I know this isn’t a MPU general topic, but I’m hoping there are a few users who dabble in the art of singe-edge and double-edge shaving?
I have returned to DE and SE shaving after a couple of years break. I have been learning the art for the past 12 years. I use Taylor’s of Bond Street Sandalwood shaving cream, badger shaving brush, and G Trumpers Sandalwood skinfood.
Why do I do this? Because it’s one of the most therapeutic rituals I do daily, and I enjoy it.
I own a Mühle R89 and Slant, A Merkur Futur, a Fatip Piccolo, a Feather Artist Club SS and a Vintage German Brix straight. As much as I enjoy all of these, nothing comes close; in my opinion; to the Mühle R41 (second edition). This can give me a work ready shave in one pass, a BBS in two and a glass finish in three! I get minor feedback from my alum block. However, it has taken me some years to get a level of competence. My first encounter with the R41 left me looking like my face had been attacked by a Ninja with five swords.
I own a Futur, and I really appreciate the adjustable angle. That said, it is nicely cleaned up and stored at the moment because I have gone away from daily shaving to just having a beard.
It eas definitely a learning curve for me as well. My fiancé occasionally borrows my silvertip badger shaving brush for leg shaving, but I have cautioned her that she probably doesn’t want to get anywhere near the razor. She gets a little impatient, and that is bad juju when you are dealing with an old school razor.
My first “shave” was with my father’s DE Gillette. So years later when I needed a share, this time with a blade in the razor, I also used a DE Gillette. And escaped relatively unharmed. A few years later I survived a Ninja that only had four swords. That’s what I get for not tightening the razor completely after inserting a new blade. Today I use a razor and blades from harrys.com.
I don’t care if your post was relevant, it brought back a pleasant memory of my father. Thanks.
Merkur Solingen is my weapon of choice and Feather blades. It does feel invigorating but I dabble occasionally. Too many ninja attack outcomes…and it seems there is never enough alum to stem the bleeding…
A really good razor that’s hard to cut yourself with is the Rockwell 6c. It comes with different heads for different agressiveness. It’s a nice daily razor and one I recommend for the ladies in our house.
I haven’t used a DE for a number of years - I have been eyeing up my kit in the bathroom thinking its time to go back to it! I last used a Henson AL13-M, which I found to be excellent.
I have also have a Merkur Futur because it looks awesome, but I could never get it setup right for me. I can’t recall what my other two are, but I think it’s a Merkur 23C, which was my standard use one before the Henson and my travel bag used to have what I think is a Merkur 20C.
I did end up using a lot of the Proraso products as I quite liked those, so I might give it a go again. I switched because when my daughter was born, I felt like I didn’t have time to shave with a DE, as it was simpler and quicker to just use a safety razor like the Mach 3. As she got older, I moved jobs and had to be at work early, so I didn’t have time in the mornings for extra steps. However, now I’m in a WFH role, so have some extra time these days.
I used a Merkur for a long time until the chrome started chipping off, which sent me looking for something even more durable. I landed on Rockwell razors in stainless steel. Perfect razor in my book. I look forward to buying one for my son in a few years when he’s old enough.
I started shaving with DE razors 2 years ago and haven’t looked back. Far less skin irritation and it’s fun to learn a new skill. I started with the Gillette King C. before switching to the similar but shorter handled Merkur 42C. Tried Feather blades a few times but obviously didn’t have sufficient skill at the time so reverted to less aggressive blades.
I was using an electric for a long time before trying out Harry’s when that starter kit was just the cost of shipping and cartridges were around $1. They were OK for a while but I started noticing ingrown hairs and a change to the cartridge design added the trim blade on top which I did not like. Then, on a whim, I picked up a King C. Gillette 3-piece razor at the store and that took me down the DE rabbit hole.
I’m no collector but do have a few DE razors and brushes. Mainly ones acquired as “upgrades” over time. A few are smaller sized so good when traveling. About the only vintage razor I’d likely get would be a Gillette from the year I was born if I came across one in decent condition.
For shaving soap/cream, quick shaves are usually with Barbasol (menthol) and more leisurely shaves rotating among something from PAA, ToBS, Rex Supply, Stirling, and Zingari Man.
I primarily use a Parker Variant and a Leaf “Thorn” (uses half DE blades). The latter is nice when I just need a quick shave since it doesn’t need as much attention to avoid nicks and cuts.
I tend to favor Feather blades but have others from sample packs I’m also using up. I’m set for a while but may have to adjust when I need to restock depending on prices and availability.
For brushes, I like synthetic and mainly use ones from Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements and Simpson.
If I have to travel by air and don’t want to check a bag, I need something without a removable blade so tend to go with cheap single blade disposables. I still have Harry’s and Gillette cartridge handles in the cupboard but find I like the results from a single blade over 3-, 5-, 7-, 28- blade cartridges.
I have this one, it’s the first DE I have bought. I just started using it this year. I have cut my head with it a couple of times, only when I rushed it.
I like the Astra Platinum over the Rockwell blades.
I have several DE razors but I’m now settled on a weekly swap between a Merkur Futur - level to hold, needs care - and a Feather AS-D2, which is so smooth that I doubt it could have been bettered by the mythical Skarp Laser Razor, had that ever come to life.
Like may rituals, there is definitely something therapeutic about wet shaving. I put it in the same category as handwriting notes and preparing food by hand - a mildly meditative few minutes in what might otherwise be day filled with activity.
Back when I bought my double edge razor, one of the reasons I did it was actually cost. Buying the metal razor once and then just replacing blades was cheaper than all but the very cheapest store brand single blade razors.
You can absolutely spend more money on blades – but you can also get 10 packs at Walmart for a couple bucks. And a 10 pack is equivalent to 20 disposable razors.
This is one of the reasons I started. Cartridge razors at the time were a lot more expensive (even more now!). I also like the environmental aspect. My razor is metal, my blades are metal, meaning it can all be recycled. I can also hand down my razors to my son, who will need to learn to shave in the next few years. The ladies in our house are already purloining my razors! Plus it’s always interesting what you can pick up in a second-hand shop. My brother-in-law was given a box of 50 DE razors from a house clear-out. Not particularly great models, no name, but they do work.
Yeah. When people talk about double edge razors, they are usually talking about expensive ones. The Futur it is about $80, and there are definitely more expensive ones. But you can also get cheap ones on Amazon for less than $20. And I would wager that most of those are at least as good as a cheap disposable razor.
The cheap ones are fine - I have several. What you get for the extra with the more expensive ones is (maybe) a little more refinement in the shaving process but mostly just a nicer design and better quality materials. Whether that justifies the extra is a matter of personal taste.
I’ve also spent quite a bit of time (and a not entirely small amount of money) on DE razors and blades over the past decade or so. I started off with the classic Merkur 34C (long handle version) and then also tried a Rockwell 2C, which was quite good. That said, like @drezha I have recently bought a Henson AL13 and love it. Initially I was a little put off by the lower weight but the fixed contact angle and tightly controlled blade exposure has led to far closer and safer shaves for me (YMMV)
blade cartridges.