What do you use to shave?

[John in Covina]

That's pretty cheap for a box o' seven. My Dovo was $100 new and it's the bottom end of their current blades.

That's what I was thinking. In the time I have been interested in straight razors the bottom end ones went from about $70 to nearly $100.

 

[Dulouz]

My father in law picked this up for me as a birthday present. He found it at a gun show in Bakersfield. The scales aren't in great condition but the blade is. I can't wait to get it honed up and ready to shave.

 

[davestlouis]

I had a little victory today...I was killing time before an appointment in a small town called Highland IL this morning, wandered into a small pharmacy, and they had Schick Injector blades...first time I've ever seen them in a local retail establishment, so I bought their entire stock(2 boxes of 7 blades). Genuine Schick in the blister pack with the yellow background. Made in China for Schick, copyright 2007, lots of French on the back of the package and a reference to Energizer Canada.

I know I can order them online, I just like the immediate gratification of buying them in a store.

 

[Shangas]

I finally have a complete razor-kit!

Soap,
Scuttle,
Brush,
Brush-stand,
Safety-razor.
Razor-case.
Razor-blade sharpener.
Straight-razor.
Paddle-strop.
Dual-grit honing-stone.

 

[John in Covina]

All of a sudden, I feel like watching a Zorro movie.

Snicker! I finally clued in to what you meant!:eusa_doh: :eusa_clap

 

[LordBest]

I've started using this (15300) from Taylor of Old Bond Street:

A wonderful shave, though I tend to get so enthused at the experience I proceed to cut myself. The razor came with a Merkur blade, I would be curious to know who manufactured the actual DE, there are no indications on the body itself. Not that I can find, at any rate.

 

[Shangas]

Some razors can be impossible to ID accurately. I assume it's a three-piece razor? Pull it apart and photograph each part in detail and upload shots to internet. Someone might know what it is.

 

[DarkAudit]

My go-tos are a 1968 Slim Adjustable, a 1960 Fatboy, and a 1957 Red Tip. I've got years worth of NOS Super Stainless Spoilers and Platinum-Plus.

 

[Feraud]

Gem Micromatic "Clog pruf".

 

[David Conwill]

Gem Micromatic "Clog pruf".

Such a great razor.

Mine lacks the "clog pruf" slogan, and just has "GEM MICROMATIC" in a deco font. I wonder if that's older or newer?

-Dave

 

[Feraud]

Mine lacks the "clog pruf" slogan, and just has "GEM MICROMATIC" in a deco font. I wonder if that's older or newer?

-Dave

Like this one? I absolutely love the font!

I am probably wrong but I think this is the earlier version to the clog pruf.

 

[MikeBravo]

Does anybody else do this?

Once I have used a blade for as long as useful, I flip the blade over and get a bit more use out of it using the other side. By this I mean turning it on its back

I used to do it as a young fella and remembered to do it now. Works for me

 

[John in Covina]

I'll give it a shot next time around.

 

[John in Covina]

Straight and sharp.

How could this work? Doesn't any edge only have one edge?

Yes but what happens is the razors edge gets bent in one direction as the cutting of the whiskers is done in one direction. The edge leans over and as such doesn't shave as well. By flipping the blade the edge is exposed in an angle that allows it to cut better. The fine edge is bendable and the angle changes with use over time.

An explanation I have read puts this as that it's similar to a sharp chef's knife that loses cutting ability. Until really dull one can use a "sharpening steel" to bring back the edge. The edge is actually not as dull as it is crooked and so not cutting as well as it should. A sharpening steel straightens the edge more than it sharpens the edge.

The same thing happens when you strop a straight razor, it's aligning the edge more than making it keen.

 

[David Conwill]

Like this one? I absolutely love the font!

That's the one. Mine may not be "clog pruf", but I don't mind rinsing a bit more frequently. I'd do it anyway, a holdover from my days with a cartridge razor.

-Dave

 

[dnjan]

Using MikeBravo's technique of flipping the blade and your kitchen knife analogy (which I like btw..) this means when your kitchen knife gets dull you can flip it over (right handed folks switching to left hand) and get more use out of it?

Something doesn't seem right here..

No - the angle of attack for a kitchen knife is close to 90 degrees (equal effects on both sides) while the razor blade has a lower angle (and one-sided effects).
The kitchen knife effect ends up being somewhat random, with the microedge being bent one way in some places and the other way in other places. So a quick couple of strokes on the steel (on each side!) to straighten the microedge on a kitchen knife is the useful approach.

 

[Mid-fogey]

Flipping...

...the blade either works or it doesn't. Not knowing why or thinking it can't work is irrelvant.

Haven't tried it, but I noticed that many blades have numbers on them that appear to be there to allow the shaver to keep track of which side they've used.

Give it a try and see if it works.

 

[John in Covina]

Using MikeBravo's technique of flipping the blade and your kitchen knife analogy (which I like btw..) this means when your kitchen knife gets dull you can flip it over (right handed folks switching to left hand) and get more use out of it? Something doesn't seem right here..

No, a razor cuts by being pulled in one direction and applied only in a limited range of motions. Chef knives cut in a variety of angles and directions as well as getting used to chop. The blade bends slightly in a variety of directions and needs to be straightened to work best. The razor tends to bend one way.

The quickest way to dull a straight razor is to accidentally roll it over (while stropping) on the edge instead of the spine. It roles the edge and in some instances the edge can break off.

 

[John in Covina]

http://www.sharpeningsupplies.com/using-a-steel.aspx

From their site:
"Contrary to popular belief, a sharpening steel does not sharpen a knife, instead the purpose of a steel is to align the edge of the knife. As a knife is used, the edge will become curled. While you can't see the curl with the naked eye, a microscope reveals that the edge is askew. The tiny microscopic fibers bend over and dull the edge of the knife. The sharpening steel will straighten or re-align these fibers. Regular steeling is recommended. The more often you steel, the longer the sharp edge will last. Steeling is an effective way to help maintain your knife's edge between sharpenings. Eventually though your knife will become dull and need to be sharpened."

 

[dnjan]

The quickest way to dull a straight razor is to accidentally roll it over (while stropping) on the edge instead of the spine. It roles the edge and in some instances the edge can break off.

AMEN!
As I mentioned here, from my experience, proper stropping technique significantly lengthens the time between sharpenings.