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Am I doing something wrong or what?

I have been wet shaving for about 5 years now. Started with muhle 89 or Edwin jagger 89 one of them. Then I fell in a rabbit hole. Then can wolfmans blackbirds and hundreds of razors in between. And now I think I get great shaves with muhle or Edwin jagger 89 no problems. All of the artisan razors would just leave me with irritated and uncomfortable feeling skin.
 

musicman1951

three-tu-tu, three-tu-tu
Well, uncomfortable and irritated skin does not come from proper technique, but some razors require a little different technique than others.

But my guess is that you had the wrong razor/blade/technique combination for your face/beard. To eliminate the problem would require some experimenting with blades, and possibly technique.

But there is absolutely nothing wrong with a Muhle R89 razor - that's why it's such a standard recommendation. If it fits your blade choice/face/technique that sounds like a win to me. Enjoy it.
 

JCinPA

The Lather Maestro
I think the 'problem' is a common one around here. You hear that others are raving about the latest new thing (to them) and you just have to have it. You are in good company. I do the same thing with soaps, creams, and blades, but those don't cost me much.

Luckily I avoided going down this rabbit hole with razors. I'm a) aware enough of the strong psychological drive to justify spending lots of money by convincing one's self that it was a 'good decision', and b) even if a $125-$300 razor were objectively 'better' than my less expensive favorites, the odds of my picking my personal 'one and only' from reading other peoples' reviews here is statistically zero. That's not a YMMV thing, it's mathematics.

Look at how wildly different opinions are on something like razor blades. While there is some semblance of consensus, in that there are blades that more consistently come up on shavers' best lists and some that more consistently come up on worst lists, almost every blade out there has at least one guy who thinks it's the greatest thing since sliced bread, and another who thinks it's an abomination. The idea that you can read reviews here on all the DE, SE, and AC razors available today and luck into the one just perfect for you is preposterous.

So then you get into the 'hundreds of razors' thing you mention, and quite a lot of money ... and frustration. Luckily, I concluded that I either was not going to come up with a magic razor that bested my favorites Muhle/EJ89 head on a heavy steel handle, a Merkur 34C, or vintage Techs and schick injectors, all relatively inexpensive. Given the number of artisan razors out there that folks rave about in here, I could quickly be out $3,000 trying them all. I'm just not willing to do that.

I am willing to shell that out for customized 1911 pistol however. :c4: Folks on other forums think I'm nuts for that, but it makes me happy. So I understand the draw. Razors just don't do it for me. The only thing you're doing wrong that I can see is continuing to waste (for you) your money on razors that you don't feel shave any better than your original favorites. Just stop! Sell your pricey ones on the BST, cut your losses, stick with what works and be happy.

Then find something else to waste your money on where it is better spent. Fast cars, motorcycles, firearms, fast women, whatever gives you better return on your money than trying to reinvent the DE razor! :c9:
 
There is absolutely nothing wrong with the Muhle R89 or the EJ DE89. If you get your best shaves with these razors, by all means, do use them and enjoy them!

I get some of my best shaves with my $20 Fatip Piccolo OC, so what would I use anything else? Enter Karve, but that’s another story…

”stick with what works and be happy” is spot-on advice, imho.
 
Every single one of you have an absolutely valid points. But may be it is me at the end of the day. I have to admit that I chase that bbs. It’s like I can’t quit until I pass that razor and it’s just quiet. I feel like if I don’t get it everywhere it’s going to be patchy. I remember my old partner at work came to work with a haircut that was given to him by probably a blind person. Ever since then he earned the title of a marble head. In my thick skull I am just thinking to my self if I am going through the trouble of shaving against the grain then might as well make it perfect.
 
I think the 'problem' is a common one around here. You hear that others are raving about the latest new thing (to them) and you just have to have it. You are in good company. I do the same thing with soaps, creams, and blades, but those don't cost me much.

Luckily I avoided going down this rabbit hole with razors. I'm a) aware enough of the strong psychological drive to justify spending lots of money by convincing one's self that it was a 'good decision', and b) even if a $125-$300 razor were objectively 'better' than my less expensive favorites, the odds of my picking my personal 'one and only' from reading other peoples' reviews here is statistically zero. That's not a YMMV thing, it's mathematics.

Look at how wildly different opinions are on something like razor blades. While there is some semblance of consensus, in that there are blades that more consistently come up on shavers' best lists and some that more consistently come up on worst lists, almost every blade out there has at least one guy who thinks it's the greatest thing since sliced bread, and another who thinks it's an abomination. The idea that you can read reviews here on all the DE, SE, and AC razors available today and luck into the one just perfect for you is preposterous.

So then you get into the 'hundreds of razors' thing you mention, and quite a lot of money ... and frustration. Luckily, I concluded that I either was not going to come up with a magic razor that bested my favorites Muhle/EJ89 head on a heavy steel handle, a Merkur 34C, or vintage Techs and schick injectors, all relatively inexpensive. Given the number of artisan razors out there that folks rave about in here, I could quickly be out $3,000 trying them all. I'm just not willing to do that.

I am willing to shell that out for customized 1911 pistol however. :c4: Folks on other forums think I'm nuts for that, but it makes me happy. So I understand the draw. Razors just don't do it for me. The only thing you're doing wrong that I can see is continuing to waste (for you) your money on razors that you don't feel shave any better than your original favorites. Just stop! Sell your pricey ones on the BST, cut your losses, stick with what works and be happy.

Then find something else to waste your money on where it is better spent. Fast cars, motorcycles, firearms, fast women, whatever gives you better return on your money than trying to reinvent the DE razor! :c9:
Cars that another bottomless rabbit hole. I used to be part of that. I spend couple of grand make my car faster get another 100 horsepower out of it. After a week I feel like it’s sluggish need to spend another couple of grand to get another 19.26363 horsepower 😂😂😂😂
 
Funny...I'm just the opposite. I can't get a comfortable shave with a DE89, but get great shaves from other razors.....go figure. Nothing wrong with just using what works.
 

JCinPA

The Lather Maestro
Every single one of you have an absolutely valid points. But may be it is me at the end of the day. I have to admit that I chase that bbs. It’s like I can’t quit until I pass that razor and it’s just quiet. I feel like if I don’t get it everywhere it’s going to be patchy. I remember my old partner at work came to work with a haircut that was given to him by probably a blind person. Ever since then he earned the title of a marble head. In my thick skull I am just thinking to my self if I am going through the trouble of shaving against the grain then might as well make it perfect.

That may be part of it. I have high standards for BBS, and I'm not willing to work for it most days. I'll get a DFS+ 9.5/10 and call it good. I think what some folks post in the daily shave thread as BBS would really not be by my standard, mine is no stubble felt anywhere and it takes me about 30 minutes of fiddling to get it. I get one maybe once, twice a year, but normally I just don't chase it. My DFS+ 9.5 might pass for BBS for most folks, but if I get a 9.0 or 9.5 each day, I'm good.

It's a bit of OCD, I think, and I know I'm not alone in having a case around here. :lol: But I honestly don't think the razor would have an impact on my getting a BBS. I can do that with a DE89 head on an Ikon heavy handle whenever I want to spend the half hour on it. I just usually don't.

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Iridian

Cool and slimy
I don't think I will ever find my perfect razor.

And I hope I will never do so, enjoy the variety, the more the merrier! :001_smile
Nothing wrong with a short acquisition break to regenerate funds though. :lemo:
 
With time I think someone can learn to use most things effectively. Learning to use lots of different things that require different technique is much harder.
 
No. In my experience, a Feather Popular was more comfortable than a TTO Parker and less than half the price when I bought it. Unfortunately, the former wouldn't close the doors and align the blade properly after 3 years; the latter had blade misalignment issues from the start.
After years and around 10 unsatisfying DEs, I now shave (almost) daily with a 6S@R2. I also have a FOCS. Both can shave me equally well, the Rockwell being my most expensive razor ever, while the FOCS is my third most expensive. As @JCinPA already explained, you probably purchased out of pure curiosity - nothing wrong with it. You can try selling the stuff you don't like. Don't torment yourself with hardware which makes you feel like an insect sprayed with RAID.
 

thombrogan

Lounging On The Isle Of Tugsley.
It sounds like you can wait until the big$$ razors have long waiting times and make your money back. Congratulations!
 
You seem to get your best results with mild but efficient razors. I would suggest the Henson AL13 medium. I found it gives excellent shaves without irritation.
 
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