Bought a Merkur razor, a pack of 100 Derby blades and some Arko soap.
The razor was dear Merkur Futur at £40 but the blades are 10p each.
I have just had the best shave ever, no cuts, no dragging, just very, very smooth and close.
You can keep your Gillette sh!te at £2 per blade.

PS I think SS is stupid, wear body armour at trail centres, use a 6″ travel bike for everything, sold my On One and don’t have a beard (obviously).

I bought 10 Palmolive shave sticks earlier … 49p each.

Futur is nice but I prefer the classic look of Merkur Progress except the plastic bit at the end of the handle. Why oh why they need to have a plastic bit … 🙄

Why oh why they need to have a plastic bit .

+1

how hard could it be to fit a knurled metal knob?

how hard could it be to fit a knurled metal knob?

He’s always wondered.

UberGeek ^

😉

I went for the R89 following the thread off here.

Very much converted, had my better results off Gillette 7 o’clock blades.

Jeez is this in the running for shittest forum thread ever?

you’re helping it along nicely there r_r

wahoooooo,

I got my Edwin Jagger ivory DB yesterday, along with 2 packs of derby and one of the crystal 10 blade packs,

my other order of some arko along with a boars hair brush also came in
the same time, the arko i actually like the smell of, the brush im afraid was a massive fail, it looked like it had been trimmed by david blunket and developed a rather severe case of Alopecia on first use, there is around 50% left now, well what do you expect for £3 🙁

a new replacement is on it’s way from jagger, bagger hair thing £27 !!,

some brushes on there were a full £100 ??, i would expect a whole bagger for that one that fitted on the hand like a glove puppet,

all i need now is to wait for another 6 days then i might have a shave

Stoner – Member

Why oh why they need to have a plastic bit .

+1

how hard could it be to fit a knurled metal knob?

Get yourself a Mergress instead then.

A chap over in the USA takes the standard Progress and sorts out the calibration issues and replaces the plastic knob with a metal one.

I have one which I was given for my 40th and have been using it this week. The annoying thing is that I reckon my 34C HD actually gives me a better shave but I am determined to persevere with it.

The first rule of shaving with proper razors is that you really shouldn’t tell people about it.

The second rule of shaving with proper razors is that you really shouldn’t tell people about it.

Third rule, no shoes.

etc….

For the record, don’t buy a Parker.

poppa – Member

For the record, don’t buy a Parker.

Why not?

poppa – Member

For the record, don’t buy a Parker.

Why not?

I found Feathers razors sharper than Derby if you want a real effortless close shave. They’ll take the eyelashes off a bee, pinning it down in the first place is the hard part!

Is there something missing there, Quirrel?

I use a R89 D/E razor and have been trying differant blades

Wilkingson Sword felt blunt from new
Derby blades cut me to bits
Merkur blades give a ok shave
Feather/Gilette 7 oclock sharp superb.

I have tried the Bluebeards revenge shaving soap but I do not think much of it, Taylors is the one for me at about £7 a pot

Yes a good badger brush is worth it

BTW I ride a s/s Simple says it all I guess

Luxury Starter KitI bought this a couple of weeks ago

So far, very impressed, takes a bit of getting used to though, especially around the neck area.

It consists of:

Merkur 34C HD
Trueffit and Hill cream (which, imo, is the best part of the kit. the stuff is AMAZING!)
A pure badger brush
some derby blades

It was about £65 including VAT

I find shaving quite enjoyable now.

The first time I tried to lather the cream I put a “blob” onto the end of the brush. I had so much lather you could barely see my face or the brush! It’s pretty impressive how little of the cream you need to get a nice thick lather.

Will be trying some different blades soon, the derbys are OK, but i suspect there are better.

(I’m a 29 year old who rides DH btw, but everyone at my firm compares shaves and haircuts, it’s all very Bateman-esque :))

Had forgottten about that thread a few months ago but seeing this one has reminded me and I’ve just ordered a Futur (thanks for the link, winston_dog) and a sample pack of blades from eBay.

Kinda nervous…

For the record, don’t buy a Parker.

Why? I like mine and it gives a good consistent shave. Only problem I’ve had is that the handle/blade screw mechanism occasionally needs tightened mid shave, which is a bit irritating.

Murker Vision Feather blades and Michel’s wool fat soap for me all bought as the result of the thread on here although the cost of Fusion blades had me thinking about an alternative before finding the thread.

Getting closer shaves than with the Fusion but takes about twice as long.

54 years old Pace 405 and a Saracen Limited Edition fully ridged

Future with feather blade floats my boat completely (actually feather blade with almost any razor does it for me!).
I quite like a few other, more expensive, creams but Arko gives me the best shave at the moment and fits in nicely with the cheapo aspect of the whole thing. And I like the smell.

P.s. 2×9 456 with mud x/SB8 depending on the season

For me it’s:
Merkur Progress
Israeli blades
Taylors cream
and a bristle brush (not badger ATM)

SS/Rohloff/29er

all ticked.

poppa – Member

For the record, don’t buy a Parker.

Why not?

I bought one, and the QC was terrible. The blade gap was not constant along its length, and one side of the razor was more exposed than the other. Returned it for a replacement, it was better but not perfect, so I sold it.

Bought an Edwin Jagger 89 instead, it’s is about the same price and much better QC/finishing.

If you get a ‘good’ parker they’re fine, but if you get a ‘bad’ parker its a PITA, and google suggests that for some models it’s not uncommon.

For me …

Too many Gillette DE razors … gold aristocrat, fat boy, slim adjustable, rocket, flare tip, red tip, tech, black handle flare tip, superspeed and still collecting … aarrghhhh …

Blades … Personna red, Gillette 7 o’clock yellow, green, super nacet, Bic, Polsilver (Iridium), Sputnik, Derby, Parmasharp and some Treet.

Shaving soap … Palmolive shave stick(best), Palmolive shaving cream for brush, Ingram both brushless(Ok-ish) and brush shaving cream, St James Reserve brush and brushless(shite) cream, Pecksniffs shaving soap (absolutely shite and will dry your face instantly).

Shaving brush – Semogue boar and Kent best badger H8.

Shaving bowl – Pyrex (£3) from Lakeland.

Aftershave … yes, many … Floid blue, Floid amber, Proraso, Old Spice, Blue stratos, Denim original, Brut original, Brut something, Jovan and still collecting … aarrghhh …

Aftershave balm – Nivea sensitive (non-alcohol) this is the best and one Proraso.

Bikes … yes, five.

I love hoarding.

p/s: Parker is a hit or miss thing due to quality control issue.

If you get a ‘good’ parker they’re fine, but if you get a ‘bad’ parker its a PITA, and google suggests that for some models it’s not uncommon.

Merkur have similar issues on some of their models too.

Oh, and at the risk of being a fanboy, EJ razors have a really good rep for QC, plus are made in Sheffield (or at least partly). Mine was only £15ish from Amazon.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Edwin-Jagger-Double-Safety-Chrome/dp/B003LW4L2W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1298502184&sr=8-1

poppa – Member

poppa – Member

For the record, don’t buy a Parker.

Why not?

I bought one, and the QC was terrible. The blade gap was not constant along its length, and one side of the razor was more exposed than the other. Returned it for a replacement, it was better but not perfect, so I sold it.

Strange, customer reviews say different. I guess like everything you’ll get good ‘uns and bad ‘uns.

Cheaper than a Gillette but not faster or a closer shave. Use the old-style ones to save money but please don’t try and pretend it’s better. I can shave in less than 2 minutes whilst half-asleep – if I tried that with an old razor I’d need a blood transfusion. I hate paying for the rip-off Gillette blades (£18 for 6 now… even the checkout lady at Tesco double-checked if I really wanted to buy them!) but it’s for me it’s a relatively small price for the convenience.

I use a cheap plastic wilkinson sword classic and hair conditioner for soap as I shave in the shower, rarely get cut, takes no longer than a multiblade and works just as well.

I think some of you guys are getting all nichetastic about the razors and the soap, do fancy trying some of that turkish stuff though..

FuzzyWuzzy – Member
Cheaper than a Gillette but not faster or a closer shave. Use the old-style ones to save money but please don’t try and pretend it’s better. I can shave in less than 2 minutes whilst half-asleep – if I tried that with an old razor I’d need a blood transfusion. I hate paying for the rip-off Gillette blades (£18 for 6 now… even the checkout lady at Tesco double-checked if I really wanted to buy them!) but it’s for me it’s a relatively small price for the convenience.

Depends on how you define “better” really.

I agree that you can shave quicker with modern cartridges, but I get a much closer shave with less irritation doing it the DE way.

So, if speed is the only variable to determine “better” then you are right, but if closeness of shave and the amount of irritation are the variables that define “better” then DE shaving is “better” for me.

Strange, customer reviews say different. I guess like everything you’ll get good ‘uns and bad ‘uns.

Would they be customer reviews on the vendors website?

I can’t feel any stubble after shaving, the only way I could get closer would be to really stretch the skin etc. and then you’re just asking for ingrown hairs. The modern vibrating razors also cause a lot less irritation IME, I can’t see how even a non-vibrating one would cause more irritation though as there’s no way you’re taking off more skin than with an old-style razor.

Not to stop the niche razor wh0ring but having suffered for years from shaving, I found a simple change sorted it out for me – I still use a Gilette Mach 3 but stopped using any foam/soap/etc and now only use King of Shaves oil. Hot water soaked in (or more usually I shave in the shower), about 6 drops of the oil rubbed into my stubble and that’s it. No shaving rash and a nice close shave. Sorted.

Razor threads = the new light threads?

The theory goes that multiple blade razors work on a lift-and cut mechanism. Each blade lifts the hair slightly, and the subsequent blade cuts its a little closer. For some people, not all, this can cause ingrown hairs and irritation. This is more of a problem if you have thick and/or wiry hair. This problem is vastly reduced with a DE.

Also, the propellants used in aerosol type foams/creams are not good for your skin (drying and, some say, toxic).

The other main benefit (for me) is that multiple blade razors clog if you try to shave more than a couple of days growth – this is not a problem with DE razors.

The bottom line is, if you are happy with your shave and your skin feels good then there’s no need to change.

FWIW I think that some of the benefits from using DE razors are they improve your technique – i’m sure if I went back to a cartridge I would get a better shave than I did before.

Would they be customer reviews on the vendors website?

Er, yes, you recognise Amazon, cool, now don’t go putting cynic-al out of a job. Why should I believe a random STW member over a random review on a vendors site? I’ll go for the first hand experience thanks, I repeat there’ll be good ‘uns and bad ‘uns from all manufacturers.

The price you pay for convenience is spending more time working so you can afford to pay silly prices
For something that is not nessasary any better than you had before, thus spending less time shaving will in the end mean more time working,

IMO the only reason they put so many blades on these days is because the blades are so crap they need that many just so you can get a decent finish, if the first blade worked ok then you wouldn’t need the others, and if the first blade does perform correctly then you are paying all that extra money for the extra 2 or 3 which in fact do bugger all?
As someone said the other day , modern razors were not needed they were just designed to get you to part with more money, a pretend fix for something which isn’t really broken,

I look forward to spending 10 mons in the mirror in place of another hour at work

I use a cheap plastic wilkinson sword classic and hair conditioner for soap as I shave in the shower, rarely get cut, takes no longer than a multiblade and works just as well.

I think perhaps this is largely dependant on the sensitivity of your skin and the stubbornness of your whiskers. If I tried your approach I’d end up with a face like a dropped pizza.

I agree that you can shave quicker with modern cartridges, but I get a much closer shave with less irritation doing it the DE way.

I’m still working on this. Maybe it’s the el cheapo DE razor or the wrong blades, but I’m not seeing this much lauded ‘closer’ shave yet.

I still use a Gilette Mach 3 but stopped using any foam/soap/etc and now only use King of Shaves oil.

More proof that we’re all different; I found KoS oil to be next to useless with a multiblade cartridge razor, for me it just clogged continually. Perhaps if I shaved twice a day it’d work, but with a couple of days’ growth it was just unuseable.

skiboy – Member
modern razors were not needed they were just designed to get you to part with more money, a pretend fix for something which isn’t really broken

Whilst I agree the current 5 blades is just a marketing-driven arms race (3 was fine for me) your statement above could be applied to soooo many things it’s almost redundant. Who needs a kettle, just boil a saucepan of water etc, it’s about convenience and labour-saving.