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.
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 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 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.
If you don’t have to be clean shaven, then just run the Wahl electric trimmer over your face once a week!!
Don’t give into all the crap on the market theses days. The electric razors are a POS... Plastic parts, and with a thick growth, they break and are worthless within ten shaves...
Short of dealing with sharpening every week, straight razor is still the best. But the easy out for me is the common Gillette Mach 3. One razor gives me over 20 shaves...
I buy Harry's blades, a box of 4 usually lasts about six months.
O/T, it's a unique place to work. The CEO and his son are the only senior management that live in Dallas. The others live in Memphis, Florida and Georgia, and work from home except to attend occasional meetings. That includes my boss in the Tax Department, who lives in Florida. We rarely see each other, as he has me WFH two days a week.
I also use Proraso Shaving Cream and apply with a brush.....
I generally prefer using a double-edge blade in a safety razor. I find them very easy to use. I use hot water and a bar of soap and then used canned shaving cream for a second, against the grain pass. I don’t do any elaborate prep and it takes me about the same time as when I use an electric razor.
I also like using the old Trac 2 cartridges. You can buy a handle on Amazon for under $10 and the cartridges themselves run under 20 cents each. I find they give a slightly closer shave with better protection. But I prefer the metal safety razor.
My favorites are:
https://www.amazon.com/Jagger-Detail-Chrome-Plated-Double/dp/B005GO38ZY?ref_=ast_sto_dp
I use one of those fine toothed beard shavers for my face. They give me a pretty good shave... kind of like 4 hours growth. It’s quick and easy and does the fine hairs under my jaw bones better than a blade. Each blade lasts about two months and you can buy 5 packs of replacement heads on amazon pretty cheap.
Mr. GG2 has always used an electric razor but he got a wild hare the other day and bought a safety razor.
Electric. Great for shaving.
Less so for driving.
I haven’t shaved since 1979, but when I did shave , I used a safety razor. It seemed to give a closer shave. I also preferred shaving soap with a brush. I could work it into the beard better. I used Palmolive in a tube, but I don’t know if that is available anymore. It had a nice, barbershop scent.
A cheap disposable razor, like the 10-cent variety, can last weeks or months if you just dry it after use. No need to spend any money on fancy razors.