What do you shave with???

[Hugh R]

A boar bristle brush and some shaving soap (from walmart. Van Dier Hagen? and schick double blade disposables.

[john70t]

220 grit flapper wheel on a drill (facial hair is fine).
Or anything nearby.

[johnco]

I don't shave but maybe once once a week or two, or not. especially now that 40 rad. treatments left me with no hope of ever growing a beard. never once had a beard anyway so now I just have less to shave and can wait longer. but this weekend I did shave and started laughing to myself when I noticed my can of shaving lotion had rust spots.. I think that's probably the 3rd or 4th can I've ever bought since I started needing to shave about 40 years ago. this one is so old it's more dribble than foam but ir should last a couple more years

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Got the box today. My first shave with the Edwin Jagger with a Merkur blade was life changing. It was easy, really easy, and fast. Didn't cut myself and surprised at how comfortable it was. Never once did I feel the razor tug on my 4 day beard, it just glided over and hair was gone, like magic. That hasn't happened in ages. Shaved twice, once with the grain and then against. The shave is fantastic, close, looks great.

Life changing because 10 years ago I went from easy shaving on baby soft perfect skin on my face to one marked with ingrown hairs and very oddly, no matter what razor, electric or disposable, I used, shaven hairs would get stuck back into pores and get infected 3-4 days out. Two dermatologist said to live with it and shave only once a week, so I got a Wahl clipper. After trying laser hair removal, what a waste of money!

I'll have to wait a few days to see how my face will respond, but based on the single edge and head design of the razor, I think I'm going to be good. It just feels right.

[matt711]

My set up. I use Proraso shaving soap and a badger brush. I enjoy shaving now that I have gone "old school". Blades are super inexpensive. I can get 200 Astra blades for less than $25.00 and they last over a year.

[emcon5]

I work from home, so I generally only shave about twice per week. I have been using various 2 and 3 blade disposables for years, and was never all that happy. My infrequent shaving lead to the blades getting clogged with whiskers and only good for about 2 shaves.

Last year, I bought a WW2 vintage Schick Injector on Ebay and blades, brush and shaving cream from Amazon.

I also have a buddy who owns an antique store, so I asked him to keep his eyes open for an old-school Double edged Gillette safety razor. He ended up finding me a 1950s vintage Gillette Super Speed.

Of the two, I like the Schick the best, and that is what I use most often. Better shave than any disposable I have ever used, and probably cheaper in the long run, blades are lasting several weeks.

The good thing about the Gillette is the blades can be found damn near anywhere, but the Injectors are a mail order only thing.

[LWJ]

Ok. It is with fear and anticipation that I just jumped into the wet shave world. Placed an order after some mild research and glowing reviews here. I can't wait. I have been a norelco guy for ever. Hated it the whole time.

I am very curious to see if I can have some reasonable results.

Larry

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Larry, I'm a week in and never going back. Good luck!

[LWJ]

Shaun,
You pushed me over the edge. Thanks for the write up.
Larry

[LWJ]

Follow up. Shaun did push me over the edge. I have had a life of pathetic electric shaving. Never liked the results. Always had weird straggler hairs and ingrown remnants. Everytime I tried a blade shave I had rash.

Enter this thread. I bought a Mercur (sp?) long handle. Seems nice enough. I also bought a multi-pack of blades from Amazon; shave cream, brush, Alum bar, and aftershave. Two most important items for success? 1) I warm my beard up in the shower and rub my wife's hair conditioner in. This really does seem to help. 2) The right blade! Some are just worthless. Some are super sharp. Out of five blades, I hated two, loved one and had two that were pretty ok. That is a crazy range of variables but I can't stress this enough: blades matter.

I also looked online for tips and advice. Here is something I do about the rash. I just shave one time on my neck, with the grain. I shave two times on the cheeks. Once with the grain, once across. It works for me.

Another thing that made a difference is the alum bar. If I get too aggressive, it seems to make a difference with rash. To the point that the aftershave seems un-needed.

Another thing that is nice is a scuttle for keeping shave cream warm. My wife bought me one on Etsy. NICE. It has hot water in the bottom.

Summary: 1) I am hooked. It is a better experience, better shave. 2) It takes a lot longer. I do still use the electric occasionally. 3) My technique has impoved but is still poor to intermediate. I am looking to improve here. 4) No cuts yet. 5) I am pretty messy with water in the bathroom. 6) I like the way it feels & looks. My face doesn't have weird hairs / ingrown hairs! 7) It makes the chore pleasant.

Thanks for the heads up!
Larry

[matt711]

I order all of my supplies from Bullgoose shaving. The owner is a guy named Phil, really nice guy. I think he is in California. Great prices and always something on sale. I like to support small businesses when I can.

If you have not tried them yet give Astra blades a try. After going through a big multipack of various blades I pretty much only use Astras now. Feathers every once in a while. Straight razor when I have the time.

[red-beard]

Turbo Mach-III with standard dial soap in the shower. Wash head. Wash face, lather face. Proceed with normal shower.

Wash off face and turn the water up to the hottest I can stand. Wash face again and then lather. Turn water to highest temp setting and heat the razor up. Shave, rinsing the blade between strokes. Shave both with and against the grain.

Turn water temp down to normal and shave head and back of neck.

Now this was funny today!

[ledhedsymbols]

A trick that I picked up that works wonders for my face, just ask Mrs. LedHed, is this simple addition.

If you use Tallow based soap or cream, go to your local drugstore or Y'All-Mart and buy a bottle of pure liquid glycerin. It's only a few dollars. Now add a half-dozen drops to your brush after you soak it and load it with your favorite soap or cream. It's awesome! The bottle lasts forever and makes my face super soft and the skin feels very healthy.

The real test came down to my four year old. She can't wait for me to finish shaving now so that she can sit on my lap and rub her face on mine!

[Miguel Antonett]

Sorry, I don't.

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by Shaun 84 Targa

Got the box today. My first shave with the Edwin Jagger with a Merkur blade was life changing. It was easy, really easy, and fast. Didn't cut myself and surprised at how comfortable it was. Never once did I feel the razor tug on my 4 day beard, it just glided over and hair was gone, like magic. That hasn't happened in ages. Shaved twice, once with the grain and then against. The shave is fantastic, close, looks great.

Life changing because 10 years ago I went from easy shaving on baby soft perfect skin on my face to one marked with ingrown hairs and very oddly, no matter what razor, electric or disposable, I used, shaven hairs would get stuck back into pores and get infected 3-4 days out. Two dermatologist said to live with it and shave only once a week, so I got a Wahl clipper. After trying laser hair removal, what a waste of money!

I'll have to wait a few days to see how my face will respond, but based on the single edge and head design of the razor, I think I'm going to be good. It just feels right.

You should get a good aftershave balm, nothing fancy, Nivea or Neutrogena at the local supermarket.

Take it from a guy that sometimes has to shave twice a day...

[Shaun @ Tru6]

I will try it Scott, thanks. I can say I'm extremely happy with my EJ and Merkur blades so far. I'm going to try some Feather this weekend just for fun. And I like Led's glycerine idea too, going to the corner drugstore tomorrow.

Larry, so glad you are hooked! It's definitely made a difference in my life, hope in yours as well.

[RWebb]

[RWebb]

[Danimal16]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

Hard water is a big killer of razor blades. When the water dries it leaves calcium deposits on the blade. When I store my Mach III in a glass with 1" of glycerin in the bottom the blades last a lot longer. My helpful housekeeper keeps throwing out the glycerin and washing the glass though.

I set my razor in Mineral Oil. Really extends the blade.

[MRM]

Hey Shaun. How's the status on your shaving experience? Still liking it.

This thread got me thinking about shaving. My father used a butterfly safety razor and I've never had as nice of a shave as when I used to steal his razor before I grew up and moved away for good.

Number One Son just graduated from high school so I took that as an opportunity to buy each of us a Merkur and a pack of blades. So far so good. I'm looking forward to experimenting with blades.