Safety Razors

Genghiz Cohen · 09-05-2012 11:11pm

Taylors Sandlewood is a delicious smell, deep and rich, so maybe more suited to winter months....
Maybe Avocado is a good choice for warmer days.

Michael G · 11-05-2012 10:33pm

Draupnir wrote: »

1. The cream I got is great, I've been mixing it in a bowl with a small bit of water with my brush and making a lather. Is this the right/best way to be doing it?

Yes. When you have it well mixed, a kind of gentle slapping motion with the tip of the brush whips it up a bit and makes it creamier. Some people advise that you should spend about a minute and a half on the lather and I agree.

Draupnir wrote: »

2. Should I favour short or long strokes with the razor? Finding that short strokes means I need to re-apply the lather but at least that way I can get a good clean shave.

I don't think any two men shave the same way. After a few years shaving with a DE blade, I find that long strokes work on the flat parts of my face (like from the ear down to the jaw, and from the corner of the jaw to the chin) but short strokes are better on my upper lip. You will learn what suits you best. Just keep the contact of the blade with your skin as light as you can whatever stroke you are using.

MadsL · 11-05-2012 11:14pm

After your initial mix, get your hot tap running as slowly as possible. Dribble, a little hot water into your lather. Whip with the brush, and repeat. Try and get plenty of moisture into the lather whilst aiming at whipped cream texture.

PickledLime · 05-06-2012 10:18pm

So i placed my order for a Mühle R89 and the 50 blade sampler pack last night on shaving.ie (nice site, btw!) and i'm very much looking forward to it arriving!

Not sure about a cream (i've gone back to that bog standard Palmolive stuff, which certainly works better than that goo in a can rubbish i was using so will stick with that 'til the tube is used at least) - what blade would ye recommend for my first ever DE shave? I've been watching plenty of videos about the actual shave and i'm putting aside extra time for re-learning how to shave, just wondering what blades would be good as 'training wheels'? (from reading around the thread a bit, i'll probably cleave my head off with the Feathers!)

Cheers folks

Edit - i basically asked the same question twice, sorry!

Gran Hermano · 05-06-2012 10:22pm

I'd recommend starting with the Astra or Personna blades.

Nothing wrong with the Palmolive cream - at the price it sells for it is unbeatable. Pick up a stick of the Palmolive shaving soap as well.

Insect Overlord · 05-06-2012 11:31pm

I had my last 3 shaves with a Personna blade (experimenting with the 50 blade sampler too, even though I already enjoy the Feather blades) and I like the way it feels.

So far I've found the first 2 passes great and the third a bit more bloody. :pac: Good prep makes a big difference though.

source · 05-06-2012 11:54pm

Insect Overlord wrote: »

I had my last 3 shaves with a Personna blade (experimenting with the 50 blade sampler too, even though I already enjoy the Feather blades) and I like the way it feels.

So far I've found the first 2 passes great and the third a bit more bloody. :pac: Good prep makes a big difference though.

I still have to give you a sample of floid.

Insect Overlord · 05-06-2012 11:55pm

source wrote: »

I still have to give you a sample of floid.

No rush. The Speick is lasting ages anyway.

corpo3030 · 06-06-2012 1:26pm

I just started using my starter kit from shaving.ie with a timor bronze safety razor. Great smooth shave, its amazing the difference when I actually take the time to prepare my skin first.

Michael G · 06-06-2012 1:42pm

I'm DE shaving about five years now. I was abroad for the weekend and had to bring an electric razor because I had only carry-on luggage. Useless yoke. I couldn't wait to get home and get that clean smooth feeling that only a wet shave with a good blade can give.

PickledLime · 06-06-2012 2:50pm

Gran Hermano wrote: »

I'd recommend starting with the Astra or Personna blades.

Nothing wrong with the Palmolive cream - at the price it sells for it is unbeatable. Pick up a stick of the Palmolive shaving soap as well.

Cheers for the advice, much appreciated

Have a stick of Palmolive soap already - i've always been into doing the prep stage, it's just i've always used a lame razor. Good to know the cream is reasonable enough quality, it seems to suit my skin pretty well, have no idea why i moved to canned-goo in the first place!

investment · 08-06-2012 6:29am

Michael G wrote: »

I'm DE shaving about five years now. I was abroad for the weekend and had to bring an electric razor because I had only carry-on luggage. Useless yoke. I couldn't wait to get home and get that clean smooth feeling that only a wet shave with a good blade can give.

you could have brought your razor and brush and cream and bought a pack of blades you tight git:rolleyes:

Michael G · 08-06-2012 7:19am

investment wrote: »

you could have brought your razor and brush and cream and bought a pack of blades you tight git:rolleyes:

I know that. I didn't want to risk having my razor confiscated by some jobsworth at Dublin Airport.

source · 08-06-2012 8:06am

Michael G wrote: »

I know that. I didn't want to risk having my razor confiscated by some jobsworth at Dublin Airport.

Brought mine through as carry on loads of times......with a blade in it, and never had any problems, and I'm the unluckiest person on the planet!!!

investment · 08-06-2012 9:12am

source wrote: »

Brought mine through as carry on loads of times......with a blade in it, and never had any problems, and I'm the unluckiest person on the planet!!!

SEE SOURCE got it through and he is as soft as fcuk.....You're not a real man micheal G...I think you should go back to using your venus razor:D:D:D.....You don't deserve a safety razor

Michael G · 08-06-2012 9:35am

investment wrote: »

SEE SOURCE got it through and he is as soft as fcuk.....You're not a real man micheal G...I think you should go back to using your venus razor:D:D:D.....You don't deserve a safety razor

Say that to me when I'm holding my Dovo straight

PickledLime · 09-06-2012 11:26pm

Well chaps, just had my first ever DE shave with the lovely Muhle R89, and i can't express how fantastic it was. I took my time with it (plus i had a month's worth of growth to go through too!), and just did my usual prep. The result? Absolutely zero razor burn, my face feels brilliant and i didn't even knick myself once. In my near 15 years of shaving, that was the single most enjoyable shave i've experienced (no doubt helped by the sheer quality of the R89).

Used an Astra blade for one side of my face, and a Gillete Super Stainless 7 O'Clock for the other; i preferred the latter, but both were more satisfying than any cartridge i've ever used.

Will probably never touch a cartridge for the rest of my life, and cheers for the advice on where to start - i'm an instant DE convert

investment · 10-06-2012 4:37am

Michael G wrote: »

Say that to me when I'm holding my Dovo straight

You just proved you're pussey:rolleyes:

Real men fight with their hands....The ladies lounge is that way>>>>

MadsL · 10-06-2012 7:18pm

and After Hours is that way

>

John Divney · 24-06-2012 9:07pm

Are there any good Irish natural soaps for shaving that are chemical free? I looked online and most of them don't even bother to list the ingredients, which is frankly not one these days.

Gran Hermano · 24-06-2012 9:36pm

I know of one Irish made 'shaving'soap but I found it useless for shaving with.
If you're looking for something without dodgy chemicals and highly effective for shaving I highly recommend http://www.nannyssillysoap.com/ps/category.php?id_category=6
The soap maker is an Irish lady living in England.

hitemfrank · 24-06-2012 9:37pm

The best Irish shaving soap I tried was Dr K shave soap. They have two scents, lime or peppermint so if you don't like either of those scents you're out of luck.

Well here is a blog that should be of use to you. It has reviews of 5 Irish made shave soaps.

PickledLime · 24-06-2012 10:24pm

hitemfrank wrote: »

The best Irish shaving soap I tried was Dr K shave soap. They have two scents, lime or peppermint so if you don't like either of those scents you're out of luck.

Well here is a blog that should be of use to you. It has reviews of 5 Irish made shave soaps.

Lime soap looks nice.

I appear to be settling on the Gillette 7 O'Clocks. Fantastic shave ahoy!

John Divney · 24-06-2012 10:39pm

Thanks Gran and Hitemfrank I will investigate.

I actually just ordered a load of samples from 'Mikes' shaving soap who is popular on Badger and Blade.

There is one Californian Organic maker I want to buy aswell, its called Tierra Mia Organic Goat milk http://www.tierramiaorganics.com/shaving-soap-for-men/

Ingredients: Raw Goat Milk, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Cocoa Butter, Rice Bran Oil, Essential Oils, Raw Honey, Raw Beeswax and Zinc Oxide

Might not be as great for lather as not Tallow based but would be interested to try, ticks all the boxes 'natural' wise and more, with a good PH I'd say would be very sensitive on the face.

MadsL · 24-06-2012 11:32pm

We have some history with the Irish Handmade Soap company, but so far they have not produced the goods.

Maybe try

http://www.mamabearssoaps.com/

evercloserunion · 25-06-2012 3:12am

hitemfrank wrote: »

Well here is a blog that should be of use to you. It has reviews of 5 Irish made shave soaps.

I've actually been using that Sun Rose Garden soap that he reviews. I'm not an experienced shaver so I can't really give a solid review, but I find myself agreeing with everything he said; the soap looks and smells amazing, but the lather is quite thin and fades easily. I've still really enjoyed using it.

hitemfrank · 25-06-2012 10:58am

evercloserunion wrote: »

I've actually been using that Sun Rose Garden soap that he reviews. I'm not an experienced shaver so I can't really give a solid review, but I find myself agreeing with everything he said; the soap looks and smells amazing, but the lather is quite thin and fades easily. I've still really enjoyed using it.

The blogger is a she

I've tried 2 of the 5 she has reviewed and agree with her opinions on The Handmade Soap Co and Dr K's Shave Soap.

John Divney · 25-06-2012 5:13pm

hitemfrank wrote: »

The blogger is a she

I've tried 2 of the 5 she has reviewed and agree with her opinions on The Handmade Soap Co and Dr K's Shave Soap.

I msde that mistake in assuming too, great reviewage, much needed. I think I will buy some body soap from Dr. K too, there is a Stout one

http://drksoap.com/handmade-soap/stout-and-charcoal/

I'm trying to ditch my SLS, Paraben, Surficant, stuffed shower gels, looking for a good shampoo too, so lookinbg out for good natural soaps and why not get Irish made ones if they are good?

I have a lot of Arko and Proraso to go through still though, might put some up for trade at a later date.

Maximus82 · 29-06-2012 12:18pm

Lads, I recently bought The Basic Essentials Safety Razor Starter Kit from shaving.ie with the Muhle R89. Just had my first shave with it and it did not go well.

My neck is in bits and cut myself loads of times. I ended up finishing off with my Mach3. Any ideas what I'm doing wrong? I used a Derby blade. I did find it difficult to handle and the stubble kept getting stuck in the razor after shaving so I had to keep loosening the blade to get out the hairs.

I'm half considering not using it again if this is the outcome but I cant ditch it yet having spent so much on it. Any help would be appreciated from the experts out there!

Cheers

StealthRolex · 29-06-2012 12:34pm

A couple of things we need to know:

How may days growth or how long was the stubble?
If the stubble is too long it can clog the head. One or two days is usually ok. Three of four and you need reduction passes first.

How moist was the cream? If the cream is too dry this can clog the head

Did you use oil?

What pattern did you follow? For three days growth I would do 2 with the grain, one across and one against, but against only on certain areas. I'm not a fan of going against on the neck as the skin is thinner and more easily irritated.

How much pressure? In general the weight of the head is sufficient for with the grain passes. For across and against you need to be conscious of the fact that you should use the minimum of pressure to keep the head against the skin.

If the handle is slipping rub your fingers with an alum block first. You can also use alumed fingers to stretch the skin.
If you don't have an alum block yet it's a case of drying your fingers and the handle before starting.

At a guess if it is just our neck and you have a Mach 3 the issues are most likely the pressure and going against the grain.

If you haven't viewed the Mantic59 series on shaving they are highly recommended

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2DB6D82F52BA7608

Stick with it. It is well worth it.

corpo3030 · 29-06-2012 12:41pm

Hi Maximus,
I don't know how helpful this will be but I was in a similar situation myself. I found preparing my face before hand made a huge difference. I have been using ProRaso pre and post shave cream as well as Mitchells Wool Fat shaving soap, and since getting these I haven't cut myself once. In fact since I took up DE shaving I have to only shave every second day because I get such a close shave. The shave cream and shave soap were bought from shaving.ie too.
Excellent advice from StealthRolex too, those videos are a great help.

John Divney · 29-06-2012 1:12pm

I have yet to cut myself but razor bumps on the chin and neck are still a problem sometimes, and I put it down to poor technique.

I find that making an O-shape with your mouth, and shaving the elongated chin area as it is flatter, and then jutting my chin out and lifting my head up so that my neck is vertical, and flat, and thus not needing any pressure to shave it eliminates a lot of bumps for the chin/jawline.

But the most important thing are blades and good lubricating lather. Derby's aren't my favourite at all, I would change blade maybe to an Astra, and try a different cream or soap, a proven one with good reviews, and also try and be far more careful in technique.

PickledLime · 29-06-2012 6:33pm

Howdy Maximus,

The lads above have some great advice (and those videos are a god-send), i'm a recent DE convert myself (only had 6 shaves so far!). What i did for the first few was be ultra cautious, almost fearful of the blade. Forget about your confidence using a disposable, try to relearn it (and by my 4th shave i was flying along), only with the DE as your tool instead.

Out of the 3 blade brands i've tried so far (Gilette 7 O'Clock, Astra and Derby), the Derbs were the least comfortable.

Now this might seem like a bit of a silly question, but are you sure you have the razor baseplate (the bit between the handle and blade) on the right way? I have the R89 myself and after getting it in the post, i took it apart to have a look i found myself not knowing which way is the correct way.

Here's what it should look like:

Hope you can gleam some use from everyone's advice and good luck with your next DE shave

John Divney · 05-07-2012 2:19pm

Here are some pictures of a nice Gold Ball end Tech I got for $15 on Ebay, no plate loss at all, nearly in mint condition bar a slight brown stain on the handle.

I really like the feel of the handle, very hefty, surprisingly so. Haven't shaved with iy yet, but I presume it is a very mild shaver due the the blade angle they have.

PickledLime · 05-07-2012 6:30pm

John Divney wrote: »

Here are some pictures of a nice Gold Ball end Tech I got for $15 on Ebay, no plate loss at all, nearly in mint condition bar a slight brown stain on the handle.

I really like the feel of the handle, very hefty, surprisingly so. Haven't shaved with iy yet, but I presume it is a very mild shaver due the the blade angle they have.

Great find! The case is quite nice too.

So Solingen Timor blades are off my list. Only got half way through a shave last night with one before i had it swapped out for an Astra. Found it horribly dull to shave with!

John Divney · 05-07-2012 7:39pm

PickledLime wrote: »

Great find! The case is quite nice too.

So Solingen Timor blades are off my list. Only got half way through a shave last night with one before i had it swapped out for an Astra. Found it horribly dull to shave with!

It's actually a case for 'Milord' razor, which is a serious upgrade of a 40's gold tech box, might look for an actual Milord now

I was looking forward to using the Timors, I'm a solid Astra SP man, but I won't bother now, I need a blade equivalent or sharper than an Astra or there's no point.

PickledLime · 05-07-2012 8:13pm

John Divney wrote: »

It's actually a case for 'Milord' razor, which is a serious upgrade of a 40's gold tech box, might look for an actual Milord now

I was looking forward to using the Timors, I'm a solid Astra SP man, but I won't bother now, I need a blade equivalent or sharper than an Astra or there's no point.

I'm gonna try and not go down that route just yet, i think the hoarder in me will make things quite expensive!

I was shaving off 2 weeks worth of growth in one go, maybe the Timors are no good for that? Either way, i shaved most of my right cheek with one and it wasn't very effective or comfortable. Swapped to the Astra and it sailed through the rest of my face, with no irritation to boot.

I'd say give a Timor a go by all means, but maybe keep an Astra at the ready

John Divney · 05-07-2012 8:20pm

Are Timors made by Merkur?

Amalgam · 06-07-2012 9:48pm

John Divney wrote: »

Here are some pictures of a nice Gold Ball end Tech I got for $15 on Ebay.

Very nice. Do you think that is the originally paired case. I find it unusual that it has medium to heavy wear on the suede finish, but the razor is practically mint. Not that it matters really.

I love the look of those razors, but sadly I can't use them, thanks to my 'wire like' facial hair. The blade angle and gap are really quite discreet on those razors.

John Divney · 07-07-2012 12:59pm

Amalgam wrote: »

Very nice. Do you think that is the originally paired case. I find it unusual that it has medium to heavy wear on the suede finish, but the razor is practically mint. Not that it matters really.

I love the look of those razors, but sadly I can't use them, thanks to my 'wire like' facial hair. The blade angle and gap are really quite discreet on those razors.

Oh no, it's definitely a different case, which is from a 'Milord'. But if I have identified the razor right (Gold Ball end Tech) it is from the 40's, so I find it strange that the condition is so good too, bar a small stain on the handle.

You can't shave with plated razors and not wear the top plate over time, be it gold nickel or whatever.

PickledLime · 08-07-2012 12:44am

John Divney wrote: »

Are Timors made by Merkur?

Can't remember who they're made by, but it's not Merkur (though the company is German).

h57xiucj2z946q · 18-07-2012 9:03am

Have used razors like Mach3 and Wilkinson Swords FX all my life. Is it worth taking the plunge for a DE razor?

Gran Hermano · 18-07-2012 9:18am

Hendrix Cuddly Trampoline wrote: »

Have used razors like Mach3 and Wilkinson Swords FX all my life. Is it worth taking the plunge for a DE razor?

Well this thread alone has almost 3,000 posts extolling the virtues of DE shaving. After a couple of decades using cartridge razors I switched to DE razors
some years back. I have zero shaving problems (no irritation, cuts or razor bumps) and get a much closer shave.

h57xiucj2z946q · 18-07-2012 9:21am

Gran Hermano wrote: »

Well this thread alone has almost 3,000 posts extolling the virtues of DE shaving. After a couple of decades using cartridge razors I switched to DE razors
some years back. I have zero shaving problems (no irritation, cuts or razor bumps) and get a much closer shave.

I know I started reading back a few pages, and everyone who switched seemed happy. I think I will go for the starter kit on shaving.ie

run_Forrest_run · 18-07-2012 2:51pm

Hendrix Cuddly Trampoline wrote: »

I know I started reading back a few pages, and everyone who switched seemed happy. I think I will go for the starter kit on shaving.ie

Best move you can make.

TheDoc · 20-07-2012 4:15pm

Hendrix Cuddly Trampoline wrote: »

I know I started reading back a few pages, and everyone who switched seemed happy. I think I will go for the starter kit on shaving.ie

I'm actually the same.

Chatter on bargain alerts alerted me to this, will check out some youtube videos as it looks like there is some technique involved.

Currently just using a Mach something, handy enough to use never any cuts but they cost a fortune and I go through the blades very quickly, gone to lurk this forum big style!

PickledLime · 20-07-2012 6:18pm

I'm a recent convert lads, and there's just no going back to cartridges!

Genghiz Cohen · 22-07-2012 2:16pm

Mantic59s Youtube channel

beardybrewer · 23-07-2012 9:52am

Genghiz Cohen wrote: »

Mantic59s Youtube channel

Just swapped over and the seven part series he did was very helpful. As was this for post-shave.

John Divney · 23-07-2012 5:25pm

I did a swap for some blades with KasierJim, and the Shark SS's are now my favourite blades I have used in my Fatboy. For me they are as smooth as the Astra,s but are sharper, they absolutley crushed some four 5 day stubble, so much so I just did two passes with and across the grain. Obviously it won't be as smooth as 3 pass, but it looked very close, so no point doing more than necesary.

I also think Mikes Natural Soap is going to be my only soap for the rest of my life, I really like how it performs, and has zero chemicals. Hope he doesn't stop making them.

Safety Razors

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