I bought a gillette safety razor recently for cheap. It's NOT one of the ones that has 1-9 adjustment. I bought it mostly because I have a thick beard, I have to shave at least once a day, and I'm tired of paying for Mach III blades. Additionally, I like sharp things.
The experience was not at all like I had anticipated.
I really expected there to be more of a 'blade on skin' feeling. In other words, if the handle was attached directly to the blade (and the blade was stiffer), that's what I expected. If that was the case, there would be nothing in the way of the blade. Of course, that wouldn't be very 'safe' but i don't care. As it is, I don't understand why they ruined the razor by putting those guards on it that stick out past the edge. I didn't feel the blade against my skin, but rather those guards, which were pushing down the hair and shaving cream before the blade got to it. And I had a hard time getting the exact right angle that would let the blade actually touch my skin. I was forced to wonder if the blades i got were too short/skinny and thus weren't sticking out as much as they should. But, I'm sure they were fine.
So basically, it was much fiddlier and much less exciting/satisfying/efficient than I thought it would be.
I have shaved with small folding pocket knives before, and that blade-on-skin, no guard/plastic/'lubricating strip'/etc passing over the hair in front of the raw edge, hair-popping shave is what I was after. I don't really want to use a straight razor because of the sharpening and all, and the razors are expensive...see the part about saving money. It really seems like the safety razor format could work, but maybe I'm just not doing it right. Perhaps I should buy a 1-9 adjustable one, and turn the guards all the way back? Or am i just being weird?
The experience was not at all like I had anticipated.
I really expected there to be more of a 'blade on skin' feeling. In other words, if the handle was attached directly to the blade (and the blade was stiffer), that's what I expected. If that was the case, there would be nothing in the way of the blade. Of course, that wouldn't be very 'safe' but i don't care. As it is, I don't understand why they ruined the razor by putting those guards on it that stick out past the edge. I didn't feel the blade against my skin, but rather those guards, which were pushing down the hair and shaving cream before the blade got to it. And I had a hard time getting the exact right angle that would let the blade actually touch my skin. I was forced to wonder if the blades i got were too short/skinny and thus weren't sticking out as much as they should. But, I'm sure they were fine.
So basically, it was much fiddlier and much less exciting/satisfying/efficient than I thought it would be.
I have shaved with small folding pocket knives before, and that blade-on-skin, no guard/plastic/'lubricating strip'/etc passing over the hair in front of the raw edge, hair-popping shave is what I was after. I don't really want to use a straight razor because of the sharpening and all, and the razors are expensive...see the part about saving money. It really seems like the safety razor format could work, but maybe I'm just not doing it right. Perhaps I should buy a 1-9 adjustable one, and turn the guards all the way back? Or am i just being weird?