Safety Razors

dbar

Yes,
They got an excellent review on B&B as well, prompting me to try them, they came with the sample pack from Connaught. Very happy, tried one in my Fatboy at 3 setting. Smooth with no nicks. Also got a tub of Tabac and Speic. Two lovely soaps, but I think the Speic has got the edge on the smell. Also got my 4 Razors (2 ss 2 Techs)from the states and an Omega Boar Professional. Its a monster, but it really works with the soaps, I find a stiffer brush much better on the soaps.

Amalgam

dbar, how you do you rate the Speick compared to Proraso?

I've had the Speick a while and truth be told it has been idling on the shelf, I much prefer the lubrication and protection of the Proraso. The Speick wins for scent though..

Gran Hermano, there seems to be a wide margin of quality for the Russian 7 O'clock blades.

dbar

I'll let you know as soon as I try it (hurry up and grow beard:rolleyes:) Proraso is my go to at the moment as well. I load up with the soap and give the middle of the brush a squirt of the cream, slaver!
I have hard water in the house, lather does not come easily..

Gran Hermano

I also got the yellow 7o'clocks in the sampler packs, thought I'd give them
a shot for comparison over the weekend and as I said above I will
try a new one in a different razor tonight and if I'm still as happy
I'll be ordering 100 plus. I wonder is the quality issue due to people on the
US fora mixing up the various 7o'clock blades. There are several different
types with different coatings or uncoated. There is even a non-Gillette 7
blade from India/Pakistan. I noticed several people on shavemyface mixing
up the various brands/types.

I've a parcel at home waiting for me, think it's my Super speeds. It'll be out
with the milton when I get home and a quick boil to clean them up!

If anyone is a fan of superlather and mixing soap with cream, my latest
lanolin super mix is Musgo with Mitchell's wool fat soap, great combination.

I also tried the Trumpers samples for Lime skin food and cologne, nice and fresh
and the skin food seems a good post-shave treatment.

dbar

I think youre right about the confusion over the blades. The 7 O' Clock Yellows are the ones that gets a consistent good review. There are loads of variations, 7am, etc that are the nasties.

Amalgam

There's also 7 O'Clock green, marked as Steel blades.. there's also the case of users finding certain batches of yellow 7 O'Clocks to be pure.. well, pure crap.

kenmc

Hi,
been using a Wilkinson Sword Classic Double Edge Razor for a while now - 6 months? a year? don't really know. Will never go back to a multi blade POS again though, thats for sure. Anyway, my question is what difference will I notice if I move to a Merkur Progress for example? Or are there any other recomendations?
Thanks
K

Amalgam

The Progress is an adjustable, so it will depend very much on how you've got it set up, from puppy soft to something that can remove wallpaper..

Merkur also make non-adjustables that are very down to earth shavers, not too aggressive, you might consider them if fiddling with the razor isn't your thing. The Progress isn't everyone's cup of tea..

kenmc

ok, but that doesn't really answer my question i'm afraid....
if I pick a non-adjustable one then, other than looking nicer, how would it differ from what I have? Would it give a better shave?

Amalgam

Yes it would, the razor head is quite domed on the Wilkinson, you'd have better control over your shave. The safety bar on the Merkurs is also different in character to the Wilkinson, the head fits the blade shape at the sides. I owned your razor and I was never keen on that bit of plastic at the edges of the end of the razor. It just distanced me a bit from the task.

kenmc

ok, that helps a lot more! thanks!
So, coming from the wilky then, and not knowing diddly squat, how do I go about trying to decide what to pick? I'm happy enough to fiddle with the razor too, so the progress doesn't bother me. Happy enough to spend around 40-50 euro on it.

hamsterboy

Allow me to recommend what was recommended to me, and made me a very happy morning person. Merkur HD
Non adjustable cos it doesn't need to be. Convinced me once and for all that DE shaving is for me.
Picked mine up from a private seller on eBay for 20 quid..... happy days

HB

kenmc

hamsterboy wrote: »

Allow me to recommend what was recommended to me, and made me a very happy morning person. Merkur HD
Non adjustable cos it doesn't need to be. Convinced me once and for all that DE shaving is for me.
Picked mine up from a private seller on eBay for 20 quid..... happy days

HB

Is that the same as this (Merkur 34C Heavy Duty)?

Amalgam

kenmc wrote: »

Is that the same as this (Merkur 34C Heavy Duty)?

Yes, that's what is known as the Merkur HD. It is the razor I currently use day to day. You probably know this, apologies for stating the obvious.. that the character of your shave will also depend on the type\brand of razor blade you put into the razor.

Amalgam

Bear in mind, the HD looks like a beast in photos, but in the hand it's quite the midget, the handle is just a hair (literally) over 3 inches in lenght. If that isn't your cup of tea, consider another razor from the Merkur range.

Gran Hermano

Amalgam, thanks for the heads-up on dodgy batches of the Yellow Gillettes - I might be best off not ordering 100 at a time in case the
whole batch is bad.

I'd a shave with a 1954 Super Speed last night. I have mixed opinions
on it and really need to give it another shave tonight but so far my
thoughs are that it is a really non-aggressive razor. If I was to pick
a razor to use when hungover this would be it. However it's gentleness
means that I had to do far too many passes to get the same shave as
I would with a Progress or HD. So even though it's not aggressive
my skin was left red for a couple of hours, something I haven't had
lately with any other razor. Maybe I just need to get used to the blade
angle which is different to the Merkurs or try a different blade. I loaded
a new Gillete yellow 7 O'clock in - maybe it was the combination of sharp
blade and gentle razor that didn't work.

Amalgam

I have to admit, I am a tad prejudiced because of the country of manufacture, but that could just be a personal 'me' problem..

Gran Hermano, the razor heads on the Super Speeds look quite bulky, how do you fair with it about the nostrils? I dumped my Futur for that reason, a lack of manoeuvrability at the base of the nose\moustache. I love the idea of owning a Super Speed, I just get the idea the practical use of it might be a different affair.

Gran Hermano

Amalgam wrote: »

I have to admit, I am a tad prejudiced because of the country of manufacture, but that could just be a personal 'me' problem..

Gran Hermano, the razor heads on the Super Speeds look quite bulky, how do you fair with it about the nostrils? I dumped my Futur for that reason, a lack of manoeuvrability at the base of the nose\moustache. I love the idea of owning a Super Speed, I just get the idea the practical use of it might be a different affair.

I didn't have any trouble due to the size of it, like yourself I also have a Futur
but have had no bother with the larger razor.
For the top lip I do as Mantic illustrated and do a downward pass and then
across from each side. It's the difference in angle and 'bite' I need to
get used to so I can decrease the number of passes I used.

On the positive side, the design of the old Gillette razors is really nice.
The TTO mechanism works brilliantly and was a great invention. Plus
there's something about using a razor over 50 years old. The Super
Speeds have made me even more impatient waiting for my Fatboy and
Slim which I ordered on Paddys day.

There's been a couple of nice deals on BST on B&B this week,, a gold
Fatboy in great condition went quickly last night. Luckily the time difference meant I missed it!

MediaTank

Gran Hermano wrote: »

On the positive side, the design of the old Gillette razors is really nice.
The TTO mechanism works brilliantly and was a great invention. Plus
there's something about using a razor over 50 years old. The Super
Speeds have made me even more impatient waiting for my Fatboy and
Slim which I ordered on Paddys day.

If you like the SS, then you'll really like the Fatboy.

MT

MediaTank

Amalgam wrote: »

Gran Hermano, the razor heads on the Super Speeds look quite bulky, how do you fair with it about the nostrils? I dumped my Futur for that reason, a lack of manoeuvrability at the base of the nose\moustache. I love the idea of owning a Super Speed, I just get the idea the practical use of it might be a different affair.

Both the Vision and Futur are bad around the nose. Any vintage Gillette will not cause problems - the head is not that big.

MT

dbar

I use a different method for under the nose, I dial up the adjustment and 'crowbar' the razor, i.e. keep pivoting the head of the razor under the nose, clears it up nicely!
I cant currently move away from my fatboy, the tto is very handy, I use it after each pass to open the top, blade is loose, and run it under the hot tap to remove any stubborn buildup.
Again, the only drawback is that the gates tend to get loose during the shave, I keep having to tighten.
MT - do you find this?
I had a third shave with the G 7 O Clocks, dragged a goodbit, so good for 2 shaves for me, but I only shave every 2-3 days so this could be the issue.
Also, Tried the Tabac soap, - love it. Slick or what. Its the first time I could shave comfortably using soap alone.
Speic next on the list to try.

Sajan

Ok.. I'm taking the plunge. Just want some opinions.

I am going to go for the Merkur 34C. Gonna grab some Gilette 7 O'Clock Razor blades and some Derby Extras.

Gonna get some Proraso Pre and Post shaving cream and some Taylor avacado shaving cream.

What I really want to know is do I need anything else? Is a bowl necessary? I have a badger bristle brush at home thats suitable. And is Connaught Shave the best place to get these items?

MediaTank

dbar wrote: »

Again, the only drawback is that the gates tend to get loose during the shave, I keep having to tighten.
MT - do you find this?

Can't say I do, the gates always stay tightly closed for me. You may need to have a closer look at the mechanism.

MediaTank

Sajan wrote: »

Ok.. I'm taking the plunge. Just want some opinions.

I am going to go for the Merkur 34C. Gonna grab some Gilette 7 O'Clock Razor blades and some Derby Extras.

Gonna get some Proraso Pre and Post shaving cream and some Taylor avacado shaving cream.

What I really want to know is do I need anything else? Is a bowl necessary? I have a badger bristle brush at home thats suitable. And is Connaught Shave the best place to get these items?

Instead of just 2 blade types get a sampler pack instead. I wouldn't go for the pre and post cream at this stage until you verify that you need it. Proraso is a great shaving cream but the 'Deep Heat' skin feel can be a bit much with the pre and post creams.

Your exisiting brush will be fine. A cereal bowl or a large mug is fine for lather. Connaught is as good as any and does blade sampler packs.

Enjoy.

MT

piaget

Hi Sajan,

I have a Merkur a few years now and its great, I just received an order from Connaught last week, ordered on Friday and came Monday, I ordered the standard sample pack of blades and Taylor rose cream and Old Spice cream (nostalgia reasons), got several emails and it was very professional.

Have tried both creams and while they were good the Proraso and the Geo. F. Trumper sandalwood were far nicer. Dont see the need for a shaving bowl but I do have a drip stand for the brush, these are cheap, about £2-3 but they let the brush dry out properly. Good Luck

Gran Hermano

Sajan wrote: »

Ok.. I'm taking the plunge. Just want some opinions.

I am going to go for the Merkur 34C. Gonna grab some Gilette 7 O'Clock Razor blades and some Derby Extras.

Gonna get some Proraso Pre and Post shaving cream and some Taylor avacado shaving cream.

What I really want to know is do I need anything else? Is a bowl necessary? I have a badger bristle brush at home thats suitable. And is Connaught Shave the best place to get these items?

Fill up the same basket on both The Shaving Shack and Connaught
and see which is cheaper including shipping. (There's also a 5% off
code I included in a post yesterday in this thread).

Pick up a sample blade pack rather than just 1 or 2 types, everyone
likes/dislikes different blades as we all have different skin and stubble.

I'd go for the Proraso in both shaving cream and pre/post.

Don't panic about the shaving bowl, I'm using a couple of hand thrown
pottery bowls I found around the house. I also picked up a very small
pudding bowl in Home Store & More today for €1.30 that is ideal.




On a separate note, I started using witch hazel post shave this week.
Picked it up cheap in Boots along with a small empty spray atomiser in
their travel section for ease of use. I'm liking it's effect. Any other fans here?

Sajan

Out of interest.. Does anywhere in Dublin stock The Merkur or is online the best bet?

MediaTank

Sajan wrote: »

Out of interest.. Does anywhere in Dublin stock The Merkur or is online the best bet?

Knights Of the Green apparently have a couple. Probably cheaper online.

MediaTank

Browsing through my email, I found that the Edwin Jagger range are now available in The Decent Cigar Emporium on Grafton Street for those of you in Dublin.

Amalgam

MediaTank wrote: »

Browsing through my email, I found that the Edwin Jagger range are now available in The Decent Cigar Emporium on Grafton Street for those of you in Dublin.

Is that up near Captain America's, more or less beside their entrance?