Safety Razors

Cabaal

I put in an bid on ebay for a gillette superspeed, works out at $24 with shipping if I win

CrowdedHouse

I'll convert ye all yet

My Favourite razor by a mile(and I'm old enough to have my birth year and quarter!)

Johnny Utah

I haven't used the safety razor for the last few weeks, but I'm willing to give it another try now. The last time I posted here, I explained that I was having some trouble with the shaving rash on my neck and also some irritation under my chin. Some of you recommended that I should ditch the plastic Wilkinson DE razor, and try a Merkur Progress instead, so I've decided to order a long-handled Progrees. Is this the right one:

http://connaughtshaving.com/510001.html


Is there definitely a noticeable difference between the plastic Wilkison safety razor and the likes of a Progress?

Shaving.ie

Johnny Utah wrote: »

I haven't used the safety razor for the last few weeks, but I'm willing to give it another try now. The last time I posted here, I explained that I was having some trouble with the shaving rash on my neck and also some irritation under my chin. Some of you recommended that I should ditch the plastic Wilkinson DE razor, and try a Merkur Progress instead, so I've decided to order a long-handled Progrees. Is this the right one:

http://connaughtshaving.com/510001.html


Is there definitely a noticeable difference between the plastic Wilkison safety razor and the likes of a Progress?

Thats the one. The Progress should allow you to find a more forgiving and comfortable setting. As you seem to be having difficulties I would start off on the lowest setting. Pick up a sample pack of blades also if you dont already have some different types.

oscarBravo

Johnny Utah wrote: »

Is there definitely a noticeable difference between the plastic Wilkison safety razor and the likes of a Progress?

From experience: hell, yes. The plastic jobbies should be banned, as they give such a bad impression of DE shaving.

Amalgam

Just to say, if you're stuck for blades, Ali's (My barber..) on Aungier Street, sells the turkish blades, PERMA-SHARP (as written). I forgot to ask about price, I was distracted by his rant giving out about how everyone prefers\buys the inferior blade, Derby..

Shaving.ie

Amalgam wrote: »

Just to say, if you're stuck for blades, Ali's (My barber..) on Aungier Street, sells the turkish blades, PERMA-SHARP (as written). I forgot to ask about price, I was distracted by his rant giving out about how everyone prefers\buys the inferior blade, Derby..

The Perma Sharps are considered to be the Premium blade in Turkey. I just got around to trying them out the past few weeks and they are very good.

Micilin Muc

I was stuck without a brush this morning and I really needed a shave. What would other members do if they had shaving cream but no brush?!

axer

Micilin Muc wrote: »

I was stuck without a brush this morning and I really needed a shave. What would other members do if they had shaving cream but no brush?!

Id just use my fingers if really stuck. No great lather but at least there would be some lubrication. Some chance of lather if your stubble is longer.

Michael G

MediaTank wrote: »

The Vision is a very difficult razoe to use and IMO can be lethal with a Feather blade. I'd either use another blade or set the Vision to V rather than S.

I tried a Wilkinson today with the Vision at the same setting as when I had the bloodbath the other day with the Feather. I was left with as much stubble as if I had used a GII disposable. Going to crank it up a notch tomorrow.

And I am waiting for shaving.ie to get the long-handled Progress back in later this week so that I can order one. I think I was seduced by the glamour of the Vision when I bought it.

I picked up some blades in Tesco today — did someone say they are unbranded Derbys? I'll give them a go anyway; 10 for the price of one Gilette Fusion cartridge.

Amalgam

Michael G wrote: »

I picked up some blades in Tesco today — did someone say they are unbranded Derbys?

Unmarked ASR\Personna.

Michael G

Amalgam wrote: »

Ali's (My barber..) on Aungier Street

Would you recommend him for a hot towel shave? I feel like indulging myself.

Amalgam

I haven't had one there. He does do straight razor shaves. I just get a knacker cut to be honest, 1 on the sides, 2 everywhere else..

Michael G

Amalgam wrote: »

I haven't had one there. He does do straight razor shaves. I just get a knacker cut to be honest, 1 on the sides, 2 everywhere else..

I get that too, though number 2 mostly; a bit of number 1 on the forehead where it sticks up a bit. But my girlfriend does that. I haven't paid for a haircut in 6 years.

I had a wonderful shave (with massage) in Bodrum in Turkey 20 years ago, for about a Euro, which converted me to wet shaving. I would just like to try it again. But I would like to hear from someone who has checked out the barber before me.

Amalgam

He is of Turkish origin. His father was a barber too. The straights in the window are his father's.

Michael G

Amalgam wrote: »

He is of Turkish origin. His father was a barber too. The straights in the window are his father's.

Might give him a try then.

MediaTank

Michael G wrote: »

I think I was seduced by the glamour of the Vision when I bought it.

Me too, it was my first DE razor - what a mistake!

Gran Hermano

Amalgam wrote: »

Just to say, if you're stuck for blades, Ali's (My barber..) on Aungier Street, sells the turkish blades, PERMA-SHARP (as written). I forgot to ask about price, I was distracted by his rant giving out about how everyone prefers\buys the inferior blade, Derby..

I picked up a bulk order of the Permasharp blades on http://www.melyus.com/products.html
I like them but find by the 3rd shave they're well in need of a change.
Not sure if they're worth the premium over other blades.

bigfeller

I think it's about time I made a post on this thread seeing as I've been lurking on it for a good while now.

First - a wee bit of history. I started shaving with an electric razor 18 odd years ago as I was told it was the best way to shave with acne. Jeebus it was painful and the shave was terrible and patchy. Late teens switched to cartridge shaves and stayed with them (mainly Gillette 2 blade then as far as Mach 3 - didn't bother with any of the battery ones). Found the first shave with a new blade was good but after that it was a sharp downward curve. I've fair hair and stubble and as my skin would dry out easily I only shave every second or third day. This means the hair would grow a bit and continually clog up between the blades when shaving. I'd spend ages trying to angle the blade under the tap to wash it out - usually unsuccessfully.

At this point I came across this thread and was wondering would a change be as good as a holiday. First I thought could the Germans really shave that different to us (DE!). Out shopping with the War Office one day I saw the Wilkinson safety razor in boots for 6 Euro and took a shot. Delighted with my first shave. Was still using my spray can of gel with it and it worked fairly well (word of warning here - ran out one day and tried to use shower gel instead - this does _not_ work. At all.)

Decided to stick with this for a couple of months and the shaves were far better than the Mach3s. At this point I'd bought a sample pack of blades of ebay and was pretty happy with the Feathers. So decided to take the plunge and put in an order on shaving.ie:

- Merkur Progress - Decided to go with the Progress as it seemed to be recommended highly here. And I'm delighted with it. It's beautifully made and a lovely weight to it. I see some people go for the long handle version but I like the short handle - I just grip it between my thumb and second/third fingers and use my little finger as a stop on the end. Works really well.

- Feather Hi Stainless Platinum Razor Blades - I think these are by far my favourite blades (though there are still some more to try). Using these and the Progress set to 2 just scares the hairs off my face

- Proraso Shaving Soap Bowl - nice minty feeling on your skin. Easy to lather. Been using it a while and have hardly made a dent in it. I'd imagine it's not hard to get a year out of one bowl.

- Speick Shaving Soap Stick - Haven't had a chance to use this yet.

- Semogue 1520 Shaving Brush - Boar brush but it's a lovely feel. Never used a badger brush which I understand are softer. I like the stiffness of the boar one though. Find it's quite easy to apply the lather to my face.


My second order was for:

- Taylors of Old Bond Street Shaving Cream Tubes Sandalwood - Absolutely brilliant stuff. Lathering super easy and really creamy. Going to get a bowl of this next.

- Floid The Genuine Italian After Shave - Kinda ordered this by justifying it's purchase as it got me free postage. Really lovely scent though and the bottle is HUGE!

So - where to from here. Not back anyway - will never go back to cartridges again. Safety razors are far better for my skin (no spots since I started using them) and now I'm enjoying shaving whereas before it was a chore. It's easier to do and it's only takes me about 15% longer than a cartridge shave. I can see myself sticking with the Progress. It's a fantastic razor and the more I use it the more I like it. I think the TOBS cream works well for me so going to try a few more of those. Feathers are the front runners as blades at the moment but I'm looking to try a few more. Post shave I'm using a L'Occitane (sp?) cream that the WO got me for Christmas last year. Excellent stuff as well.



As a parting shot I'd like to put a bad word in for Shaving.ie and Chris. His service is so good and fast that I find myself going back again and again. Damn you to hell! (expect another order in the new year).

MediaTank

bigfeller wrote: »

I think it's about time I made a post on this thread seeing as I've been lurking on it for a good while now.

Great post - glad it's all working out for you.

Amalgam

MediaTank wrote: »

Great post - glad it's all working out for you.

Ireland = Floïd Country

bigfeller, what colour did you get, Blue or Orange?

---

Just noticed that there's no shaving social groups on boards.ie, might be an idea to rustle something up..

bigfeller

Got the orange. The blue wasn't in stock at the time. The bottle is so big I'll have to start drinking it to justify purchasing another.

But the orange is a lovely scent. Not overpowering but not too subtle either.

bigfeller

Aw crap!

I've just noticed that Chris is based less than 2km from where I live. If he ever offers collection I'm in trouble.

Meant to add - I've kept the Wilkinson to use on the back of my neck. It's less aggressive and it's nice to have separate blades. Rest of the Mach3 stock has been donated to friends/family.

Gran Hermano

Afternoon gents, I just wanted to share with you how much I'm liking the
DR Harris shaving cream and soap. I picked up the Marlborough shaving cream,
shaving soap and aftershave and am seriously impressed by both the cream and soap.

The scent to me is a tad lighter than I like but based on the ease of lather
and the quality of the shave it gives I'm already tempted to pick up the
Arlington set! The cream is of a denser consistency to the TOBS and
takes a little more work to lather up but using half the amount of cream
gives me twice the amount of lather. The lather provides great cushion
and protection.

The soap is a triple milled English style soap in the most beautiful shaving
bowl, I've several other wooden bowls from the likes of TOBS and Muhle
but the DR Harris beats them all in the looks department. Again the scent
of the soap is mild to me but the it lathers up much easier than the likes
of TOBS soaps. Lather also lasts a long time in the bowl and doesn't fade
or disappear like some others.

On a different note, I initially liked the Bluebird blades but after trying them in
a Progress, Gillette New and the Fatboy I'm revising my thoughts.
Shaving with them they feel fine and smooth but I've found that 3 or so hours
post-shave my skin feels irritated and rough. It's not the usual razor burn but
akin to how my skin would feel after using an old or rough blade.
Odd as I find the shave itself smooth. I switched back to the Thai Gillette Super
Thins last night and had no post-shave discomfort.


The Bluebirds feel different whilst shaving compared to the Derbys but seems
like both varieties disagree with me, maybe it's the coating they use.

Amalgam

Gran Hermano wrote: »

I switched back to the Thai Gillette Super Thins last night and had no post-shave discomfort.

They're cheap (as in price) to buy. I was put off by that, to be honest, once I start seeing Dorco-like pricing with razor blades..

GH, on a par with the green\black\yellow?

Gran Hermano

Amalgam wrote: »

They're cheap (as in price) to buy. I was put off by that, to be honest, once I start seeing Dorco-like pricing with razor blades..

GH, on a par with the green\black\yellow?

Before switching over to try the Bluebirds, I was happily alternating between
the Super Thins and Gillette Black 7 o'clocks. The Super Thins
are a sharp blade but not as sharp as the Black 7s. I find them smoother
than the Yellow 7s. I've PIF'd some of the Super Thins to friends and colleagues
and they are all impressed.

Don't let the cheap prices put you off, Dr Idiot is sourcing them in Asia
and as such you're getting the benefit. I'll be stocking up on them again
as I find them better than the Astra/Permasharp types.

Couple of reviews
here
and
here
(The Super Thins from Vietnam are identical to the Thai ones)

Sean Quagmire

cheers to Donjose for letting me sample these blades.

However, for some bizare reason, they absolutly hacked my face up! Bad cut under my lip, small nip on my jaw line (might have been a spot) and bad razor burn under the chin it even bled there!

I have no idea what happened. I used my usual methods and no pressure. Its the first time I ever cut myself with a DE. They remind me of a feather but for me they're very low on forgiveness.

Bad blade perhaps? Il be sure to swap it out and try again but from using the same blade twice and getting cuts twice Im a bit unsure.

Just goes to show blades are different for everybody because I know how well rated Bluebirds are..

On a side note, 'Trig' blades worked a treat for me and they are less well known. http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=65651

mailburner

after reading a lot of this thread i switched to a safety razor (progress)
with a sample pack of blades
very good shave but i have this redness/rash under my nose and
on my neck and the last time i ever got this was when i tried
cheap bic razors 20 years back
i watched mantics vids on youtube also
i use tob avacado with a badger brush

any ideas why this is happening and what i could use to
get rid of it
i do take my time shaving and after a month i can say
i cut myself every second time

Gran Hermano

mailburner wrote: »

after reading a lot of this thread i switched to a safety razor (progress)
with a sample pack of blades
very good shave but i have this redness/rash under my nose and
on my neck and the last time i ever got this was when i tried
cheap bic razors 20 years back
i watched mantics vids on youtube also
i use tob avacado with a badger brush

any ideas why this is happening and what i could use to
get rid of it
i do take my time shaving and after a month i can say
i cut myself every second time

Are you having a shower/bath before shaving? I find time spent on pre-shave pays off big-time.

What blades are you using currently? I'd recommend the Red Israeli Personna or IP Crystals as a good average blade.

What setting is your Progress on? (Long handled or short Progress?)

Are you re-applying lather with the brush between razor passes?

Make sure you are not 'leaning' on the razor whilst shaving, avoid adding
pressure and let the weight of the razor do the job.

bigfeller

Which blades are you using? Are you getting the irritation with all blades?

Perhaps you're having a reaction to the TOBS cream? Perhaps try another. Are you using anything post shave?

When I started out I was using the razor at the wrong angle. I try to imaging a line between the top and bottom of the razor (think the shortest distance over the blade...err I'm not explaining it very well) and then try to keep my skin parallel to it.