What do you use to shave?

[Shangas]

QuestionSfor the Double Edge users:

What brand blade do you use?
How many shaves do you get for a blade normally?
Do you consider your "whiskers" to be light / medium / or very heavy-tough?

I use modern Wilkinson Sword blades and any NOS vintage blades that I can find, so far, GILETTE 'BLUE', GILETTE 'THIN' and 'CLUB' brand blades (among others).

I was fortunate to find a vintage double-edged razor-sharpener at the flea-market. Using that, I got a blade to last three months before I finally threw it out. I'm still on my second blade and it's been another three months...but I ain't throwin' this one out just yet.

I would consider my whiskers to be light-to-medium. I don't shave very often, probably twice a week.

 

[rmrdaddy]

TOBS avocado shaving cream

Nicely done on the TOBS Avocado. I find it a wonderful cream anytime of year, but nice for summer as a lighter scented option. I may need to use mine tomorrow now !

 

[rmrdaddy]

I use the Merkur Platinum blades.
I can get about 8 to some times 10 shaves per blade.
I have a fairly light beard, but the two patches on the sides of my throat are really quite tough compared to the rest of the whiskers.
I shave about every 2 days or so.

John,
If they work for you, great, but overall the Merkur blades get less than stellar reviews on Badger & Blade. I have some and compared to Derby or Astras, they feel like jagged glass for me. Have you sampled any other blades?
PM me I'll send you a sampler of the small selection I have, no charge for you sir.

 

[davestlouis]

I just use cheap Walgreens blades, and normally get a good result, but something went sour the other day and I shaved off a patch of my cheek the size of the nail on my pinkie finger...real shallow, bled like a son of a gun, and I saw the sliver of flesh floating in the sink. I can't fathom how I did it, I almost think some debris got under the blade and caused it to bow a little, thus taking the divot out of my face.

I bought some shaving soap at CVS the otehr day, and I swear to ya, it smells like Ivory soap...blue and white box, don't recall the brand.

John in Covina, I change by elcheapo blades every other Saturday, but I do rotate between 2 Gilette Superspeed razors, so I figure I get 7-8 shaves out of each blade. I shave every day, no matter what...never know when I'll get called into the funeral home. I have an average beard, starting to go silver, and seems more wiry the more silver it gets.

 

[rmrdaddy]

...heard that some people will take the blade and run the edge thru a wine cork to align the edge and make for smoother shaving. I have never tried that - yet.

John, yep, corking can be a great way to lengthen your blade duration in terms of days of use. It does realign minor blade edge imperfections and give a smoother shave (IMHO)
One can also hand strop a blade on the heel of your palm. Hold a blade very securely in the center(top to bottom), and drag repeatedly AWAY from you against the outstretched heel of your free hand.

A video that I've viewed before on hand-stropping(and he's a Lounger!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ogq4wfpT7hc

 

[Feraud]

Between your avocado shaving cream and your lime shaving cream you have me seriously craving some guacamole.

Funny! lol

Nicely done on the TOBS Avocado. I find it a wonderful cream anytime of year, but nice for summer as a lighter scented option. I may need to use mine tomorrow now !

It is a nice scent. In fact, I've been finding myself oddly drawn to it..
The TOBS is easy to work into a good lather which makes it a good option for those used to foam from a can. If this is indicative of the entire line, I could see myself purchasing much more of it!

Edit. After browsing the product line I think the Rose, Almond, and Lavendar sound very appealing.

 

[rmrdaddy]

Feraud,
The Rose and Lavender are both very agreeable. I purchased Thayer's witch hazel in the matching scents to really build a themed shave some mornings, it's fun! I personally find TOBS creams build lathers with ease.
I can't get behind almond products overall. It's mild enough in SlyGI's cream and the cherry has enough potency that the almond component doesn't give me fits. But other than than, almond is out for this fella.

 

[Feraud]

When you try out the Feather blade please give us a review.

The Feather is a sharp blade. It gave a closer shave the my current Schick Plus Platinum blades. My wife noticed the difference too.
Give it a try if you have the opportunity.

 

[John in Covina]

Sounds good, I'll try it when I get a chance.

 

[Lou]

QuestionSfor the Double Edge users:

What brand blade do you use?
How many shaves do you get for a blade normally?
Do you consider your "whiskers" to be light / medium / or very heavy-tough?

I use Crystal blades. I chose them after completing a sampler pack, because they gave me just as smooth a shave as any of the other blades and were the most comfortable. They're popular at ShaveMyFace.com.

I use a '67 Gilette Superspeed, which is considered to be a gentle razor. I get 7-8 shaves per blade, switching to the other side of the blade halfway through the shave. I haven't tried corking or any of the other longevity tips.

I'd say my whiskers are on the heavy side.

 

[WineGuy]

I just took up straight razor shaving about a month a go. Kind of happened by chance when I purchased the Wosty below at a flea market in Manhattan. That led me to buying an Omega Silver tip brush, Institute Karite shaving soap, and a Tony Miller Latigo/canvas strop. Last week I snagged the WWI USMC Clauss!

World War I USMC issue straight razor by Clauss

George Wostenholm & Son Sheffield

 

[Feraud]

This evening I shaved with a Gillette "Old Type" ball end razor. The Feather blade was used 3-5 times prior. What stood out was the shaving cream. Palmolive (with Palm Oil) makes a great shaving cream. Lots of slick foamy lather to smooth that blade across your face. Nice scent too.
This combination gave an extremely close shave with no razor burn or nicks.

 

[Lou]

Feraud, I too am a fan of Palmolive cream. They also have a shave stick, which is said to be excellent.

 

[Big Fella]

shaving

I really enjoy the morning shave. I currently have 5 soaps in use. Which one gets used depends on which scent I want that morning. I always super lather with Kiss My Face fragrance free cream. I am currently using Personna Red Pack blades. My brushes are hand turned by Don McIvor using Golden Nip knots. I prefer the bigger 28mm knots as I shave my bald head at the same time I shave my face. I will shave again in the evening if I'm going out dancing. I always use a good smelling cologne.

 

[davestlouis]

I just bought a new addition today...Schick Krona safety razor with a long black handle, not sure of its age yet. It'll get cleaned and disinfected today and I'll try it out Saturday AM.

 

[davestlouis]

Well, I couldn't wait. I cleaned the Schick and put a fresh blade in it. I also had a free sample kit from Art of Shaving, with unscented preshave oil, shaving cream and aftershave balm.

My observations are such: I didn't care for how slimy the preshave oil felt, and I thought it made my hands slippery too. I prefer my hard soap to the cream, and I miss the burn of my alcohol-based aftershave.

Having said all that, I got a good, close shave and the balm left my face feeling much softer than my normal aftershave ever has. The unscented items leave a hint of an aroma that others have described as faintly minty, but I smell tea, the same smell a new, dry tea bag gives off.

I think I changed too many variables at the same time, but I'll keep experimenting and see what I like.

 

[MikeBravo]

Out with the old

In with the new

Crabtree & Evelyn "Nomad" shave soap. A nice subtle scent for winter. come summer, I'll try the Proraso Eucalyptus

 

[Shangas]

A beautiful little setup, Mike!

 

[MikeBravo]

A beautiful little setup, Mike!

Thanks, was time for an update.

I haven't used a safety razor since the late 70's when I first started shaving. Am still adjusting but being careful lol

 

[Feraud]

I like the update and have one of those Gillette's. Its a simple and effective razor.