I was doing some spring cleaning and came across an old Art of Shaving gift card. Hmmm, what should I buy? I’m in my thirties now, so I was thinking maybe a nose hair trimmer or some strong smelling aftershave. I went to the website and found that most of the hardware they sell is straight razors and safety razors. I’m intrigued. Does anybody have experience shaving with a safety razor? The CFA in me likes the idea of saving money on cheap plastic cartridges and the old man in me likes the old school manly appearance of non-cartridge razors.
I switched to a safety razor about a year ago and will never switch back. Much closer shave, great feeling skin and of course much cheaper. I use a Merkur 23C which cost me about $50. For blades I use Black Feather. $6 in blades lasts me about 3 months, but I switch quite often as I like an extra sharp edge. I have dinged myself a few times but never too bad. Because the blades are so sharp, any cut is surgically clean and general heals invisibly within 24 hours. Also, shave after the shower. The heat softens up the hair making it easier. I found a hot towel wasn’t as effective and I had more irritation. You’ll need good aftershave regardless. Normally I just do a one pass but on the weekends I do the full three pass (with grain, 90 degrees to grain, against the grain). The three pass is incredible. Skin is so soft and I can get away with shaving once per three days if I go with that (my facial hair is light brown/red). All in all, saves a ton of money, better quality and more badass. You can’t lose. Highly recommend.
A couple years ago I wanted to try out a straight razor, but everyone recommended starting with a safety razor first. Looking back, I have no idea why. It’s completely different. Anyway, I found safety razors to be a little vexing. It’s not easy to get the curves like your chin or right under your nose. Basically, they very inflexible compared to modern razors.
After a couple weeks of frustration, I decided to jump in the deep end and go with the straight razor. There are some serious pros and cons going with the straight razor. Pros: You automatically become a badass. If done correctly it’s the best shave you’ll ever have. And, if you take care of your equipment, you’ll end up saving money you’d otherwise spend on disposable razors. Cons: It’s freaking scary the first several times you do it. It’s really not easy to do, so it takes a lot of practice…like months. Until you get good at it, it’ll take about 15 minutes a shave. Even once you have it down, you’re still looking at double the time you could shave with a Gillette Fusion (for example). And, start up costs are very high. Couple hundred for a good razor and another couple hundred for the accessories.
tl;dr - Safety razors suck. Straight razors are manly as fuck but very difficult to master. Unless you want to dedicate the time, use the gift card on their various creams and lotions.
I use nose hair trimmer scissors by Tweezerman. I know there are various electronic devices aimed to supposedly achieve the same purpose, but I like having a bit more control over my own destiny.
I too use the straight razor. It is an art that cannot be mastered but I get better everyday.
My brother got me a nose hair trimmer a while back. I use it.
As for shaving, I pretty rarely use blades anymore, mostly beard trimmer on lowest or second lowest settings. I proper shaved this weekend before Governor’s Ball, but I honestly can’t remember the last time I did that. I usually shave with just hot water (no shaving cream), like a boss.
Where is Blake when we need him?
Used a safety razor when I was in my late teens/early 20s - my dad thougth it was important for me to learn. Got away from it and eventually ended up using safetys. Occasionally I’ll pay an old-school barber for a shave - nothing like one from a pro.
I changed up from the cartridge to safety razor about a year ago. I have a pretty thick beard so one pass on a full day of stubble won’t cut it. Two passes for standard work days and a third pass against the grain for something important or intimate. I personally like getting to put a fresh blade on every three or four days, but the improvement over standard cartridge is only marginal. With that said, learning to shave with a safety razor made me really concentrate on how I shave. Honing that skill and improved shaving products make a bigger difference than what razor is used IMHO. Really tempted to try the straight razor route though.
so much douchebaggary
The preshave oil is nice. Prevents me from cutting myself and seems to make for a smoother shave.
Serving his sentence.
Oh buddy I couldn’t agree more. People operating in this surplus society today have too much time on their hands so we look to make things more complicated, more ritualistic, more “artisan” in our foods, etc. A WWII G.I. on the front lines would have killed to have access to something like a Mach 3 razor; now we seek to go back to antiquity and use the undesirable single razor so that we can feel manly in the mirror for – an audience of ourselves.
This trend needs to stop. When I go to some restaurant and some “working actor” runs some hipster urban lumberjack’s idea of gourmet in front of me containing side mushrooms picked directly off the hills of rural France, it’s like, listen pal, just give me the f’ing steak and mashed potatoes, thanks.
One thing I’ve found absolutely incredible is that we must remove our shoes when going through TSA checkpoints but razors in the carryon are a-ok. I mean, how did the largest terrorist attack of all time happen? Razors? Oh, ok, no reason to check for those. Anyway…
I think some things that are simple actually are better. For example, old school barbells and dumbells are now considered by most to be better that nautilus machines. I agree with this. Cooking food fresh, like they did before TV dinners, is considered to be better. I agree with this too. Everyone used to wear polyester everything, before they realized that natural fibers were actually better than the modern synthetics for many applications.
The point of this thread is to figure out if a safety razor/straight razor is just a gimic (like riding one of those bikes with the big tire in the front) or is actually something that is superior.
That depends on a variety of factors. What’s important to you? Do you prefer spending 3 minutes shaving or 10-15? Do you want to closest possible shave? Do you think you’ll get some sort of manly high from hearing the scrape of a straight razor against your stubble? (You will btw.) What about start-up costs versus long-term costs?
Honestly, after spending a lot of time with a straight razor it just isn’t practical enough for my tastes. It’s a Fusion during the week and then a staight razor on the weekends when I can take my time. It’s rather soothing actually. But, I’d rather hit the sleep timer one more time than get a marginally better shave with my straight razor.
To those who want to use a straigt razor–if you want to turn what should take three minutes into a thirty minute job, at great risk to your health and great possibility of scarring your face, all for that extra .0000000000001 inches off the beard, then go right ahead. Chances are that you’ll still have to shave tomorrow.
Me? I’ll just stick to my Gillete Fusion Proglide for weekdays and…a Gillette Fusion Proglide for weekends, too. I can use the extra 27 minutes to study for Claritas.
I do enjoy putting shaving cream on with my badger-hair brush, though. It takes an extra 60 seconds to lather it up, but it feels extra nice,and often smells better too. I only do it for my unbearded sections, however.
I am unsure if the lather is good for a beard shampoo. I think I read somewhere that the lather helps soften a beard. My beard is very short, so it can wash out easily.
I couldn’t be bothered with a straight razor. I’m now curious about safety razors, though. How often does one have to change them (either in days or in number of shaves)?
Badger hair brushes are awesome. They also lift the wiskers for an easier shave. Everyone should use one.
Bchad > I change my safety razor once every three to four shaves, or about once a week. My understanding is most people stretch that out further. While the Mach 3 guys claim superiority here for whatever reason, I pay $6 for 10-12 weeks of ultra sharp fresh Japanese crafted blades.my annual shaving cost is about $100 including creams and aftershave. Saves a lot of money and I think it offers a superior shave.
^How much time do you spend shaving?
I’m guessing I spend three minutes a day, or about 18 hours a year. Multiply that by my $150 billing rate, and I spend approximately $2,700 in time alone shaving.