Best Razor for Fast AND Good Shave??

[OldSaw]

This is a spin off of Slider's post, "I Hate GEM's and Injectors". Having been in a rush on more than one occassion and needing a shave I know how frustrating it can be to get going on time without cutting half your face off. So what is your best razor you have used that allows for a fast shave but still good enough with little or no irritation?

I am sad to say that this situation has even lead me to use an electric. While I don't really like my electric; its big advantage is I can take it along and shave in the car or at the office.

For wet shaving in a hurry, I usually skip most of the usual doting prep stuff. I start with a quick face wash and leave it wet while moving on to the rest of my morning routine. By the time I am done with mouth wash, brushing teeth etc. the sink is filled with hot water. I whip up some lather as fast as I can, (could cause carpel tunnel syndrome if practiced daily ). Then I quickly work the lather in and go for the closest single pass shave I can get with my adjustable DE. I start with the setting at 9 and do all the easy parts. After that I lower it to 3 and get the tricky areas. For post shave I quickly rinse and rub an alum bar around to seal things up, final rinse, pat dry and slap on some balm. Sounds harried, but it beats the electric hands down.

As far as the razor itself goes, I like my Gillette adjustable DE the best for a fast yet good shave. In fact I think I like the adjustable best most of the time. Even when taking my time, the 9 setting mows the forest so clean that a second pass is almost not needed and a third pass is right out.

 

[With The Grain]

....

 

[SLider]

well for me there are different levels of late
1. Uber-late = don't even have time to shower much less shave
2. Really late = shaving in the shower using Neutrogena skin clearing shave cream, Billy Jealousy hydroplane, or some other brushless cream w/ Mach3 or fusion
3. late = enough time to shower and whip up whatever soap/cream I'm feeling like and again going with the Mach3 or fusion. I hate having to use them because the cartridges are so expensive (hence my battles with the GEM's and injectors) but if I need a serviceable shave in a short period of time, the fusion power can get me closer than anything that's not a DE. Gross

 

[Austin]

Merkur HD is the most forgiving for a quick shave.

 

[htownmmm]

Merkur HD loaded with a Feather blade.

Marty

 

[ouch]

For a pie-eyed, super fast shave, an injector is tough to beat.

 

[Jonnybc]

I'm not happy about admitting this but I get on well with a Trac II or G II as it's called in the UK. I can get a one pass shave out of one pretty quickly that satisfies SWMBO. I'll only use it if I'm in a hurry and I HAVE to shave though.

 

[guenron]

Dennis,
I hope you don't misunderstand this, but I do honestly feel sorry for you. At some point in your life you need to stop and smell the roses. While my values are such that wet shaving and all of the quality, new age, Zen, etc. issues that it evokes are a part of that, I can almost understand why others do not make the personal investment in an unhurried, quality shave every morning.
I recognize there are limits to time, but don't you owe it to yourself to get up and live an extra 10 or 20 minutes every day? Whether it is seeking perfection, pleasure, or just satisfying that need to do for one's self, enjoy this morning ritual as an integral part of grabbing the day.

 

[Chagidiel]

Dennis,
I hope you don't misunderstand this, but I do honestly feel sorry for you. At some point in your life you need to stop and smell the roses. While my values are such that wet shaving and all of the quality, new age, Zen, etc. issues that it evokes are a part of that, I can almost understand why others do not make the personal investment in an unhurried, quality shave every morning.
I recognize there are limits to time, but don't you owe it to yourself to get up and live an extra 10 or 20 minutes every day? Whether it is seeking perfection, pleasure, or just satisfying that need to do for one's self, enjoy this morning ritual as an integral part of grabbing the day.

Well said Ron, and so True. Take a deep breath and enjoy..

 

[_C_]

I'm on the same page as Ron. I'd much rather get up an extra 20 minutes early so I have time for a relaxing shave.

If for some bizzare reason, I'm actually running late and don't have time for a full blown shave, I will skip the shave altogether. I'd much rather be unshaven than poorly shaven.

 

[jduffy]

It's all well and good to be early but if you get a call from work and they want you in NOW, you gotta go for it.

Gillette Tech is my go to for a quick shave and out the door.

 

[_C_]

It's all well and good to be early but if you get a call from work and they want you in NOW, you gotta go for it.

Gillette Tech is my go to for a quick shave and out the door.

Thanks for pointing that out. I had totally forgotten about those people who may need a BBS shave and be on call. (Any profession that requires the use of a gas mask comes to mind...)

Which brings about the question, what jobs necessitate a BBS shave?

BTW: I'm not trying to be facetious, I'm genuinely curious.

 

[moses]

Ron,

As a rule I couldn't agree more. And of course I have to bow to both you and Dennis as far a life experience goes. Still, really, I think it is jumping the gun a little to suggest that wanting a quick shave now and then = not taking the time to smell the roses. Frankly, I work more hours than are healthy now, because I want to be able to smell the roses later. Not that I don't now. But my time is pretty limited. Which I think is true for an awful lot of people. And sometimes perhaps I would rather actually smell the roses than take a long shave. And, honestly, I keep hearing people suggest, well, just get up 20 minutes earlier. I'm sorry, but sometimes when you get home at 11, have not had enough sleep to be really rested in a long time, and want to spend an hour or so relaxing with someone special, that extra 20 minutes to shave the slow way just isn't going to happen in the time between then and needing to be at work the next morning. I would really question my priorities if shaving took precedence over either spending time with my girlfriend, going running in the morning, or getting a decent amount of rest. I do take the time to slow down, relax, and enjoy the me time of shaving, and any number of other activities much more often than not. But every now and then I do have to make some time compromises. Congratulations if you are at a place in your life where you don't.

Shane

PS - Chris, I don't know, but mine sure ain't one.

Dennis,
I hope you don't misunderstand this, but I do honestly feel sorry for you. At some point in your life you need to stop and smell the roses. While my values are such that wet shaving and all of the quality, new age, Zen, etc. issues that it evokes are a part of that, I can almost understand why others do not make the personal investment in an unhurried, quality shave every morning.
I recognize there are limits to time, but don't you owe it to yourself to get up and live an extra 10 or 20 minutes every day? Whether it is seeking perfection, pleasure, or just satisfying that need to do for one's self, enjoy this morning ritual as an integral part of grabbing the day.

 

[ouch]

I'm on the same page as Ron. I'd much rather get up an extra 20 minutes early so I have time for a relaxing shave.

I'm on the same page, too. I'd much rather get to work 20 minutes late than miss out on a relaxing shave.

 

[OldSaw]

Dennis,
I hope you don't misunderstand this, but I do honestly feel sorry for you. At some point in your life you need to stop and smell the roses. While my values are such that wet shaving and all of the quality, new age, Zen, etc. issues that it evokes are a part of that, I can almost understand why others do not make the personal investment in an unhurried, quality shave every morning.
I recognize there are limits to time, but don't you owe it to yourself to get up and live an extra 10 or 20 minutes every day? Whether it is seeking perfection, pleasure, or just satisfying that need to do for one's self, enjoy this morning ritual as an integral part of grabbing the day.

I am not suggesting that this is a daily issue. Although I did go through about a two to three year period where it was pretty harried, I believe it is behind me now.

I guess what I was getting at really comes from the Boy Scout in me. I want to be prepared with a good back up plan on those days when I'm not really very prepared. In fact just last night I had a very short time to get home from work, do the three S's, get on a suit and tie, and get to a fund raising banquet at Lambeau field.

For last night's event I also used a few other prepared items, like the cordovan cap toe shoes that I keep in clothe shoe bags that shine like mirrors and are dust free. No way did I even have time for a quick touch up on these babies, especially since I like a very high gloss spit shine. I would have preferred the black cashmire suit, but I was working off the shoes so I grabbed the navy blue and peeled the plastic off a freshly starched baby blue shirt. I knew exactly which tie I prefer with this combo since I used to have one set up for each day of the week, it was like running on auto pilot.

I like taking it easy, that's why I usually shave at night. Some days however rushing is just the way it is.

 

[OldSaw]

Thanks for pointing that out. I had totally forgotten about those people who may need a BBS shave and be on call. (Any profession that requires the use of a gas mask comes to mind...)

Which brings about the question, what jobs necessitate a BBS shave?

BTW: I'm not trying to be facetious, I'm genuinely curious.

The gas mask thing is one reason why the military requires shaving. When I was in the Navy though, beards were allowed and I even wore one for a short period of time. Having whiskers like barbed wire I decided to shave it off. However before I did, they decided to ban beards, so of course I had to keep it until midnight of the last day and then shaved.

 

[LtBrugman70]

Thanks for pointing that out. I had totally forgotten about those people who may need a BBS shave and be on call. (Any profession that requires the use of a gas mask comes to mind...)

Which brings about the question, what jobs necessitate a BBS shave?

BTW: I'm not trying to be facetious, I'm genuinely curious.

Well, as a building design engineer, I have to be BBS and presentable 24/7. You never know when a client is going to need something, and if they're paying $1M for a change order and you're getting 15-30% of the final construction cost of the building in design fees, then you had better look sharp. It's partially the fault of society for associating a clean-shaved and well groomed man with professionalism, but that's just the way thingd are.

My biggest problem is that I like to wake up early and exercise for an hour or two before going to work, and I usually don't have time to shave after working out, so I would have to shave before working out, which means waking up at 5:45 instead of 6am. It's already hard enough to wake up at 6am... or I have to shave at night, which is okay, but I still don't have enough experience to get a shave really close at night that will last through the next day.

I know people will make arguments against such a hectic life, but I like being an engineer and I'm not going to just go work at a coffee house just because I need more time to shave. Some of us simply work in fields that DEMAND a serious time and energy commitment from us in order to stay financially viable.

You could make A LOT of money if you could create an electric wetshaving device that offered the speed of electric and the lubrication/low irritation of wetshaving lather! Ooooh.... that's a damn good idea!

 

[moses]

Well, as a building design engineer, I have to be BBS and presentable 24/7.

Well, it is your job, and an interesting sounding one at that, so you would know. But I tend to question this. I think the point of the question may have been that there is a big difference between BBS and presentable, even if presentable = clean shaven. I work at a large law firm. 99% of the time, I could have a beard and mohawk and it wouldn't really matter (at my very junior level I don't see clients as a rule). When I do have to see a client, though, or show up in court, I darn well better be looking sharp. Suits are no longer required in the office, but for a client meeting, looking sharp IS required. But I don't need to be BBS for that. I looked totally presentable in the old days with my N-S only 1.5 pass Mach 3 shave. No ugly irritation, and I looked clean shaven. Just didn't feel as nice. But clients don't usually feel your face (ethics issues, and so on....).

Not trying to be argumentative at all, btw. Just that it seemed that the question was whether anybody truly needed a BB SMOOTH shave, rather than just a nice looking presentable one.

PS - Keep it real indeed. I've got a lot of respect for engineers, having spent most of my undergrad among a lot of very smart ones. (I wasn't one, except in the honorary sense).

 

[LtBrugman70]

Well, I suppose the smoothness of shave required to be 'presentable' depends on the color of your beard more than anything else?

 

[javyn]

Really, I don't spend much more time shaving with a DE than a M3, if any at all. It's using the brush that makes it take a while.