up". The Gillette adjustable razors were usually numbered from 1 to 9, with 9 being the most aggressive. With such a numbering system on an adjustable, you might start at 3- and leave it there for at least a few shaves. The danger is that you may try to fix problems with your shaving technique by adjusting that razor. Rather than fool with that, you'll find it best to practice your shaving & gain experience.
Originally Posted By: UncleS2
I found Derby blades to be harsh on the 1st shave, but very good indeed for 3 to 5 shaves after that. I'm gonna disagree on the adjustable razor too- I find it it an ingenious solution to a non-existent problem. Get a razor that's not too aggressive & learn to shave with it.
Very well said. I found the same thing with Derby blades. I find my current Personna medical prep blades to be less like this, but the first shave is still a bit rougher than successive shaves. I have heard that some strop new blades to overcome that issue. Seems like that might be challenging given how thin those things are. I also agree regarding the adjustable razors. I have been happy with my Merkur 34C since I got past the "break-in" period.
I found Derby blades to be harsh on the 1st shave, but very good indeed for 3 to 5 shaves after that. I'm gonna disagree on the adjustable razor too- I find it it an ingenious solution to a non-existent problem. Get a razor that's not too aggressive & learn to shave with it.
Very well said. I found the same thing with Derby blades. I find my current Personna medical prep blades to be less like this, but the first shave is still a bit rougher than successive shaves. I have heard that some strop new blades to overcome that issue. Seems like that might be challenging given how thin those things are. I also agree regarding the adjustable razors. I have been happy with my Merkur 34C since I got past the "break-in" period.
I have Astra blades and for a medium beard they are insanely good and less than half the price of Feather.
Never tried Feather, but I have tried Bluebird and Merkur, and Astra is smoother but a bit less sharp than a new Bluebird. Merkur is dull but really holds the dull edge for a long time.
Astras last me about 5 shaves before they start tugging, but they get dull slowly so if they are tugging a bit I finish the shave with it and toss it.
I avoid blade changes during a shave if I can, and have backup DE razors I can use.
An adjustable razor as Hotwheels suggests may be the way to go.
If you have the luck of knowing your beard type already the best is to skip everything and get only one DE razor that is Stainless Steel.
But nobody I have spoken to is that lucky, so maybe an adjustable is best to learn with.
Your choices get more complex the heavier your beard is from what I can tell. People then start with Slants and Open comb etc.
If you have a medium beard or finer you can just get a Merkur 34C or a Maggard and never need to buy another razor.
Never tried Feather, but I have tried Bluebird and Merkur, and Astra is smoother but a bit less sharp than a new Bluebird. Merkur is dull but really holds the dull edge for a long time.
Astras last me about 5 shaves before they start tugging, but they get dull slowly so if they are tugging a bit I finish the shave with it and toss it.
I avoid blade changes during a shave if I can, and have backup DE razors I can use.
An adjustable razor as Hotwheels suggests may be the way to go.
If you have the luck of knowing your beard type already the best is to skip everything and get only one DE razor that is Stainless Steel.
But nobody I have spoken to is that lucky, so maybe an adjustable is best to learn with.
Your choices get more complex the heavier your beard is from what I can tell. People then start with Slants and Open comb etc.
If you have a medium beard or finer you can just get a Merkur 34C or a Maggard and never need to buy another razor.
Originally Posted By: Falken
If you have a medium beard or finer you can just get a Merkur 34C or a Maggard and never need to buy another razor.
Medium here. Maybe that's why the first DE I bought, without knowing anything about them, twenty years ago still works for me. I bought the thing at a knife shop in a shopping mall for $20. I thought it would be fun to shave with such an old-school device. At that time one could still find Gillette DE blades at the drug store. I wasn't terribly impressed with the expensive Merkur blade that was packaged with the razor. Ten years later, DE shaving became a new/old fad and I started trying different blades.
Just like oil, find a blade you like and stick with it. For me, life is too short to expend too much mental energy deciding which blade is "perfect."
If you have a medium beard or finer you can just get a Merkur 34C or a Maggard and never need to buy another razor.
Medium here. Maybe that's why the first DE I bought, without knowing anything about them, twenty years ago still works for me. I bought the thing at a knife shop in a shopping mall for $20. I thought it would be fun to shave with such an old-school device. At that time one could still find Gillette DE blades at the drug store. I wasn't terribly impressed with the expensive Merkur blade that was packaged with the razor. Ten years later, DE shaving became a new/old fad and I started trying different blades.
Just like oil, find a blade you like and stick with it. For me, life is too short to expend too much mental energy deciding which blade is "perfect."
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