[Closed] No argument Merkur razors are the best...

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.

[img] [/img]

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?

[img] [/img]

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

[url= http://www.traditionalshaving.co.uk/mall/productpage.cfm/traditionalshaving/_STA-CRE-LUX/268168/Starter-Kit---Luxury-Cream ]Luxury Starter Kit[/url]I 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 [i]that [/i]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. 2x9 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.

Hey, no need to get touchy! It's just I read the reviews on the (independent) razor vendors sites, and a posteriori realised they may have been vetted. Plenty of evidence for shonky QC/tolerance for the one I bought:

http://www.shaving101.com/index.php/product-reviews/safety-razors/40-parker-razor.html

http://www.theshavingroom.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=571

http://www.theshaveden.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5258

Which contrasts with what I found when researching the EJ razors, which are generally regarded to be amongst the highest quality.

Not at all touchy chapster, I just didn't see any substance in your claims. 😉

fuzzywuzzy,

'' Who needs a kettle, just boil a saucepan of water etc, it's about convenience and labour-saving.''

that is my point precisely, more conveient maybe, but it can't be labour-saving as you need to work to generate the money with which to purchase your labour-saving device, thus not really saving labour at all ?

and to say that because everything is that way these days makes the argument redundant is proof indeed that the ideal of selling us stuff we don't really need is well and truely ingrained in modern society 😀

In reality of course, most people work a 37ish hour week irrespective of whether they want to shave with a niche razor or a normal one 😉

My working hours/salary aren't really related to the number of labour-saving devices I've had to buy though :p If I used a cheap razor I couldn't ask my boss to work and hour less a week and take that out of my salary to.

Ah you still don't get the relationship between working, income and expenditure, let me simplify , if you stop giving all your money away then you would have more in your pocket and could reduce your hrs further

So can you use oil with a safety razor instead of soap/foam??
I ask as i moved to oil and found the shaving experience better/less messy..would love to try Merkur as i'm sick of stumping up for the price of mach3 blades.

Sure, whatever suits you.

not many people have mentioned the pleasure factor in DE shaving.

I used to hate shaving, it was a chore. Now I actually quite look forward to it. That's worth it alone for me.

Get up, music on, shower, pop on the espresso machine, nice relaxing shave, cup of coffee while I get suited up, out the door. Around 30-45 mins. Quite enjoy mornings actually. Except my girlfriend whinging that it's too early to be listening to MC Hammer 🙂

Or to save time you can always shave the night before so you don't have to shave during the morning rush hour.

Because DE shaving can give you a closer shave you will perhaps only see some shadow of your beard in the late afternoon (3-4pm), depending on the thickness of your beard.

There you go ... simple! So now you can enjoy shaving as much as you like and as long as you like.

I'm new this DE shaving lark, having only just spotted it via this good forum.

What do the numbers correlate to? Is it the weight or length or just a manufacturers model number??

I'm totally hacked off with the expense and crap shave I get from the multi blade stuff out there so will likely give DE a go sometime soon.

I've just bought an Edwin Jagger 89 from Amazon for £15.80 delivered.
Ian

bangin on - Member

What do the numbers correlate to? Is it the weight or length or just a manufacturers model number??

I'm totally hacked off with the expense and crap shave I get from the multi blade stuff out there so will likely give DE a go sometime soon.

Numbers on blade, assuming you're talking about blade, are nothing significant for users except for manufacturing process so no need to worry.

If you referring to safety razor then that's just model number.

Remember to try different brand of blades and not to use pressure (press down) while shaving. Cheapest way to try variety of blades is to buy sample pack.

thejesmonddingo - Member

I've just bought an Edwin Jagger 89 from Amazon for £15.80 delivered.
Ian

That's a good razor.

🙂

cheers, might have a try at that Edwin Jagger, can't go far wrong at that price. Cheers 🙂

A proper razor can settle any argument

[img] [/img]

That's a reason why they are called cut throat razor ...

Inverse willy wave: in an emergency I bought a pack of Lidl 2 blade plarstic razors with aloe lotion squeegee effect 10 for 2quid. They are absolutely brilliant. Really they are.

how are these any better than a Wilkinson sword safety razor?

I had a wilkinson sword one, I bought a Merkur 34c (I think? its a stubby little one) the merkur is better, if only because it actually weighs something, no need to pull it down your face, gravity does that.

PJ266 - Member
I had a wilkinson sword one, I bought a Merkur 34c (I think? its a stubby little one) the merkur is better, if only because it actually weighs something, no need to pull it down your face, gravity does that.

I have a 34c and it is a great little razor which can deliver a fine shave.

Best blade for me with it was a Feather.

Just had my first shave with my jagger etc, that's it I'm sold , my lips, ears and nose are still present and I didnt even nick myself, everyone including my dad whose staying this week told me I would cut myself but I've just had the best shave ever,

The following works for me:
Edwin jagger ivory db razor
Edwin jagger pure badger brush
Arko soap stick
Bowl of hot water
15 mins of time
1 pack of derby blades

skiboy - Member

Just had my first shave with my jagger etc, that's it I'm sold , my lips, ears and nose are still present and I didnt even nick myself, everyone including my dad whose staying this week told me I would cut myself but I've just had the best shave ever,

Good set up that. Needs more blades to play with but if Derby gives you good shave then so be it. It's cheap, cheerful and effective.

Just tell your father that he is missing something and that he is buying into all those bull cr*p celebrities endorsed shite. You should reprogram him ...

Now that you have started shaving using DE razor the money saved can be put to good use by reinvesting into bling bike parts instead of giving them to those celebrities shite. 😆

I did not get on with the Derby blades they cut me to bits and the shave was not at all good

For [u][b]me[/b][/u] the feathers and Gilette 7 o'clock sharps are the best with no nicks either

I must be the only one to brave the wrath of the guardianistas and go for the Israeli blades from the shaving shack.

http://www.shaving-shack.com/10-israeli-made-double-edged-razor-blades.html

BTW a rub over your face with a wet alum block like this makes absolutely sure that shaving rash etc is a thing of the past
http://www.shaving-shack.com/alum-block.html

I got some of those Israeli blades myself just trying the derby first , I got a alum stick but won't be using it unless I hack a lump out ,

Would reprogram the old fella but he's too far gone I'm afraid 71 and Irish without a positive bone in his body, gotta love him though at least he has always been consistent ,

Stoner - Member

I must be the only one to brave the wrath of the guardianistas and go for the Israeli blades from the shaving shack.

The Israeli blades are some of my favourite and if I am not mistaken they are from the same factory as Personna Red, so they are good blades. Just that some of them are unbranded that's all.

They should be similar to this ...

[url= http://www.shaving.ie/products/Personna-Platinum-10-Pack.html ]Personna red[/url]

Derby blades are fine as far as I am concerned but some don't get on with it.

skiboy - I recommend the use of an alum block regardless of whether youve nicked yourself. it closes the pores up nicely and stops rash etc.

I used bulldog poncy moisturiser but I will give the stick ago, just checked the other blades I have are Israeli crystal platinum , did feel some burn around my neck directly after using the derbys but the moisturiser sorted that,
Can't stop feeling my face very amazed by the cut,

I had a weeks growth to come off, I normally would have used fusion 4 blade and it would clog after each 1-2'' stroke , you would then spend 20 seconds rinsing it and then go for another hack, the jagger just cut straight though right down to the skin on each stroke no clogging , why the hell does anyone buy those multi head razors ?

that's exactly why Im a fan now too. I shave once or twice a week and have a very tough, thick beard to cut. With DE it glides through and I hardly have to rinse. With Gillette I have to clean their cartridge blades every inch of beard. Nuts.

Alum stick is a bit clumsy for a wipe over, the block is the size of a matchbox, and feels like a block of marble. When wet it slides over the skin with a lovely tingle feeling.

I wouldn't have thought that using an alum block all over the face was the best thing for your skin as it is only really for nicks and cuts. I've only used it a couple of times on small nicks and it is very effective but doesn't it leave a small residue?

I've found that a few handfuls of cold water does the trick followed by a decent balm - Original Source soothing balm from Boots is excellent.

If you really want a good non-alcohol aftershave balm then you should get Nivea Sensitive balm (£4.75 - £5). The scent is very minimum and does not intervene with your aftershave. You can apply before or after you apply the aftershave or simply cold water and aftershave balm.

skiboy - Member

... , why the hell does anyone buy those multi head razors ?

Because people have been told to do so or being programmed by those celebrities endorsed shite, add on to that you get manufacturers bombarding the people with the idea of "trendy fashionable high-tech" shite. 🙄

I had another cracking shave last night but I did cock up at the end.

I always use moisturiser after shaving and me paying no attention to what I was using ended up with Assos Chamois Creme 😳 instead funny thing is my skin still feels great 12 hrs later feels

I wouldn't have thought that using an alum block all over the face was the best thing for your skin as it is only really for nicks and cuts

a styptic pencil is more aggressive than the block because this block is a different compound:

...One thing that isn't mentioned in the product description is that [b]the block is composed of Potassium Alum, not Ammonia Alum, ie it's far less agressive.[/b] I find that a cold water wash/rince, wet the block, gently rub block over entire shaved area, allow to dry, dab (not rub) with cold rinsed flannel, pays dividends. Always use before after shave of any kind. So much more than the salts on a stick of the Styptic. Looks like it may well last forever too. Well worth it.

Ah! I was thinking that the alum block was just a bigger version of a styptic pencil, which it clearly isn't 😳

I don't suffer from razor burn or nicks so probably can do without but it obviously works if you need it. Does your face not feel 'tight' after using it?

Method Shaving..

I would end up in the hospital if i tried that with a DE razor 😯

no, not really. But Mrs S gets a bit of a shock if she sneaks up for a peck on my cheek right after Ive alum'd it though 😉

EDIT: Ha! And there's a coincidence: Mr Stoner Sr has just dropped in for a coffee and dropped of his spare Badger brush for me as he doesnt need it. Result!

You all need to man up and grow beards - shaving is a massive waste of time (and money judging by how much you lot seem to spend on your fancy razors) 😆

I just get the neighbours cat to lick ma chops.No need for fancy blades here!

can-uk

That guy is clearly deranged. He must have made 100+ passes in every direction and I doubt whether he had a blade in there at all.

Notice, unlike most other shaving vids you didn't see his beard growth [b]before[/b] he started shaving!

You all need to man up and grow beards

Some of us want to remain appealing to the opposite sex though (or the same sex if you're that way inclined)