I recently found this video on youtube, which prompted me to give this double-edge safety razor a try. After some reading, I was convinced that a single-blade razor would yield much closer and more pleasurable results.
Well, it came in the mail - it’s quite neat. Honestly, I don’t grow much of a beard yet, but in time I will - so why not make the most out of an every morning chore? I tried it out with some gillette shaving gel first; which goes against the traditional wet shavers code…but I didn’t have a brush or soap of any sort. It was definitely a better shave. It felt completely different too. The smoothless lasted about twice as long.
So, I got a cheapo boars hair brush and some soap from Wal-mart today - oh man, that was a fun shave.
Anyway, I strongly recommend everyone try it at least once. My girlfriend is very happy with the results ;). Discuss your shaving methods and/or preferences.
Cool. I watched the video. I’ll have to look into that more. I like old school stuff, so it’s something I’ve thought about before but never followed up on.
But if you want to play with your new device more… don’t stop with your face. You have plenty of body parts you can test it out on – legs, chest, etc. (no, that’s not what I mean by ‘etc’).
I use a 5-blade razor with a battery which makes the thing vibrate–but it also works without the battery, cuz the actual cutting is done by pulling the blade across your face.
i’m a sucker for newer shaving technology. I’ll be the first to buy the 7-blade razor when it comes out.
Haha. I recently received the Gillette Fusion 5 blade razor* in the mail, free, just out of nowhere, with a message from Gillette telling me it was a birthday present. How the heck they got my name and address, let alone my birth date, I’ll never know. Some spammer probably sold it to them.
They want me to go and buy their replacement blades, which cost $25 for a pack of eight. Oh well, the one it came with will last me all year anyway.
*It’s actually got 6 blades. 5 in front and 1 in the back for those “precision shaves.” I guess that’s in case someone doesn’t need 5 blades.
When I shave with a standard razor, I go semi-old school. High quality badger-hair brush, stand, soap mug that belonged to my wife’s grandfather, whatever brand of mug soap inspired me at time of purchase, and time enough in the schedule to relax and enjoy the steam and the shave. Razor is whatever 4-blade or 5-blade extravaganza I’ve received recently in the mail. If that’s used up, I fall back on the Gillette Mach 3, which used to be top of line but now is mid-range hence affordable.
But IMHO daily wet razor shaving, regardless of school, is a young man’s habit. I can’t imagine investing the time in that every day. The only time I pull out my mug now is after a proper vacation, when I have more than three day’s worth of scruff built up. For the daily mow before work, it’s electric all the way, and my current model is the Braun 4775. Start to finish it’s a two minute investment, and the Brauns are super-durable. I’ve owned a total of three over the last 25 years, although in truth it was really two that lasted me that long. I only just purchased the 4775, after I fried my second Braun by exposing it to 220 without the right adapter during the uninam trip. The battery wouldn’t hold a re-charge after that, so I’m now on number three. When I compare this to my automobile ownership for the same period, it puts the Brauns in the same category as the Checker Marathon (150,000 miles with lots of runway) and Toyota Pickup (240,000 miles). Somewhere in there…maybe Year 10 into my electric shaving…my sister gave me a Norelco shaver for x-mas. Piece O Crap. Gave it to the DI, and went back to my Braun.
I wish the Braun home espresso machines were as high quality and durable as the Braun shavers. In that same period of time I’ve had probably six to eight Braun home espresso makers, plus almost as many from other brands. The best years were the ones where the Braun home espresso machine ownership overlapped with the Braun shaver ownership. It made for a solid back-to-back every weekday morning.
Yep, I’ve known a couple of people who worked for Gillette, the profit on the handles is a few pennies, but the margin on the blades is several hundred percent. They certainly used to hve a policy of giving out a lot of the handles for free, my mate’s girlfriend’s dad worked there and we all got free Mach 3s before they were out in the shops.
Personally I dry shave these days, it’s quicker and I can’t be bothered to mess about.
Dry shaving saves you time, but the razor is harder to clean after. I shave with the foam on Sundays and without on weekdays if it’s necessary (I prefer to leave it to grow during the week, so I look older on Fridays, which makes it easier to buy stuff that 17 olds shouldn’t buy yet)
I shave in the shower with no foam, I just get it really hot let my face and my razor soak up the hot water for a bit and then do it. I never have any problems, unless I get a zit in a really wierd spot like a tthe back corner of my cheek bone.
From what I read in that article it sounds like my method is actualy pretty good, they just don’t like the razor part.
That’s one of the major selling points for the single blade razor. Instead of $25 for a pack of 8, you pay something like $4 for a pack of 10, double-sided razors.
Perhaps that is true. I’ve read that the “proper shave” should take like 10-15mins. I can see that not working out when one is in a rush to get to work.
I learned to shave with my dad’s old safety razor, much like the one that was in the first post of this thread.
Ah, the good old days when my skin was smooth and soft.
Nowadays I shave like Desperate Dan, with a wallpaper scraper and a blowtorch.
Some people enjoy the ritual of the morning shave. These may be the same people who enjoy cutting the grass in summertime and washing/waxing the car every weekend.
I dislike such pursuits and consider them impositions on my time and energy. For years now I’ve maintained a trim beard and a short hair style that is easy to keep neat. I still have to shave every morning (to eliminate portions of the beard that would make me look like Sasquatch), but otherwise I trim only once every two to four weeks, using the same attachment on my electric shaver to trim both the beard and my hair. Ten minutes with this tool and I’m good for up to a month.
Sounds like Billy lost his employee discount at WM. When’s the probationary period over?
On topic:
There was a time I had a brush, shave soap, and razor. Too much work. It’s much easier just to mow the face with my Norelco in the morning, it gets a close enough shave to last until the next day. Less skin problems too.
I do carry a back-up razor when I travel in case the electric’s batteries die though.
