Safety Razors

Orion

I don't have the GFT sandalwood but do have the GFT Coconut and consider the shaves I get with that the smoothest every time. Personally I'm not mad on the Gillette blades but it's your go to. Sounds like a classic example of YMMV. GFT Sandalwood is planned to be my next cream purchase - but I've a fair amount to get through before buying any more

What razor you using? It could be the combination of razor and blade too? Some blades don't go well with some razors. Or it could be just that you were having a bad face day too. I've had some shaves that felt absolute crap but exactly the same routine/cream/prep/blade as some that felt great.

Azatadine

Using the Muhle R89 razor.

Could be that I'm still a relative newbie and this stuff is not as easy to lather as Proraso maybe. Tried palm lathering and bowl latheringthis morning and didn't really get a good lather. Either too creamy or too watery. Nothing like I've generated with TOBS or Proraso.

I noticed a bit of a heating of my face when I put the lather on too so maybe I have a bit of sensitivity to it.

Probably me......

Orion

Not the razor so. Same one I use mostly. Is it cream or soap? I can't get a good lather with soap with my water. If soap maybe try prepping it first?

Azatadine

Yeah, the razor is normally pretty good and I can shave pretty well with Gillette, Feather or Polsilver without issues. Astra blades don't work for me no matter what I do though alright.

It's the cream in a tube. Seeing as it's my first time using a trumper product I thought it would be lower risk to go with the cream. I'll try loading a decent amount more cream this evening and see how it goes.

It's funny. Whenever I get a new cream, I sometimes wash my face with the cream just to see how slick it feels but I noticed that this stuff did not feel slick at all. Feels 'clay-ish' or something. Anyway, I'll load up a good dollop this evening.

Nice scent from it though. Really like the scent.

beardybrewer

I can honestly put my hand up and say I didn't know what I was doing lather-wise the first year or so. I think it's much harder to master than the razor, especially if like me you use a different soap every day. Took me loads of practice to start getting properly amazing lather. You can get away with sub-par lather as I did for a long time. Just because it looks right, doesn't mean it's giving you it's full potential in regards to cushion and slickness.

I haven't used the cream myself, but next time really shake out your brush so it's quite dry. Take up a cashew sized amount of cream. Start face lathering and get an even spread for 30 or so seconds. Now start adding water but just a drop or two at a time and make sure you spread the watery lather right across your face so you don't get half dry / half too wet. Keep adding and keep in mind you are looking for the soap's "sweet spot". Every soap has one and a shave on either side of that window, too dry or too wet, results in a bad shave. Some soaps have a notoriously small window while other are a mile wide. Sometimes with a new soap I'll purposely take the lather from too dry through it's sweet spot until it is too wet just to find out how small the sweet spot is. Work up the lather for a good 4+ minutes. And if it's not working, it's not so precious you should suffer a bad shave. Just rinse it up and try again. Don't be afraid to practice or find another product that's easier/faster for you.

quadrifoglio verde

Got pissed off buying cartridges and the wilkinson sword razor that Ive been using for the last six years seems tough to find blades for.
So figured now was the perfect time to switch to a DE.
Before I go an hack my face off with this Edwin Jagger, any tips for a noob who never has nicked himself before? :pac:

Digital Solitude

Take it slow and easy.

If your lather is too thick it'll block the blade, too thin and the razor tends to skim, in my experience anyways. If the lather isn't right just wash it off and start again.

Don't go across the grain until you get the hang of shaving with a DE, I've been using one for almost a year and I'd say 90% of my nicks are from going across the grain.

uncle_sam_ie

quadrifoglio verde wrote: »

Before I go an hack my face off with this Edwin Jagger, any tips for a noob who never has nicked himself before? :pac:

Watch this video,

Azatadine

What a difference a day makes......

Took what ye guys said on board. Changed out the GSB for a 7 o'clock yellow (always found those very forgiving), ditched the pre shave oil, palm lathered for a few mins rather than face lathered and added water droplets by droplets.

What a difference in lather.....exploded into dense cushioning lather, everywhere.....

Had a great shave! Really, really good.

Not sure if I don't feel some little reaction to the cream as my face felt a little irritated as soon as I put the lather on but it could just be that my face was raw from last night.

Delighted:-)

Rothmans

I was telling my father about my switch to DE shaving and he produced his grandfather's razor. A Gillette safety razor. I've attached a few photos. I had a shave with it and it was very good. No nicks whatsoever. Anybody have any idea what model of razor this is and if it is still available?? I wouldn't mind buying one for myself.

hitemfrank

That's a Gillette Tech. Just like this one (date code of the razor might not be exactly the same).

Azatadine

I keep reading about these Gillette Techs and all sorts of other vintage razors... are they better than modern razors? Why did they leave the market with the DE razors if they were so good? Just to make money on disposables I assume?

hitemfrank

Gillette have always made their money from the sale of razor blades but lost patent rights on DE blades so had to come up with another way to sell proprietary goods.

Some extensive marketing about how two blades were better than one, sending a free cartridge razor to males in the US once they turned 18(?) and the DE was destined to fall out of popular use.

Azatadine

After about 2 weeks of hit and miss, good shave, bad shave, condemning it to hand soap, trying again.. ...I've finally got a handle on Trumpers Sandalwood cream.....

I wash my face with a little of it to begin with and palm lather with a slightly damp badger brush to start with adding a little water as I go. When I've got a nice lather I rinse my face again and lather up.

Using an Astra superior stainless blade, muhle r89, I'm getting a fantastic shave consistently now.

No irritation, soft skin afterwards and a wonderful scent.

I think it's just taken me a while to hone in on the optimal conditions for it. It's less forgiving for a newbie like me (narrow sweet spot) whereas Proraso is great for a newbie as it's so forgiving?

Did I say how much I love the scent :-)

beardybrewer

Great to hear. If you ever go silly on soaps like some of us have, keep this in mind as changing soap formulas daily isn't a great way to learn. Soap is easy to collect as it starts cheap so it's easy to throw one in a basket. Also like the tyres on your car they single-handedly make the biggest difference to your shave no matter how great the rest of your equipment.

I admire those who stick with one soap at a time and get to know how to lather their soap/cream to it's best. However I really like a variety of scents so probably swap between 6 or so brands. Sometimes after a mediocre shave I wonder what would happen if I'd stick with one at a time.

Orion

Don't know what you're talking about. I only have

• TOBS: Sandalwood, Avocado, Grapefruit, Coconut, Natural (soap)
• GFT: Coconut
• T&H: Sandalwood
• Proraso Green tube
• Speikh tube
• Palmolive: Tube and Stick
• Tcheon Fung Sing Sottozero soap

hmm - time to go shopping again

MickH503

Use code MGD16

www.facebook.com/Shaving.ie/posts/1270606636285626

Azatadine

beardybrewer wrote: »

Great to hear. If you ever go silly on soaps like some of us have, keep this in mind as changing soap formulas daily isn't a great way to learn. Soap is easy to collect as it starts cheap so it's easy to throw one in a basket. Also like the tyres on your car they single-handedly make the biggest difference to your shave no matter how great the rest of your equipment.

I admire those who stick with one soap at a time and get to know how to lather their soap/cream to it's best. However I really like a variety of scents so probably swap between 6 or so brands. Sometimes after a mediocre shave I wonder what would happen if I'd stick with one at a time.

Kinda seeing that already myself.. used Proraso Green in tube and in tub, Proraso Red in tube and in tub, TOBS Sandalwood in tub, Arko stick, Palmolive stick and Trumpers Sandalwood in tube. Have a Speick stick on order too (for travel).

That doesn't include the proraso pre post shave and King of Shaves pre shave oil either.

To be fair though, I bought a lot of that stuff in the first month or two (including various blades) but I'm funnelled in to what suits me now I think. Just using Proraso Green in tube or the Trumpers Sandalwood in conjunction with Gillette blades or astra blades.

It's expensive starting up this DE lark though. Probably should have just used one set up for the first few months until I had my technique down.

Azatadine

Anyone else have a reaction to Speick shave stick? My skin in a few areas is kind of burned after it. Like the very outer layer of skin was stripped off and goes kind of hard as it's healing. Not sure if I might have burned it a bit lathering up the soap or whether it's just a reaction to the concentrated soap on the skin before I lathered up. Looked it up online and there doesn't seem to be anybody else with a reaction to it but just thought I'd ask.

Orion

I use the tube and never had a problem with it. In fact it's nearly gone so time to buy more.

hitemfrank

It's possible your skin doesn't like some ingredient in it and is have a reaction to it.

Azatadine

Yeah, looks like it's probably something in it that doesn't agree with me. Might try lathering from the stick using a brush in a week. Just in case I friction burned my face rubbing it on and using the brush to lather. Unlikely though. Pretty bad experience anyway. Face still raw.

Azatadine

Yeah, looks like it's probably something in it that doesn't agree with me. Might try lathering from the stick using a brush in a week. Just in case I friction burned my face rubbing it on and using the brush to lather. Unlikely though. Pretty bad experience anyway. Face still raw.

SeaFields

Just tried out my Gillette travel tech that I bought on ebay last week. It was a lovely shave - very smooth. Given how light it is I wasn't sure how it was going to work, as I thought it would require more pressure than my conventional Muhle. However, it seemed to be more aggressive resulting it a closer shave with minimum pressure. Happy out so I am

Azatadine

What's this like? T&H No. 10 for 11.49 euro, 200ml? Seems cheap?

http://m.boots.ie/h5/cat_hub?unCountry=roi&path=/en/Truefitt-Hill-shave-cream-200ml_1207182/

hitemfrank

Cortecs wrote: »

What's this like? T&H No. 10 for 11.49 euro, 200ml? Seems cheap?

http://m.boots.ie/h5/cat_hub?unCountry=roi&path=%2Fen%2FTruefitt-Hill-shave-cream-200ml_1207182%2F

Never tried it but I think it's supposed to be decent.

Azatadine

Might give it a shot. Not much more expensive than a 150ml tube of proraso so can't go too far wrong anyway. Decent value.

Azatadine

Finally, 4 months in, I've found my shaving soap :-)

Mitchell's Wool Fat. Amazing.

hitemfrank

When you dial in Mitchells Wool Fat it really is great. Lasts feckin ages too.

Michael G

Cortecs wrote: »

Finally, 4 months in, I've found my shaving soap :-)

Mitchell's Wool Fat. Amazing.

Great soap but it contains lanolin, to which some people are allergic (I'm one).