I learned to shave with a double edge razor beginning around age 12-13, a few years before the Trac II came along. A few years ago I used Dad's old Gillette double edge razor for a shave(later research showed it to be the Aristocrat model), & got interested in it again. After a good face-washing with hot water & soap, I now mostly use plain old Barbasol canned shaving cream for lather, after my last cans of hoarded USA-made Noxzema ran out.(the new Noxzema is *Not* the same, wish I'd tried one can before buying several!). Our water is hard enough that good shaving lather is difficult to make with a mug & brush. And I really hate the gels, they're too doggoned cold!
Lately, I mostly use a couple of old Gillette New 3-piece DE razors with "teeth"(one long tooth, one short tooth), circa 1930's, & Barbasol. I use the Mach III occasionally too, & will continue it until my stash of years-old M3 blades run out.
Sad isn't it, that the Double Edge Razor Blade hit its peak by the mid-late 1970's? The blades I currenly use are usually Gillette 7 O'Clock(yellow label), Personna Red Label, & sometimes modern Wilkinson white label. Derby blades are good too- and none of the above are any better than- imo, not as good as- a few old unused Gillette & Schick stainless blades I have that are 30 yrs old! Coated stainless blades last just fine for decades, I've used several & they all shaved A-OK. Getting them unstuck from each other was the only problem
For goodness sake don't try to shave with an old ordinary uncoated Gillette Blue or Thin blade though, no matter how good it looks.
Sadly, no matter the method, I've found that I still hate to shave!
