Disposable Straight Razors

This is pretty much what I did the one time I used a mug. The lather was definitely better, no doubt, but I found that it wasn't that warm (I didn't draw a second round of hot water though) and it cooled rather quickly on my face. I wonder if microwaving the bowl to get it hot could work as a quick short cut rather than soaking it ahead of time. I might try that next time.

I've got a badger hair brush, I forget the brand, but it sucks. Individual hairs keep coming out and that makes a mess. Is this just what happens with brushes or did I get a bad one?

They shed a little, but it shouldn't be happening, like, constantly.

So I actually did my first shave with a DE safety razor today. I didn't do a particularly good job, especially around the chin area, but even with my substandard work it's at least on par with a disposable razor shave. I'm sure I'll get better.

Awesome. Glad you're off to a solid start. There are some techniques you can do to get tough areas like your chin; blade buffing would probably do the trick. Basically you do very short, light strokes over the same place a few times. Watch mantic's videos for more detail.

TheTrunkDr, SA people say this is a good way to get a decent straight razor for not too much money: http://www.whippeddog.com/straightrazors/view/sight-unseen-deal Personally I am a bit weirded out by getting a secondhand razor, although many people do it; they say they clean it and AFAIK they are well regarded, but if I were doing this I'd clean it as well. I think that probably means Barbicide, which you can get at a beauty supply store.

It's a sharp curve I've found. After just a few shaves I'm doing much better than my first. Today I was able to achieve a close and even shave, I'm pretty happy with it. I got some irritation as my goal was to try and get some of my trouble spots. I'm going to work on eliminating the irritation next. Most of it comes when I go against the grain problem is I don't get a terribly close shave if I only go with the grain as my hair is quite soft. This is the case with any and all razors I've used so it's not a razor issue it's a me issue. I should also point out that I've been keeping a goatee so I haven't actually tried shaving my chin or mouth area. There are two reasons for this, it's a problem area and I'd like to refine my skill a little before I tackle it and second I like having facial hair.

It's less the second hand part of it for me and more the "I don't know what I'm getting" part that bothers me. I have a hard time with sight unseen sorts of things. Looks like a good deal though, it's something I'll have to think about.

How hot is your water? It should be about as hot as you can tolerate. It won't be that hot in the mug or bowl, but it'll keep the lather real hot. You really shouldn't need to microwave it. I understand the sentiment, but your face will thank you for taking the time to soak the brush and bowl. It's part ritual and part preparation, but this stuff that seems purposeless does have a purpose. Shaving's as close to a facial as most men will ever get! Treat yourself. :)

Also, only brush lather on the part of your face that you're shaving and not your whole face. Divide and conquer, if you will. Quadrants are a great size: left cheek, right cheek, left neck, right neck, and include your respective chin and mouth and throat areas in wherever they fit. Or divide further.

It's more work, but it keeps the lather hot and the razor strokes only as long as they need to be. In trouble areas you'll likely lather and lather again after making multiple tiny, confident strokes, none of which seem to follow any pattern or grain or rule, but that's how it goes. Your face is unique, you'll totally have its quirks down before you know it!

Again, sorry, on phone, probably sound condescending or short, sorry. :( hope this helps!

Scuttles are a little expensive, but they are the best goddamn thing in the world.

My wife got me one of these for my birthday a couple years ago, and I don't know how I lived without it.

Soft silky lather throughout the whole shave. It's like a tiny little vacation.

What do you do when you're done? Just rinse it out in the sink and leave it on the bathroom counter? (serious question).

Yep. It's glazed pottery, so it just rinses and wipes clean. It lives next to the sink along with the little stand for my razor and brush.

Every now and then if I think it's getting grungy I'll clean it more thoroughly, but that's not very often.

Those look nice. I find most scuttles to just be unappealing aesthetically, they look like characterless coffee mugs or overly ornate tea cups.

Hey SuperJay, it's been a bit since you said you were ordering. Have you tried it yet? How is it going?

I actually just ordered yesterday. I'd set aside the items in my cart to save everything but hadn't pulled the trigger since I'd just put in an order for a box of 40 cigars; was waiting a couple weeks to avoid being too spendy.

So, shaving oil. I'm a fan.

I was in the drug store the other day and found the Real Shaving Co line of products. I hadn't heard of them before so I was a little skeptical. I did some research and found out they're decent and most consider the line to be one of the best low cost product lines. So I bought a couple of cleansers (I needed some anyway) but what I was really curious about was the shaving oil.

I've only shaved once with it so far but I really like it. My razor just slides down my face with it. I also used cream at the time but I'm not sure it's necessary (found conflicting information about this) and I think I might try an oil only shave next time. I had read that some razors get clogged when using oils, I can see that but this wasn't an issue with the Shavette. I have no idea how it compares with other shaving oils as this was a first for me but I'm liking the results.

I'm reserving judgement on the cleansers for the moment, I've only used them a couple of times but so far they seem decent especially for the price. At $5-$6 for each item you really can't go wrong in trying these. You get 50ml of the oil for that price and many other brands charge you the same or more for 15ml.

Sure, I guess this can go here. I just shaved with shave gel for the first time in the two and a half years since I switched to a safety razor, because I'm travelling and didn't feel like packing up the whole brush/soap rigmarole. I went in with pretty low expectations but still managed to be disappointed. It left me with roughly five o'clock shadow and feeling nowhere near as refreshed as usual. Better than what I used to get with my Gillette Fusion (which left what I now understand to be at least a day's growth for me behind), but still not too great. I'm sure there are better gels/creams/whatevers than this, which was just the the standard Gillette stuff you get at the drugstore, but yeesh the gap between this and soap is even wider than I thought.

Next time, either get Pacific Shaving's shaving oil, or Kiss My Face's shaving cream.

SuperJay, got anything to report?

So since I got 100 feather razor blades I've been using them exclusively since after my first few shaves when chickened out and used the Dovo that came with the razor. Last time I shaved though I decided to use the other half of the Dovo blade just to get it out of the way. What followed was perhaps my best shave to date.

I think what they say about the feather blades being for experienced shavers is dead on. I did make a few other small changes to my routine though. I didn't put lather over my whole face and then do a full pass, I only applied lather to the area I was immediately going to shave then apply lather to the next area and shave that. I've also been making a concerted effort not to shave any area that didn't have lather on it. I can get a little lazy about that if I miss a spot or just need a quick touch up. I think these small changes and a more forgiving blade really helped. I've also figured out a reverse grip on the straight razor which makes going across the grain much easier and I can now avoid doing an against the grain pass on most of my face and still get an incredibly close shave.

Seems I'm turning this into my own shaving blog, whatever.

So this morning I was short on time but had skipped shaving yesterday for the same reason (not quite back in the groove after my vacation) so I had to shave. I decided I'd do a little comparison and decided to use my Gillette Sensor Excel and Edge gel that I've got. Since it had been literally years since I last shaved my entire face with these items (I've had a beard for nearly a decade, shaved it off twice in that time but both times I immediately grew it back) I was curious about the difference and I knew I could do it damn fast.

Fast it was, it's damn hard to cut yourself with these things. I only did a single pass for comparative reasons. That pass was irritation and cut free however it's not nearly as close as a single pass with my shavette. I also enjoy the process of the shavette so I don't see any reason to go back (I expect I'll get as fast with this sort of shaving as I am with my cartridge in time) but I can't fault anyone for being happy with this sort of shaving setup, the experience simply won't appeal to everyone. Also, I won't go back to the shaving gel stuff, I really didn't like it and would use my Maca root cream if I use my cartridge razor in the future so time saved by not having to lather simply wouldn't be there for me. I've been using that stuff for years to clean up my neck and cheeks when I had a beard and much prefer it.

I've read posts elsewhere of people who've done this and they went on a rant about the irritation and terrible results. This doesn't appear to be nearly as big an issue as others have implied. The results aren't as good but the claims of irritation and burning seem baseless to me. This being a somewhat hipster like activity this sort of reaction doesn't come as a surprise. The results aren't terrible but they aren't as good. Perhaps a multipass shave would produce much closer results, though possibly more irritation as many cartridges are designed to lift and cut the hair. I've certainly had irritation in the past using the cartridge razor when shaving my neck.

In short, fancy shaving (this is what I'm calling it as, technically, crap shave gel with a million blade razor is still "wet shaving") can produce better results though the results of cartridge shaving are certainly adequate with far less time, skill and effort involved. Fancy shaving is clearly in the hipster realm, I'm alright with this because I enjoy the process more and has made what was once a chore into an enjoyable experience for me.

Once again I'm posting from my safety razor experience, but since the blades are the same I'm guessing it still applies. If you're not seeing results that blow your cartridge razor out of the water you probably need to change your technique up a bit. For one thing, you definitely want to be doing multiple passes. Doing one pass with each and looking at them side by side isn't really an accurate test, because what matters is the results after a full shave. What you describe is pretty typical in my experience: one pass with a DE blade is slightly closer than one pass with a cartridge razor. But the cartridge razors don't really get very much closer if you do subsequent passes--that's why they're "faster," because one pass is enough to get it about as good as it's going to get. In contrast, doing multiple passes in different directions is how you really get the super-close results that DE shaving has to offer.

Leaving aside the whole "hipster" thing, I don't think this is accurate because it also offers two objective advantages that I would argue are bigger incentives for people to start wetshaving (sorry!) than the simple coolness factor: the ability to get a much closer shave if desired and the fact that it is supremely cheap. That second one is the real motivator for a lot of people, I think, and I know it was for me. You know, you hear it's closer and you don't really know what that means because you think that what you get out of your cartridge razor is perfectly fine. You hear that people enjoy the experience and you think they're weirdos. But when you hear that it's going to cost you eighty bucks upfront and maybe a dollar or two a month instead of the $20-40 you're currently spending on cartridges every month, that's pretty attractive.

I'll agree the test was incomplete but there are couple of reasons for that. First was time, I was in a rush and the first pass was good enough. Second is because I can consistently do a good single with the grain pass with my shavette. The across and against the grain passes still need a lot of work. So it was really the only point of comparison I could have made currently.

This is absolutely true, the cost of blades is a significant advantage. If the only change you're making in your routine is using a DE razor then you could probably recoup the cost of the razor in just a few months and be ahead of the game.

However, using a can of a Gillette gel and drug store brand, alcohol based aftershave doesn't suddenly become fancy shaving just because you're using a DE razor. Fancy shaving creams, brushes, pre and post shave products, etc. are a part of the whole "fancy shaving" I mentioned before this along with the whole razor collecting and fawning is where the hipster part comes in. That's not really a knock against DE/straight razors though as those products would also make the cartridge experience better though I'm not sure the shaving hipsters would accept a Quattro user into their circle even if they used Proraso and Taylor of Old Bond Street.

The real drawback is the learning curve and attention this type of shaving demands. You can be half asleep and shave with a cartridge razor without issue, you'll have to pay much more attention to what you're doing with a DE and even more so with straight razor. If you don't enjoy the experience then I can see this making shaving into more of a chore and if all you have to do avoid that is spend a little more per shave some might prefer that.

Maybe I misunderstood you; I thought you were using "fancy shaving" as a replacement term for "wetshaving." Did you actually mean that to specifically refer to buying a bunch of expensive shaving stuff and making a big deal out of it? If so, ok, but if not you should know that expensive accouterments are by no means a standard part of wetshaving. The initial outlay of $80 that I mentioned above is how much I spent on my razor and brush. The very finest razor blades made by man are around $.15 apiece. Shave soap is around the same price as blades if not even cheaper... I think I've spent around twelve dollars on it in the past two and a half years. Aftershave is the most expensive consumable part, but it's not very expensive either--mine is six bucks at the drugstore for a 3.3 oz bottle, which lasts a couple of months or so. Like with anything else it is of course possible to spend a lot of money on shaving, but it's far from the default option.

Also, there are people who exclude people from their social circles based on the shaving products they use? Why would you use such a nebulous term as "hipster" to describe someone like that, when "asshole" would clearly suffice?

Perhaps my understanding of the term is incorrect but from everything I've gathered "wet shaving" implies more than "anything that isn't an electric razor" and specifically refers to using specialty and particularly vintage products. At least after browsing the various shaving forums like Badger and Blade and Straight Razor Place that's the impression I got. From those sources the term implies a safety or straight razor along with a shaving brush, specialty soap or cream, pre and post shave products. I see lots of posts from people stating they've just started wet shaving and were previously using a cartridge razor.

"Wet shaving" should be just water, lubricant and a blade. This is why I'm using the term "fancy shaving." Many of the "wet shaving" resources on the internet seem to actually imply "fancy shaving."

Not so much exclude but would say someone using "cartridges and canned goo" isn't really a wet shaver.

Just to be clear, I'm using it to mean basically shaving with a safety or straight razor and almost always using a brush, which I think is generally how it's used on the relevant sites, and which does exclude cartridge razors (even though that makes the term a little confusing as you say). I guess the question is, how fancy is fancy? If you're saying that using a brush and stuff qualifies, then I'd agree that wetshaving is fancy shaving, but in that case fancy shaving is still cheaper than cartridge razor shaving (or it can be, at any rate). If you're using "fancy shaving" to refer to the use of a lot of highly specialized and pricey products, then I don't think that that's the default mode for wetshaving at all. It's certainly a category that exists but I don't think the wetshaver that has a dozen razors and a different imported aftershave for every day of the week is the typical one. I can also say that Badger and Blade at least has tons of discussion about gear in every price range along with endorsements across the board from various users... when I was first researching this before buying my safety razor, I came upon a thread there in which people were enthusiastically raving about disposable Bic razors. So I don't think fanciness is necessarily that paramount.

In honor of you two, I will refer to it as "Asperger's shaving" from now on.

Perhaps not, though I'm not sure raving about an old school product (bic disposables) isn't hipster behaviour.

My point was just that cartridge razors and canned cream aren't as bad as many wet (fancy) shavers would make them out to be. They produce acceptable quality shaves with little skill or effort though at increased cost per blade/shave. It could also be that I'm using a Gillette Sensor which is like 20 years old, maybe the newer 4 or 5 blade razors really are just complete shit, I don't know.

Ha! A point to you, sir.

You're right about that, because a lot of fancy pantsies would say that cartridge razors are unmitigated garbage with no upside at all, which is plainly false; you're less likely to cut yourself with one (and as far as I can tell it's impossible to cut yourself seriously) and you can get to the maximum closeness possible with them faster than you could get to that closeness with a safety razor (although this stops being true once you've had a good amount of practice with the safety razor). To me, there's no question that those upsides aren't worth dealing with what I see as tremendous downsides, but they're there and it's silly when people pretend that they aren't.

Based on my own experiences and what I hear from others, the differences in results are a function of personal differences. I shaved with goo and a Mach 3 for years and it was basically fine, I just didn't like it. I changed because I wanted a better experience, and the fact that it's much cheaper long-term if you don't go crazy with it is a nice touch. I apparently have rhino skin on most of my face, my skin doesn't give a fuck what razor I use. Others, though, report that they used to have severe problems with razor burn and ingrown hairs that were ameliorated by changing over.

Still no updates from SuperJay. What gives. :mad:

WTF is up with Canadian website shipping. I just want to buy four packs of razor blades, total cost about $7, shipping over $11!! US sites are about $4 to ship the same damn thing but it'll sit at the border for a week+ for no damn reason whatsoever. Why is it less than half the price to ship from the US to Canada than it is to ship within Canada? God damn Canada Post!

THE PRICE OF SOCIALISM

I have discovered that I can get things shipped via the cheapest airmail options from the UK for less than paying UPS to ship it from inside the US and it will arrive faster.

So, the knot of my brush came apart from the handle. It's been loose for a while but I was hoping it would last until Christmas, now I either try to fix it or replace it. The problem is family is well aware I wanted a brush and someone may have already purchased one for me and I'm not optimistic about trying to fix it will work. Stupid brush, you were great for years why couldn't you have lasted a couple more months!

Gorilla glue to the rescue! I hope. I had some Gorilla glue and tried gluing this sucker back together. I may have over done it on the glue (it sort of exploded all over) but it appears to be holding. It's just got to last a couple of months! Though it doesn't appear as though anyone cares much about my shaving crisis.

I was going to suggest the Tweezerman line of brushes. They used to be (and might still be) 100% badger hair and fairly well made - mine's lasted four years. You can get them for $10-20 on Amazon and would make a great back-up or travel brush if family/friends bought you a nicer one for Christmas or when you bought a nicer one for yourself.

I had considered buying another brush but the idea of getting one a couple of months before someone buys one for me for Christmas just seemed like a waste. I had read that epoxy works well but that's only slightly cheaper than a new cheap brush. My wife remembered that we had some of that glue around so we gave it a shot. I'll find out how well it worked tomorrow morning when I shave but last I checked it was holding quite well.

As for brushes I've got some self (wife) imposed restrictions (I can agree with them). Basically she wants it to humane so it's either synthetic or horse hair for me. Fortunately over the last few years there have been some great synthetic brushes that have been developed. I quite like my Body Shop brush and it's only $12 new from the store and I've asked for an H.I.S. brush (with an Omega backup) which is apparently the bees knees when it comes to synthetic brushes and not unreasonable in price.

Holy shit. I just picked up a tub of Cella, a reasonably well-known Italian soft soap (still harder than a cream would be). I have been wetshaving for nearly five years and I have never, ever had a lather this good.

I used the method described by Marco at B&B, here: http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...with-Italian-soft-soaps?p=2981170#post2981170

I'm sure I could get similar results with other products if I were better about judging proportion, but this was so easy. You guys gotta try this shit. Cella's cheap and has a nice almond scent.

I'm really a cream man myself and I really love the Body Shop's Maca Root cream and would be happy if that were the only cream/soap I could use for the rest of my life. I've asked for a TOBS creams for Christmas, I've never tried any of them and everyone seems to at least like them. I've read mixed reviews about Cella, seems like a love or hate it type product (though most loving it). I might give it a try, the problem, as always, is that most of this stuff can only be gotten online and paying shipping for just one or two low cost products sucks!

Amazon Prime dawg, giving a shit about shipping is a thing of the past.

If you get Cella give Marco's method a try, I would not have done it that way left to my own devices and I am very pleased with the results. I did indeed add a few drops of water at a time once finished, that was important -- but it was literally drops. Don't overdo it.

Taylor's is to my mind one of the better intersections of price and quality. Lathers easily and I like their scents. I've tried their Almond and Eton College scents. Almond is pretty much what you'd think, Eton College is kind of... citrusy and soapy? I like EC but it is mild.

Haven't tried the Avocado yet. Everyone seems to love the lather from it, reviews on the scent are mixed. I know one guy who uses it exclusively.

I've been meaning to try your Maca Root one for a while now, I keep forgetting to pick it up.

Prime doesn't exist in Canada nor can I even buy shaving cream through Amazon.ca. I've said it many times but I really can't describe just how much Amazon.ca pales in comparison to Amazon.com. It really is atrocious, I mean it's like Amazon.com from back in 2003 or something.

I'll take this into account but I probably won't be getting much in the way of shaving products for a while as I expect I'll be set for months after Christmas. The only way I'd make another order is if I decide to get straight razor gear (razor, strop, etc.) and unless someone gets me a traditional straight razor I don't see that happening.

Pretty sure I had Avocado on my short list of scents, along with Jermyn St. and Sandalwood but really I'd be happy with any. The price and from what I've read the quality is really why I'm curious about them.

I think it might be similar to TOBS, both are made by the same manufacturer and that contributes to my curiosity about the TOBS brand. If they're similar to the Maca Root but just a different scent I think I'm going to be very happy with them.