Switching to a DE razor, what do I have?

That'll do. E-Mail me your postal address and I will send you some blades to try.

You will also want a brush, a bowl, and some soap. A bowl you probably already have. It's just a small bowl about 3 1/2 inch to 4 inch diameter, fairly flat bottom, about 2 inches deep. Look around in the kitchen.

Soap? I suggest www.thegentlemensquarter.com

And for a brush? www.westcoastshaving.com can set you up.
 
Man now this is going to turn into a whole new hobby on its own...
I just ordered up 4 different shaving soaps; samples of "Highlander" "Armani Black Code" "Bay with Sweet Orange", and a 1oz of "Gentleman's Whiskey."
I also ordered a boar brush from west coast, I'll have to wait till next payday to pick up a badger brush.

Thanks for those sights too btw!
 
Black codes is a personal favorite of mine; I think you'll like it.

The Bay with Sweet Orange is a lot more bay than orange. I didn't dislike it, but I would like a bit more orange in it. Highlander I have not tried. The Whiskey is new and I have not tried it but will; I'll look forward to your report. Lime Margaretta is my other favorite.

This can turn into a hobby, yes, if you let it. I have strictly resisted that. But, as I have shown in previous threads DE shaving saves upwards of a dollar a day over cartridges. So, if you spend a bit of that money on fancy scented soap, for example, and you enjoy that, then that's ok. If you've taken soemthing which was a drudgery and changed it into something you enjoy, you'll have (after a few months) significantly better shaves, and you'll still be saving money and helping the enviroment too.
 
You have what appears to be a 1940s Gillette Super Speed. I have 3 Super Speeds from the '50s and 2 from the 70's. The '70s models, I bought for my sons, for when they get older.
I use Derby and Shark blades. I prefer the Derby in the SS. The '40s SS may be a bit more aggressive than the '50s and later models, not sure.
Not saying I don't like Sharks in my SS, I just do better with the Derby. Plus, you can get them off fleabay for about $13.00 shipped, for 100 blades.

Someday you'll end up buying an Edwin Jagger DE87 and loving it.
The old Gillette Adjustables are great shavers, too.
 
I just bought a Gillette slim off ebay for about 25 dollars (cad) shipped. The color balance of the pictures was off so it looked like the plating was worn. I adjusted the pictures and it looks almost pristine, not even a spot. Should prove to be a pretty good deal. anxiously awaiting the razor, a sample pack of blades, an Edwin Jagger best badger brush, and a nice selection of soaps to arrive. hoping it will be here on Monday.

I also found a clay french onion soup bowl my grandmother gave us years ago that looks perfect for lather. the bottom is stamped "1941 CANADA". Was hoping to find a piece or two of my grandfathers kit, but no such luck.
 
Derby Extra blades are not the cheapest, but they work great in my estimation. I just checked, you can get a thousand blades for $80. I easily get four or five shaves out of a blade, so that pretty much gets me through a week. A thousand weeks is 19 years worth of shaves. I tried the really cheap ones from CVS... oh hell no. I'd rather shave by ripping a Coke can open and scraping my neck with that.

Feathers are the Japanese blades that are amazingly wicked sharp. Feathers are $32 for 100, so $320 for a thousand, which will last you 19 years or more, because I've heard Feathers will give you more than five shaves. Maybe six or seven? Dunno, I haven't used them.

Some say that beard prep is the most important variable in getting your DE shave on. I agree. Hell, once I learned something about beard prep I don't even need to use a DE anymore. Any cheap disposable razor does a great job when you take a long hot shower and make sure to work that hot water into your beard for a good couple of minutes right before you get out and shave immediately after.

Some of the guys on badgerandblade.com and shavemyface.com spend 45 minutes shaving in the morning. Not me. It's a two minute thing at most.

Then again, I drink Trader Joe's wine, smoke $3 cigars, load up on London Broil when it's on sale for $2 a pound, drive a $3,000 4x4, etc. My favorite pocket knife is a Kershaw Leek. There's much better stuff out there, but baby needs a new pair of shoes.

I do very much enjoy shaving with a DE, though. It's a nice traditional thing to do. I never thought the cartridge systems were all that great anyway.

Also, check out the Schick injectors. The razors kind of look like the cartridge system razors, but they use a single one sided blade. The Schick brand blade injectors with seven blades are about five bucks. But... one time I found a link to a medical supply house that essentially copied the Schick blade and sold them as a specimen slicer or something like that. They came in a 400 pack, I can't remember how much they were but holy CRAP was it cheap. Even the cheap CVS blades made that thing hum. I got a better shave out of the Schick injector than I've ever gotten out of a DE.

www.badgerandblade.com

www.shavemyface.com

Both of those places are great resources. Even if they are a little Metro.
 
Actually I think those single edged blades were made before Schick started using them for hobby, medical, and dissection purposes. That's why they're thick and easy to hold. not necessarily very well designed for shaving, thinner DE blades took over.

Edit: nevermind. those were just normal single edged razor blades. What are razors like that called? I keep seeing them in movies.
 
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Woohoo! The blades that Gollnick sent me arrived yesterday, and everything else showed up today.
Gollnick is spot on the Bay rum sweet orange, too much bay, not enough orange. The Armani smells delicious! But everything smells a tad like bay rum, maybe after i let everything cool down and re-solidify(its 104 F right now, probably even hotter in the mailbox) I can get a better feel of whats what.

I can't wait to shave in a few hours!
 
Wet shaving is expensive... in the beginning.

I've been a wetshaver for 2 years, but last time I bought something (mmm, Sandalwood soap from TGQ) was on Thanksgiving sale 2009. It seems to cost you much when you buy soaps, creams and aftershaves, but this stuff lasts for a LONG time.
 
Gollnick said:
The Bay with Sweet Orange is a lot more bay than orange. I didn't dislike it, but I would like a bit more orange in it.
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I found it to be the opposite, too much orange not enough bay. Depends of your taste. I really like Bay Rum (if you do too, try Ogallala Bay Rum). If you want more orange, try Savon de Campagne. That one was too orangy for me. Or that soap in Blood Orange scent: http://www.straightrazordesigns.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=663


Highlander is a good one too, the Rosemary is very present.


My personal TGQ favorite are Desert Ironwood and Sandalwood. Her provence Lavender is probably the softest soap I own. Perfect for sensitive skins.

I still have a lot of samples to try.
 
SE blades and razors have been around since the early 1900s. The Schick injector has been around since 1935. I have 2 1930s-1940s Schick injectors and a 1960s Pal adjustable injector and they give great shaves. I get more good shaves from my injector blades than I do from my DE blades. The Injector blades are thicker and seem to hold an edge longer. Plus, loading a new blade just doesn't get any simpler or easier.
The older E and G type Injector razors are about the size of a Bic disposable, and look like they would be cheaply made. However, they've survived 60+ years of use and have held up very well.
Nothing shaves my head as well as my old Type-E Schick Injector. It does a great job on my face too. I had to learn a different technique than for my DE. I hold the injector with my index finger resting on top of the head.
Injectors don't clog easily, another plus. You can lop off 3+ days growth without having the razor get clogged like a cartridge blade does.

The old Gem/Star/Ever Ready razors made by ASR(Personna) give fantastic shaves too. If you're careful, a Gem Micromatic will give you the best shave you've ever had. I have a Gem Junior (essentially a 1912) that is milder than a Gillette Tech but shaves closer.
I get my SE blades from Rite Aid and CVS. They're Treet and Gem blades made by ASR.
I bought 4 packs of 11 injector blades each (made by ASR) from CVS for $2.50 a pack. They were on clearance and I wish I'd bought 3 times as many before they sold out.
 
crunky said:
Hey gents, I've been thinking about switching to a DE for a long time, and I just snagged this thing off of fleabayhttp://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220612319636&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT
So what did I just buy?
And I'm hoping for some recommendations on blades, I have very sensitive skin and somewhat coarse/wiry facial hair.
TIA
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I, to have sensitive skin and wires for whiskers. It may take some trial and error to find the right razor/blade combo to shave with (see the bottom of my post). I'm still experimenting.

I have some C.O. Bigelow shaving cream (made by Proraso) that I really like compared to the VDH shaving soap that I bought as Wal-Mart. It's pretty pricey at our Bath & Body Works store in the mall ($5 for the 1.7oz, $10 for the 5oz. tube), but it's local and got me started. I'm only 1/3 through the small tube (been using it for a month). I've found that my skin likes the shaving cream more than the soap, and with our hard water, it's easier to get a lather with the cream.

Gollnick's recommendation on using a bowl is a good one. I'm using my f-i-l's Old Spice shaving mug, but I I'm going to save for a shaving bowl that's a little wider, as I constantly clang my brush on the rim (at 0545 in the morning that's too loud when there are little ones sleeping just 15ft. away!).

You picked up a 1940s style Super Speed.
You can find out what year it was made by looking at the date code on the underside of the head. There may be a letter on the left under "reg u.s." on the top lef and a number under "pat off." on the top right. Gillette dating information will tell you when it was made. If there is no date code, then it was made prior to 1951.

I have a 1952 black-tip super speed (same design as yours with a black plastic tip), and I can tell you the earlier ones are quite aggressive. You might not like the shave compared to the milder Super Speeds of the 60s and 70s (70s are milder than the 60s, which are milder than the 1940s-style). I have 2 1960s and 2 1970s Super Speeds and they are milder than my 40s-style super speed. I'll be selling at least one of each in the next couple weeks, as I don't need duplicates, and I tend to use my fat handled tech and my adjustables the most.

If you think you're done buying DE razors,... think again.:D


C.S. Graves said:
Great offer, Gollnick! :thumbup:
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No kidding! He did the same thing for me and it is really helping me figure out what I need. I still haven't used all the blades he sent me. I haven't gotten to the Super Iridiums yet, but that's next on the list. I find that I can get more shaves out of a DE blade than I could with my Fusion or Quattro Titanium cartridges, so I haven't gone through as many blades in the last couple months as I would have with cartridges.

So far I've figured out that each razor likes different blades:
  • my 1930s or 40s fat handled tech: Feather or Derby Extra. Dorco blades are too mild for this razor.
  • 1952 black tip super speed: going to sell it! It's too aggressive for my sensitive face, even with the Dorco blades, which seem milder.
  • 1960s flair tip super speeds: Derby Extra or Dorco
  • 1970s flair tip super speeds (black handled ones): Feather or Bic
  • 1960 Fat Boy Adjustable: Feather, Derby Extra or Dorco I get the best shave using Feathers at "4" shaving WTG, and then moving to "3" to go ATG & XTG.
  • 1973 Super Slim Adjustable: Feather or Derby Extra
  • 1973 travel tech razor: Well, I haven't even tried it yet. I may have to do that today.
 
loonybin said:
So far I've figured out that each razor likes different blades:
Click to expand...

Really? Interesting... but I guess it's plausible for different makes of razor to have variations on a small scale that are just noticeable enough in use... the distance from blade to bar and what have you.
 
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