Safety Razors
Printed From: Tippmann Paintball
Category: News And Views
Forum Name: Thoughts and Opinions
Forum Description: Got something you need to say?
URL: http://www.tippmannsports.com/forum/wwf77a/forum_posts.asp?TID=191475
Printed Date: 29 January 2026 at 10:31pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.04 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Safety Razors
Posted By: Rofl_Mao
Subject: Safety Razors
Date Posted: 26 October 2013 at 9:23pm
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Ok, I'm tired of shaving with disposable razors and electric shavers. Disposable razors clog up too fast and cost too much to buy ones worth while, and electric razors don't shave close enough and they leave my throat/adam's apple burning after every shave. So I heard online from everybody that safety razors have the best shave for the buck and last a good amount of time before having to replace blades. Therefore I turn to you, oh great T&O forum, to direct me to the best start to a new life of awesome shaving. Where do I start? P.S. I know there's an older thread about this topic but I'm too lazy to find it. |
Replies:
Posted By: RoboCop
Date Posted: 26 October 2013 at 10:07pm
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My girlfriend got me a starter kit for christmas. http://www.royalshave.com/p/407-044/" rel="nofollow - Similar to this. I suggest a starter kit to get going. Mine came with a bowl, but I can't find my exact one. From there you can determine if you really want to upgrade anything. This way if you are satisfied with mid level product, you won't be spending over 200 on a razor when you could have gotten away with something much cheaper. It costs a good amount up front, but soaps and a pack of razors will last you a long time. I like when my razors dull out some. When they are fresh, they cut me up a lot, but after a few uses, they are pain free as long as you don't overshave your face. If I shave everyday, I'll do 3 passes on one day and 2 passes the second. With the grain, across the grain, against the grain. Oh and get an alum block.
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Posted By: tallen702
Date Posted: 27 October 2013 at 8:13pm
Baby face...... 
If you're having to make more than 2 passes and are having to use alum, you need something other than the closed comb that you have. Merkur's open-comb or slant-bar will give you a closer shave in fewer strokes. I use the open comb and get it done in one against the grain, no in-growns, no nicks or cuts. Rofl, starter kits like Robo suggested are a good way to go, but if you want to start out on the quick and cheap, a basic DE safety razor is going to be fine with standard shaving cream and some decent blades. There's no need to put down all the cash if you aren't comfortable with the shave. I like http://www.classicshaving.com/" rel="nofollow - Classic Shaving for most of my needs. Their house-branded stuff is pretty decent as well. Click their "Getting started" drop-down menu button and read up. They have good suggestions in each category as well. As for blades, I prefer Merkur over Feather. Feather have a much, much sharper edge and tend to cut you a bit more easily when you're first starting out. Merkur are less finely honed meaning you can use more pressure, which you're used to with disposables. If you don't like what you see on either Robo or my suggested sites, E-Bay is a great place to pick up old Gillette Tech razors for a relatively low price. Just make sure you get them polished up by a metal shop and thoroughly soak them in barbacide before using them. ------------- <Removed overly wide sig. Tsk, you know better.> |
RoboCop wrote:Posted By: JohnnyCanuck
Date Posted: 27 October 2013 at 8:49pm
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http://www.tippmann.com/forum/wwf77a/forum_posts.asp?TID=190834&KW=razor&PID=2726792&title=wet-shaving#2726792" rel="nofollow - http://www.tippmann.com/forum/wwf77a/forum_posts.asp?TID=190834&KW=razor&PID=2726792&title=wet-shaving#2726792
------------- Imagine there’s a picture of your favourite thing here. |
Posted By: Rofl_Mao
Date Posted: 29 October 2013 at 8:41pm
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Thanks for the responses guys. They really helped. Just gotta scrounge up some dough for the initial buy, then away I go! |
Posted By: DaveEllis
Date Posted: 30 October 2013 at 2:12pm
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I use a Merkur with Feather blades. I've had the same Vulfix brush going on a few years now. Right now my current soap choice is between Mitchell's Wool Fat and RazoRock Lily of the Valley, both are nice. For awhile I was using I was using RazoRock Zi Peppino which is a green tobacco scent, I need to find more of it.
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Posted By: PaiNTbALLfReNzY
Date Posted: 05 November 2013 at 9:16am
| I use a Merkur with Merkur blades, only because I haven't ordered feathers online yet. I use some random shave soap I got for free from Art of Shaving. I have some Mach 3's I keep stashed away in case I'm in a hurry, but I use my Merkur frequently. Even though it takes longer, I'd rather spend 5 dollars on 15 blades than 15 dollars on 5 blades. |
Posted By: *Stealth*
Date Posted: 05 November 2013 at 10:00am
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I shave with a Merkur Slant Bar and feather blades. I use Proraso soup, and Captians Choice Bay Rum aftershave. Occasional use of an alum block. I shave every day and have found I hardly take longer than I would with a Mach now. ------------- |
Posted By: tallen702
Date Posted: 05 November 2013 at 10:25am
Mitchell's Wool Fat is the shiznit. A bit expensive compared to the basics, but totally worth it. ------------- <Removed overly wide sig. Tsk, you know better.> |
Posted By: evillepaintball
Date Posted: 05 November 2013 at 12:11pm
Agreed. ------------- 
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Posted By: DaveEllis
Date Posted: 05 November 2013 at 12:30pm
I also use the Captain's Choice Bay Rum, the lack of cloves is quite nice. I also don't think Mitchells is too expensive, if you get it in their tub it is but I just got a refill puck and put it in an old TOBS tub.
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Posted By: tallen702
Date Posted: 05 November 2013 at 1:27pm
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I didn't say "too expensive" I just said "expensive compared to" which is true. You can get some Col. Conk's for about 2/3rd what you pay for Mitchells, but Mitchells is worth that extra scratch. ------------- <Removed overly wide sig. Tsk, you know better.> |
Posted By: Yomillio
Date Posted: 05 November 2013 at 2:12pm
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I use a 1940's Gillette Tech, Edwin Jagger Badger brush, and Proraso's sensitive skin soap which is pretty awesome stuff. Currently working my way through a blade sampler pack to see what I like best; so far, it's been Astras. Yet to use the Feathers though. ------------- 
http://www.tippmann.com/forum/wwf77a/forum_posts.asp?TID=172327 - Forum XBL Gamertag Collection |
Posted By: RoboCop
Date Posted: 05 November 2013 at 8:44pm
| I think Astras have been my favorite in my sampler pack too. Yet to use the Feathers also. |
Posted By: SSOK
Date Posted: 06 November 2013 at 1:13pm
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How are the open comb compared to the slant bar (or whatever they're called) types? I currently use vintage Gillettes (one Travel Tech, a TTO Super Speed, and a full size gold plated Tech I have yet to use) which I like, but I need to pull the blade out and rinse everything almost every pass because I don't shave as often as I should. It gets really clogged up. I'm also going to buy some Personna blades. Their cheapy ones are good to me, and I can buy their top of the line ones on eBay for $13/100. They're also the only blades made in USA. ------------- 
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Posted By: tallen702
Date Posted: 06 November 2013 at 4:58pm
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Slant bar gives you a really close shave with less irritation, but if you're prone to ingrown hairs, it'll make you miserable. The open comb will eliminate the ingrown hairs as it cuts the hair straight and right at skin level which prevents it from growing back in under the skin. ------------- <Removed overly wide sig. Tsk, you know better.> |
Posted By: Yomillio
Date Posted: 06 November 2013 at 8:12pm
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I don't know how everyone else's experiences are, but I get 100000x less ingrowns after going from a cartridge to just a slant bar - far from miserable here. Might be in part to non-aggressive Tech and blades though, and i also don't go against the grain (just with- and cross-grain). -------------
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Posted By: tallen702
Date Posted: 07 November 2013 at 8:13am
Yep, that'll help prevent them quite a bit. A DE razor is always going to give you fewer ingrown problems. You're actually making fewer passes with the razor if you do the math, which means you aren't burying the cut ends of the whiskers down underneath the top layer of skin. If you do two passes with a Mach 5, you're actually making the equivalent of 10 passes with a DE safety razor. Meanwhile, you can make 2 passes with a DE and get the same, if not better results than the Mach 5 with fewer ancillary issues like ingrowns, cuts, dry skin, etc. ------------- <Removed overly wide sig. Tsk, you know better.> |
Posted By: *Stealth*
Date Posted: 08 November 2013 at 12:57am
For the record - any Tech you're using is not a Slant Bar. I'm fairly certain Merkur is the only one who makes a slant, which is called - the slant bar.  ------------- |
Posted By: Yomillio
Date Posted: 08 November 2013 at 9:05am
Ahh, right - straight bar then. Got my durn turminology messed up. -------------
http://www.tippmann.com/forum/wwf77a/forum_posts.asp?TID=172327 - Forum XBL Gamertag Collection |
Posted By: tallen702
Date Posted: 08 November 2013 at 5:26pm
Technically, what you have is a "closed comb" Merkur isn't the only one who makes slant bar razors, they're just the first to bring them back into style. Closed comb is your standard razor. It has divots in the comb/bar to help reduce friction (making the razor glide better) and guide hairs to the blade to be cut properly. Open comb razors have what look like a straight line of teeth where the divots would normally be on the bar. The gaps in the teeth recede all the way from the face of the bar to beyond the leading edge of the blade. This allows the blade to be closer to the skin and the "comb" makes the hairs stand straight just before being cut, giving a closer shave and leading to fewer ingrown hairs as they are cut more level than they would be wit a closed comb razor. Slant bars are a closed comb where the bar actually pitches on a downward angle from one end of the blade to the other. This pitch and curl provides for a slicing motion through the whiskers giving you an easier shave with less applied pressure. However, it can mean angled cuts on whiskers. If you're prone to in grown hairs, slant bar razors can actually aggravate that problem, though not as bad as multi-blade razors do. Any and all of these DE safety razors will give you a closer shave with less irritation and fewer issues than any multi-blade cartridge razor. ------------- <Removed overly wide sig. Tsk, you know better.> |
Posted By: procarbinefreak
Date Posted: 14 November 2013 at 9:11pm
| I think this is something I'd be interested in, but I keep a beard and only really shave down my neck once or twice a week. I can't even imagine being clean shaven anymore. |
Posted By: tallen702
Date Posted: 15 November 2013 at 6:07am
That's my situation now. But I still like using the mug, brush, and razor for that bit. Still feels better/less irritation than using a cartridge razor, but then again, I can understand not wanting to shell out the scratch for what is ultimately such a small/quick shave each week. ------------- <Removed overly wide sig. Tsk, you know better.> |
Posted By: evillepaintball
Date Posted: 08 May 2014 at 5:35pm
Lily of the Valley? Nice try, Mr. White. I ordered some of the Zi Peppino and Captains Choice Bay Rum from RazoRock and got them in today. I tried the Peppino tonight and am very pleased with it. The scent is most excellent. -------------
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Posted By: Rofl_Mao
Date Posted: 10 May 2014 at 11:08pm
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I got a RazoRock DE razor for Christmas and I love it. I also bought 80 assorted blades on Amazon for $30. Freaking awesome. |
Posted By: TRAVELER
Date Posted: 04 June 2014 at 5:14am
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I switched over to using a safety razor a few years ago. Safety razors do give me a closer shave, and a more comfortable one at that. But there is a learning curve involved. Every razor shaves just a bit differently, as do blades. And of course the shaving soap is another consideration. After a lot of trial-and-error, I get the best shave with an old Gillette Bostonian razor, Gillette Bleue blades (I buy a case every time I visit France), and Kent soap with a Kent badger brush. My face did not get along with a Fat Boy, Aristocrat, Merkur, or Hoffritz. The old Bostonian was the cheapest of the lot, and works the best for me. ------------- For I will wander to and fro, I'll go where I no one do know, |
Posted By: agentwhale007
Date Posted: 05 June 2014 at 11:57pm
| I've been keeping my beard short, but I have not trimmed my mustache in a solid 4-5 months. My goal is to have a nice Pringles mustache going by the time I start my new job. |