Just finished my first DE razor shave

[Davidko19]

Originally Posted by javyn

Send them to someone else. That's part of the fun getting into this. When I first got into wet shaving a few years ago with the DE and brush, I signed onto shavemyface.com and badgerandblade.com.

The gents there were more than generous sending me free samples, blades, even razors to get me started.

Once I got into it, I found it was even more fun to send stuff to newbies myself.

True, but the shipping and going to the post office aint paying for itself. Obviously Im not trying to get rich off 50 blades.

Originally Posted by underwearer

what brand are they? If you're cutting your face up you're dong something wrong. I can shave with merkurs, feathers, derby, walmart personna, pretty much all of them.

I prefer Kai, Feather, and Bue Birds in my vintage Gillette Superspeed.

Im mainly cutting up my neck. The red personnas work best for me I think, I just bought 100 of them for my HD. I have to do a few passes but it doesnt cut me up. SOme of the others, esp feather and derby, were rough man.

I have all kinds from the west coast shaving big sample pack. Maybe like 8 or 9 brands with anywhere from 2 - 8 blades each... Feathers, derby, personna, gillete, bic, astra, merkur, dorco and maybe one or 2 more I cant think of off the top of my head.

 

[javyn]

Shipping blades and razors isn't expensive. Most people don't really worry about it.

 

[underwearer]

Ditch the Merkur and get a vintage Gillette and you wont ever cut yourself again.

Originally Posted by Davidko19

True, but the shipping and going to the post office aint paying for itself. Obviously Im not trying to get rich off 50 blades.




Im mainly cutting up my neck. The red personnas work best for me I think, I just bought 100 of them for my HD. I have to do a few passes but it doesnt cut me up. SOme of the others, esp feather and derby, were rough man.

I have all kinds from the west coast shaving big sample pack. Maybe like 8 or 9 brands with anywhere from 2 - 8 blades each... Feathers, derby, personna, gillete, bic, astra, merkur, dorco and maybe one or 2 more I cant think of off the top of my head.

 

[smithsj]

Any particular date code on the Gillete Super Speeds that I should look for or are all of them equally good?

 

[Davidko19]

Originally Posted by underwearer

Ditch the Merkur and get a vintage Gillette and you wont ever cut yourself again.

any particualr kind i should keep an eye out for? Some of the cuts could be partially on my prep and technique.

Awww hell, I just bought 100 personnas... I should be good for a while. Would those act any differnt with a gillete?

 

[javyn]

Nah don't ditch the Merkur. HD is the only razor you should need. The neck is a very difficult area to shave, and will take a while to get the hang of it. If you are cutting yourself with an HD you will surely cut yourself with an old Gillette. Stick with the HD, shave VERY lightly on your neck.

Also, a lot of the newer (60s and 70s era) Gillette Superspeeds are quite harsh.

 

[javyn]

Originally Posted by smithsj

Any particular date code on the Gillete Super Speeds that I should look for or are all of them equally good?
http://countryjoescollectiblestuff.com/razor-id.html The best Super Speeds are going to be your 1940s era, with no date code. Pay attention to how it looks. They look very much like Ranger Techs, but Ranger Techs are very brutal on the face I've found. The Ranger Tech is pictured on top....the 40's SS on bottom. Notice the difference towards the base of the handle? http://badgerandblade.com/vb/attachm...1&d=1171936089

 

[underwearer]

http://www.mr-razor.com/

this will date your razor...I have a 1953 SS, its (I think) the last year of the 40s style. Very gentle (non aggressive) razor. Cost me $15 an dis much better than my Merkur 33

Nothing wrong with the Merkurs let me just say. But I found the Glllettes to be very user friendly, especially for a beginner.

And I prefer the 1 piece twist-to-open mechanism. With the Merk its slightly a PITA to reload.

 

[oman]

i use an old-as-hell gillette, very simple, non-adjustable. here's a picture of the lil guy:

had to hunt like CRAZY for a pic, i guess they're out of production. "gilette slim twist", apparently. pretty good; seems quite durable too. i was using gillette's own 7 o'clock blades for a few years, but switched to wilkinson swords somewhere along the line. they're fantastic but sometimes i think about experimenting with sharper ones - how would you guys rate the sharpness of wilkinson swords? sharper than merkur, i'd imagine? sharper than feather blades, or no?

 

[javyn]

Never used the W Swords, but I can tell ya nothing is sharper than a Feather.

 

[pscolari]

Originally Posted by javyn

Never used the W Swords, but I can tell ya nothing is sharper than a Feather.

I am still going through a sample pack that I bought last year and the only time I cut myself is with the Feathers. Fuggers are sharp.

Just received my Georgetown Pottery scuttle about two weeks ago and it makes a huge difference with the chamber for hot water.

 

[bmf895]

Originally Posted by pscolari

Georgetown Pottery scuttle

http://www.georgetownpottery.com/sto...y_Code=Shaving

This scuttle looks awesome! Warm lather is the ultimate shaving luxury. Price seems steep though.

 

[underwearer]

Originally Posted by pscolari

I am still going through a sample pack that I bought last year and the only time I cut myself is with the Feathers. Fuggers are sharp.

Just received my Georgetown Pottery scuttle about two weeks ago and it makes a huge difference with the chamber for hot water.

I destroyed my face the first time with feather and a Merkur 33c...I swore them off for a while after that but after some time and many shave my technique improved and now Feather are my go-to blade. Its all about the dexterity and use of the razor, and knowledge of all the contours of your face.

Now I dont even think about it. I break all the rules and get away with it (go over spots that have no lather, apply some pressure etc

 

[javyn]

Originally Posted by pscolari

I am still going through a sample pack that I bought last year and the only time I cut myself is with the Feathers. Fuggers are sharp.

Just received my Georgetown Pottery scuttle about two weeks ago and it makes a huge difference with the chamber for hot water.

Feather is a Japanese company whose primary business is making surgical instruments. They don't mess around. They are not just the sharpest double edge razors, they are the sharpest BY FAR.

 

[Davidko19]

Originally Posted by javyn

Feather is a Japanese company whose primary business is making surgical instruments. They don't mess around. They are not just the sharpest double edge razors, they are the sharpest BY FAR.

my face literally feels RAW when I shave with them. ill cut the crap outta my neck and face a layer off my cheeks. Its rough man.