Bought a Merkur 33C, a synthetic Parker brush, and a mühle soap bar thar I received today.
Not as close a shave as I’m used to, but my skin feels a lot less irritated than it used to after a shave. Cut myself twice, on my upper lip and on the underside of my chin.
Sir, this is dull men’s club. Talk of sharp razors is prohibited.
I shave with a disposable razor and with one razor, I shave my face, back, chest, ass, and below navel area from that same razor. I change the razor every month. I luckily use shaving cream most of the time.
Meh. I started shaving with my dad’s “safety razor” (it was just a razor, back then, no need for distinguishment). I get a closer, more comfortable shave with disposable, multi-blade razors.
I think a lot of younger (than me, which is many) men got suckered by the hype, frankly.
I can get a “baby bottom smooth” shave with a DE. Is it better than what I could get with multiblade plastic razor? I don’t know.
What I do know is that those multiblade heads cost around $4 each, and my preferred DE blades cost about 8¢. Not to mention that there is no plastic in sight, and the amount of waste is minimal.
Fun fact, shaving creams contain phtalates and parabens. These chemicals (they re monomers really and break down in the blood) are what is referred to as microplastics in the public discourses. Both have been proven to be extremely estrogenic, ubiquitous and non-biodegradable.
It’s so bad for you, it has been proven to change gender expression in young children during play if these children had elevated concentrations of them in their blood:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/375990822_Long-term_exposure_to_exogenous_phthalate_masculinity_and_femininity_trait_and_gender_identity_in_children_a_Chinese_3-year_longitudinal_cohort_study
MÜHLE Traditional with Astra blades have served me well, haven’t managed to cut myself yet! Some razor burn but that’s from being a lazy git and not always soaking with a hot towel before going at it 😅.
Congratulations! I will happily certify this as a Dull Man Experience™️. Absolutely classic 👏
I got one from the dollar tree and while the blades it came with were serviceable, I ordered some feather blades and it had been an absolute pleasure.
another +1 on Feather. I got a pack of different brands, 5 razor blades of each, and Feather was the sharpest and lasted a fairly long time too.
Yeah, good blades make a ton of difference. +1 on Feather brand
I’ve been using a Merkur for 3 years now and I still can’t figure out how to not nick myself at least once.
I think the contours of my face just don’t work for the design of these tools. It’s a shame.
I think you should ask yourself why you keep using the razor if you nick yourself every time?
Welcome to the club. I can’t speak for that model, but I love my safety razor. I’ve used less than $5 worth if razors in 2 years and my shave is comparable to the expensive cartridges. I’ll never go back.
Not as close a shave as I’m used to
How many passes did you do? I’ve found that once you develop your technique and become more comfortable with using a safety razor, the cuts will be fewer and the shave will be closer. I also learned that you do one pass with the grain, a second pass against the grain, and a third across the grain. When I do this not even babies’ bottoms can compare.
Congrats on saving money and the environment (in a small way). You’ll have to figure out responsible disposal of the blades. I took a condensed milk can, carefully pushed a big knife into the top of it, drained it fully, and labeled it “sharps.” I keep this under my sink with a piece of tape over the slot. Each time I retire a blade it goes in the container. Someday my descendants will tape it securely and it will go in the trash (because I’ve been shaving this way for well over a decade and have yet to fill it, but also I really stretch the life of my blades for no good reason).
I get much closer shaves with my Merkur 33c safety razor than I did with cartridges.
I’ll suggest another order: go 1. with, 2. across, then 3. against the hair. Against is the most skin irritating and largest risk of nicks, so may well be done with the least amount of work.
Also, warming the area to be shaved with warm water (or shower as you mentioned) does a lot for the closeness of the shave, don’t skip out.
I find brush and lather mostly to make shaving smoother and lessen skin irritation, not make for closer shaves, but your mileage may vary. Also consider warming your blade (I run it under the warm water) between passes, I find it also helps for the smoothness although can’t say why.
If you have to apply force to the cutting (rather than letting “gravity” do the work) you probably need new blades. They are supposedly single use, but I can typically get 2-3 shaves in on a regular blade, and even up to six shaves with some blades (Korean Dorco platinum is my favorite).
Adding force is the only way I get nicked nowadays, but it goes fast when I do, so I make sure to switch blades even between passes if need be.
Also, depending on your face and skin, you might want to try a safety razor with a different blade angle, there are handles that give a (slightly) more aggressive shave — meaning closer shave but (slightly) higher risk for nicks and irritation.
Best of luck!
I find it so funny that they used to just put a hole in the wall and you would shove old razors in it. A hazard for renovators 60 years later.
Yep, found this in my old house during a renovation
There was a 3 inch deep pile in my wall when i pulled down the tile, weird surprise to find.
Next time (in like 30 years when you finally fill up yiu current can, use the church key method (one medium sized, triangle hole on one side, a smaller on the opposite side) and then after draining/rinsing, use a Dremel to cut a thin slot towards the top.
When you fill that can after 30 years, you just hammer the top down and seal the hole that way.
What razor blades do you use? I started off years ago with Astra ones. They gave a good shave, and I like that I could get 2-3 shaved out of each side (so 4-6 in total per blade) before they became too dull. But they are made in Russia, and for moral reasons I switched to Feather (which are made in Japan). The Feather ones give a great shave, but they are really only useable once per side.
I use these:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Q1JNPRH
I have neither thick not tough hair, so they last me two weeks easily. I also strop them on the underside of my arm in the shower to stretch their life.
I’d always wanted a vintage Gillette or a Merkur but have always been too cheap. I think my original handle was a drugstore special and then I upgraded to an Edwin Jagger. With that handle, my particular hair, and extraordinary lack of skill, I found Astras to be very good (I thought they were made in Türkiye but just checked the box and you’re right - they’re Russian. But my box is probably close to two decades old.) I got some Persona Blues and also found them to be similar to the Astras under the same conditions. I’ve picked up a variety of blades over the years, including Wilkinson Sword (crap, but from a store going out of business sale) and some that I’ve traded with people who also use DE razors.
I never tried Feathers with those handles because I had always read they were mostly for bloodletting and yes, didn’t last very long. Since I changed my handle to a Henson, I’ve found that I can shave with anything because it’s SO forgiving. I could probably cut myself if I tried, but this thing lets me use even Feathers with confidence, and I don’t get ingrown hairs anymore. I can even do my dangly bits safely (yes, even with the Feathers). I’ve posted once or twice about the Henson so I want to be clear that I don’t have a horse in this race, but for me it was a game changer. I think finding a handle that works for my hair type and breathtaking lack of skill, then matching blades to that, was the key.
I’ve also found that DE shaving aficionados just love talking gear, so if you meet anyone IRL see if they would be down to swap blades. I’m sure the shaving companies will also sell you a blade sampler pack.
tl;dr: Persona Blues are probably my favorite, Astra is also great but has some baggage, and give Wilkinson a miss. If you’re using Feather pay attention and don’t let anything startle you.
Thanks for the recommends. Yeah, you definitely have to be careful with Feather blades. Although I only found them a bit more ‘cutty’ than Astra’s.
If a guy wanted a Henson… where would he get one?
Just from their website, but I did a Black Friday special from Grown Man Shave in the US a few years ago - it was $66 for two handles. It was a buy one, get one, and I gave the other one to a friend. In exchange he gave me a Bevel handle that he liked but didn’t love. The Bevel is super heavy, which some people like, because the handle should be doing the work. I haven’t tried it.
Interesting, thank you!
I use… some random double edged safety razor I found on Amazon a few years ago. It’s fine, but I have been thinking about an upgrade.
I did two passes, the same as I did with my plastic Gilette. It’s a skill issue for sure, I have shaved with the same razor for about 16 years, and this shave isn’t that far off from my previous shaves.
Another tip that helped me early on is to not skimp on the lather. I would soak then wring out a washcloth in the hottest water I could get from my tap, or microwave the towel for like 30 seconds (YMMV on timing). Once it is just cool enough to touch I wrap it on my lower face and neck. Do this again between each pass, before lathering. And when lathering, really use that brush. The point is to soften and lift the hair and to open your pores, and I noticed a big difference in how irritated my skin gets if I’m in a rush and don’t do these things. And yeah, git gud lol
I shaved right after a hot shower where I had thoroughly washed my face and beard with s face wash and a scrub. I kept reapplying the lather, but probably got the angle wrong when I cut myself.
After switching to safety razors many years ago I still haven’t used a single pack of double sided razors for it. I honestly don’t understand why people buy the plastic razors when it is neither more convenient or cheaper. Think I have the same brand head on mine, you gotta watch near the edges because they’re more likely to cut you.
I honestly don’t understand why people buy the plastic razors when it is neither more convenient or cheaper.
Exposure is definitely a big part of it. The only reason I’m using one is because some podcasts / YouTubers I liked were extolling them and I looked into it. I can’t recall ever seeing a safety razor for sale at any big grocery or drug store. I guess I could have just missed them. But they stock what gets advertised most, and by an immense margin: The dodeca-bladed monstrosities in either pussycat pink or blackout tacticool gunmetal. AFAIK, that’s what everyone I know uses. I get asked every now and then if I can recommend my barber for a shave, then I mention the safety razor, and most guys have no idea what I’m describing to them.
Also, no matter the design, safety razors have an air of “old fashioned” that I think most people just cannot appreciate now. The notion that they’d ever have to do anything besides use the product and send it to the landfill is enough to make most people nope out immediately, and here you’ve got disassembling, reassembling, replacing parts, proper disposal… All that takes time and attention that most people can’t reconcile.
I’m about halfway through my second box. It took me about
107 years to get through the first box.I agree about not knowing why people keep using the plastic disposable ones. Best I can see is a reluctance to change a habit and/or a fear of safety razors. But it’s well worth the switch.
Genuinely might just be unawareness. I have been using safety razors for a long time, but I was only introduced to it by a forum post somewhere long ago. Nobody I know personally (especially in the family) uses them. Stores in my area don’t stock razors or handles. It was just by chance that someone posted about them and that I saw that post that got me to switch.
Yeah, I had looked into safety razors years ago, but as the price gap was bigger back then I dismissed them.
Now I paid the same price for this handle, and the blades cost next to nothing. Only a bit of a learning curve.
I bought a cheap metal safety razor for like $10 and a pack of 100 blades for under $10 like a decade ago and am finally getting down to the last dozen or so blades. So less than $20 for a decade for the hardware and I think I spent more on shaving gel during that time.
You can soend more, but really don’t need to.
I’ve used great-grandpa’s WWI Army issue razor. No different than new ones, but the edge has teeth rather than being straight. Was just getting used to it when a friend gave me one of his. Never looked back.
Sir, I believe your story has been posted in the wrong sub. This here is dull men’s club.
mercur 33c is a tight shave. Take it easy with that one.
Don’t press hard. Watch your angles. I was going to say consider a badger brush, but it looks like synthetics have come a long way in the last 15 years or so. At any rate, lather is key - it doesn’t have to be huge, but it has to be well-worked into your whiskers. You want your skin and the entire length of each whisker well-coated, so work it in.
edit: Also, don’t take anyone else’s blade recommendations as gospel. The blade you need depends on your razor, your technique, your beard, your prep, your comfort, your skin, and some amount of random magic. Try a bunch. Maybe get a sampler.
Best advice here so far.
I have a collection of vintage DE razors and they are all different. My favourite is a 1951 Gillette Tech. It’s just the right level of blade gap for me. Others may like different razors, everyone’s face and beard are different.
In general, I have found that newer DE razors tend to be more aggressive than older razors. So someone getting nicks with a modern razor may just have one that is too agressive.
It might be worth getting a late 50’s - early 69’s Gillette adjustable to learn what works best. You can probably get one cheaper than a new Merkur on eBay, or at a flea market or antique shop.
Blades also vary widely between and within brands. Do you need the sharpest blades on the planet??? Probably not. You have to experiment. Get a sampler pack from some online store and try them out.
Soap is a big factor. Don’t just go with what’s on the pharmacy shelf. Buy a tube of a premium brand like George Trumper to set a baseline of how a really good, slippery soap works. Then find a cheaper brand that performs as well.
Technique counts, obviously. I find that a 3 pass shave is overkill personally. Once with, then once against the grain with some spot touchups works fine for me. Just don’t skip the “with” pass if you don’t like razor rash.
Yeah, I barely used any pressure, I think the reason I cut myself was because of the angles as it was against the grain in tricky areas for me.
This channel convinced me to make the jump, years ago. https://youtu.be/-qSIP6uQ3EI
I still have an electric for a quick touch up, but proper shaves are with a Merkur Futur, Feather blade, Mühle badger brush and Taylor’s of Old Bond St. Sandlewood soap.
Random face moisturiser afterwards (still a good quality one, but I don’t have a preferred brand.)
I was skeptical about badger hair brushes VS my previous boar bristle, but it’s a noticeable improvement in the texture of the lather generated. Much finer bubbles.
