Safety Razors

[gurdygurds]

I started looking at these and holy cow it's another rabbit hole of a hobby! Just wanted to ask who here uses a safety razor and what is your setup? I ordered a Merkur 42c, some Astra blades, and Proraso soap as an inexpensive starter kit to see how I like it. What are you using and what have you learned over the years? Any advice?

 

[kerneldrop]

Order Japanese Feather blades and nothing else.
Use the Astra when you're waiting on more feather to arrive.

I've used a double edge for 15 years

I used to have all these custom soaps and boar brushes…but I went back to gel bc it's easy.

I have quite a few straight razors too.

 

[gurdygurds]

Order Japanese Feather blades and nothing else.
Use the Astra when you're waiting on more feather to arrive.

I've used a double edge for 15 years

I used to have all these custom soaps and boar brushes…but I went back to gel bc it's easy.

I have quite a few straight razors too.

Ha! Yessir I will try the Feather blades! What double edge razors do you have?

 

[kerneldrop]

Merkur, Edwin Jagger, few older Gillette adjustable my grandfather used.

Pretty sure I use the jagger. Only difference in the name brands is the closeness of the cut.

 

[IMA SOL MAN]

I have a Merkur 34g and a couple of 1950's Gillette Super Speed razors. I have 3 different blades: Feathers, which are made in Japan. Personna Blues, which are made in USA. Personna Med Preps, which are also made in USA. I stopped buying the Feathers because the Personna Med Preps are just about as sharp if not as sharp, made in USA and faster to get than waiting for blades to come from Japan. The Personna Blues are good for daily driver, and cheaper than the Med Preps, but not quite as close a shave. I reserve the Med Preps and Feathers for special occasions when I want/need that baby butt smooth close shave.

I started out with Van Der Hagen shave soap, but transitioned to Nivea Sensitive shaving cream. I picked up some Cremo shaving cream on clearance last Christmas but haven't tried it yet.

For A/S, I like cheap drug store stuff, because I can't afford the really expensive stuff that I would love to try. Current go to is Aqua Velva for warm weather, and Nivea Men Sensitive Post Shave Balm for cool and cold weather.

If you really want to get the low down on wet shaving, IMO there is no better place than the badgerandblade.com forums. It is to shaving what CPF is to light. That's where I learned.

 

[kerneldrop]

Yea Personna is good. My wife will only use Feather. So I keep a supply.

I'll grab a Personna when I don't use Feather.

I can use anything on my neck but around my mouth there's just nothing I've found that compares to Feather.

I used to sharpen straight razors for folks.
My mother in law makes shave soap when I want to get traditional.

I just throw them in a drawer

 

[ironhorse]

Merkur Mergress and too many different brands of blades to name.

 

[Chauncey Gardiner]

I stopped shaving a little over a year ago. I love it. My Better 3/4s doesn't mind it. My mom hates it. WIN! WIN! WIN!

 

[jabe1]

I've been using a safety razor for better than a decade. I can't remember the razor's brand, just a basic butterfly type, Williams soap a good badger brush and some inexpensive blades I got from Amazon. I think they're made in India; Shark brand perhaps. My beard is pretty heavy and coarse, and I'm thick skinned so I get a great shave with this setup.
All of the fancy creams, aftershave and extra do- dads just seem a waste to me anymore.

 

[blinkjr]

I got tired of paying big $$$ for those multi-blade cartridges, so started searching for alternatives. Came across badgerandblade.com as mentioned above and some other sites. Decided to give double edge safety razors a try again. I say again because that's what was available when I first started shaving. Started on cartridges when a sample Gillette Trac II found its way into my college dorm room mailbox.

Anyway, I picked up a Van der Hagen starter pack one day and liked the shave I got. Figured buying blades was less expensive in the long run than the multi-blade cartridges. Picked up a tube of Cremo original and my shaving world changed! I couldn't believe what a difference a good shave cream could make. I was using Edge shave gel up to that point. Not even close. Suddenly I was getting a very close shave with no ingrown hairs on my neck.

Long story short (sorry - already a bit long here..), my daily driver is a Parker 36C that I bought on a bit of a whim. Along with Cremo orignal with a Wilkinson Sword blade made in Germany, that combination works for me. I highly suggest visiting www.maggardrazors.com. Wonderful small family run business in Adrian, MI. They have everything you could want/need in the way of shaving supplies. Not always the lowest price, but I like to do business with small businesses like this. Great customer service. Anyway, you can order sampler packs of blades and creams/soaps.

All beards are different, so what's good for mine may not be good for yours. Experiment until you find one that works for you. For blades, if you read reviews, you can get a sense of how the blade handles different types of beards. So you can narrow your search and order appropriate trial packs.

Good luck and fun on your journey!

 

[bykfixer]

Gillette track 2 and barbasol since the 1980's.

My dad used to have a double edge blade sharpener from WW2 where you put the blade in hand crank pencil sharpener looking box, crank the handle and it sharpened both sides of the blade.

 

[kerneldrop]

This is No-Shave November anyways.

I guess I'm too simple minded to over-complicate it. The only difference I've noticed in blade brands is sharpness. Some cut great, some not as great. When the blade pulls hair rather than cuts I throw it away.

I got into straight razors because I sharpen knives and thought it would be neat. Now that's a rabbit hole. I use a DE 99.9% of the time because I'm usually late and don't have time to use a straight razor.

 

[bigburly912]

What's this razor thing you speak of?

 

[IMA SOL MAN]

I started looking at these and holy cow it's another rabbit hole of a hobby! Just wanted to ask who here uses a safety razor and what is your setup? I ordered a Merkur 42c, some Astra blades, and Proraso soap as an inexpensive starter kit to see how I like it. What are you using and what have you learned over the years? Any advice?

BTW, Astra blades are made in Russia, if that matters to you (it does to me).

Beginners are advised to use Feathers WITH EXTREME CAUTION!, as they are extremely sharp, and if you aren't very experienced with a DE razor, you just might end up a bloody mess.

Prep time is the main thing IMO, soak your beard real good, wait until the whiskers are totally hydrated before you begin shaving. Then, go slow, take your time, and let the weight of the razor do the work--don't put pressure on it! Use 2-4 passes, and take your time, go slow. Each pass will get closer and closer.

 

[letschat7]

I used to use a Merkur razor with British made Wilkinson Sword blades but now I shave with depilatory creme or a Braun Series 7.

 

[blinkjr]

BTW, Astra blades are made in Russia, if that matters to you (it does to me).

Beginners are advised to use Feathers WITH EXTREME CAUTION!, as they are extremely sharp, and if you aren't very experienced with a DE razor, you just might end up a bloody mess.

Prep time is the main thing IMO, soak your beard real good, wait until the whiskers are totally hydrated before you begin shaving. Then, go slow, take your time, and let the weight of the razor do the work--don't put pressure on it! Use 2-4 passes, and take your time, go slow. Each pass will get closer and closer.

^^^^^^ THIS!!! ^^^^^^

 

[gurdygurds]

Yea I'm not rushing out to get more blades at this point. Just working on learning the technique. I slipped and have a 15c plus a Lord L5 en route as well. Oops.

 

[kerneldrop]

Just working on learning the technique.

Allow me to simplify it for all it really is. Hold it at the angle that cuts the best. You will feel what that is and will just know. Too shallow and it won't cut, too aggressive and it'll dig into your skin. Each razor will have its own angle where it cuts the best.

maybe I just have extreme hand-eye coordination and my senses are just superb.

the best advice I've picked up is swallowing to make the Adam's apple go flat for shaving over it.

The less sharp a razor blade is the more pulling of the hair as it cuts. To me that is more painful than any nick. I want the sharpest blade because the pulling of hair sucks. I guess I'm lucky that I haven't severed arteries.

 

[IMA SOL MAN]

I guess I'm lucky that I haven't severed arteries.

Yes, the application of a tourniquet for that area is problematic.

 

[gurdygurds]

Shave #2 today and used this new Merkur open comb that arrived this morning. Had to see the difference between closed and open and to be honest I didn't feel much of a difference. I find the process pretty intuitive. No cuts and didn't get any irritated skin so that's a win. I do like the slimmer head of the open comb 15c and the handle is much grippier, but still like the vintage look of the more ornate handle. First couple pictures are the two as they came, and then I swapped the handles. Anyway, kind of a nice relaxing ritual and a fun new little hobby to dip into.