few questions about DE razor shaving……

I have just won a bid for two Gillette safety razors on ebay.

Nothing expensive as both are 3 piece safety razors. One is fat handle tech while the other is aluminum tech so might sell the aluminum tech on later on. Both are in ok condition.

I am keeping the fat handle tech for backup as I like this very much.

Enjoying the thread! I use straight edge, double edge and single edge razors and thoroughly enjoy using them after the early days of cutting myself to ribbons – it’s a rite of passage. I’m not a zealot (I have an electric razor too), but love the event and ritual of proper shaving and the quality of the shave is something that people who’ve never tried to perfect it will never understand.

The Badger and Blade forum (US based) is an invaluable source of info and helped me through my early days of discovery. I was posting there one day about my experience with a Gem Micromatic Single Edge razor and it sort of turned into a half poem/rambling description of a shave. I’m in the middle of a foreign country on business and a few sherbets into the evening, so I’m brave enough to post it

Some notes from my first SE shave with a Gem Micromatic.

Sshhhh, keep quiet and listen to the shave – you need to hear it to make sense of it…

The Gem Micromatic – a double-edged sword masquerading as a single-edge razor. On the one hand, it’s impeccably simple, on the other it requires a subtlety of touch that begs, nay requires, the use of a sense not oft associated with an activity embued with anecdotes of touch and feel.

Listen to the shave. Hear the blade at work to reveal the key to SE heaven. When you feel the blade you’re pushing past the sweet spot and dallying with the threat of razor burn. Don’t feel it, hear it.

A Gem Micromatic is a compact but weighty item, reminiscent of a tugboat: unassuming power and ability to carve a steady path whatever the drag. Its large head, liquid smooth, intimidating yet elegant. Proportions and angles of its spade head echoing an inorganic HR Geiger creation.

Whatever the model, flat against the face is the technique. The feeling of no feeling is the way. Lather, skin, razor head, face – smooth and noisy.

A slow sure drag, an angle just off flat and the first plinks of the single edge doing its job can be heard. All that can be felt is the silky progress of the razor head on barely touched skin. A few more practice strokes will get to the right place – the place where the blade plinks and scrapes the hair and nothing more, the save getting closer yet the skin feeling nothing other than displacement of lather.

Second pass. Lather up. This is the addiction zone, the place where the clear timbre of whiskers being cleanly is discordant with the action taking place – how can it be working? But it is. And it is liberating.

legalalien – Member

Some notes from my first SE shave with a Gem Micromatic.

Ya, I have two of those SE razors not because I want or use them but I bought them in an oily bag of 4 safety razors from a car boot sales for £5. I bought them because included in the bag was a fatboy and a slim. Once cleaned everything is in working condition.

I have just won a bid for two Gillette safety razors on ebay.

thought you were going to say it was a fatboy then! was just watching one at £15 with an eye to making a last second bid. went up to £60 in the last minute or so 😀

legalalien – Member
Some notes from my first SE shave with a Gem Micromatic.

blimey!! 😯 😀

Ya, I have two of those SE razors not because I want or use them but I bought them in an oily bag of 4 safety razors from a car boot sales for £5. I bought them because included in the bag was a fatboy and a slim. Once cleaned everything is in working condition.

thats my dream now! im always refusing to go to car boot sales with mrs expunk, now she’ll think im the most considerate bloke ever! 😀 pretending to look at all her sh*te but really looking all the stalls over for old razors, shaving mugs, scuttles etc 🙂
i think im turning into my (grand)dad :-/

So Chew, your weapon of choice is a DE? (See what I did there…fatboy slim…weapon of…ok, I’ll get my coat)

Ya, double edge safety razor not single … 😆

sadexpunk – Member
thats my dream now! im always refusing to go to car boot sales with mrs expunk, now she’ll think im the most considerate bloke ever! pretending to look at all her sh*te but really looking all the stalls over for old razors, shaving mugs, scuttles etc
i think im turning into my (grand)dad :-/

Just make sure you don’t look too enthusiastic otherwise the price will go up if the seller(s) know you are desperate for them. I have seen various type of razors but some are simply overpriced so I let them be. As long as the condition is good all you got to do is clean it up then it’s good to go.

Oh ya … the two I have won in ebay just now cost me £13.19 (including postage of 3.29).

To me the fat handle tech should worth, I think, around £15 to £20 (exclude postage) in mint condition but since this is not mint the price of around £10 or less (exclude postage) is the right price, while the aluminum one is around £8 to £12 (exclude postage) in mint condition.

As I wrote earlier – UK prices are silly expensive.
It is easy to get carried away bidding, I set myself a £25 limit P&P included.
Sometimes I miss out by double my limit and sometimes by less than a quid.
Thing is – there is always another one a week or so later … Patience

mooman – Member

As I wrote earlier – UK prices are silly expensive.
It is easy to get carried away bidding, I set myself a £25 limit P&P included.
Sometimes I miss out by double my limit and sometimes by less than a quid.
Thing is – there is always another one a week or so later … Patience

I only bid for it today due to sadexpunk asking about safety razors so had a look at what’s available on ebay, only to stumble upon one that I wanted as backup. British fat handle tech … the head is very different from those USA made. Think the British one is more solid.

Yes, my budget for vintage safety razor is around £40 including postage if I really like it otherwise much less.

I once bought a Gillette Aristocrat gold plated for around £35 to £40 including postage from ebay. None of my safety razors are more than £45 including postage. The most expensive one is fatboy at £45 it has been replated and recondition so looked new when I got it.

I saw an open comb two piece Gillette No.77 on the ebay just now that went up to around £80 excluding postage. I think it might have ended at around £82 …

Well, the only price I will pay premium for is Feather AS-D2 (£132 to £158) which I will buy in future.

😀

The Feather just seems so over priced for a modern razor.
Only modern I fancy getting is the Merkur Future. But I read it is THE best. So it will be the last purchase.

But none of them in my opinion look as good as a Fatboy or Slim. Some of the replated Fatboys in black rhodium and rose gold look breathtaking. And for me – it’s something special to be using a 55-60 year old razor.

So far the closest & smoothest has been my 1954 (z1) superspeed flair tip … I can’t imagine anything doing a better job.

Just make sure you don’t look too enthusiastic otherwise the price will go up if the seller(s) know you are desperate for them.

dont worry, im very good at appearing uneducated. “£5 for a rusty razor, youre having a laugh!! ill give you £2.50 mate” 😀

I only bid for it today due to sadexpunk asking about safety razors so had a look at what’s available on ebay,

sorry 😀
but then again, i only bought 3 razors the other day cos mooman got me into them. who’s next?

Some of the replated Fatboys in black rhodium and rose gold look breathtaking. And for me – it’s something special to be using a 55-60 year old razor.

i know youre getting some of yours replated ant, and thanks for the offer of getting mine done too if yours come out ok. just thinking tho, what sort of shop/factory/business would i look out for to do this sort of thing? i wouldnt have a clue where to look to see if theres anyone local.
and yes, youre right about the 55-60 year old thing, thats exactly it for me too.

sadexpunk – Member
dont worry, im very good at appearing uneducated. “£5 for a rusty razor, youre having a laugh!! ill give you £2.50 mate”

When I bought the bag of 4 I pretended to look like a fool saying that I wanted it to show someone about old razors. 😆 They wanted £5 for it so I gave it to them because I thought the blokes need to earn a living too so I just paid what they wanted for them. Anyway, nobody was going to touch the plastic bag because it was oily and dirty.

sorry
but then again, i only bought 3 razors the other day cos mooman got me into them. who’s next?

Actually, it was good that I got alerted to search for safety razor as I have been wanting a backup tech so I just bid for it. The bloke refused to split them up (two together in auction with one being the cheapo aluminum one) and I was the only bidding … 😆 I think most of the other bidders went for the No.77 … crazy price that.

Some of the replated Fatboys in black rhodium and rose gold look breathtaking. And for me – it’s something special to be using a 55-60 year old razor.

Yes, if they are replated they will look awesome as if they were made yesterday.

I should be getting the last o the Slim’s I need doing this week (otherwise I will really be worrying!!).
If you want I can email you the firm I intend using. They are fairly local to me, so I was intending to go there for n person to see how they intend jigging it to replate.

I just phoned/emailed local metal finishers to find somewhere who could replate them.
There is a guy in UK who replates safety razors. Razorspa.xyz … Looks like he does a good job. But a bit pricey.
As you have prob Sussed yourself now, the superspeeds are simple to service yourself, so only a replate required.

As you have prob Sussed yourself now, the superspeeds are simple to service yourself, so only a replate required.

nope, not looked into it yet as i havent received the ones ive just bought. thought about PMing you, but then thought others may be interested in this too.
do you have a link to servicing these, or do you just unscrew it all, clean up, then put back together, easy peasy?
i did see a pic of a slim i think it was, all in pieces, and thought hmmmmm……. i dont think id be able to put that back together without a fight 🙂

btw, been googling metal finishers, chrome plating etc local, but not coming up with much. were you quoted £15 for all 3 total, or each?

cheers

Abandoned the Feather blades, just left my face red and lumpy. Currently auditioning “Blackbeards Revenge” against good old “Wilkinson Sword”. The BBR’s are just edging it…

Yeah, my face was the same after my ‘feathers’ shave the other day, that’s why I was asking for opinion on whether it was the blade or aggressiveness of the razor. I’m just going to use some of the milder blades for a while now tho, hopefully I’ll still get a nice close shave with no irritation.

I didn’t know BBR did blades, I use some of their other stuff tho, I’ll have a look out for those. Blades I’ll be using over the next few weeks will be 7 o clock green and yellows, israeli, astra and sharks.

back on Astras, but with a shim. Excellent results……

I own Muhle R89 and R41. Feather blades work really well on R89 head, but perform too aggresive on R41. Astra Platinum, BIC Platinum and Arco are bestest for versatility. Gillette 7o’clock, Wilkinson were poor on R89 and average with R41.

Razor Head geometry is very important, as that plays perfomance of the blade inserted. I struggle to understand why one thinks Feather Razor mk2 is worth monies. Have you seen eqxcuisite finish of Muhle razors? On razor forums owners of Feathers did say that finishing quality was fine but geometry of head only produced -mild cut- which is even less aggresive than Merkur 34C hd. That places it perfomance wise on par with Edwyn Jagger de89, BBR razor own brand and slightly more aggresive Muhle R89.

Merkur Futur is very special and is in its own category, as its a modern take on design of adjustable razors.

If you want to be Chuck Norris of shaving then Fat tip Picollo or Muhle R41 with open head comb geometries will cater for you well. Merkur Futur could be added in that category too, while iKon OSS with dual head might tickle your quirky fancy.

For me personally -mild geometry head- razors produce perfect smooth shave, if I want impeccable one then R41 razor comes out. But boy, it’s one of the quietest and slowest shaves.

I find that if there is no nicks n cuts, there is no need to use allumblock as it dries skin too much and lifts razor burn even higher. Proraso preshave is godsend to eliminate that.

thanks, im always interested in reading about the aggressiveness of different razors. as a newbie still, i fiddle too much, changing blades regularly, shimming my merkur stainless steel and EJ89L with first one shim, then 2 to be more aggressive. i mistakenly thought 2 shims plus a feather blade would give me the closest shave ever 😀 i ended up with a fair bit of blood, and a red, lumpy neck. erkkkk.

im still working out whether its better to have a mild razor and blade, and have an acceptable shave every day vs aggressive every other day. i get impatient waiting for my stubble to grow, i want to keep trying different soaps/creams/balms/blades etc, and waiting for every other day just frustrates me 😀
i think ill go back to square one, take out the shims, use a mild blade and see if i can shave every day.

also finding a bit of a problem with the direction of grain on my neck. it goes up, down and in different cross directions in different parts of my neck. the most frustrating thing is feeling a little patch of stubble that needs finishing off ‘against the grain’ in the direction of adams apple to ear, but my neck contours are such that when i pass the blade over it, the width of the blade touches on both edges, but leaves lather in the middle where theres a contour. so i end up stretching skin, gurning my face to try and straighten it out to get a close cut :-/ i usually end up with sore skin from trying to get it too perfect. a touch more lather, have another go, no thats not got it, leave it alone its too sore now……

ill probably have it all sussed in a decade or two 😀

mooman, have sent you an email as would like some advice.
Quite simply the best STW thread ever

BIC platinum is not suitable for me with my Gillette Tech for whatever reasons. Fat tip Picollo is very scary looking … 😯

Sadexpunk.

I think you’re over thinking things. Go back to the Merkur and your blade of choice. Astra Platinums? Not too aggressive, feathers can be a bit too sharp if you’re doing multiple passes, get your pre-shave prep, soap and lather spot on. Then try a simple multi pass shave. You won’t get every bit of stubble every time you shave. There will always be the odd patch until you get your technique sorted. It takes time.

I was once told that DE shaving is not “hair removal” but “beard reduction”. A good shave will take multiple passes. I explained my routine on another thread when I asked for advice about a particular razor.

My post is near the bottom of this thread THIS THREAD

Holyzeus – replied.

Here are my DE razors. All that is missing is the Merkur Futur and the Red tip.

I think you’re over thinking things. Go back to the Merkur and your blade of choice. Astra Platinums? Not too aggressive, feathers can be a bit too sharp if you’re doing multiple passes, get your pre-shave prep, soap and lather spot on. Then try a simple multi pass shave. You won’t get every bit of stubble every time you shave. There will always be the odd patch until you get your technique sorted. It takes time.

good advice. im taking it 😀

agree. In fact most days I don’t even multipass, where I’m fair enough to get away with a shadow as it’s not particularly visible. It’s more about the comfort and value for me, compared to the multiblades.

Multipass is saved for special occasions.

while we’re talking aggressiveness and razor burn etc, could i just ask a question about both my pre and post shave routine, so im totally happy with that side of things?

firstly i run the hot tap and fill the sink. i soak the brush and bowl in the water while i have a bath. id prefer to lay a hot flannel on my chops while im in the bath, but it just doesnt stay hot long enough, so i wait til im out, then keep soaking the flannel in hot water and press it against my face for a minute or so while im stood at sink.

i then leave my face wet and rub some pro raso pre shave cream into face and neck. i let that tingle away while i create the lather. still more work needed here til i find the right soap/cream for me, but that just needs more experimentation.

then its the shave, and as mentioned above, thats a work in progress too but ill be staying mild for a while.

once ive finished shaving, i rinse my face in cold water to close the pores. this is where id like a bit of advice. ive got an alum block, styptic pencil and witch hazel gel.
do you just use the alum if there are blood spots? its an astringent which apparently closes pores and dries the skin. so good for stopping blood, but bad for moisturising? would there be any benefit to using it as part of my routine, or just when needed to stop blood spots?
what i have been doing is belt and braces, ive rubbed wet face in alum, then let it dry whilst i clean up the sink and equipment. then i rinse off, and apply witch hazel gel. (ive read most people seem to apply a witch hazel lotion with cotton pads rather than gel, is there any difference?)
then when WH is dry ill apply a balm, usually nivea sensitive. that will do for most shaves, im finished, but sometimes ill put a splash of TOBS sandalwood lotion on.
again, im unsure about this. its not alcohol free, so will the alcohol cause redness or irritation? is alcohol free better or does this not matter?

fair few questions to go at there, id appreciate any advice, as once i can start doing the same routine time and time again, i can then start changing one thing at a time, blades, razors etc and be able to compare shaves.

cheers chaps 🙂

Jeez – what a faff.

Have a bath or a shower, wash face at same time as shampooing hair.

Get out and while drip drying, fill sink with hot as can be water.

Nut sized blob of Trumper shaving cream in palm of hand, whisk up with cheap brush, apply to face.

Scrape off with newly shimmed Merkur / Astra Platinum combo. One pass* for daily use, after which rinse face with cold water. Styptic pencil for nicks (now very rare).

Finish with a thin rub in of E45 cream.

* special occasions, you can keep your palm and brush loaded while you shave the first time to then enable a second and if feeling really posh, a third pass. Or add extra cream if really really posh.

ive got an alum block, styptic pencil and witch hazel gel.

Witch hazel gel is more than enough while the other two are meant for cuts.

do you just use the alum if there are blood spots?

Yes, just for cuts.

its an astringent which apparently closes pores and dries the skin. so good for stopping blood, but bad for moisturising?

Once you stop the blood wait for a while then apply moisturiser. The idea is to stop the blood then after that as normal with all the applications like after shave etc …

would there be any benefit to using it as part of my routine, or just when needed to stop blood spots?

Yes, as in your routine but I only use it to stop bleeding nothing else.

what i have been doing is belt and braces, ive rubbed wet face in alum, then cleaned up the sink and equipment. then i rinse off, and apply witch hazel gel.

Ya, that is fine. If no blood just go straight to witch hazel gel.

(ive read most people seem to apply a witch hazel lotion with cotton pads, is there any difference?)

Two possibilities:

i) to avoid wastage especially liquid form. If you pour too much you just waste it while using cotton pads you have control of the amount you use.

ii) to avoid, if you hand is uncleaned, touching your freshly shaved face in case you transfer some unwanted bacteria etc. i.e. help to avoid infection.

then when WH is dry ill apply a balm, usually nivea sensitive. that will do for most shaves, but sometimes ill put a splash of TOBS sandalwood lotion on.

That’s fine as I do the same.

again, im unsure about this. its not alcohol free, so will the alcohol cause redness or irritation? is alcohol free better or does this not matter?

Should be alcohol free if you get the one in white colour package Nivea Sensitive while the other one is not alcohol free.

No, should not cause redness. Alcohol supposed to kill off whatever is there on your face but it also can dry your face a bit but not drastically.

Sometimes I apply Neutrogena on my face after applying after shave containing alcohol or vice versa … I find Neutrogena non-oily at £4 for 200ml that is a bargain compare to after shave balm that can cost £5 for 100ml.

😛

I have a shower, give my face a good wash with Dove soap. I’ve got skin that will not take washing in soap, face scrub, fancy stuff, Dove soap is fine.

Out of the shower, run the hot tap until it’s HOT. Soak my brush, splash my face with HOT water. I apply about a 20p piece blob of Bluebeards Pre-Shave Oil to my face and massage in for about a minute, tops.

Shake out my brush over the soap, Trumpers sandlewood in the wooden bowl ATM, then a really good coating of soap / lathering in the soap. It’s a small brush so does hold much lather. Wet my hands and run them over my face and then brush a thick coat of lather over my face.

Then I shave as I described on the other thread. (I’m not going to type that lot again) I normally give the brush a dab of water and a few swirls in the soap again before reapplying for the next shaving pass. (Small brush). Third or fourth pass I’ll squeeze the lather out of the brush and apply by hand, like you would with canned foam.

I rinse my face with warm to hot water to get all of the soap and remaining oil off, I’m messy, then rinse with cold water. Pat dry. Never used alum block or styptic pencil or witch hazel. IF I nick myself it’s a dab of Vaseline or a little patch of tissue.

I’ve used aftershave lotion, the liquid alcohol type stuff, before now. Ran out just before Xmas and would like some more. Issey Miyake is my choice. The balm was good too.

After shower, wash my face with hot water 45-60 sec.

Dry it off, then apply Proraso preshave (eucalyptus-mint cream) to get extra lubrication which lasts up to 3 passes.

Then brush n lather with fancy soap, but to be honest I’ve found out that Bluebird revenge shaving cream performs a lot better than soap based ones. It’s a lot smoother, silkyer on your face and blade.

If 3 passes don’t satisfy me, then proraso preshave cream again to restore lubrication of skin, and relather with brush again.

Once finished, splash with proraso aftershave lotion to multiply effect of oozing cold, it doesn’t sting and still moisturizes skin all right. It gives amazing soothing cold to skin once you’re out and about especially if you get hit with wind in your face, colder the better.

Never had razor burn following that routine.
Even when shaving with baddest and most aggressive R41. Shaving with that razor you will feel blade flex on your face, get it slow and right your face will be smoother than newborn baby bottom, if not … trip to AnE or plastic surgeon.
The only more aggressive razor than that is a cut throat shavette, if you inclined that way.

After a bit of experimenting I’ve found out that mild cut razors are more than enough for a good shave. While aggressive cut razors are for special days only, and those are rare.

alumblock gets used only if there are cuts , usually I try to avoid using it. It dries skin too much.

Jeez – what a faff.

Have a bath or a shower, wash face at same time as shampooing hair.

Get out and while drip drying, fill sink with hot as can be water.

Nut sized blob of Trumper shaving cream in palm of hand, whisk up with cheap brush, apply to face.

Scrape off with newly shimmed Merkur / Astra Platinum combo. One pass* for daily use, after which rinse face with cold water. Styptic pencil for nicks (now very rare).

Finish with a thin rub in of E45 cream.
tis true, thatd be a right faff if you had to do that each time. you dont tho. i think the idea is that this is a luxury when youve got plenty of time and want to pamper yourself.
your method is great for a quick shave, no argument there.

Should be alcohol free if you get the one in white colour package Nivea Sensitive while the other one is not alcohol free.

No, should not cause redness. Alcohol supposed to kill off whatever is there on your face but it also can dry your face a bit but not drastically.
sorry, maybe i didnt make myself clear, i was asking about the alcohol in after shave there. im wondering whether to look for alcohol free AS to mitigate irritation, or whether it doesnt matter at all.

thanks for the routines chaps, interesting reading.

sadexpunk – Member

sorry, maybe i didnt make myself clear, i was asking about the alcohol in after shave there. im wondering whether to look for alcohol free AS to mitigate irritation, or whether it doesnt matter at all.

A bit of alcohol is fine unless you get some cheap Russian AS which I just received but dare not try them on … yet. Smell awful.

However, if you can get some non-alcohol ones that’s fine too.

😀

Morning all

This week I’ve had a go at DE shaving every morning instead of every other morning and I have been surprised at how good the results have been.

I thought I would end up red raw by the end of the week but far from it. If anything I get a better result shaving off 24hrs growth instead of 48.

I also discovered that by shaving my next first, which I had previously been leaving until last, I reduced the razor burn and nicks to zero. That and also not placing any pressure whatsoever on the razor.

So, neck first from now on. The shaving soap lather is super fresh and has not had a chance to start to dry out.

interesting. i tried shaving each day, but ended up very red. that was when i was trying aggressive and feathers tho. im gonna have a period of mild and astra SP for a while, so no harm in trying a shave the next day. ill let you know how i get on.

as for neck first, im not sure that would make much difference to me. my first pass would be ‘downwards’, WTG, so to do neck first would be cutting into the lather and starting halfway down. probably fine to do, and i may try it tonight, but i think id stick with top half first for that pass.
my second pass against the grain would be ‘upwards’ so i usually start at bottom of the neck for that one.

im going to try some of the advanced techniques such as slide, buffing and j-hooking soon, to try and just finish off a few difficult neck areas, rather than have 3 full passes. im hoping 2 passes and then one of these touch-ups will work for me.
reasoning behind that is, to go against the grain on parts of my neck, some areas would need me to go ‘sideways’ in a ‘chin to ear’ direction, and itd be impossible cos theyre just below the jawline. so both ends of the blade would be touching jaw and neck, and would leave a hollow in the middle if you see what i mean. so im going to experiment 😀

okay…. last 3 days ive shaved each day, mild razor, mild blade (astra sp). neck was a little red yesterday, tried the j-hooking which went ok, and tonight thought id try a cold shave.
read on the badger and blade site that cold shaving can ease irritation so gave it a try. felt good actually. after the first pass i even gambled on a second ATG which also went ok.

so……im gonna be cold shaving each day for the next few days as a trial, maybe try different mild blades too such as israeli. ill report back in a few days.

Try Personna blades as they are rather mild but good.

😀

Something I pick up from watching Good Morning Vietnam, if you’re have trouble with razor burn, also in the heat, then rinse the razor in cold water instead of hot.

Who said movies weren’t educational?

Try Personna blades as they are rather mild but good.

im due a blade change tonight, so ill try one. i hear ‘red personna’ recommended, but i dont think mine are those, the packets blue and white with red writing.

Something I pick up from watching Good Morning Vietnam, if you’re have trouble with razor burn, also in the heat, then rinse the razor in cold water instead of hot.

just been reading up on cold shaving, i think its definitely worth a trial. forum threads are split between the comfort of warm lather etc, and the good results of cold shaving.
this seems a good place to start reading if youre interested, or just search the badger and blade forum for threads.