The Safety Razor

[AmbulanceDriver]

Soooooooo.....

First off...  Personna 74's are absolutely amazing.  The very first shave with this thing, I tell you it was the smoothest, most tug free blade I've ever used....  It's almost like it scared the stubble into just jumping out and running away ahead of this incredibly sharp blade.

Second, I agree with what one poster on one of the forums when I started searching for injector razors said...  Injectors are so easy to get the right angle it's almost like cheating.

However, the particular version of the Schick Injector I got was a touch more... Aggressive...  That what I was used to....   No bad nicks, but a few more than I usually get with my DE....

Overall, extremely happy with everything so far...    Now, the Personna 74's are allegedly good for 13-14 shaves...  We'll see how they feel at about shave 10.... :)

[Ben]

Oh, you guys are still talking about safety razors? How quaint.  

[erictank]

Oh, you guys are still talking about safety razors? How quaint.  

I prefer to keep the red stuff in the inside, thanks. 

[Ben]

I prefer to keep the red stuff in the inside, thanks. 

It's not so bad after the initial few bloodbaths. 

I got the above Dovo Gentleman about a month and a half ago. I was first playing around a bit with one of the $25 "shavette" razors with replaceable blades, but the difference between this one and that one is night and day. More heft which I think leads to more feeling what the blade is doing.

I'm still working on getting the right angle of attack around the chin area, which apparently takes a good bit of practice, but everywhere else the shave is even closer and smoother than the safety razor. I've generally only been using it on weekends or other days when I have time, as prep, shaving, and cleanup can be a good 30 minute process.

[seeker_two]

Oh, you guys are still talking about safety razors? How quaint.  

Do you carry that in your shoe?.....

[AmbulanceDriver]

Ben, I might eventually graduate to one of those....   Hopefully I can manage to keep my nose attached to my face...  :)

[Ben]

Do you carry that in your shoe?.....

Only if I think my arch nemisis Goldfinger may be nearby...

[mtnbkr]

I like the Persona blades, though mine aren't the 74 series.  I'm using "Shark" brand at the moment and they're doing a good job as well.  Derby is ok, I can use them, but not for many shaves, maybe 3-4.  Feathers are supposed to be the best, but they're not any better on my face than the Persona or Shark blades.  Astra is the worst for me.

Once I'm done withe all my samples, I'll probably stock up on Persona.  They're inexpensive and available.  My brother tells me the ones sold through medical supply houses are even better.

Chris

[Ben]

I actually liked the Personas from my sample pack a lot as well. I liked them better than Feathers. The only thing I don't like about Personas is all the confusing different packaging of the different types. I also read that the blue Crystal blades are the same as red Personas.

[erictank]

It's not so bad after the initial few bloodbaths. 

I got the above Dovo Gentleman about a month and a half ago. I was first playing around a bit with one of the $25 "shavette" razors with replaceable blades, but the difference between this one and that one is night and day. More heft which I think leads to more feeling what the blade is doing.

I'm still working on getting the right angle of attack around the chin area, which apparently takes a good bit of practice, but everywhere else the shave is even closer and smoother than the safety razor. I've generally only been using it on weekends or other days when I have time, as prep, shaving, and cleanup can be a good 30 minute process.

As I think I said upthread, I tried "straight razor" shaving with one of those Dovo Shavettes, and the bloodshed was enough to convince me to stick with my safety razor. You really had an easier time with an actual straight razor? May have to give that a try...

[Ben]

As I think I said upthread, I tried "straight razor" shaving with one of those Dovo Shavettes, and the bloodshed was enough to convince me to stick with my safety razor. You really had an easier time with an actual straight razor? May have to give that a try...

Yup, I found it much easier. I had read that before I got the shavette, but the difference between $25 for the shavette and $200 for a razor and strop made me ignore the advice for just wanting to see what it was like. It's a big leap cost-wise and hard to make if you think you may end up not liking the straight razor. Though it appears there is a thriving market for used straight razors.

I still nicked myself slightly a few times the first couple of shaves with the Dovo from getting used to the different feel, but nothing like a bloodbath. I recall my first shave with the shavette, my chin looked like I had a red goatee. 

One piece of advice if you want to get into it is to buy from a shop that sharpens the razor for you. The Dovos come from the factory stating they are "shave ready", however the one bit of advice I picked up from researching razors was to buy from a place that will hone them further until they can be run across the hair on your arm and cut the hair off -- that's not rubbing against your arm and shaving hair off, but running it through the hair like a comb and seeing if it will cut the hair in half. That's when it's "shaving sharp".

There are a few Internet providers that will hone the razor for you. I found Straight Razor Designs to be really good for service and for advice:

Shop:
http://www.straightrazordesigns.com/

Forum:
http://straightrazorplace.com/

I know there's a few guys here who know way more about it than I do that might weigh in.

[lupinus]

Derby's I like OK and I actually don't mind Astras. I'm one of those guys that didn't care much for the feathers, personally. They are indeed the sharpest but they just didn't agree with my face.

I like the blue 7 0'Clock Gillettes best

[erictank]

Thanks for the info, Ben. Don't know if I'm going to jump into straight-razors, but at least now I know to go big, if I go at all. Appreciate it, especially the advice to have it honed before using.

[Zardozimo Oprah Bannedalas]

A straight razor would be very cool - unfortunately, I can't sharpen worth a damn. I sharpen a knife for 15 minutes, and it's duller when I finish than when I started. 

[Ben]

A straight razor would be very cool - unfortunately, I can't sharpen worth a damn. I sharpen a knife for 15 minutes, and it's duller when I finish than when I started. 

I have no experience yet, but it appears if you strop properly and use chromium dioxide on a linen strop occasionally, you can go up to a year before you have to hone. I've watched some honing videos, and it actually looks to be easier than knife honing, because you're basically leaving the blade flat against the stone, so no angle to try and hold.

I'm going to give it a go myself when it's time. If I screw up, Straight Razor Designs includes one free sharpening with the razor (and apparently once in a while has sales that include free lifetime sharpening). Otherwise it's only like $20 to send it away for professional sharpening.

[AmbulanceDriver]

Well, second experience with the Personna 74 injectors was....  Less than satisfactory...   Not the fault of the blade, it's still wicked sharp...   The problem is the razor itself...   It's actually *much* more aggressive than my Weishi DE...

My neck looks like they threw a ticker tape parade....

*sigh*

[mtnbkr]

Yup, the Weishi is very mild.  It lulls you into a false sense of safety. :D

Chris

[mtnbkr]

As a revolver nut, I do want this: http://www.sixshootershaving.com/six-shooter-shave-brushes/

Not for that price though.

Chris

[Ben]

As a revolver nut, I do want this: http://www.sixshootershaving.com/six-shooter-shave-brushes/

Not for that price though.

Chris

Somebody's been on Gentlemint again...

[cosine]

Getting ready to take the plunge... and I'm pretty sure I'm going to permanently replace the cartridge razor for the DE safety razor, so I'm looking at taking a step up from the aforementioned Weishi razors. I'm looking at the Merkur 33C Classic, the 34C Heavy Duty, the 23C Long Handle, and the 47C Long Handle razors. Suggestions on which one to start with?

[Ben]

I have one of the Merkur long handle razors, the 38-something I think. For  my hands, I like the longer handle. It is quite a bit heavier than the Weishi. I use the Weishi as my travel rzor, and the shorter handle doesn't bother me at all, but  I do prefer a longer handle.

[zxcvbob]

Have you considered getting a "vintage" safety razor?  I bought a Schick Krona (guessing it's about 30 years old) off eBay and a replated Gillette fat-handled Tech razor made in the 1940's from one of the vendors at B&B.  Including the shipping, the Krona was $10 and the Tech was $27.  Both of them look almost new (the Krona was a mess when I got it, but it cleaned up really easy), and shave great with the right blades*.  I think I like the Gillette better.

*so far I like Wilkinson blades from Walmart, and Astra SP's.  Derby blades from Sally Beauty suck, even though they were the most expensive.

[mtnbkr]

I've tried those "vintage" razors, but prefer my Merkur over them. 

Chris

[AmbulanceDriver]

So now that I've learned a bit more about my Schick single-edge w/ the Personna 74 blades....   

My face no longer looks like that of a Freddy Krueger victim...

I use the Schick pretty much only when I have several days growth though...  the more open design of it really does a number of a 4-5 day beard..   I'll use it for the first pass, then do a second (and if needed/desired third) pass with my Weishi...

[cosine]

A little googling is showing that the Edwin Jagger DE89 seems to be highly regarded as a first DE razor... hmm...