wet shaving

I couldn't find the original thread of this so I'll do it again.  I got a few years ago with spending 27 bucks for 5 blades, buying a cheesy sharpener that never worked for them.  So the last 18 months I've been using my dads 1962 gillette super speed adjustable.  It works awesome, a blade lasts me 4-5 shaves, I can sharpen them, but I'm trying to find some better lather than what I use so if anyone here uses these razors, let me know what you use.  I also have a Gillette fatboy but I prefer the superspeed adjustable.:

I shave with disposable heads, but I'm sure someone will say it... Get a hanger for that brush!

deadeye007 wrote: Honest question here... Why not use a disposable?

Cost
Closeness of Shave
Looks Classy
Better Lather
Longer Lasting
Morning Zen
etc.

To put it shortly, cheap disposables last a few shaves and are done. They are set at an off-angle so they don't shave as closely in one pass as a DE safety razor or straight razor do, so they have to add more blades, which means more times that a blade is passing over the skin meaning rougher, dryer, more break-out-prone skin.

If you go with an expensive disposable, you're spending GOBS on the blade refills. I pay between 5-10 CENTS per blade which will last me twice as long as a Mach-whatever-they're-up-to-now cartridge.

The ceremony of the mug, brush, lather, and razor get me in a good mood for the morning

It takes barely any longer to do it the proper way

And it looks snazzy on your bathroom counter.

Also, I get fewer ingrown hairs, can use the same blades with multiple style razors (adjustable, slant-bar, open comb, closed comb, etc) for different applications from trimming to shaving my head, to an everyday face-shave.

It's just better. The only reason you saw the switch to disposable cartridges is that Gillette realized that they had to change the way they did business. Their old razors were too dependable, and the blades lasted too long, to remain profitable in a global market. So they created the cartridge to renew their old loss-leader system. Ever notice you can buy a new Mach4Turbo with 3 cartridges for less than half the price of a 5 cartridge refill pack?

What blades do all of you use? 

Really wish I was better with a blade so I could get into this...

I'm at the mercy of what I can get online until I can get to a big city that actually has a store dedicated to shaving.  I saw one in Vancouver but I just didn't have enough time to get what I wanted.  Thanks for the lather tip Tallen, I've had a string of lathers that are dried out before I'm done.  

I did a double application last night, huge difference.  I found a nice hanger on amazon for razor and brush which I ordered too.

For blades, I usually go with Merkur Super Platinum. Feather is pretty decent as well.

I use a Merkur Slant Bar with Feathers. Although, I do like my Super Speed too.

Told my brother I was interested in getting a Safety Razor for Christmas this year, he has been looking at options since I mentioned it. Seems Amazon has some Merkur sets for around $50 USD...decent brand? This would be my first personal Safety Razor, so input would be nice. Hoping to get him some intel tomorrow before he buys me something. Not that I would be upset if he only spent $7 bucks, but he is one who normally does his research.