An attempt to simplify and save a few bucks

[Blade5082]

As I'm sure you all know, my goal to simplify and save some cash by switching to DE shaving hasn't really panned out yet... I'm still hoping I get there!

Figured I'd start a journal to put my thoughts down and keep track of what I've tried, what has and hasn't worked for me and what I've learned.

I started shaving with a cartridge razor - Schick tracer FX to be exact, the one with two blades that would flex to the contours of your face. It did the job, as long as I didn't go against the grain it was comfortable, but never very close. I was poor, so I would use one cartridge for around a month before swapping it out.

Once I got a decent job I purchased a Panasonic electric razor. I was finally able to get a close and comfortable shave. But, there were always stranglers that it just wouldn't pickup without going over the same area 10 times or more.

My neck whiskers grow pretty much parallel with my skin, so they were hard to "scoop" up into the razor's foil.

I started keeping a spare cartridge razor around just to quickly slice off these 3-5 whiskers that the Panasonic just couldn't pick up.

About 10 years ago I stared growing a beard, and only shaving my neck. I stuck with the electric razor, with help from the cartridge as needed. This worked well enough and I changed the blades in the electric a couple times over the years so it really didn't cost that much. I just grew tired of how long it seemed to take to go over and over to get all my flat lying hair off my neck.

As long as I shaved every day it wasn't much of a problem but if I waited a few days then things got tricky. And since I had a beard I wasn't that motivated to shave every day.

This summer my 15 year old son decided he wanted to start shaving so I started looking into what kind of razor to get him and read about double edged safety razors. They seemed economical and generally favored by their users. so I figured I would pick one up to try for myself before getting one for him.

I was excited at the possibility of ditching the electric razor and not being stuck spending $10 on blades every month for each person in my house.

I picked up a Rockwell 6C after a bit of research, and to my surprise there was nothing scary about it - I got a smooth shave that easily cut all the whiskers off my neck.

I also ordered a brush and some soaps from Sterling.

 

[huck1680]

Welcome. You will find this to be a very relaxing and an excellent "me time" activity. There's also the possibility of it turning into a bit of an obsession plus a very real tendency of becoming a "collection" of various aspects of wet shaving. It's gonna be fun.

 

[NorthernSoul]

Hi & welcome!

If you want to save money, just pick a setup you like and stick with it. You only really need one or two razors, brushes, soaps, brands of blades, etc. It can be fun to have a "rotation" but that's where the temptation comes to fall into "acquisition disorders" (which a lot of us on this forum have).

The most economical soaps are usually the hard milled soaps. You can get a lot more shaves per soap from those than the soft soaps. Good quality blades can be had for $10 per 100 (or less). Synthetic brushes can be surprisingly good these days, and not expensive.

 

[Blade5082]

As I was using the Rockwell, I started to notice that one side didn't seem to be doing much. Turns out the cap had a bent screw which caused the baseplate to shift slightly to one side. So, one side had negative blade exposure and a tiny gap, while the other side was opposite of that. I had ordered from Castle Rock Shaving and they graciously allowed me to return the razor.

I decided to get a RazoRock Game Changer OC .68 to replace the Rockwell that I returned. I had only paid $40 for the 6C and I felt like the Game Changer was a little pricey for just one plate, but since it was so well regarded I figured it would be worth the money.

I also picked up the RazoRock Mission for my son reading that it was a mild razor, I figured it would be a good start for him.

After receiving and using the Game Changer 68 OC, I felt like I didn't like it as much as I did the Rockwell. It seemed to catch on my whiskers quite a bit while also not giving me as close of a shave.

I found a good deal on a Rockwell 6S so I ordered that, and I also ordered a game changer 84P and 68P base plate.

Now I was starting to spend a lot of money (to me anyway) on these razors.

After trying all of these out I still preferred the Rockwell to the game changer, except that I had to fiddle with the blade to get it to align properly. It wasn't too bad I just had to pay attention, but it was kind of annoying, especially since the game changer would lock the blade in properly with no perceivable effort in my part.

 

[Blade5082]

Either way I was starting to enjoy shaving, it was relaxing, but I also enjoyed the challenge of learning something new. But I was also developing a desire to find the "perfect razor" for me.

I was enjoying shaving so much that I decided to shave off my beard so that I could shave more!

One day I decided to try the razor rock mission razor that I got for my son. I was surprised at how aggressive it felt and how close of a shave I got. After doing a little research it appears to have a fairly positive blade exposure. I really liked using it and the results I was getting.

So then I started looking for more aggressive razors.

I ended up picking up a lupo 72 (95 was out of stock), a Yates 921 (Brass) with all three plates and a Backbird (Brass) most recently.

Now I was really spending some money!

 

[Blade5082]

Two weeks ago my wife told me she missed my beard and wanted me to grow up back...

So I'm back to just shaving my neck! This also happens to be a trickiest spot.

My goal is to get good at using all the razors I have, and then pick my favorite and sell the rest.

Hopefully I'll be able to use this journal to keep me on track with that goal and provide the periodic updates!

 

[Blade5082]

Welcome. You will find this to be a very relaxing and an excellent "me time" activity. There's also the possibility of it turning into a bit of an obsession plus a very real tendency of becoming a "collection" of various aspects of wet shaving. It's gonna be fun.View attachment 1755942View attachment 1755943

yes, I am enjoying the "me time!"

I'm a stay at home Dad with 5 kids, 5-15yrs old, and it's nice to spend some time taking care of my self!

That's an impressive collection! At this point in my life I'm trying to simplify, but I can see having a small collection in the future when the kids have moved on!

 

[Blade5082]

Hi & welcome!

If you want to save money, just pick a setup you like and stick with it. You only really need one or two razors, brushes, soaps, brands of blades, etc. It can be fun to have a "rotation" but that's where the temptation comes to fall into "acquisition disorders" (which a lot of us on this forum have).

The most economical soaps are usually the hard milled soaps. You can get a lot more shaves per soap from those than the soft soaps. Good quality blades can be had for $10 per 100 (or less). Synthetic brushes can be surprisingly good these days, and not expensive.

Thanks! I'm hoping to do just that.

 

[blethenstrom]

Welcome to the journaling section of B&B!

Two weeks ago my wife told me she missed my beard and wanted me to grow up back...

So I'm back to just shaving my neck! This also happens to be a trickiest spot.

My goal is to get good at using all the razors I have, and then pick my favorite and sell the rest.

Hopefully I'll be able to use this journal to keep me on track with that goal and provide the periodic updates!

I think you are heading in the right direction there. Use the razors that you have and get proficient with them and you will be rockin and rollin in no time. You might even want to stay with the same razor for a period of time before switching to a different one. That way you learn the razors better.

 

[huck1680]

Before selling any of your razors make sure you're using them to their full potential. If you have questions about specific razors etc make sure you ask them...there's a lot of smart experienced shavers here who are more than willing to share info with.

 

[Blade5082]

Welcome to the journaling section of B&B!


I think you are heading in the right direction there. Use the razors that you have and get proficient with them and you will be rockin and rollin in no time. You might even want to stay with the same razor for a period of time before switching to a different one. That way you learn the razors better.

Yes, it took me a while to figure out the Game Changer. With the encouragement of several on this forum, I gave it several more tries and got decent results with it. (In addition to a steeper angle I had to add a bit of pressure for it to shave smoothly.)

 

[thombrogan]

Thank you for sharing your experiences with us.

If you keep your future purchases limited only to razor blades and soaps or creams — and only when they’re running low versus on sale or caught your fancy — you’ll be ahead of more than 99% of everyone else here.

 

[huck1680]

you’ll be ahead of more than 99% of everyone else here.

And what fun is that?

 

[walpan]

Welcome. You will find this to be a very relaxing and an excellent "me time" activity. There's also the possibility of it turning into a bit of an obsession plus a very real tendency of becoming a "collection" of various aspects of wet shaving. It's gonna be fun.View attachment 1755942View attachment 1755943

that rubber stamp holder for the shave brushes is very clever. does it scratch the handles?

 

[huck1680]

that rubber stamp holder for the shave brushes is very clever. does it scratch the handles?

Nope. I used some gorilla tape on the inside of the metal clips to avoid that very thing.

 

[Blade5082]

Been shaving with the Blackbird this week, with a Nacet blade, since that's what I've been using lately.

Can't seem to get the hang of it. Aggressive feeling, but somehow not very efficient, and also prone to weepers when shaving against the grain.

Will try another blade perhaps, but generally don't like having to be so careful and and still not getting a very close shave.

Am thinking this one is probably not for me.

 

[cajunrph]

Welcome to the journaling section. Yeah. I thought I was going to save money too, 30 days and 30 soaps latter. Not so much. I’m the one @thombrogan warned you not to emulate. But I have 30 years of soap.

But I do advice to stick to a few soaps and 3017 them before moving on. The scents of most of the soaps fade. Your cologne or aftershave last longer if you’re worried about scent.

 

[Balin]

Been shaving with the Blackbird this week, with a Nacet blade, since that's what I've been using lately.

Can't seem to get the hang of it. Aggressive feeling, but somehow not very efficient, and also prone to weepers when shaving against the grain.

Will try another blade perhaps, but generally don't like having to be so careful and and still not getting a very close shave.

Am thinking this one is probably not for me.

Welcome to the journal section!! I am new to this area of the forum too!

I have not tried the Blackbird myself but a lot of folks here love it. I would stick with it for a while longer. You figured out the Rockwell. I have been at this for about 2.5 years now and I think in my first 6 months, I must have tried 30 different razors.

My shaves didn't start to improve until I decided to stick with a razor for a week at time, and when I got a new razor I shaved with it exclusively for a month. I did have some uncomfortable shaves with lots of stubble patches at first but by the end of the month there was definite improvement.

What other blades do you have?

 

[walpan]

Been shaving with the Blackbird this week, with a Nacet blade, since that's what I've been using lately.

Can't seem to get the hang of it. Aggressive feeling, but somehow not very efficient, and also prone to weepers when shaving against the grain.

Will try another blade perhaps, but generally don't like having to be so careful and and still not getting a very close shave.

Am thinking this one is probably not for me.

I had the same reaction. By all means try a different, not as sharp a blade. You might also adjust your angle to shallow from steep, if you haven't already. The Wizamet blade and 7 O'clock green worked well for me.

 

[cajunrph]

What other blades do you have?

Might I suggest.................................