A Close Shave

[Salad Dodger]

As a young lad, I cut my chin on a "safety" razor, and thereafter went over to electric razors.......

 

[CanucksTraveller]

I did the whole traditional shave thing for a few years, then a baby and a new job came along and time got tighter. A DE razor is something you can't rush, so I eventually went back to a sensor although I still use a brush and shave soap. I still have a cabinet full of gorgeous razors, maybe one day I'll go back to them. It is very satisfying (when you actually have the luxury of half an hour to shave properly).

 

[Dayvo]

as someone who shaves everyday, head and face, the gillette mach 3 is fantastic, it is clean, smooth and quick one blade last a month,

Really? Head and face 30 times before replacing? Impressive.

 

[Mark Grant]

At 53 I only shave once or twice a week.
When I was a young man in the Army I quickly realised that I could get away without shaving every morning and have an extra 15 minutes in bed instead.
It was quite funny to stand in the ablutions next to another 18 year old scraping his face and say ' I think I'm OK for today', then later on parade for him to be told to
'Stand closer to the razor next time' whilst I was deemed to be free of facial hair.
It was also a boon when on exercise that I didn't have to shave in cold water in the middle of a forest!
I have my Dads straight razors in the loft and this thread has made me consider getting them out and trying a ' real' shave!

 

[Joey Shabadoo]

I did the whole traditional shave thing for a few years, then a baby and a new job came along and time got tighter. A DE razor is something you can't rush, so I eventually went back to a sensor although I still use a brush and shave soap. I still have a cabinet full of gorgeous razors, maybe one day I'll go back to them. It is very satisfying (when you actually have the luxury of half an hour to shave properly).

Yes, it is satisfying because it's very much a skill. A Mach 3 you can use at any angle, any speed, any pressure and it'll produce a good result without cutting. The only limitation is clearing the clogged blades. But there's no skill involved, it's just a tool to complete a chore. A DE will slice the top off moles or take your top lip off if you're not careful. You also have to be calculating because too many passes over the same area gives razorburn. I love the heft of my Muhle, the smoothness of the head and the coolness of it's touch as it sizzles through the stubble, but it's not a quick job.

 

[snorri]

is this another example of Ripoff Britain?.

No ,I don't think so, more likely a case of gullible Brits swallowing the advertising blurb hook line and sinker.

 

[NorthernDave]

All this talk of shaving reminds me why I stopped.
Bought a beard trimmer for £20 four years ago and haven't spent another penny on facial topiary since.

 

[Lullabelle]

Wasn't talking about her legs.

I'm in mine territory now, methinks!

Armpits? I don't shave mine

 

[ufkacbln]

At 53 I only shave once or twice a week.
When I was a young man in the Army I quickly realised that I could get away without shaving every morning and have an extra 15 minutes in bed instead.

In the RN you are allowed a full set, so stopped shaving in 1977!

I could probably afford a good holiday on the money I have saved over the years

 

[DanZac]

As far as im concerned DE is the way to go, however you need to find the right combination of blade, soap and razor for your skin type to get the best from it. Personaly I swear by a Merkur razor with a Gillete Nacet blade and Taylors soap. It took a while to get to this combination though and i was lucky enough to work in a largeish office where we had a bit of a DE shave thing going on so used to swap soaps etc around, thus minimising the cost of finding what suited you best.
The Nacet blades are super sharp and keep a really good edge which seems to suit my stubble but many people find a slightly less sharp blade better. Avoid the common cheap blades like the plague and if you can find a multi pack of different blades ( e bay) give it a go and see what suits.
Brush wise either badger or boar is the way to go.

 

[pclay]

I cannot really grow a beard at the age of 38. I have had a Gillette mach 3 razor, with the same head for about 5 years. I only need to shave once a week.

 

[Andrew_P]

Such a rip off forget which one I use I get one maybe two weekly head shaves and the face ones in-between before the blade starts ripping me to shreds.

Always seems to me to be a market wide open for a small company to come in and take control of it with decent economical blades. Hate the disposables as their is no weight to them, not sure why that matters though.

 

[snorri]

I shave every day and find the Lidl razors work for me. They sell one handle and about 40 blades in a pack which keeps me going for ages. I use a bar of any soap available, the same as I use for general washing in bath or shower, applied with a good brush, the brush makes the difference.

 

[slowmotion]

I have not made the transition yet. I'm still hooked on Lidl's Shark 5 multi-blade razors, about a quid each. Each lasts about three weeks before they become a really unpleasant drag.

 

[Profpointy]

My dad used to put his razor blades in a pyramid shaped box.....said the power of the pyramid sharpened them.

Mind you this was the same dad that said when the ice cream van plays a tune it means they have run out of ice cream !

Shaun

The pyramide thing actually works!

Well it works about 50% of the time and only works once for a given blade. Think about it