Armed Polite Society
Main Forums => The Roundtable => Topic started by: Northwoods on January 21, 2016, 01:00:06 AM
-
What do y'all prefer for your shaving supplies? Gillette blades from the grocery store or one of the mail order "clubs" that have sprung up. Why do you prefer your choice?
SWMBO took my razor and hid it in a bag we took one a weekend trip. I have yet to get it back. I didn't like it much anyway and want something new.
And no, I'm not going to get a straight razor. Too much of a ritual to use for my preferences.
-
I'm assuming you're looking at safety razors. Neither grocery nor clubs. West Coast Shaving is supposed to be pretty good, and I think they have the better selection of sample blades if you are looking for a new blade. I just bought bulk blades for cheap on Amazon, which set me up for the next ten years. :)
Got my Merkur razor at Amazon as well.
-
Amazon
-
I bought a box of Personna blue blades from Amazon a couple of months ago. 100 count. Figure I'm good for at least 18 months or longer.
Cheap, too. $12?
I also buy my shaving soap from Amazon, the cakes of Van Hyusen. Nothing special, does what I need it to.
And a block of alum, and my shaving brush. Even bought a soap bowl from Amazon, but it's a little too small for the Van Hyusen cakes. I'm saving up my shard ends of glycerine bath soap, which I'll melt in the microwave and pour into the bowl.
-
I just think it's odd that one of the big razor-buying clubs is called "Harry's."
-
And no, I'm not going to get a straight razor. Too much of a ritual to use for my preferences.
But without the ritual, it's just meaningless bleeding.
-
A couple years back, Dad was bitching about the cost of the razors and the fact that for $$$ they didn't last more then a shave or two.
So I signed him up with Dollar Shave Club. They'd send 5 refills a month and each would last about a week. (Dad only shaved 3-5 times a week.)
He was with them for about 18 months and he seemed content with them. I think there's at least a month's worth in the hall closest for when Robert starts to shave...
-
My Dad was a confirmed Norelco guy. Only rarely used a disposable. I'm not sure why I gravitated to blades when I started shaving.
I do know that when I have tried electrics, I have never been happy with the shave that I get. I had a Braun electric for awhile, mainly for convenience when traveling, but when it crapped out I didn't replace it.
Now that I've started shaving with my Grandfather's 1930s Gillette double edge, I find that I'm extremely happy with the shave that I get, as happy as I was with the Mach 3. I still use the Mach 3 on occasion when I'm in a hurry, but I don't think I'll be abandoning the double edge any time soon.
-
I use the Mach 3 disposables right now. They are pretty much the same price as the refill type. I go a month or more with each one. A week or two would likely be better.
A guy at work here uses the Dollar Shave Club. He said you can shut down the monthly deliveries if you get too many. I have been meaning to see if I could just order some of their stuff to give it a try.
-
Yes, it's easy to try it for a month. Before they send your next shipment the "warn" you that it's getting ready to ship. Oh, and BTW would you like to upgrade your razor or maybe have us throw in this extra item at a nominal cost?
I use their shave butter in my travel kit...
-
I keep seeing people claiming that you can make a razor last virtually forever if you keep the blades dry and clean between uses. One recommendation I saw was to keep a jar of alcohol and swish it in that after shaving.
The claim is that the hair on your beard doesn't do the damage to the blade, it's micro pitting from rust from being wet.
-
I will have to try that. I have some spare denatured ethanol I can set aside to swish my double-edge Merkur in after rinsing the soap and swarf off.
Although, my understanding is that the Gillette 7 O' Clock, Personna, and Feather blades are already stainless steel, plated with platinum or other metals for longer edge-holding.
Stainless isn't entirely corrosion-proof, but I always thought the blades dulled due to having to plow through the copper wire that grows out of my face. ;)
-
Mike's right. That's what dulls the blades faster then cutting through stubble. I always wipe mine dry after each shave and they last longer. I like the alcohol trick, I'll have to try that.
-
I'll have to try the alcohol thing too. I'm usually too lazy to do anything but give the blades a cursory rinse.
-
Need to find a suitable jar. Unfortunately I just took one out in the recycling.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
-
I keep seeing people claiming that you can make a razor last virtually forever if you keep the blades dry and clean between uses. One recommendation I saw was to keep a jar of alcohol and swish it in that after shaving.
Not entirely true, or a properly cared for straight razor would never need stropping, much less actual honing. Considering neither is really possible with a typical disposable, I'd doubt you could do more than double or maybe triple its life.
-
My razor will get clogged with soap/hair if I don't rinse it during and after shaving. I an alcohol squirt bottle handy. I can try doing a quick rinse.
-
Yes, it's easy to try it for a month. Before they send your next shipment the "warn" you that it's getting ready to ship. Oh, and BTW would you like to upgrade your razor or maybe have us throw in this extra item at a nominal cost?
I use their shave butter in my travel kit...
I am always willing to try a better shaving soap. I am just using facial bar soap right now. It works well enough.
-
What do y'all prefer for your shaving supplies? Gillette blades from the grocery store or one of the mail order "clubs" that have sprung up. Why do you prefer your choice?
SWMBO took my razor and hid it in a bag we took one a weekend trip. I have yet to get it back. I didn't like it much anyway and want something new.
And no, I'm not going to get a straight razor. Too much of a ritual to use for my preferences.
Wilkinson double-edge razor blades from Wal-mart are actually pretty good.
The pack of Derby blades I bought from Sally Beauty suck. Maybe they're intended to just be used once (by a barber or stylist) and then thrown away so the next customer gets a fresh blade. But they weren't even all that sharp the first use.
Mostly I use Astra blades, from Amazon -- a box of 100 was about $9 and they last a long time.
-
West Coast Shaving has a huge selection of everything. I use a Colonel Conch glycerin soap cake and a badger hair brush. Have about 3 years worth of DE blades on hand.
If you really want cheap cheap cheap you can hone your disposable blades and strop them on a sheet of newspaper.
-
I'm still going through the West Coast shaving sampler pack of blades. I can say that Van Hyusen blades suck ass right from jump street. I got a pack with the travel DESR kit I bought at Target. I thought it was fluke that the first one was so bad. The second blade was worse and third blade only got one swipe before it and the rest of pack went in the trash.
Once I go through the rest of the sampler pack I will probably do a bulk order of Feathers or the Blue (or was it Red) Astra's.
-
When I went looking for blades Van Hyusens were at the local pharmacy and over a buck a blade.
No thanks.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
-
went 25 years without shaving. Full beard and all. Last year, the wife said it was time for a change, so I kept a little chin hair, and shaved the rest off.
Probably shave every 3 or 4 days, and use a grocery store disposable, with some hand soap and hot water. Seems to work. Cheap. Razor lasts a month.
-
went 25 years without shaving. Full beard and all. Last year, the wife said it was time for a change, so I kept a little chin hair, and shaved the rest off.
Probably shave every 3 or 4 days, and use a grocery store disposable, with some hand soap and hot water. Seems to work. Cheap. Razor lasts a month.
She must be one special of a lady, 25 years of something would be hard for me to change willingly.
I haven't shaved since it stopped being mandatory for drill. Love not having to scrape my face.
-
I don't mind shaving as long as I don't have to do it every single day. I can get away with that right now working at a small chemical plant. I shave 3 or 4 times a week. If I don't shave, I end up with a scraggly looking grey hair growing in that I don't like anyway.
-
Amazon is good for blades, wait till the price drops. Think it was 24 bucks for the last hundred feathers. [popcorn]
Cream, well it tends to be dried out. :facepalm: still works though, and it's cheap.
Oh and the merkers are way overpriced now. [ar15]
If you like myrrh c&e has a winner. Well the scent, not quite as good in use as the old stuff. The eu ruins everything they touch.
http://www.crabtree-evelyn.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-crabtreeevelyn_us-Site/default/mProduct-Show?pid=Moroccan-Myrrh-Shave-Cream
-
I used to shave every other day. Now, though, that I've started shaving with the DE, I've gotten very used to shaving every day (sometimes on the weekends I'll not shave).
I shave in the evening before I go to bed. The DE does such a good job that I'm still not sporting much of a beard until early afternoon the ext day. I do have a light beard, though.
And don't let Mtnbkr's stories about shaving fool you. He's done full Grizzly Adams. Gay Grizzly Adams, with a foo foo bear... :rofl:
-
While I've also heard that keeping blades dry will extend their life, I'd be a little leery of using alcohol to do so. Isopropyl alcohol is quite hygroscopic. In 70% isopropyl, that remaining 30% is water. Even if you spring for the 91% or 99%, you'd have to store it in a tightly sealed container to prevent it from absorbing atmospheric moisture. Maybe alcohol chemically reduces the likelihood of rust even in the presence of water, but if so I'm not sure of the mechanism. Sounds like an experiment is in order.
A quick rinse with alcohol and then letting it air dry as opposed to an alcohol bath might avoid those problems and would still keep the blade pretty sterile if that is a concern.
Then again, we're talking about a blade that costs about ten cents each each in bulk. A small bottle of 99% alcohol costs about as much as 30 or 35 brand new DE blades. Add to that the additional hassle of storing the blades, the additional bathroom clutter ...
-
OTC rubbing alcohol does, as you say, have quite a bit of water in it. But, the alcohol component does a very good job of evaporating the water away as the alcohol evaporates, so you end up with something that is a lot dryer a lot sooner than if you were simply to rinse it in water and shake it dry.
An easy experiment is to take two cotton balls, one wet with water, the other with alcohol, and wipe a streak down your mirror and watch the evaporation process. The alcohol streak, even with it being 30% water, will be dry a lot sooner.
As for blades, this isn't good just for DE blades; it's also recommended for the expensive cartridge razors.
As for storing alcohol, I always have a bottle on hand. I use it every morning to swab out my ears after I shower. If I don't I have problems with the water causing ear infections.
-
Alcohol is also a degreaser so it should remove a lot of the corrosive oils and related gunk from the skin.
-
Alcohol is also a degreaser so it should remove a lot of the corrosive oils and related gunk from the skin.
Especially if you use 90-91% on your face immediately after shaving... >:D >:D >:D
-
You don't like aqua velva? >:D
-
You don't like aqua velva? >:D
always tasted too bitter for me
-
always tasted too bitter for me
You have to filter it through a loaf of bread first...
-
That makes sense, Mike. For some reason I was thinking of an alcohol bath.
It also makes more sense with a more costly blade. I've heard of people suggesting simply swiping the blades backward on a dry towel (almost like stropping, but really just to remove excess water) as a method of keeping blades dry and thus extending life.
-
That makes sense, Mike. For some reason I was thinking of an alcohol bath.
It also makes more sense with a more costly blade. I've heard of people suggesting simply swiping the blades backward on a dry towel (almost like stropping, but really just to remove excess water) as a method of keeping blades dry and thus extending life.
works really well with the feather straight. :angel:
-
I've been doing the dollar shave club for a year or two. I have no complaints. Cheap shaves, works well.
-
I ordered my sample pack of blades for a DE safety razor and the Merkur handle from West Coast Shaving. That reminds me it's time to order some Feather blades, but I'll likely get them from Amazon.
If I hadn't gone the DE route I would have likely gone with Dollar Shave Club or similar.
-
FYI:
Shaving using the cheap pink hand soap at the wash basins in the locker room while trying to get one more shave out of your DESR blade is contraindicated.
-
Shaving using the cheap pink hand soap at the wash basins in the locker room while trying to get one more shave out of your DESR blade is contraindicated.
Everyone knows that Orange Goop is the proper shaving soap. The pumice sharpens the blade as you go.
-
and use the Van Hyugen blades to round out the experience... >:D
-
Everyone knows that Orange Goop is the proper shaving soap. The pumice sharpens the blade as you go.
Hey, why didn't I think of that?
-
The Harry's trial was $3. Figured I'd go with that first. If it sucks I'll try DSC. It's kind of confusing to try to do a real price comparison between Harry's and DSC, but I think the Harry's is slightly more in the long run. However it got better reviews from those that tried both, and I can make it a bit cheaper by not buying their foaming gel. That and getting 16 blades at a time puts it at the same cost as DSC even long term.
-
^^^ Yep, I've been using Harry's for a few months now. I cancelled the foam and doubled up on the blades. I shave my punkin' head while in the shower... lathered up real good with soap. When I get out, I shave before drying all the way off. Keep one Harry's shaver in a rack in the shower, and the other in the $15 aluminum (?) handle holder on the vanity. I'm a cheapass, and change each blade about every 2 weeks. Be careful when you first start using them. I did lose a lot of blood before I gained the proper respect for the system.
Also, FWIW, the Harry's stuff along with the Trym trimmers (nose and body) make for an aesthetically pleasing array on the vanity.
-
Got my Harry's "free" (just pay $3 shipping!!!) sample in the mail yesterday. Went ahead and used it this morning. Had to trim before I could shave as the >2 week growth would have been too much for almost any razor. Granted, 16 days or so growth for me is equivalent to about 5-7 days growth for some guys. Anyway, I'd say the Harry's razor was every bit as good as the Gillette 5 blade razors. Probably not much if any better, but at least as good. I did not use the included shave gel as I have lots of store bought shave gel/foam already. Figured I'd save the Harry's gel for when I travel as it's 2oz so therefore OK to fly with in carry-on bags. I did notice that at times the hair didn't want to rinse off the blade very well, but those just the ones that didn't get trimmed as well ahead of time. We'll see how it holds up, but if the blades last even just half as long it'll be WAY cheaper.