Getting it straight-- the razor obsessed shaving megathread

I've been doing that for 2 years now. Best one was a fancy gold plated (colored) Aristocrat (I think) that I got in a box of Gillette handles (60s and 70s) for $12. That one shaver sold for $167 on ebay. Most sell for $25-$65. Have the time people just give them to me.

Yup...good stuff.

Anybody got any permanent scars from their DE? I've got one up high on my left cheek, a Merkur Futur with a fresh Feather. When I say this one dug in hard, it dug in hard! Probably two years ago, and I'm pretty sure this one is with my forever. At least it's in a good spot and adds a bit of character!

er nope, no need for a super aggressive razor and supper aggressive blade combo. Merkur 180 long + Astra SP or Israeli Personna's and i hardly get a nick even if i'm being dumb.

Ouch.

That's one of the reasons that the Feather razor is such a "mild" razor. The Feather blades are almost over-the-top aggressive. In combination, they'll give you a really good shave. If you use any other blade, it's an extremely mild razor. You'll have to shave a couple of times to get a close shave. Edit: I see they've Feather has redesigned their razor to be more "aggressive" (and bumped the price up another US$25.00 ).

I'm still primarily using my "Mergress" XL with the Israeli Personna Red Pack blades. I'm really glad I picked this one up when I did. They've been out of stock for a while, now.

I won't use the Feather blades, they are ninja sharp and I R stupid. I like the top of the line Dorco.

As for the scar, chicks dig scars, good luck.

I've got a Feather razor, but it's just too wimpy to deal with my beard, which is like sandpaper. I've been on the same program of the Futur/Feather/Cella soap for at least the past year. I have a lot of issues with ingrown hairs and I've been able to control it by shaving every 3-4 days. With the Futur I can literally get such a close shave that I don't start to show much shadow until late afternoon of the second day, and by day 3 it has more of the intentional beard look rather than the "I forgot to shave" look. Every few shaves I might get a nick with the Futur, but it has been a long time since I've carved out a piece.

I love the look and feel of my Feather, but yeah... It just doesn't perform as well as my Futur or Mergress XL.

Nope..and that's one of the reasons I sold my Futur. Too big, too heavy and too aggressive....not enough headroom for my not being 100% perfect with technique. I'm much happier with my Merkur long handle (non adjustable) and the handful of 60s-70s Gillettes.

On another note...we took our daughters to a local huge mall as a surprise for them. They did great in school last year and are generally great kids. We don't give allowances so this trip each was handed a wad of cash and told to have fun. As I was walking along what do I see but a Art of Shaving store! Woohoo!! Badger nutsack hair brushes galore! I can't bring myself to pay that kind of money for the brushes, but I did spring for a $25 tub of their Lavender shaving cream. I'm cheap so that's really saying something. Smells great and lathers up thick. The 2 hipster/steampunk dudes working the store were helpful and knowledgeable without being pushy.

What was a bit disappointing was the huge collection of fancy handles holding modern multi-blade cartridges. I guess they need to support everyone.

BTW, buy their stuff on Amazon and save $7....I wish I had!

It really depends on your face which blades work best. I suggest trying a variety pack first. You can usually but a 25 pack with 4 different brands to try for $5. They have a 6 pack for $12 as well.

I agree that Astra's have worked well for me but so have Lords and Big Ben. Sharky's, not so much. I can only get a week out of them while I usually get two out of the other brands.

I too use a Merkur Model 180 Long Handle. I'll never go back to cartridges.

CVS blades in my Merkur Futur still working great

I have a nice Dovo straight I shave with love it. Best shave and it's worth the price and time

Just read up the Amazon reviews on Art of Shaving shaving cream since I am in dire need to order a new jar of cream.

Looks like the modern reviewers are leaving their products and claiming that since Proctor and Gamble bought them that the creams have been reformulated and/or watered down.

I made the decision to stick with Taylor of Old Bond Street, and just placed my Amazon order 5 minutes ago.

That's a shame, but the tub I bought will last me years at the rate I'm using it.

I'm not saying I have the experience with AoS products, but ...

I am supposed to hsave every day for work... sort of...

I find that even the tiniest amount of Taylor of old Bond Street makes plenty of lather, so I can guess what the old AoS products used to offer.

It's the same with Proaso or the AOS stuff. You need a dab about the size of a peanut to get more lather than you can use even when using the 3 pass method of shaving. Most people use way too much soap/creme just as I did when I started.

Another thing I have noticed about AoS, is the scent (sandalwood) in the shaving cream has become very faint, almost undetectable.

P&G probably reduced the scent to get you to buy the aftershave.

I cant' seem to get the same amount of lather out of the same amount of Prorasso compared to ToOBS.

That's what the modern reviews were saying.

I started with a Merkur Futur and kept cutting myself. I switched to the much lighter long handle and it's been smooth sailing ever since. Using feather blades and some soap my wife got at a arts and crafts festival. I'll be glad when the soap is gone so I can switch back to proraso.

I have great success with lathering on the surface of the shaving soap while it's in the tub. To start, I pour some hot water on the shaving soap, after a minute or so I pour the water off and use my wet brush to lather it up. Usually a minute of swirling the brush on the face of the soap produces enough lather for a quick 2 pass shave. Another minute gets a medium lather, 3 minutes gets enough stiff lather to last as many passes of my DE razor that I have time for.

I recently picked up a tube of Nivea shave paste (put a dab on a wet brush and lather on face) with great results.

I rotate between Proraso green and white, Taylor of Old Bond Street Sandalwood and the Nivea.

Afterhave is a choice between Pinaud Vanilla, Pinaud Bay Rum, Nivea, or if I'm feeling extra manly, a splash of Aqua Velva.