D M E C K E R T wrote: edwin jagger double edge razor handle
+
feather blades (stupid sharp...last ages)
+
c.o. bigelow by proraso shaving cream
when i can be bothered...i whip up the cream with a badger brush, and use a pre-shave oil.
learned how to shave on something similar.......... double edged wilkinson.......... I was sneaking at the time shaving. Many cuts were had but I got in lots of practice. Its the most efficient........ but you need to be very precise and have good lather and even pressure.
I enjoy a higher quality conforming razor that moistens as it shaves. Shit costs money. It's all about the process, really. Lathering, moistening, staying moistened, rinsing, more moistening............... anyone can get a good shave if they put the consistent effort and time in to maximize the quality. Keep the blades clean, water flowing, lather nice, and moisture present always. the things we do!
edit: my dad's looked like this. Not sure if it was brass or gold or bronze........ but it's old. Still has it...... and a box of the Wilkonson sword blades..... http://pureman.com.au/merkur-solingen-3 … edge-razor
Jirrupin
Posts: 1,609
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
i started using a straight razor when I was at uni, just to be badass and different, they were probably the best shaves ever, then i buggered my wrists, took years to fully recover, so sharpening it became a real pain and quickly gave it away, besides once I started working and had to shave everyday the ease of electric was impossible to pass over. No that I'm my own boss I shave about once a week, which is getting pretty beardy gone to regular (safety?) blade now ...but thinking it might be time to see how good I can get the edge on the old straight razor these days
Basically all we need is something sharp sliding over something slick.
"So let’s review. Shaving has basically been a solved problem for at least half a century. By the 1970s the patents on those solutions had expired, and nothing of importance has been invented since. In a sensible world, all men would know this and the factories would focus on delivering cheap high-quality double-edged razor blades.
That didn’t happen because it wouldn’t have made anybody rich. Since a standardized, patent-expired product like the double-edged razor can be made cheaply by anybody, the profit margin is too small to buy Super Bowl ads or pay stupendous CEO salaries.
So instead, the market has gone two ways. The mass market has kept research labs busy churning out phony “improvements” that generate market-protecting patents and give advertisers something to work with. And vast amounts of money have been spent persuading men (successfully!) that there’s something new worth paying up for and something primitive about the double-edged safety razor."
Pay attention because this is exactly what GMO's or health care are all about, but I digress
Basically all we need is something sharp sliding over something slick.
"So let’s review. Shaving has basically been a solved problem for at least half a century. By the 1970s the patents on those solutions had expired, and nothing of importance has been invented since. In a sensible world, all men would know this and the factories would focus on delivering cheap high-quality double-edged razor blades.
That didn’t happen because it wouldn’t have made anybody rich. Since a standardized, patent-expired product like the double-edged razor can be made cheaply by anybody, the profit margin is too small to buy Super Bowl ads or pay stupendous CEO salaries.
So instead, the market has gone two ways. The mass market has kept research labs busy churning out phony “improvements” that generate market-protecting patents and give advertisers something to work with. And vast amounts of money have been spent persuading men (successfully!) that there’s something new worth paying up for and something primitive about the double-edged safety razor."
Pay attention because this is exactly what GMO's or health care are all about, but I digress
I know......I think it's the slick marketing that has made me go from electric to blade and back and forth over the years.
AdelaideJohn1967
Posts: 10,756
Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
RINALDI wrote: Ahhh forget the knives, swords and blades. I use this:
This is the industrial edition, I obviously use the Personal Edition
MAD Magazine did a story once many years ago about crazy inventions you'd never see and one of them was a laser shaver.. It actually looked pretty well thought out too, and the design was based on a blade shaver but in place of the blade you had a laser beam which would cut the hair very close to the skin.
learned how to shave on something similar.......... double edged wilkinson.......... I was sneaking at the time shaving. Many cuts were had but I got in lots of practice. Its the most efficient........ but you need to be very precise and have good lather and even pressure.
I enjoy a higher quality conforming razor that moistens as it shaves. Shit costs money. It's all about the process, really. Lathering, moistening, staying moistened, rinsing, more moistening............... anyone can get a good shave if they put the consistent effort and time in to maximize the quality. Keep the blades clean, water flowing, lather nice, and moisture present always. the things we do!
edit: my dad's looked like this. Not sure if it was brass or gold or bronze........ but it's old. Still has it...... and a box of the Wilkonson sword blades..... http://pureman.com.au/merkur-solingen-3 … edge-razor
it's definitely a process that takes some care. i've managed to condense it down to a "good enough" process for a <10 minute monday morning shave...but it's nothing like really making a proper lather, and using a good pre-shave oil. i have a kit from anthony logistics with moisturizers and cleansers and such that i LOVE the smell of...very synthetic and modern and reminiscent of plastic and vinyl (i'm not being facetious). the first couple shaves were a little sketchy, but i found my angles and pressure pretty quickly. i still occasionally have a careless moment and nick my nostril (literally the same place every time. lol). i always thought safety razor was a stupid name, until i thought about what it was being compared to. haha.
i actually saw the double-edge razor mentioned in some ridiculous slightly tongue-in-cheek website about reclaiming manliness. a buddy and i both decided to get retro shaving stuff. i was blown away when i got at least as good a shave as my fusion the first time out.
one of these days i need to get my cutthroat rehoned and tackle that. and find my strop...hell if i know where it's gone. lol
D M E C K E R T wrote: it's definitely a process that takes some care. i've managed to condense it down to a "good enough" process for a <10 minute monday morning shave...but it's nothing like really making a proper lather, and using a good pre-shave oil. i have a kit from anthony logistics with moisturizers and cleansers and such that i LOVE the smell of...very synthetic and modern and reminiscent of plastic and vinyl (i'm not being facetious). the first couple shaves were a little sketchy, but i found my angles and pressure pretty quickly. i still occasionally have a careless moment and nick my nostril (literally the same place every time. lol). i always thought safety razor was a stupid name, until i thought about what it was being compared to. haha.
i actually saw the double-edge razor mentioned in some ridiculous slightly tongue-in-cheek website about reclaiming manliness. a buddy and i both decided to get retro shaving stuff. i was blown away when i got at least as good a shave as my fusion the first time out.
one of these days i need to get my cutthroat rehoned and tackle that. and find my strop...hell if i know where it's gone. lol
I used to have my father occasionally ask me to shave his neck when I was younger. He would fill up the sink with hot water and soap his neck up. He taught me how basically. I then later started slaughtering my legs when I thought I had figured it out. Small little swipes, then dipping into the hot water is very different than large areas. You learn to use those blades well when you HAVE to. I always wanted to learn to use a straight razor like the old time barbers did. I am pretty darn sure I could considering all the art stuff I do and all the time I have spent using exacto's and other knives. It is empowering to use a blade.
I used to have my father occasionally ask me to shave his neck when I was younger. He would fill up the sink with hot water and soap his neck up. He taught me how basically. I then later started slaughtering my legs when I thought I had figured it out. Small little swipes, then dipping into the hot water is very different than large areas. You learn to use those blades well when you HAVE to. I always wanted to learn to use a straight razor like the old time barbers did. I am pretty darn sure I could considering all the art stuff I do and all the time I have spent using exacto's and other knives. It is empowering to use a blade.
I used to using both. My job requires me to be clean cut all the time and I honestly like it. The only part I don't like is when I get a clean edge up and my supervisor drops by and breaks my balls about me having a beard...
For several years, I rarely shaved, but the last time I shaved with a blade, I developed an ingrown hair that I still have as a lump on my jawline. That was in February.
I use a trimmer to keep it manageable, but I don't shave my face anymore. Just my neck and crazy strays on my cheeks.
I have "unique" hair follicles on my face. Many hairs growing out of a single follicle.
Good Egg Productions wrote: For several years, I rarely shaved, but the last time I shaved with a blade, I developed an ingrown hair that I still have as a lump on my jawline. That was in February.
I use a trimmer to keep it manageable, but I don't shave my face anymore. Just my neck and crazy strays on my cheeks.
I have "unique" hair follicles on my face. Many hairs growing out of a single follicle.
Legacys 7
Posts: 33,114
San Francisco, California, US
Paramour Productions wrote: Blade.
Stop using regular shaving cream with alchohol in it, it kills your skin. Get some good mug soap and a fine badger hair brush. You can also get some good cream to use as a base if you want.
Best shave ever.
I use shaving cream with cocoa butter that's already in it. Agree, anything that dries your face out, you're done.
Legacys 7
Posts: 33,114
San Francisco, California, US
Paramour Productions wrote:
Damon Banner wrote: both. Blade is neater but electric is quicker.
You guys must have very soft/light beards. For me to get anything resembling a close shave with an electric takes forever. I could shave with a blade six time in the time it takes to get rid of my beard with an electric. The only one that even worked (at all) was a Braun and I killed it. I kill razor blades too, but they're more easily replaced.
There's a way around your issue. I too can grow a full bread. What I do is cut it as close as I can with hair clippers. Once I'm done with that, I can shave with a razor. Never let your facial hair grow too long. Pain in the ass.
Legacys 7
Posts: 33,114
San Francisco, California, US
DHayes Photography wrote: Blade - Bic Sensitive Skin disposables. Before the Bics, I tried just about every blade and electric shaver on the market, but never found the ideal shaver. Like most black men who go for a clean shave, I had to deal with pseudofolliculitis barbae ("razor bumps") for years. Since switching to the disposables, and softening my beard thoroughly with hot soapy water, no problem.
the reason why many get those bumps, they shave too close beyond the hair shaft. This dries the skin out and the hair can't find the hole where it's suppose to grow. Others reasons that lead to bumps. Trying to shave when the hair's too long and not letting the shaving cream sit on your face for a second to moisturize and soften the hair and face. Going against the grain is another no no that leads to bump aka ingrown hair.
But I have to disagree with the poster who said that shaving technology reached it's pinnacle after WWII and that all that came after is just marketing hype.
Paramour Productions wrote: Just picked up a new safety razor and some fresh blades to have a go at it again.
I'm out of practice. My face is happy. My neck is not!
When I first started shaving with a safety razor, I would shave it the same direction as my face and I got major irritation. For me, my neck hairs grow at a 45 from my face, so when I adjusted my angle, the irritation went away.
I also recommend using a preshave oil. I use Shave Secret that I picked up from Walmart. It's only a couple of bucks. It works just as well as the Art of Shaving preshave oil that I used before. It has a hint of clove smell.
It works so well that I have shaved my wifes legs with it; she is 8 1/2 months pregnant so her reach isn't so great right now.
Evan Hiltunen
Posts: 2,860
Minneapolis, Minnesota, US
Merkur Futura safety razor/double edge with shave secret oil and bigelow cream and a badger brush.
I get back spasms so I don't trust myself with a straight edge ... those crappy multi-blade disposables just don't give a nice, clean shave. It's like the marketing department thought, "hmmm, this double doesn't work very well, let's add another blade and make it a triple. People with fall for that."
Then they thought,"hmmm, these triples really don't work very well. Let's add more blades to it. People will fall for that".
They work, but these hair clusters are so large, it's easy to grab them and pull them out. They generally come out with no pain and very little effort.
Wildcat Photography wrote: For your face or your balls?
LOL!
Well, I don't scratch my face!
I really prefer to pluck... not the face tho... lasts for weeks until the baby hair grows back softly... and it's easy to maintain... only the initial grooming is... well... gotta have balls to do it...
But I have to disagree with the poster who said that shaving technology reached it's pinnacle after WWII and that all that came after is just marketing hype.
Bullshit.
blades matter. feathers are the only ones i'll shave with. got a few freebies when i ordered my safety razor (bluebird and another i can't think of)...i tried them to compare to the feathers and thought i was using a cheese grater.
cream is pretty important too. proraso/bigelow REALLY works for me, while others (even much more expensive) don't do as well. it's as much about finding what's right for you as it is refining your technique.
i found that it took me a couple shaves to get to an ideal place with the safety razor, and a handful more to get my shaving cream figured out...but even with all that my first shave was at least as good as a fusion.
the modern cartridge razors definitely make it easier to get a decent shave, even if higher quality can be had.
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