Jump to content

How do You Shave?


Recommended Posts

Has anyone experienced the water dulling your DE blades? I have an old Gillete Fat Boy I have been using for a while before we moved to Nashville with no problems. Once we moved we have noticed the water here is harder than where we moved from. I only get one shave out of the blades before having to change them. I do not dry the blade off other than a good shake. I never did this before either though and they would last a good while longer.

Link to comment

Has anyone experienced the water dulling your DE blades? I have an old Gillete Fat Boy I have been using for a while before we moved to Nashville with no problems. Once we moved we have noticed the water here is harder than where we moved from. I only get one shave out of the blades before having to change them. I do not dry the blade off other than a good shake. I never did this before either though and they would last a good while longer.

 

There are folks who swear that keeping a blade submerged in shallow container of various stuff between shaves prevents the minute rust that makes it dull more quickly.  Usually mentioned: mineral oil, baby oil, olive oil, and alcohol.

 

- OS

Edited by Oh Shoot
Link to comment

There are folks who swear that keeping a blade submerged in shallow container of various stuff between shaves prevents the minute rust that makes it dull more quickly.  Usually mentioned: mineral oil, baby oil, olive oil, and alcohol.

 

- OS

Gonna have to try that then.

Link to comment
  • Moderators
[quote name="Oh Shoot" post="1149454" timestamp="1400259327"]There are folks who swear that keeping a blade submerged in shallow container of various stuff between shaves prevents the minute rust that makes it dull more quickly. Usually mentioned: mineral oil, baby oil, olive oil, and alcohol. - OS[/quote]

Gonna have to try that then.
I thought that would work. My blade actually rusted in the highest proof alcohol I could find. I completely submerged it though so who knows? Would like to get some of that blue liquid barbers use. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Link to comment

I have used the Mach 3 in the past but have went back to the DE razor. I use my father's (he was a barber, still have his german staright razors) gillette DE Razor that is adjustable. It's about 40 years old. Works great and I think shaves closer than that Mach 3. Much cheaper too.

Link to comment

I thought that would work. My blade actually rusted in the highest proof alcohol I could find. I completely submerged it though so who knows? ...

 

Try one of the oils. I might at some point when I'm through with my blade tests and settle into just 2 or 3 brands to see if it actually makes a diff.

 

Another thing some people do is "cork" their blades initially. But that's a smoothness thing, not a rust thing.

 

- OS

Link to comment

Oh, one more trick, and it works at least up to a point -- if you have a fixed angle double edge, and find you need a bit more aggressiveness, you can shim the blade to increase gap.

 

Take a used blade and cut off sharpened edges with scissors (yes, you can, pretty easily). Then put it under regular blade (toward handle).

 

Some folks even use 2 or 3 shims. I've experimented just a bit with that, and once I settle in with my fav blade or three, gonna do some consistent testing. Preliminary ones suggest that my Edwin Jagger with one shim might actually be optimum for my face/beard.

 

I have a mild razor (Feather) which is too mild, and an aggressive one (RazoRock Jaws) that is too aggressive, looking for the perfect combo.

And yeah, I had an old Gillette adjustable, but never got great results. Mainly I believe because it only increases gap. Optimal aggression is acheived with combo of gap, angle, and exposure, and many aficionados agree it's hard to beat a fixed type that has the degree of aggression that works for you built in from the gitgo, and I'm in that group.

 

- OS

Link to comment
  • Moderators

Yeah, read a good bit about it. Neg opinions, even though in the minority, and 75 clams has kept me from grabbing one, though.
 
- OS


I've thought about getting either it or the Vision, but I've read that the head is so bulky it prevents getting under the nose well. My 39c Slant gets here today. I suppose I'll give it a try. Sorta excited about it and also sorta scared about it (mainly that I'll regret paying $50 for it when you can pick up nice vintage razors for $5 typically at the right shop).
Link to comment
  • Moderators

When my wife and I purchase a house someday what I would love to do is take some quality wood and make a "shelf" that has about 3/4" holes drilled all the way down it. Stain the wood to match the bathroom and then keep a set of my favorite razors on display out of the way.

We will see someday what the Wife thinks about that idea... :shrug:

Link to comment

Has anyone experienced the water dulling your DE blades? I have an old Gillete Fat Boy I have been using for a while before we moved to Nashville with no problems. Once we moved we have noticed the water here is harder than where we moved from. I only get one shave out of the blades before having to change them. I do not dry the blade off other than a good shake. I never did this before either though and they would last a good while longer.

 

 

Could be mineral deposits from hard water.

 

 

I thought that would work. My blade actually rusted in the highest proof alcohol I could find. I completely submerged it though so who knows? Would like to get some of that blue liquid barbers use. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

 

That's because alcohol is hygroscopic.... it absorbs water out of the air.  Hence the reason ethanol in gasoline is so bad for older small engines... but that's another thread. 

Link to comment

I've thought about getting either it or the Vision, but I've read that the head is so bulky it prevents getting under the nose well. My 39c Slant gets here today. I suppose I'll give it a try. Sorta excited about it and also sorta scared about it (mainly that I'll regret paying $50 for it when you can pick up nice vintage razors for $5 typically at the right shop).

Yeah I can see how that might be an issue, I haven't shaved under my nose in 25 years however. lol

Link to comment
  • Moderators

Just curious but what number do you run the adjustable on. I normally run mine on a 7.

 

 

With the Feather blade I can leave it at 3.

 

Well, I used roughly 100 pack of Feathers and always ran it at 10. If I took my time I would not cut myself, but the flipside is that it never produced quite the perfect shave. But it wasn't as scary or bloodthirsty as many people make it out to me.

Link to comment

Well, I used roughly 100 pack of Feathers and always ran it at 10. If I took my time I would not cut myself, but the flipside is that it never produced quite the perfect shave. But it wasn't as scary or bloodthirsty as many people make it out to me.

I like the Feather, best shave I've had. Keep in mind that I'm pretty (completely) gray at this point so even though my beard is still thick I don't think it's as course as it was when I was a younger man. I used to go through a disposable in 3-4 shaves.

Link to comment
  • Admin Team

I'm going to have to give a safety razor a whirl.  Though, if I'm being honest, while I HATE the cost of refills on my multi-bladed Gillette Fusion - I can run one for at least a month.  I shave every morning, and I would wager that I've not changed a blade with less than 6 weeks on it in years.  Maybe I have tough skin or a soft beard (I don't think either of these are true), but it takes me a good while to feel the need to change a blade.

 

I don't know what I'd do if I felt like I had to change a Gillette blade every few shaves.  I've never had suicidal thoughts, but thinking about the cost of that might push me towards the edge.

 

I guess at the end of the day I'm just cheap.

Link to comment
  • Moderators
[quote name="MacGyver" post="1149506" timestamp="1400274346"]I'm going to have to give a safety razor a whirl. Though, if I'm being honest, while I HATE the cost of refills on my multi-bladed Gillette Fusion - I can run one for at least a month. I shave every morning, and I would wager that I've not changed a blade with less than 6 weeks on it in years. Maybe I have tough skin or a soft beard (I don't think either of these are true), but it takes me a good while to feel the need to change a blade. I don't know what I'd do if I felt like I had to change a Gillette blade every few shaves. I've never had suicidal thoughts, but thinking about the cost of that might push me towards the edge. I guess at the end of the day I'm just cheap.[/quote] Well it is hard to beat $0.10 to $.20 a blade. Use will depend upon factors of course but probably a week in many cases? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Link to comment

Could be mineral deposits from hard water.

 

 

 

 

That's because alcohol is hygroscopic.... it absorbs water out of the air.  Hence the reason ethanol in gasoline is so bad for older small engines... but that's another thread. 

 

OTOH, if you dipped it in alcohol and then shook it off, it would be dry quicker.

Link to comment

Well it is hard to beat $0.10 to $.20 a blade. Use will depend upon factors of course but probably a week in many cases? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I've never seen any claim with even the heaviest beards they don't get a least 3 good shaves from one of the better double edged blades and average seems to be 5 and up. Big diff in longevity in shaving daily and only once every three days or so like I generally do, too.

 

And yeah, Amazon 100 packs:

 

Astra: 11.01

Personna: 12.73

Crystal (120 pack): 18.88

Wilkinson Sword: 18.25

Feather: 26.50

Various other Russian, including Gillette brands: 10.00-15.00

 

etc

 

- OS

Edited by Oh Shoot
Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

TRADING POST NOTICE

Before engaging in any transaction of goods or services on TGO, all parties involved must know and follow the local, state and Federal laws regarding those transactions.

TGO makes no claims, guarantees or assurances regarding any such transactions.

THE FINE PRINT

Tennessee Gun Owners (TNGunOwners.com) is the premier Community and Discussion Forum for gun owners, firearm enthusiasts, sportsmen and Second Amendment proponents in the state of Tennessee and surrounding region.

TNGunOwners.com (TGO) is a presentation of Enthusiast Productions. The TGO state flag logo and the TGO tri-hole "icon" logo are trademarks of Tennessee Gun Owners. The TGO logos and all content presented on this site may not be reproduced in any form without express written permission. The opinions expressed on TGO are those of their authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the site's owners or staff.

TNGunOwners.com (TGO) is not a lobbying organization and has no affiliation with any lobbying organizations.  Beware of scammers using the Tennessee Gun Owners name, purporting to be Pro-2A lobbying organizations!

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to the following.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Guidelines
 
We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.