Safety Razors

CrowdedHouse

Hmmm... difficult to nail down,but my current favourites:

Gillette Flare Tip Super Speed (F1)

Astra Keramik

Simsons PJ2 (Best)

Tabac Soap

Pinaud Virgin Island Bay Rum

TheScribbler

I agree with the the sentiments of this thread. Blade prices appear to have gone through the roof in recent years. Gillette used to do a full range of safety razors but I haven't seen them in a long time although safety blades are still sold in many chemists (Boots for example).

Anyone remember Waterford made Macs Smile safety blades. They were interchangeable with Gillette but were cheaper.

Gran Hermano

3 for 2 at the moment again in Boots on all male grooming; handy if anyone is looking for some shaving related gear.

mantic59

Speaking of Boots, what are their shave soap sticks going for these days? Last year someone told me they were going for something like 75p?!?

Gran Hermano

mantic59 wrote: »

Speaking of Boots, what are their shave soap sticks going for these days? Last year someone told me they were going for something like 75p?!?

Not sure of the prices here, probably slightly higher, but in the UK
the stick is £1.35 and the refill is £0.85.

Gran Hermano

Gents, not sure if you are aware of Connaught's sample and decant service
http://www.closeshave.org.uk/

I've Musgo's AS and colognes on my 'to buy' list for a while but was afraid
to risk buying full bottles in case I hated the scent.

Michael G

DonJose wrote: »

The Cella soap IMO is much better than the Mitchells wool fat which I've used to date, I've no irration or redness on my neck which I sometimes got.

Please tell me more about the Mitchell's wool fat. I have developed an allergy to soap which rules out almost everything, including Trumpers, Proraso and Taylor's — I'm having to use aqueous cream. Is there soap in that wool fat stuff?

Shaving.ie

Michael G wrote: »

Please tell me more about the Mitchell's wool fat. I have developed an allergy to soap which rules out almost everything, including Trumpers, Proraso and Taylor's — I'm having to use aqueous cream. Is there soap in that wool fat stuff?

Yes its a soap with lanolin. Have you tried a shaving oil?

Michael G

Shaving.ie wrote: »

Yes its a soap with lanolin. Have you tried a shaving oil?

Yes I have used oil before with a Gilette Fusion but I have bought a straight razor (Dovo) and am slowly learning to use it. I wish I could work up a proper lather with a brush. It feels better than anything else, but it gives me a rash.

I wonder if that is because I am also using a Merkur Vision in between experiments with the Dovo?

Michael G

Johnny Utah wrote: »

I've ordered a bottle of Tend Skin, so hopefully that might help.

I bought my girlfriend a bottle of Tend Skin (no, she doesn't shave her face) and she says it is the dog's b******s. No more shaving rash. But are you by any chance putting pressure on your razor? It took me a while to learn not to do that with my Merkur Vision.

Shaving.ie

Michael G wrote: »

Yes I have used oil before with a Gilette Fusion but I have bought a straight razor (Dovo) and am slowly learning to use it. I wish I could work up a proper lather with a brush. It feels better than anything else, but it gives me a rash.

I wonder if that is because I am also using a Merkur Vision in between experiments with the Dovo?

I see. There is really going to be no substitute for a proper lather in that case. Have you tried the sensitive versions of the Taylor or proraso creams? Maybe try using an oil then lather on top to see if it reduces irritation.

Michael G

Shaving.ie wrote: »

I see. There is really going to be no substitute for a proper lather in that case. Have you tried the sensitive versions of the Taylor or proraso creams?

No. Can you tell me where I might find them? And yes I have bought products from you and thought your prices and delivery times were excellent.

Michael G

Johnny Utah wrote: »

If I leave 3/4 days between shaves I get better results, but if I try to shave everyday the rash on my neck comes back straight away.

I have that problem too but I think it is an allergy to soap. Almost all "traditional" shaving soaps and creams contain soap. For the last 3 weeks I have been using aqueous cream with no problems at all, but you don't have the pleasure of lathering with a brush. I am searching the Web for a solution.

Shaving.ie

Michael G wrote: »

No. Can you tell me where I might find them? And yes I have bought products from you and thought your prices and delivery times were excellent.

They can be bought online direct from Taylors website and connaught shaving comes highly recommended. Do some research on creams formulated for sensitive skin. Luckily I don't suffer from sensitive skin so I'm not in the best position to advise you on my own experience but I find the products for sensitive skin are much more hydrating.

Amalgam

Gran Hermano, I'm getting 'Deja Vu' here.. did you link to this lot? A quirky mix of sumptuous brands.

http://www.winkelplein.nl/barbershopsuply/

Shaving.ie

Amalgam wrote: »

Gran Hermano, I'm getting 'Deja Vu' here.. did you link to this lot? A quirky mix of sumptuous brands.

http://www.winkelplein.nl/barbershopsuply/

Paul has a really nice selection on his site there. Has anyone ever been tempted to try Irisch Moos shave cream or is it just me? It seems to be well received in the states and made by the company behind Tabac.

CrowdedHouse

Shaving.ie wrote: »

Has anyone ever been tempted to try Irisch Moos shave cream or is it just me? It seems to be well received in the states and made by the company behind Tabac.

I've tried it (I got half a tube with a brush I bought on B&B).

It a high quality cream,lathers great and a good scent.

Gran Hermano

Amalgam wrote: »

Gran Hermano, I'm getting 'Deja Vu' here.. did you link to this lot? A quirky mix of sumptuous brands.

http://www.winkelplein.nl/barbershopsuply/

Shaving.ie wrote: »

Paul has a really nice selection on his site there. Has anyone ever been tempted to try Irisch Moos shave cream or is it just me? It seems to be well received in the states and made by the company behind Tabac.

Amalgam, it's one of the few I've yet to order from but I have linked to him before as I've seen him recommended on the usual fora - particluarly
as one of the sources of hard to find products particularly soaps like Irisch Moos, Mama Bear and the Italian soaps. He's also one of the few stockists
of the rubber straight razor 'wiping bowl'. You'll see him referred to as the "Dutch Barbershop" on B&B. He also provides a sample/decant service
and stocks Aqua Velva and Pinaud which the Americans rave about but is hard to find here.

Amalgam

I cracked open a tub of Monsavon today. Very odd, imagine a shaving cream with a slight whiff of 'Sudocrem' & a scattering of spices. A soft soap with a very suet-like feel on the skin. It contains Tallow. The scent could be classed as 'medicated', if you weren't told what the product was beforehand.

It leaves your skin silky and velvety, just a very odd sensation. Lathers well, if a little thin, compared to some branded English creams, cured by some 'slapping' on after the scrub. Seems to have protective properties, with a minimum of irritation after a robust 3 pass shave (3 day growth).

Remember when chippers used suet? ..and the feeling on your fingers after handling the chips? ..well, your skin feels just a little bit 'muttony' after washing off, it really does seem to leave a film on the skin that protects.

I can't understand users reporting that they cannot lather with this product. I formed\shaped the product into a plastic mug, with a minimum of fuss.

I have a feeling I'll be mooching a tub or 3 from Euro hopping relatives.

Mühle R106 razor head. Gillette Fat Tech handle. Monsavon. 3 pass. Wilkinson 'Best Badger' budget brush. Gillette Black blade.

DonJose

Amalgam where did you buy the above soap?

Amalgam

In a supermarket in France, brought over by a relative, it is 1 euro odd. Not sure of the exact price, but under €1.75. Well worth it at that price. The smell is underwhelming, but as others have noted, it has an almost magical ability to provide you with a nick free shave.

The 'cream' set again after being transferred to a mug. I didn't have any issues lathering on top of it either, it didn't use up too much for what was taking place. Slightly harder than Cella and Valobra, apparently. I wasn't far off the mark with my description further up, it is like handling suet.

My hat's off to you DonJose, for switching me onto the Black Gillettes. (razor blades)

Old'n'Cranky

Recommendations please, I've already set my heart on a long handle progress, which I'll be ordering soon as shaving.ie restocks

Gran Hermano

OldnCranky wrote: »

Recommendations please, I've already set my heart on a long handle progress, which I'll be ordering soon as shaving.ie restocks

See if you can get your hands on a vintage Gillette New from the 1930s, it's a great open comb and I can see why they come highly recommended on Badger and Blade. Safetyrazors.co.uk often has them in stock.

If you are liking the long handled Merkurs and looking for a slant and open comb check the long handled barber pole slant 39c and the matching open comb 12c. I like mine so much I'll be completing the trinity with the 38c.

The Gillette New is not too aggressive but the 39c is a beast!

The long handled Progress is a great choice and one of my favourites.

centimental

Dont know if this was posted so far as I didn't get through the 106 pages of this thread yet:eek:. but came accross this tonight. Seems good value compared to other sites. Postage is 2 euro or 3.50 depending on size of order.
http://http://www.adamsbarbershop.com

Old'n'Cranky

Gran Hermano wrote: »

See if you can get your hands on a vintage Gillette New from the 1930s, it's a great open comb and I can see why they come highly recommended on Badger and Blade. Safetyrazors.co.uk often has them in stock.

If you are liking the long handled Merkurs and looking for a slant and open comb check the long handled barber pole slant 39c and the matching open comb 12c. I like mine so much I'll be completing the trinity with the 38c.

The Gillette New is not too aggressive but the 39c is a beast!

The long handled Progress is a great choice and one of my favourites.

Thanks for that, I'll keep an eye out for that Gillette

DonJose

OldnCranky wrote: »

Recommendations please, I've already set my heart on a long handle progress, which I'll be ordering soon as shaving.ie restocks

I've gone through a dozen saftey razors over the past 12 months and my favourite is my last purchase, a Merkur Futur. Its adjustable which allows you to shave as aggressive as your skin can take and the engineering is perfect, the blade sits perfectly centered. I've bought nearly all the Merkur safety razors, Merkur Vision 2000, Merkur Slant, Merkur 12C, Merkur Progress and the Futur is my favourite.

Star Lord

Does the bulky head not make it a little more difficult getting the hairs around the top of the lip/bottom of the nose area?

Jip

DamoElDiablo wrote: »

Does the bulky head not make it a little more difficult getting the hairs around the top of the lip/bottom of the nose area?

I use a Futur and found it initially awkward around that area but found the trick is either to pull your skin right down or else, how can I put this, almost scoop the hair off, i.e. hold the razor so the handle is vertical to your face, put the blade right under your nose and curve the handle away from you. Works a treat and I don't cut myself anyway. Works much better than shaving upwards towards the nose to get right under it.

Shaving.ie

Jip wrote: »

I use a Futur and found it initially awkward around that area but found the trick is either to pull your skin right down or else, how can I put this, almost scoop the hair off, i.e. hold the razor so the handle is vertical to your face, put the blade right under your nose and curve the handle away from you. Works a treat and I don't cut myself anyway. Works much better than shaving upwards towards the nose to get right under it.

I do the same with my progress. You can just kind of roll the head a little by lifting the handle. Works every time.

DonJose

DamoElDiablo wrote: »

Does the bulky head not make it a little more difficult getting the hairs around the top of the lip/bottom of the nose area?

I don't find the Futur bulky at all, in fact it is similar in size to the Progress just a little wider. Now the Vision 2000 is a monster and a waste of money IMO. See the image below in the following order Merkur Progress, Merkur Futur, Merkur Vision 2000.