The Wanderer's Journey

[AimlessWanderer]

Yup! That all sounds all too familiar

Usually by shave three, I've pretty sussed out the blade and how to get it to work at it's best. That's providing I'm not swapping razors about. This is another reason that I don't want any more DEs, every time I switch razor, it takes me a few shaves to adjust to it again.

It's wierd. I've been using DE razors for over 25 years, but you can revert back to clueless numpty taking chunks out of your face in seconds! Even switching between two razors recently had my competence levels plumetting. I had to stop using the Parker altogether for a while, as I ended up not using either razor very well at all. More razors just makes this even worse.

I want to get down to maybe 3 DE, the two Sheffield vintage razors, and maybe one other. Maybe the Rolls, maybe the Empire, or maybe something else entirely. Five or six total would be a comfortable number for me, anything more would just be baggage I don't want to be encumbered by.

 

[Esox]

I really cant say I've needed much of a change in how I use each of mine, but all are very similar in design.

My Gillette D2 SS, Tech and Lady Gillette are virtually all the same razors and shave in a very similar fashion. No adjustment of technique is needed with any of those. I'll even add my NEW SC to that lot. The guard span, gap and exposure all being fairly close to each other and really the only difference between them is efficiency and the number of passes needed to get to the same point. Overall geometry is pretty similar.

My Grande and Regent are also similar and I use them with the same technique as I do the others, only with a shallower angle as they both have more blade exposure. That is something thats felt instantly so adjusting for it comes quickly.

I was under the impression when you referred to the 'Sheffield vintage razors' you meant straight razors. The Rolls I've seen pictures of and thats an SE right? The Empire I have no idea about.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I only have one straight. It doesn't seem to be in bad condition, and shouldn't take much work to clean the blade up. I am thinking about making some teak scales for it though, rather than the plain black plastic it currently has.

The Rolls is basically a straight on a stick, which has it's one honing and stropping system. Again, the blades and strop need some restoration work. I'm aining to make one good set from these two

The Empire also uses hollow ground blades, and is a SE razor that has a built in stropping facility, and was supposed to come with a strop. The strop was missing, so I'll be making a new one. The blades need a lot of tidying up too

Finally, the Darwin is somewhat similar to the Rolls, but better. It is an actual safety razor with a micrometer screw adjustment for aggression, or you can mount the handle on id directly, and use it like a straight.

Again, it needs a lot of clean up work to get it back in full working order.

So these are the "hobby" side for me. Maybe now you can see why I consider another DE to be too similar to what I already have. Same blades, same technique etc. With these four, not only have I got to suss out the refurb, but also the usage and maintenance.

If you're going to stray into vintage razors, sticking with DE is just a little bit too tame

 

[AimlessWanderer]

The Rolls, Darwin, and Empire together...

 

[Esox]

Those are some cool razors I have to say.

I'd try to use them, I think? lol. Maintaining would be a labour of love...

This is the one I had thought you meant. A different animal entirely.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I'd love to have one of those, but they go for silly money. I think my most expensive razor was £25

 

[Esox]

None of my razors have been expensive either. My Grande is the most expensive at $48CAD.

That may change if I decide to get my Regent and NEW SC gold plated lol.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

It's nice to finally have a cheap "hobby" in life I appreciate that this game can be quite expensive for some people, but I do genuinely get pleasure from all this while spending WAY less than I would on cartridges and foam.

Total soap and software expenditure this year - £2.00 (4 x Palmolive shave stick)

Total hardware expenditure - £10.35 (100 x Wilkinson blades)

Additional expenditure £5.40 (2 sheets of lapping film)

Next year I'll need a Mitchell's refill, and possibly another bottle of Nivea Sensitive balm. I might place another bulk blade order or two, but that's just to take advantage of today's prices. I certainly don't need any more for a good few years.

I reckon I'll be kept busy till mid 2019 put setting shave numbers to the various blades I already have (based on averaging a month per blade), and then putting free time into the various refurb projects, which I already have pretty much all the materials for now, except for a couple of brass washers for repinning the straight.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

For me, a new blade is like a new pair of leather shoes. You don't really know if you're going to like them till they've broken in a bit - and if they're comfy from the start, they're probably going to get sloppy by the time they're bedded in.

It took me a long time, and cost me a lot of money to learn otherwise, and I'm not saying anything I learned has any application to anyone but me.

If I try on a pair of shoes and they are not immediately comfortable they are not ever going to be comfortable. Never. They never break in and become comfortable. They may break in and become more comfortable.

Razor blades, same deal. If the first shave is horrible the next shave ain't gonna happen. No time soon anyway.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[AimlessWanderer]

It took me a long time, and cost me a lot of money to learn otherwise, and I'm not saying anything I learned has any application to anyone but me.

If I try on a pair of shoes and they are not immediately comfortable they are not ever going to be comfortable. Never. They never break in and become comfortable. They may break in and become more comfortable.

Razor blades, same deal. If the first shave is horrible the next shave ain't gonna happen. No time soon anyway.

Happy shaves,

Jim

I've had shoes that do break in well, and ones that don't too. I'm thinking specifically with the safety footwear that we were issued at work. You told them your shoe size, and two days later a box turned up with your shoes in. No trying them on, no choosing one over the other. The only chance you got to have them replaced was if they failed, split, or were otherwise demonstrataby unsuitable.

As to blades, the 7 O'clock SharpEdge that I'm running at the moment started off a bit scratchy. Obviously sharp, but didn't feel particularly refined (though not as bad as Feathers), and it's turned out to be an excellent blade, which I'm considering buying in bulk. There is a thread about them that has been live over the last couple of days, and several members here said that they are great blades from the third or fourth shaves, but start out quite rough.
I would totally agree with that. If I was judging them on one shave, it would be quite negative, but that blade has now done 32 shaves, and once the first few shaves were out of the way, it was a joy to use.

As ever YMMV.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

The Gillette SharpEdge left me unhappy with todays post-shave, with stubble coming back early, and a little bit too much warmth on the skin. I checked it with a flashlight this evening, and there was light reflecting of both edges (more on one than the other) so I have declared that blade finished. Time to update the log.

Most Shaves Per Blade:

11 - Shark Super Chrome
32 - Gillette 7 O'Clock Yellow

Next up is a Wilkinson Sword Classic.

I'm also keeping a seperate log of all this on my laptop, and a spreadsheet with approximate prices for 100 blades off Ebay, so I've got an equivalent price per shave.

The Shark being cheaper comes out around £0.0068 per shave, whereas the SharpEdge comes out at £0.0031 per shave - so the SharpEdge is still three shaves per penny if bought in bulk, and the Shark is still less than a penny per shave.

Price aside, the SharpEdge was still a nicer shave, once I'd got the first few shaves out of the way.

 

[Esox]

I cant say I've had issues with any of the Gillette Yellows I've used, which is one blade shy of 2 full tucks, so 9 blades.

Very sharp and to me very smooth. Among the smoothest I've used.

Shark Super Chrome, not so much.... lol

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I think by shave 20 onwards, the Gillette Yellow started to feel like the Shark did on it's first shave

The Yellows are certainly very good blades, but in fairness the Sharks are ok for a budget blade. If I was going to routinely change a blade every week, the Sharks could handle that. They'd be OK for using with a breakdown travel razor too, if you didn't want to worry about packing blades back up to bring them home again.

Travel razors are a bit crap for that, and if you're on the move you have to try to keep the paper wrapper in tact to wrap it back up again. I've learned that with my Merkur, and just keep a couple of Derbys in the pouch.

I hope the Wilkinson blade puts in a performance on par with the Yellow. They certainly used to give a decent lifespan.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

I won't toss the blade after one shave unless the shave is horrible. I agree the 2nd or 3rd shave may be a lot better than the first.

One horrible shave though is too many for me. Maybe if a bunch of B&B guys told me the first shave was pretty terrible, but the next thirty were the bee's knees...

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Esox]

I didnt find Shark blades sharp enough and I had to use more pressure to limit the tugging causing irritation.

One blade that I did like a lot of the first shave was Voskhod. The second shave was a little harsh, then the third and fourth shaves felt like I was using a broken beer bottle lol. It smoothed out again on the 5th. Really nice blade other than those 2 shaves. Doesnt mean I'll be buying more lol.

Perma-Sharp Super I found the same as Voskhod, but without any harshness on any shaves.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I won't toss the blade after one shave unless the shave is horrible. I agree the 2nd or 3rd shave may be a lot better than the first.

One horrible shave though is too many for me. Maybe if a bunch of B&B guys told me the first shave was pretty terrible, but the next thirty were the bee's knees...

Happy shaves,

Jim

I know what you mean, Jim. That's why I've never gone the distance with a Feather. I've tried them a couple of times, and failed to get past the initial cheesegrater stage. I will be giving them another try, and if I get the same intolerable feel, I'll get rid of them. They are the only blades that I've tried, that I've not been able to get ANY decent shaves from.

I've had plenty of blades that start harsh and mellow out and give a good run of great shaves, but nothing has come close to the nastiness of a fresh Feather blade. Cal directed me to a thread where someone got over 100 shaves from one, but I think all I have managed is two. I've ditched blades early because I've wanted to try other stuff, but haven't had to bail out of any other blades for not being capable of giving me one enjoyable shave.

I'm not against anyone else making quicker decisions on their blades, or ditching them sooner than I would, but I know that some of my best shaves are from blades that I've had long(er) lives from, and those great shaves didn't come early in the blade life.

I reckon halfway through it's life is when you start getting the best shaves. The initial harshness has worn off, but the blade hasn't dulled to the point of tugging, or the edge got harsh again through deformation.

Maybe its something about the way I shave, or the characteristics of my beard/face, but I know that I miss out on some great shaves by changing the blade after only a few shaves. A few years ago, I went through a stage of tryinng lost of blades, but only for a few shaves. I've no idea how many blades I wasted over that time, but I was chucking blades purely out of impatience, before they had gotten to the point where they can give me the best shaves.

As far as the Excaliber Club goes, my blade lives are pretty poor, but if 30 shaves is my limit, so be it. Even if I don't stick with that club or stick with counting my shaves, I'm going to keep taking each blade to it's true expiration, because otherwise I'll be missing out on it's most enjoyable shaves.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I didnt find Shark blades sharp enough and I had to use more pressure to limit the tugging causing irritation.

One blade that I did like a lot of the first shave was Voskhod. The second shave was a little harsh, then the third and fourth shaves felt like I was using a broken beer bottle lol. It smoothed out again on the 5th. Really nice blade other than those 2 shaves. Doesnt mean I'll be buying more lol.

Perma-Sharp Super I found the same as Voskhod, but without any harshness on any shaves.

The thing I found about the Sharks (on my beard) was that they don't like being used slow. If I was too cautious and careful, they pulled more. If I was confident with them, they shaved more smoothly. That all worked fine untill the last shave, when shaving quickly with a tired blade, wasn't particularly comfortable.

I also had to make damn sure that I'd prepped properly. If my beard wasn't fully hydrated, there was a lot of resistance on the cut. It didn't need pressure on the face, but you kind of had to force it through the bristles.

It did the job for ten shaves, but the one blade I have left will probably be the last Shark I use, unless the next one puts in a better performance. I'm not wasting storage space for blades that last a week, when I can have blades that last a month.

I have tried the Voskhod blades, but only in my dozy phase of chucking blades away before they're spent. So really, I haven't tested them properly at all. They're another polarising blade like Astras and Derbys, so it'll be interesting to take one through it's full life.

 

[Esox]

The thing I found about the Sharks (on my beard) was that they don't like being used slow. If I was too cautious and careful, they pulled more. If I was confident with them, they shaved more smoothly. That all worked fine untill the last shave, when shaving quickly with a tired blade, wasn't particularly comfortable.

I also had to make damn sure that I'd prepped properly. If my beard wasn't fully hydrated, there was a lot of resistance on the cut. It didn't need pressure on the face, but you kind of had to force it through the bristles.

It did the job for ten shaves, but the one blade I have left will probably be the last Shark I use, unless the next one puts in a better performance. I'm not wasting storage space for blades that last a week, when I can have blades that last a month.

I never shave slowly. When I shave WTG/XTG its one single stroke that overlaps the next 25-50% from the top of my cheek to the base of my neck. Always long, smooth full length strokes.

I only buff ATG and even then its strokes of 2-4"s and I buff very quickly.

Shaving faster and more assertively can help mitigate and overcome a lack of sharpness, and so can a steeper angle. I find it more difficult shaving quickly when I use a steeper angle, especially with my Grande and Regent that have generous blade exposure.

The shallower angle I shave with, the faster I shave simply because I feel the blade less.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Buffing... *shudder*



There's one aspect of other people's shaves that I've not gotten my head around... I know some people swear by it, but just the thought of it gives me the heebiegeebies

I'm with you on the speed vs sharpness thing, Mike. I've mentioned similar things a few times in my brief time here. I stroke full length too, right from the top of the beard to the base of the neck (and vice versa).

As to the angle, i've settled mainly into using the Jagger, which pretty much has two angles - right and wrong I'm wondering if using the Shark in the more aggressive Parker was partly responsible for it's early demise. I'll still use the Parker occasionally, but one I've set some shave numbers with the Jagger, I might go again using the same blades in the Parker, and see if the shave counts are higher, lower, or roughly the same.

 

[Esox]

There are different ways to buff. Theres the way Mantic describes in his video where he lifts the razor from his skin slightly before stroking forward again. Thats seems dangerous to me and he even refers to it as a "chopping" motion.

2:15 into the video is his Mach 3 buffing. 3:00 in is his DE buffing.

When I buff my razor never stops moving and it never leaves my skin unless I have to rinse it. I buff with a DE like he does with his Mach 3, but twice as fast. My Grande and a sharp blade is buffing bliss lol.

Learning to maintain the angle consistently while shaving over different areas can be a challenge. Less gap certainly helps, especially with the speed I buff with.

I dont believe I could shave as I do directly ATG first pass without buffing. That would be where 'reduction' comes in. You need 1 or 2 passes prior to that to make an ATG pass manageable. Think of it like cutting long grass with a push lawn mower. You're not going to get across the yard with a single push. Load the lawnmower (razor) up, then pull it back and push into it again.

First pass ATG my strokes are short, but just as quick. Maybe 1/2" to an inch. The less growth I have, the longer the ATG strokes, but the speed of the stroke remains constant.

Buffing like that with an unsupported blade edge I'd call dangerous, and I'm fairly confident I couldnt do it. Thats one reason I wanted to try a typical EJ type clone head, to see just what I could do with one. Buffing I believe, as I do it, would be out!