Inflection Points in shaving

I too, am a DE user. And like a few others on here, I got started after finding the popular site, "Badger and Blade". Over the last few years I have amassed a collection of mostly Gillettes, but also Merkur, Schick, RollsRazors, EveryReady, Gem, and a few more. My actual shavers though, are all Gillettes. My current rotation consists of a Gillette Slim adjustable, an old fat handled Gillette Tech, and an old gold plated Gillette Aristocrat.

The blades are another story. I have tried MANY different blades!! From the Gillette Super Stainless (recycled beer cans) that is sold in many Wal-Marts, to the sharpest of the bunch, Feathers. After using a full pack of each different blade (Crystals, Gillette platinums, IP's, Feathers, Sharps, Dorcos, Derby's, Gillette 7'oclocks (all three variations), and dozens of other blades which I cannot think of right now, I settled on my favorite. Astra Superior Platinums. They are nearly as sharp as a Feather, but many times smoother. Actually, the smoothness rivals that of the Gillette platinums (aka "Swedes"), and the edge retention is among the best too. All this, and you can get a box of 100 shipped to your door for $20.

For lather, I use a silvertip badger brush of my own making. The knots I order from a well known supplier to the various shaving forums, and the handles I turn using genuine Lignum Vitae. As for the soaps and creams.... That has turned into another bad acquisition disorder, as I have an entire cabinet full of them!!!!

Overall, I must say that it is a very relaxing hobby, and I get better shaves than I ever could have with modern day, multi-blade razors.
 
I should give an update now over four months into this DE inflection.

I'm still using almost exclusively Classic Shaving Soap. I'll try experimenting with soap and cream once I get the blade experimentation largely done.

When I started out on this path some six months ago or so when I started my research, I read some of the online blade reviews and jokingly thought to myself, "Is it a razor blade or a Pinot Noir?" I have now extensively tried five brands of blades: Dorco, Merkur, Crystal, Derby, and Bic. The variations are as dramatic as the variations among Pinot Noirs.

I spent two weeks trying to make peace with Crystal blades and I now know what the Palestinians are up against. I have experienced Israelie agression and I have experienced the failure of peace talks with Israelies.

Dorcos are very mild. It's not a close shave, but it is safe and it is cheap. I bought 100 of these so that I will always have them as a safety stop.

Merkurs are just overpriced.

Derby is great. I bought 300 of these since I like them.

But Bic... these are wonderful. Oh, I like these Greek blades. I bought 300 of these too.

I still have some Gillette blades, but those are now, since I bought my sample pack, discontinued and so I see no reason for me to try them. I'll gift them to someone who will appreciate them. Besides, one of the expressed purposes of my switch to DE shaving was to get Gillette out of my shave.

I have Astra and Feather yet to try. I'll get to them eventually, but both are reputed to be very sharp, not good for people whose technique is not yet entirely perfect. Also, both Feather and Astra blades are expensive and so, no matter how much I like them, I'm unlikely to adopt them for every day use.

My experience has been really very good... except for those two weeks spend trying the Crystal blades. I still have a nasty cut that's slowly healing from that time.

I remain convinced that my Merkur Futur is a great razor and that any guy would be well-advised to save money and get a better shave by switching to DE shaving.
 
I tend to agree about the Merkur blades,they are OK but nothing exceptional.Costly and difficult to get yes.

I'm interested by what Gollnick wrote about BIC blades. Haven't tried those yet but want to now. Derby are very reliable. Crystal mashed me up too and didn't deliver a close shave just a lot of wounds. Feather are very good indeed,real Japanese cutlery! They don't seem to cost that much more, but like a decent Pinot Noir,very satisfying in action.
 
I forgot to include Persona blades on my list. I tried those too. They're not bad... but not overly good either. They're priced appropriately for their performance.

I really agree with you on the Crystals. Wow. Not a good shave and lots of nicks and cuts. They're misserable. Derbys are great. And Bic is really great. These Greek blades are really great. No runs. no nicks, no errors, just a perfectly-smooth shave. These are the best between my lower lip and chin; my beard there is especially tough. Derbys do well there, but Bics excell. And Bics are about the same price as Derbys. I also like the all-paper packaging of Bics. I'm not a raving environmentalist, but one minor thing that drove me away from cartridges is all that plastic.
 
Right! Cartridge razors and multi blades not only deliver an inferior and more costly shave,they produce a lot of plastic rubbish that need to be dealt with at environmental cost.

Must try those Bics out.

Currently I'm in the cream/soap controversy and fortunately can't make my mind up!They produce less waste as well, no aerosol tins to get rid of and produce...
 
I just had an inflection point on shaving creams. I've been using Colonel Conk soaps for a while because that's what our store carried (and what I got a good discount on), but today we received a shipment of Dovo's shaving cream. I had always found the Conk soaps to be a bit lacking in the lather department. It always seemed too foamy/airy with not enough substance.

The Dovo cream is an entirely different breed. It's a waxy consistency when in the tub, and it needs a fair amount of water to make its way onto the brush. Once transferred to the face, it stays and does not dry out. I'm thoroughly impressed. I was going to wait until tomorrow morning to try it out, but I had to this evening. I sit here rubbing my face, amazed at how smooth it is and how little burn I feel, even after using a 2 week old Merkur blade in my safety razor. Tomorrow, I'll probably pop in a new blade just to get the full effect. At first blush, however, I think I've found my new shaving cream/soap/wax/whatever you want to call it. I've never tried Proraso, but I wouldn't be surprised if these two are related.

Also, I will recant my previous rant about boar bristle brushes. They have their place. They're inexpensive, work up a quick lather, and after a bit of breaking in, are not horrible against the face.

Travis
 
There's a lot of talk about brushes in the DE world,some of those badgers come very dear and I wonder if they are worth it...the badgers I've used have been very good and not so expensive either. Boar seems to shed a lot though and it smells a good deal at first...swine-flu may knock it out completely! Interestingly enough, I've had exceptional results with a synthetic brush from Men-U it's imitation badger and after 4 heavy years it looks and performs pristine,it seems very durable and lathers exceptionally.

The cream I like the most so far is Taylor's Eton Coll, but Col Conk delivers a good enough shave but you need to work it more as it's a soaps ,real value though.L'Occitaine is another very reliable soap. I think Proraso also makes Omega soap/cream but not sure.
 
Got hold of some of those BIC blades from my trader in Poland.

EXTREMELY pleased by them,they out do Derby (and that's a decent blade anyway) and not far from Feather,maybe equal once I've had a few more shaves with them to judge better. No burn,very close and don't nick easily and they don't cost much either. Those Greeks may well have invented western civilization but they are continuing to contribute with these outstanding DE blades!
 
when it comes to general shaving inflections, just finished up a new strop, and WOW, the neatsfoot oil makes all the difference. once the leather is properly conditioned, it is just that much better. I'll be picking up a new brush this coming week I think, but I'll be sticking with my Rocky Mountain soapworks shave soap. If I see a DE for cheap at an antique place, I may grab it, but I'm loving my str8s!
 
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