Wet shave ??

[Norm]

I'm doing a "grooming panel" later this week, with a manufacturer of razors. If there is anything about a cut-throat or a double-edged blade which is actually better, rather than just perceived to be better, than a modern multi-bladed razor, then please do post it up here and I'll feed it back to them direct.

Also, if anyone has an developments with current products, post it up here as well.

I've already taken on board that a brush helps with lathering and raising the beard, even if you use a gel, and that warming the skin and beard before doing anything also helps, but anything else will be passed on.

As a for instance, most razors nowadays have the grips front and back like this, because people who model razors all seem to hold their razor like this. However, when I shave, I hold the sides of the razor like this.

Oh, and this is about the whole process, from washing and lathering to shaving and any "products" (gels, balms, lotions etc) which are used afterwards.

 

[Piemaster]

A thought has occurred to me whilst shaving a few minutes ago.
Am I getting a better shave with the DE because I'm a novice (2nd go with it just now) and therefore taking more time as I'm a little concerned about disfiguring scars, though less so than I was initially. showering first, getting a good lather, taking it slowly. Compare with the mach 3 , were it tended to bit a bit faster as I know I can get away with a bit of a lather and dragging it quickly over my face without much chance of drawing blood.

Any thoughts?

 

[dav1d]

I was always getting my skin irritated when using shaving gels and foams. turned out it was the Aloe Vera in them,
why put it in even most of the sensitive ones if it's a known skin irritant?
Fortunately, the supermarket value range works OK (the next one up from the value range usually has Aloe Vera in it).
But sometimes the wet shaving irritates my skin, possibly because a lot of the blades have Aloe Vera (I switch between brands,
often buying one of the "name" brands when they are on offer!).

 

[Dan B]

I'm doing a "grooming panel" later this week, with a manufacturer of razors. If there is anything about a cut-throat or a double-edged blade which is actually better, rather than just perceived to be better, than a modern multi-bladed razor, then please do post it up here and I'll feed it back to them direct.

The price of the blades, and the environmental impact of packaging them.

 

[tyred]

The price of blades is the big one, I should think. I have been trying a sample pack of Wilkinson Sword's latest razor and although I can't fault the shave it gives me, the cost of the replacement blades is nothing short of outrageous. And then I realised that the Gillette equivalent is even more expensive!!! 

The price of these things cannot be justified IMO. I also actually enjoy shaving with a DE, a modern multiblade razor is just a tool which does a job and is boring to use.

 

[Fnaar]

I get a disposable razor/blades from Lidl every now and then... cheap, and very very good! The only issue is that a pack of replacement blades costs more than a razor+the same amount of blades. So I buy the latter. So I'm building up a collection of headless Lidl razors.
But I'm getting myself into a lather.

 

[goo_mason]

I'm doing a "grooming panel" later this week, with a manufacturer of razors. If there is anything about a cut-throat or a double-edged blade which is actually better, rather than just perceived to be better, than a modern multi-bladed razor, then please do post it up here and I'll feed it back to them direct.

Also, if anyone has an developments with current products, post it up here as well.

I've already taken on board that a brush helps with lathering and raising the beard, even if you use a gel, and that warming the skin and beard before doing anything also helps, but anything else will be passed on.

As a for instance, most razors nowadays have the grips front and back like this, because people who model razors all seem to hold their razor like this. However, when I shave, I hold the sides of the razor like this.

Oh, and this is about the whole process, from washing and lathering to shaving and any "products" (gels, balms, lotions etc) which are used afterwards.

It's all smoke & mirrors. They'll just keep adding blades to these multi-blade monsters and claiming that 'more=better', all the while conning you out of larger & larger sums for replacement heads.

Razor blades for DE razors are cheap - they can't make much money out of those. You can use the same razor blade in hundreds of different brands of razor, but you'll only be able to use a modern cartridge head on the razor it was designed for. People will be able to use old DE razors for centuries, they're not plastic 'throw-aways' and will outlast all of us. Cut-throat razors will give multiple lifetimes of excellent shaving with the odd honing. You'll never need to throw them away - not a big money-spinner for a company there either.

I doubt any razor manufacturer is going to listen to anyone telling them they're con-artists & do anything about it though. They'll want you to continue buying and throwing away mountains of plastic in order to buy more at hugely inflated prices.

Meanwhile, I'll continue to use my vintage razors and recycling my old blades along with the tin cans in my recycling. The razors are going in my will to go to a male relative - you certainly wouldn't expect to be doing that with a Mach 3

 

[Norm]

Hmm... if anyone doesn't know or understand the "razor blade" ** model, then I'm not going to take that back to the manufacturer to ask them about it. Besides, they cost me under a quid a month, so I can't really get too upset about it.

As for more = better "illusion", I made that mistake until I was given a new one as part of another trial, and I was so impressed that I stopped on the way home from the testing to buy one for myself.

Anyone got anything real

**See also printer cartridges for further information

 

[Fnaar]

Reggie perrin (modern version, Martin Clunes, which, beard-like, has grown on me) is very funny about shaving/male grooming products.

 

[szygy]

I have used a straight razor for about 15 years now, and would never go back to disposables (unless travelling by plane).
They are not dangerous really, as long as you focus. The tricky thing is getting them sharp. My razor has tortoise shell scales and was used by grandfather during his medical training in the 1930's, ans is still super sharp.
I have spent about £5 in the last 2 years on shaving (a bowl of hard shaving soap), which would buy how many gillette multi-bladed thingys?

 

[szygy]

I have used a straight razor for about 15 years now, and would never go back to disposables (unless travelling by plane).
They are not dangerous really, as long as you focus. The tricky thing is getting them sharp. My razor has tortoise shell scales and was used by grandfather during his medical training in the 1930's, ans is still super sharp.
I have spent about £5 in the last 2 years on shaving (a bowl of hard shaving soap), which would buy how many gillette multi-bladed thingys?

 

[Dan B]

Hmm... if anyone doesn't know or understand the "razor blade" ** model, then I'm not going to take that back to the manufacturer to ask them about it.

I expect that a significant number of straight/DE razor users stick with them exactly because they understand the vendor lock-in model and don't want to be part of it.

 

[goo_mason]

Hmm... if anyone doesn't know or understand the "razor blade" ** model, then I'm not going to take that back to the manufacturer to ask them about it. Besides, they cost me under a quid a month, so I can't really get too upset about it.

As for more = better "illusion", I made that mistake until I was given a new one as part of another trial, and I was so impressed that I stopped on the way home from the testing to buy one for myself.

Anyone got anything real

**See also printer cartridges for further information

There was nothing about that which wasn't "real".

But since you ask, why don't you ask them when they'll bring out the 6, 7, 8 or 9 blade model and why the 4 or 5 blade one they have now wasn't good enough. Ask how much more damage & irritation is caused to the skin when you're scraping it 5 times with every stroke (which is very relevant as many people say they switch to DE razors as they don't play havoc with their face). One with-the-grain stroke = 5 blade passes, one against the grain stroke = 5 passes, so 10 passes with a multi-blade as opposed to two with a DE - I know that if I did 10 passes my skin would be as raw & irritated as my old cartridge-blades left it.

 

[tyred]

I have used a straight razor for about 15 years now, and would never go back to disposables (unless travelling by plane).
They are not dangerous really, as long as you focus. The tricky thing is getting them sharp. My razor has tortoise shell scales and was used by grandfather during his medical training in the 1930's, ans is still super sharp.
I have spent about £5 in the last 2 years on shaving (a bowl of hard shaving soap), which would buy how many gillette multi-bladed thingys?

I think trusting myself to keep it sharp would be my biggest concern with one of these. I would probably be too lazy to strop it as often as it needs to be done. I would probably do it for a while until the novelty wears off and then get bored.

 

[goo_mason]

I think trusting myself to keep it sharp would be my biggest concern with one of these. I would probably be too lazy to strop it as often as it needs to be done. I would probably do it for a while until the novelty wears off and then get bored.

Stropping on a leather strop takes a couple of minutes at most before you shave - it keeps the edge keen, but doesn't sharpen it. To sharpen it, you need to hone it - and there are people like Neil Miller at www.strop-shop.co.uk who'll do that for you if you don't want to buy honing stones and learn that skill. You should (if you strop) only have to have it honed once or twice a year (depending on how tough your beard is!)

I'd been considering straights for about 4 months before I got one - I originally thought they'd be too much hassle with all that stropping, but they're not at all.