Posted on 05/13/2023 5:54:27 AM PDT by ConservativeInPA
As of this morning, I am on my last cartridge razor from the plastic dispenser thingy. I am considering changing my shaving habits after a lifetime of disposable and cartridge razors to wet shaving using a safety razor. Expense is one factor. Another is buying razors from woke big business, i.e., Gillette. Ideally, I’d like a high quality, American made, non-woke, and inexpensive shaving solution.
I think I may have found the solution in Western Razor Company. It’s American made and I assume it is quite a small business. They don’t seem the least bit woke. As for cost, there is this chart from their website.
I could continue using canned shaving cream. I typically use Barbasol. Or I could change to using a brush and shaving ‘soap’. From what I can tell from online reviews that this approach takes more time and some men really like it and others are unimpressed. I haven’t been able to determine the cost compared to Barbasol, but it seems it may be less expensive.
Ultimately, I want a decent shave without nicking and cutting myself
Do any Freepers have opinions or recommendations?
Safety Razor is the way to go. A package of blades will last you a year. You will need to develop new techniques and patience. You will cut yourself before you do. I don’t use shave foam, gels or soaps which are drying and irritating to the skin. An emulsified oil based skin moisturizer with water that provides a little lubrication is all you need. Added scents means puffed up price. Simple with fewest chemical ingredients is best.
I switched to a safety razor about 6 years ago. I have a really coarse and thick beard that ruins disposable razors quickly and so the cost of using the disposables was high. I got a merkur safety razor and really liked it. There is a learning curve with it. With disposables, you put more pressure than you need with a safety razor. Use very little pressure and let the blade do the work.
As for blades, there are a lot of choices online. After trying several different kinds, someone recommended Dorco blades on amazon. You get 100 for about $6 and they worked really well for me. I tried the brush and soap and liked it, but it takes more time and in the morning I may or may not have it depending on the day so I use Cremo shave cream which works well.
Best advice, use a wash cloth and hot water on your face for a minute or so, lots of soap/foam, go slow, pay attention to the angle of the razor, always go in a straight line. Expect a few nicks the first few times. You get good at it quick.
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I have used a safety razor for about a year. You need to be careful with these because it is a lot easier to cut yourself with a safety razor than with one of those disposable razors, but I think you get a closer shave. I also use a brush and shaving soap. You can get that about as wet or as dry as you want.
If you do get a safety razor, buy a styptic pencil. You will need it early on.
I have learned that plain old Dial soap, just a bar of soap, does as well and perhaps better than the Gillete foam I have been using for decades.
Wet it real good and then drag it around over where you shave.
I’ve been shaving with a safety razor for many, many years (I’m in my 70s). Shaving with a safety razor is not for the impatient; one can’t rush through a shave using a safety razor. But with a good blade they give the best shaves.
Buy the finest blades on Amazon. The Feather platinum coated(yellow box) are the best. They have gone up some, but recently bought 200 blades for $80. 200 is a years supply if you change blades frequently every two or three days like I do.
Regarding shave cream there are several good brands out here unrelated to price. For example, Black Jack is decent but it is over $25 a jar. I prefer Geo. Trumper, an old style cream. I like the lime scent. Stay away from the canned foam. Total crap. Some
Buy a decent brush. The best are boars hair, but not critical. Just get one good enough that it does not shed hairs. Even synthetic works OK.
Buy a styptic pencil and perhaps a pack of small band aids. Every once in a while, no matter how good you are, you are going to nick your self. On those rare occasions, at my age I consider it a badge of honor to still shave like a man.
I prefer a 3-pass shave. Your mileage may vary.
Once you start getting in to it you will never go back. You will save a ton on money. You also find it mentally therapeutic. Take the extra time in the morning to contemplate who you are and what you are going to do for the day.
That sounds soothing. I almost always shave after a hot shower. That seems to do the job of conditioning my skin. It is noticeably different without a shower. I have plenty of time, so I might as hot wet cloth to my routine.
I have a thick beard like you. Disposable razors do not last long for me. It’s even worse if I skip a day shaving. That really dulls the blades. I get longer use if I shave everyday.
2 Christmases ago, my wife bought me a Panasonic ES-LV97 on a recommendation of her Dermatologist friend. I’ve tried a few in the past, including top rated Braun but have never found one which got as close as a razor. On the other hand, I dislike razors as I can’t shave with them every day without getting rashes and cuts. So I tried it in the shower with some shaving cream which also came on the recommendation, Speick shave cream—comes in a tube which lasts me about 2 months/approx 60 shaves.
I have never had a shave as close as this gets, not even by a pro barber. Best part, I rinse the razor in the shower and just let it dry in it’s holder. I Lube the blades once a week.
The best first shave blade in the business.
But if trying to get 5-6 shaves out of a blade, I prefer Gillette Silver Blues.
The two biggest scams foisted on the American consumer over the years have been non-stick cookware and multi-blade disposable razors.
Disposable razors don’t shave any closer than a traditional single-blade safety razor, nor do they prevent cuts compared to safety razors, either.
It’s a scam — and an expensive one.
Buy yourself a quality weighted safety razor like a Merkur. It’s a lifetime purchase. Add to that a pack of Japanese steel Feather blades at about $20 for 50. That pack will last you over a year, maybe two. Buy an apothecary shaving mug and a cake of shave soap. Colonel Conk makes very good soap, though there are others. Add to that a quality boar bristle shaving brush, and with that kit, you’re set for a lifetime of cheap, close, quality shaving.
Fill your shaving mug with hot water to let the soap soften while you wash your face with soap and warm water. Empty the water from the mug and whip up a thick lather with the brush and apply it to your face. Shave with the grain, not against it. If you need a closer shave, lather and repeat. Rinse with clean water, followed by a cold splash to close your pores. A styptic pen can stop any nicks you might get, but those will actually be fewer than with a disposable razor.
If you’re really adventurous, you can try learning to use a straight razor. That becomes an event and ritual and is only for hardcore types. I tried it once and ended up looking like I was in a knife fight when I was finished. Still, it’s a cool ritual to learn.
Now don’t get me started on non-stick cookware…
Been meaning to try those - thanks for the prompt.
Shave with your EDC folder. That will give you an incentive to keep it sharp enough.
I stopped regular shaving. I go with the 3-5 day growth and use an electric twice a week to keep it that way. Stopped getting my hair cut too, it is now past my shoulders, lol. Was good enough for hair in the 1970s, should be good enough for me now, except, well, my hair is not nearly as good these days.
I briefly used a straight razor some fifty years ago, but went back to the safety razor. The straight razor was too much trouble, all things considered.
Plus one on the BIC disposables. I use the single-blade version, get a great shave with bar soap, spend maybe $15 per year on it all. Those prices in the charts are sort of shocking.
Tried the “safety razor” and when I was done it looked like i had been bobbing for apples in a tub full of piranhas. Will have to try them again, maybe this time it won’t look like I shaved with a piece of broken glass covered in rusty barbed wire.
It’s a shame Gillette went woke- they do have some nice disposable 2 blades that were fairly cheap to buy.
I started using Harry’s after Levin pushed them and I wanted to ditch Gilette. Harry’s seems fine enough. In conjunction, I use a Norelco electric afterwards.
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