Blade Buddy for shaving razors

Uses basic concept of stropping your razor which was how it was done back before safety & cartridge razors. You aren't sharpening the razor, just realigning the blades to get a few more uses out of them.
 
Yeah, I've used straight razors strops and kitchen steels before, so I understand the concept. I'm just wondering if it actually extends razor use for a significant amount of time or if it's just marketing hype.
 
YOU found it. It's up to you to try it out and give us a review! ;)
 
CWL said:
YOU found it. It's up to you to try it out and give us a review! ;)
Click to expand...

If I don't hear any reviews I might just break down and get one. I've certainly spent more on bigger pieces of crap in my time ;-). I'll be sure to post some feedback if I do.
 
I think i read somewhere else that it didnt really work. The best thing ive been able to do to extend the life of my razors is: to to rinse and dry them off after every use, and or store them in oil. Also occassionaly run a cork over the blade. I have no idea what that actually does, but it seems to help with nicks on safety blades. I think it keeps the edge even and gets off some of the hard water mineral deposits...
 
When I used to use a double blade disposable razor, after a few uses, I'd put some lather on the shower tiles, then move the blades in a figure-8 on the tiles. It seemed to make the blade last a lot longer. These days I use a double edge razor, which you can remove the blade, and strop it on your palm, or if I've got time, a cuthroat which means it's freshly stropped for each shave.
 
Several years ago, I went to the store for butter, eggs... oh... and don't forget razor cartridges. I handed the checker a twenty and waited for my change. She waited for another bill. "What?"

"Well, sir, the razor cartridges are $29.95 alone..."

"Oh, I see."

Thirty bucks for a package of five cartridges. I typically got six good shaves from one. Shaving was literally costing me a dollar-per-day just for the blades!

I resolved then and there not to ever buy any more cartridges. I would get a straight razor and figure that out.

In researching that, I discovered that straight-razor shaving harkens back to a day and age when a man did not shave himself. A wealthy gentleman was shaved by his valet who also took care of the razor. A working stiff was shaved by his wife or by one of his daughters as part of her preparation to be married off. A middle-class guy saved his womenfolk that task by dropping a penny at the local barber where he not only got a shave, but got all the latest news and gossip, their version of "facebook"... pun intended. A man who, today, takes on straight-razor shaving needs to do so out of more than a desire for a good shave.

I also discovered that most of the world's men don't pay Gillette a dollar-a-day. Most of the world's men still use so-called "double-edged" razors and blades. The razors are a bit expensive $20-100, but once you buy the razor, the blades are dirt-cheap. I use Bic Chrome Platinum blades which sell for $20 for 100 blades, twenty cents per blade. And I get six great shaves per blade making the cost per-shave about 3.3 cents!

There is no reason to spend even one minute trying to strop or sharpen that blade. 3.3 cents per-shave! Spluge! Use a brand-new blade every six days.

I used to use canned lather. It cost about four bucks for a can and there were about 20 shaves in a can. That seems like a trivial expense, four bucks. But it's another twenty cents per-shave. Now, I pay $15 for a cake of soap. Fifteen dollars for a bar of soap?!? Yes. And I get 150 shaves worth of lather from it. And it's better lather than the can. So, I save another ten cents per-shave on lather.

I'm saving well over a dollar per-day now. It doesn't seem like much, but shaving is something I do most every day, so it adds up to almost four hundred dollars per year.

And the shaves a great.
 
I don't spend any more time shaving with a DE razor than I did with a cart.Like Gollnick,I got into DE shaving to save money on shaving,I use the Wilkinson Sword blades from Walmart,they were $2.50 for a pack of 10 but I bought some recently for $1.77 and I use the VDH soap from Walmart or CVS,I think it's about $1.75 for a puck and it lasts me about 6 months.
 
The general consensus (if there can ever be one on a forum) at the other forum I frequent, is just that these devices are better at cleaning a cartridge than most peoples method of "rinse and shake" (out of the gutter yous!) so go ahead and try, but you may get better mileage by cleaning you cartridges better. Or switch to a DE, Unlike Gollnick, I think that straight shaving is possible by a normal human, but I think that the average guy used to get by with a less than stellar shave, and not every day. (we have the internet to learn from which shortens the learning curve by a huge margin) So yes the DE is the simplest, best, cheapest shave around. I just like straight shaving is all, but the DE sees its share of use. Beau, do yourself a favor, find an online shop you like and get a sampler pack of blades, you'll be glad you did! (or hate me for causing you to spend money chasing a better shave! I'm okay with that)
 
See that's the other thing,I don't get into the razor,brush,blade,soap,or whatever else of the month club,I started shaving with a DE to save money and I get a perfectly fine shave without any irritation with the off the shelf products that I'm using.I really do appreciate the suggestion but I'm happy with what I'm using so I think I'll pass.
 
+1 to Gollnick's post.
I've been wondering quite alot about getting out from the cartridge shaving prison (too expensive, and not good enough).
After some time, I decided that straight razors were probably not the answer 8although I highly admire those who use it).
DE shaving (I call it grandfather's shaving :D) seemed closer to what I was used to, and way cheaper. And more stylish, too :p so I decided to try. After some weeks, my learning curve is getting better and better, and even the money I've spent on new items (bowl, pre shave, etc, things I bought once now, and will not buy again for quite a long time I suppose) is really nothing compared to what I would have spent on cartridges (I used soap/cream and brush even when I used cartridges actually).
Yes, that thing might work, although I doubt it, but since I've never even seen it, I give it the benefit of doubt. But, like others said, if the money you've spent so far for shaving seems too much, there might be better and more rewarding paths to choose than resharpening o realigning your cartridges.
My two cents, of course :)

:cool:
 
People sometimes call DE shaving "old fashioned," but I doubt that grandpa ever had a blade that was platinum-plates and Teflon-coated and made in a factory practicing ISO9000 statistical process controls. Calling modern DE shaving is like saying that the latest multi-core, multi-GHz PC is old-fashioned because the power plug dates back over a hundred years. The shape of the DE blade is generations-old, but, at the same time, it is quite modern.
 
Gollnick,
you are right indeed. Still, the shape of DE razors, the metal handle, the repleceable blades, the brush and bowl, all those things remind me of "old time shaving".
It's not old indeed, since things evolve with time. Nonetheless, no matter how modern a DE shave can be, it retains its "old fashioned" appeal and style (in the most positive sense of the concept). Just like writing a letter on paper with a fountain pen instead of emailing someone, to make a comparison.
Whenever I grab my Merkur Futur, I can't help thinking about my grandfather, and sometimes we even talk about shaving and blades available in the 30's and so on. Great vibe.

:cool:
 
DE = safety razor, right?

Been using them for years and years. They have a good weight to them and feel "right" in the hand. Buy the razors in bulk off of the 'zon or 'Bay. You can buy used vintage Gillette razors for pretty cheap, and they'll last forever. I like the adjustable ones as well as my "Fatboy" the best.

You can also buy new ones, but they're no better than the vintage Gillettes. If you want a really high-end safety razor, DO NOT buy the Merkur Vision. It is a badly-designed POS. The other Merkurs are fine shaving instruments though.
 
CWL said:
DE = safety razor, right?
Click to expand...


Yeah DE= double edged saftey blade.

I for one am a proponent of wet shaving with a straight razor and either cake soap or cream. Truefitt and hill have been making cake soap for over 200 years and it will dramatically improve your shave.

Get a straight and just practice. When i first got one i was scared of it a little and i got cut deep trying to get under my nose, after time you shave faster and bleed less until you get to a point where your shaving twice in about the same time it took you to get a real good shave with a disposable and your thinking to yourself... Why the heck did these things fall out of favor.

Also its more eco friendly and puts you closer to some of your ancestors. Its something I personally find to be very speacial and rewarding. Its a unique manly skill in a world gone soft.

Dont get the machine, ive read some reviews on shaving forums that said they dont work. I cant find the links though.
 
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