Any Wet Shavers, here?

D

DocT

Joined
Mar 25, 2012
Messages
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I got sick and tired of ingrown hairs. I got another one on my face a couple of months ago and it was the last straw. After a more than forty year hiatus I went back to a safety razor. When I started shaving I used a Gillette Fatboy and later a Gillette Slim. Both were adjustable. When I started back I ended up buying an Edwin Jagger DE89. With Feather blades it simply glided across my face. I loved it so much I heard the siren call to get a stainless razor. I bought a Razorock Game Changer. I can't decide which I like best, but now I actually look forward to shaving. Its been so much fun I bought my wife a Henson.

Anyone else use a double edged safety razor?
 
Yup, after switching to a safety razor, I will never go back to cartridge again. I just got the Merkur 39C slant head and I'm loving the effortless shave.
 
Oh yeah. I got started with a lucky vintage find of an open comb Gillette ball end tech, then got a vintage Gillette adjustable as a gift. I use a range of blades, generally Bic, Gillette Silver Blue, Gillette chrome platinum, or 7 o'clock blacks, Generally whatever I get is either Russian or Indian made. DR Harris soap for the face, but I do the full dome and find that the head-blade stuff works much better up top. At this stage I've been DE shaving for a little more than ten years.
I've been interested in some of the new razor handles on the market, but even the cheap plastic handle 7 o'clock I bought as a travel razor is better than most of the cartridges I've ever used.
 
Been wet shaving on and off for more than 50 years. Turns a chore into something to look forward to. First, it's comfortable. Second, it's effective. And third, you get to use all kinds of products that make you smell and feel good.

Italian Barber's RazoRock razors and products are in a price/performance class by themselves. I rotate razors and currently use a RR Mamba 70 and a Lupo .72. Additionally, I use an Oristo, a Hone "Type 15." and a Feather A2-D2. All are extremely mild, yet, when used properly, extremely efficient.

Future buys will probably include a Game Changer .68, and razors from Henson and Yates. (And someday, maybe someday, I'll buy a Wolfman. But for now, I have knives to buy. 😄)

As for blades, figure they average maybe $12/100. That's why guys like me end up with thousands.😄

For good shave talk, useful advice and genuine fellowship, try the forums at Badger&Blade. (It was a B&B member who pointed me to Bladeforums.) As with any enthusiast site, you'll want to keep a close eye on your wallet: there's just so much good stuff out there that you've simply gotta have. ;)
 
Top model W-11
With blade angle adjustment

8XmQSFQ.jpg


Some 40-50 years old
Blade too :^)
 
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Yeah, I shave with a safety razor. It is alright, it gives me a comfortable shave but not the closest shave.
 
I used to use whatever I could find at the drug store that was cheap... two decades of shaving like this, and hating it. I tried a straight razor, but silly me, I bought a cheapo on eBay, and did zero research on how to use it effectively. Then fast a couple years ago, I was having a conversation with a customer, and we got on the topic of shaving, I told him of my plight, and he convinced me of the potential benefit of trying a safety razor. So I bought one at my favourite Canadian knife reseller, along with a pack of 100 blades, and a tub of cream; I haven't looked back since. Best shave I've ever had, with admittedly entry-level gear.

IMG_4168.JPG
 
CVamberbonehead said:
Yeah, I shave with a safety razor. It is alright, it gives me a comfortable shave but not the closest shave.
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At the risk of asking personal questions :D Are you doing one pass, two or three? I generally do with the grain and across the grain as its a "good enough" for my face, but with a fresh blade, I can easily get even closer if I go against the grain, minding my prep and all that. Though with all that, there are plenty of variables to play with as I'm sure you are well aware of, and I've found that over time I've made some very good changes by going back and trying out a basic trial again, swapping blades, soaps, prep methods etc.
 
DocT said:
If you switch to a double edge safety razor you can get a clean, slick shave without the danger. Then, comes the fun of trying to match the right blade with your face and razor.
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Thats what I use, but I think the problem is my razor honestly. I just have a cheap Walmart "Van Buren" (?).
 
gadgetgeek said:
At the risk of asking personal questions :D Are you doing one pass, two or three? I generally do with the grain and across the grain as its a "good enough" for my face, but with a fresh blade, I can easily get even closer if I go against the grain, minding my prep and all that. Though with all that, there are plenty of variables to play with as I'm sure you are well aware of, and I've found that over time I've made some very good changes by going back and trying out a basic trial again, swapping blades, soaps, prep methods etc.
Click to expand...

gadgetgeek said:
At the risk of asking personal questions :D Are you doing one pass, two or three? I generally do with the grain and across the grain as its a "good enough" for my face, but with a fresh blade, I can easily get even closer if I go against the grain, minding my prep and all that. Though with all that, there are plenty of variables to play with as I'm sure you are well aware of, and I've found that over time I've made some very good changes by going back and trying out a basic trial again, swapping blades, soaps, prep methods etc.
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I dont mind. I usually just do 1 pass unless I havent shaved in a couple days. I go with the grain because I like to keep my skin on my face lol I have wet shaved for years now and I still seriously suck. lol
 
After Gillette went "woke" with those super bowl ads years ago they are dead to me. Used their over priced stuff for many years but never again nor will my teen sons use their trash. I am in my 50's and using my Grandfather's razor, I have some Red Cross Korean War new razors (forget the maker) that I will give to them soon.

Much cheaper and better in my mind. The Germans used to harass me about why we "needed" 3-5 blades in a razor. Their opinion was that our steel was trash, so needed many blades. They may be right in this case.

Plus, more green with shave soap that last a long time and no cartridges. Much smaller footprint on the world. And, not supporting those pos at gillette.
 
Over the past 56 years of shaving, I have tried many systems and own and use about a dozen straight razors. The most recent straight is a lovely ironwood 7/7 hollow ground Calton in 1095. But, for regular shaves I use my 1970s Gillette adjustable with Personna USA or Israeli made comfort coated razors. They are simply the best I have tried and only cost $15 for 100 on Amazon. Cremo Cream does just fine for shaving soap.
 
CVamberbonehead said:
Thats what I use, but I think the problem is my razor honestly. I just have a cheap Walmart "Van Buren" (?).
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Oh No! Okay, how heavy is your beard? Walmart does sell the Edwin Jagger DE89 and that is a fantastically smooth yet efficient shaver. Even with my beard I can easily get a baby but smooth (BBS) shave in two passes with the correct blade, and no irritation or bumps. A Henson, either mild or medium is another great choice (have to stay with the angle). I have one and my wife has one. You can get the all stainless Game Changer .68 or .84 (more aggressive for tougher beards) for around $50. There is no reason to suffer bad razors. Blades are cheap and finding the blade that fits your face and razor combo is great fun. Get a sampler pack. Cheap.
 
DocT said:
Oh No! Okay, how heavy is your beard? Walmart does sell the Edwin Jagger DE89 and that is a fantastically smooth yet efficient shaver. Even with my beard I can easily get a baby but smooth (BBS) shave in two passes with the correct blade, and no irritation or bumps. A Henson, either mild or medium is another great choice (have to stay with the angle). I have one and my wife has one. You can get the all stainless Game Changer .68 or .84 (more aggressive for tougher beards) for around $50. There is no reason to suffer bad razors. Blades are cheap and finding the blade that fits your face and razor combo is great fun. Get a sampler pack. Cheap.
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I dont have a heavy beard, I have a baby face lol Walmart only had the one safety razor when I went there. I have thought about getting an old one from an antique store or something, but dont know what to look for in a safety razor. As far as blades, I have a sample pack like you said.
 
Keep playing with the sample pack, most reputable wet-shave places will sell their own samplers as well, so look for other brands. I actually recently found that the puck of soap I've been using for a long time (it's nearly used up) reacts very differently to really hot water, and so its pre-soak was really critical to how good of a lather I could form. Right now I'm just a wrench puller so being clean-shaven is only required for weekends, but it was still a surprise. I can feel when I've done bad prep, so I knew something wasn't right, just figured it was old, dead soap. Keep changing variables and you'll get a system locked in.
 
gadgetgeek said:
Keep playing with the sample pack, most reputable wet-shave places will sell their own samplers as well, so look for other brands. I actually recently found that the puck of soap I've been using for a long time (it's nearly used up) reacts very differently to really hot water, and so its pre-soak was really critical to how good of a lather I could form. Right now I'm just a wrench puller so being clean-shaven is only required for weekends, but it was still a surprise. I can feel when I've done bad prep, so I knew something wasn't right, just figured it was old, dead soap. Keep changing variables and you'll get a system locked in.
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The soap is just as important as the pre-soak. I pre-soak the puck and brush with the hottest water that i can get from the tap. Load the brush and build lather in a separate bowl. Pre-shave oil also helps with a smooth shave. I use straights on the face and a leaf brand for the head.
 
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