Safety razors

[pcolbeck]

I must confess the goatee but these days tis grey not black. I have tried shaving it off but Mrs Pcolbeck said that made me look like my dad which apparently is not a good thing.

[Jakob]

I use Giletttes fusion vibrating thing and it's the bees knees. My other revelation was changing to soap and brush..but quality ones. I currently use a soap (and incidentally, also Super badger brush) from Floris and it's better than any gel, foam, oil I've tried.

[fred the great]

I went to the local Mall to get my reading glasses changed. And close to was a Boots Shop. I wandered in.

"Do you have  a safety razor?" and I was immediately taken   to all those shavers that I didn't want. Sensor blades 6 pounds etc. I have one of those and the blades clog quickly on my neck area hairs. For many years I have shaved with an electric razor and cleaned up the rest with the Sensor.

Lo and behold I spotted a Boots Safety Razor including 5 blades for 4 Quid. Made where? I have no idea. At that price it had to be made in Asia and my guess is Indonesia. Chinese products normally state that they were made in China and I think British stuff requires the same. The Country Barcode is UK but that doesn't reveal the Country of Manufacture.

After reading reports of cuts and blood, I have tested it quite gently with no ill effects. The balance seems to be quite good although the handle is some kind of plastic or epoxy finish.

So for the time being, I'll play with this one until I have an opportunity to visit a different place where there may be a greater variety. I also need a decent brush and soap as yet.

Incidentally Merkur are most popular on my expats Forum.

Yours cuttingly.

[Jasper the surreal cyclist]

I have a Parker Knightsbridge. Works well and is a nice piece of engineering...

[fred the great]

Today, I discovered that Tesco, Bangkok, of course, sell Gillette Razor Blades but no razor to put them in Anyway i bought a pack of five for stock.

Need the opportunity to go to a large Department Store used by most expats where I am hoping I may find something better.

[pcolbeck]

You'll probably have to mail order. Even in the UK only specialist shops sell safety razors bar the cheap plastic ones that Boots and Wilkinsons Sword do.

[fred the great]

I appreciate it may have to be Mail Order but the Emporium as it is called may just have something. They carry a lot of imported goods which are not available elsewhere.

Must say Tesco's and Boots have surprised me by carrying some unexpected gear. The Boot's shaver for example ain't the smartest but it's not bad.

[pcolbeck]

I think it's the same one that Wilkinsons sword use. Made somewhere in the far east and rebranded by both companies. Tesco razor blades have a good reputation by the way. I don't go to Tescos very often (worked next door to a big one for 10 years so have had my fill) so haven't tried them yet.

[fred the great]

The blades from Tesco are in fact Gillette which are definitely made in  the Far east somewhere. i.e. on the back of the packet is a large picture of a multi blade job like the Sensor. A much smaller picture next to it shows how to insert safety razor blades.

Obviously the guy who designed the pack didn't understand the difference. The thing that holds the blades is clearly safety razor size.

[fred the great]

Oh and I would like to thank Pat for starting this thread.

It reminded me that after years of electric shaving there are indeed old alternatives that do the job better.

[pcolbeck]

Holy thread resurrection Batman.

Anyhow, I was looking for a new shaving brush when I suddenly had a hankering to try a new razor. Been using my Merkur 34C for 14 years now and its been great but given how much cash its saved me in that time why not try a different one. So I went for something completely different a Muhle R41 Grande (longer handle) open comb razor.
It has a bit of a reputation as being an animal but I tried it today and it was fine, no cuts or nicks. The shave was brilliant, a really smooth finish. Highley recommended.

[Little Jim]

I started off with as 34C too and then bought a Razorock gamechanger 84 a couple of years ago and I love it.  I read the reviews of the R41 at the time, and one said that it ought to come with a safety warning!

I also tried various blades at the same time, not really believing that there would be much difference between them.  How wrong I was.  I have found that the Gillette Silver Blues suit me really well.

[citoyen]

I've been thinking of getting a safety razor but I have little impetus - the barber gives me a proper shave/beard trim and I use clippers to keep the stubble in check between visits. The barber does it the old-fashioned way, of course, and it's a better shave than I could ever give myself.

Anyway, good to have some recommendations to bear in mind. I've not bought a razor for ages. When I was buying razors, the Gillette Sensor Excel was my preference - two blades, seems plenty. The disposable razor arms race is very much a "Last Days of Rome" kind of thing.

[Little Jim]

I think that you get as good, if not a better shave than with a plastic multiblade razor.  Having said that I never used anything with more than 2 blades in it.

[fd3]

I went from 4 blades to single blades and the safety gives a better shave.
BUT I also went from shaving without a mirror in the shower to actually taking some time to shave, use a brush with soap, a mirror, etc.

[mrcharly-YHT]

I went from 4 blades to single blades and the safety gives a better shave.
BUT I also went from shaving without a mirror in the shower to actually taking some time to shave, use a brush with soap, a mirror, etc.

Same experience here.

using feather blades in a merkur gave me a closer shave with less skin irritation.

These days I'm a hairy barbarian, so it is a moot point.

[Beardy]

I’ve not bought a razor for 40 years 
I never found a razor that didn’t give me razor burn, so as soon as I had anything resembling a full set, I stopped shaving.

[Slave To The Viking]

I went from 4 blades to single blades and the safety gives a better shave.
BUT I also went from shaving without a mirror in the shower to actually taking some time to shave, use a brush with soap, a mirror, etc.

Same experience here.

using feather blades in a merkur gave me a closer shave with less skin irritation.

These days I'm a hairy barbarian, so it is a moot point.

I'm also a hairy barbarian for about half the year, but a semi-hairy barbarian for the ramainder. During the less hairy phase, when shaving round the edges, I've attempted to use Feathers, but in an Edwin Jagger, and I might as well have used a belt sander. When new, they slice me to ribbons. After one shave, they're dulled and require sufficient pressure that I'm torn to shreds. Maybe in the right razor they'll have the right angle to behave themselves, but mine clearly ain't right. They live in the kitchen and are used for slashing bread.

Personna work fine, but Wilkinson Sword are perfect.

[andrew_s]

My safety razor is the oldest item I have that's in regular use.
A Gillette Slim Twist, date code S4 (Oct-Dec 1972, I believe).

It's somewhat adjustable, in that doing the clamshell closing collar up tighter flexes the blade down, resulting in a less close shave, but reduced risk of nicks.

I acquired it in 1984, when someone leaving what's now Vernadsky station failed to pack it before getting on the ship for the UK.