Can someone fill me in on recent DE shaving trends?

[Lane101]

To me, traditional wet shaving has become anything but traditional.

1. The hottest DE razors are no longer cast from brass and plated with chrome, but are precision machined using computerized machinery. They are made of metals such as stainless steel, brass, bronze, aluminum, and titanium. Some of these razors can cost Razors plated in gold and silver can cost as much as $500. However, inexpensive razors made from cast zinc alloy, plated in chrome are still available for those who cannot afford the more expensive options.

2. Most soaps are no longer hard pucks to be lathered in a shaving mug. Now they are softer soaps that come in a plastic or glass tub and can be easily lathered. They may contain as many as 50 different ingredients, some of which you have likely never heard of. Soaps are now focused as much on skin conditioning as shave quality. In years past, men were never concerned about their skin.

In the EU, use of animal fats is being discouraged, so many traditional tallow products are now made from fats derived from vegetable oils. Whether this is good or bad depends upon your own values.

3. Today, soaps come in a wide variety of complex scents and often come with matching aftershave products. Use of canned foams and gels so widely available on store shelves is generally discouraged.

4. Double edge razor blades are seldom available at a local store, but are purchased from online vendors who stock blades produced in dozens of different countries around the world.

5. Higher quality synthetic fiber shaving brushes can now rival premium silvertip badger brushes at 10-20% of the cost.

Hi RayClem, Always appreciate reading your views on our wet shaving hobby. Your points number 3-5 make sense regarding synthetic brushes, DE blade availability and soap variety and are consistent from what we've seen in the DE market.

Regarding the first two points on soaps and DE razors, I'm curious as to what they are based on. Using the number of Amazon reviews (thousands) on different hard soap products could lead one to conclude that there are more unit sales of hard soap pucks even though the shaving soap assortment available today may includes many more higher cost artisan soap offerings. We also see plenty of hard soap posts from fellow B&Bers who love using the classics like MWF or D.R. Harris and basics like Arko and Van Der Hagen.

Same thing for DE razors. The $15-$17 Weishi nostalgic alone has over 10,000 reviews on Amazon. Agree that the higher end razors (and brushes for that matter) get lots of buzz in our B&B discussions but that does not necessarily translate into a greater number of unit sales compared to more popularly priced items. Also, recently I've seen as much or more discussion here on razors like the $5.99 Razorock Teck II or $15-$30 King C. Gillette razors from fellow B&Bers as we have on high end razors.

As these popularly priced razors provide excellent shaves they are not just for those who cannot afford a $500 razor that is as much a collectable as a shaving tool. They are for anyone whose preferences prefers quality tools that get the job done well. Same thing for brushes, you are absolutely right that a $10-15 synthetic brush can deliver performance that rivals premium brushes costing hundreds of dollars more. That said many fellow B&Bers also enjoy the collectable aspect of our hobby and prefer higher end brushes for that reason.

Your overall message is right on as the market has evolved to offer a wide variety of options to DE/SE hobbyists with personal preferences that range from just a good everyday shave to enjoying ownership and use of a wide variety of artisan products and collectable tools. Believe that actual unit sales is likely still skewed towards the more popularly priced and classic products.

 

[RayClem]

Hi RayClem, Always appreciate reading your views on our wet shaving hobby. Your points number 3-5 make sense regarding synthetic brushes, DE blade availability and soap variety and are consistent from what we've seen in the DE market.

Regarding the first two points on soaps and DE razors, I'm curious as to what they are based on. Using the number of Amazon reviews (thousands) on different hard soap products could lead one to conclude that there are more unit sales of hard soap pucks even though the shaving soap assortment available today may includes many more higher cost artisan soap offerings. We also see plenty of hard soap posts from fellow B&Bers who love using the classics like MWF or D.R. Harris and basics like Arko and Van Der Hagen.

Same thing for DE razors. The $15-$17 Weishi nostalgic alone has over 10,000 reviews on Amazon. Agree that the higher end razors (and brushes for that matter) get lots of buzz in our B&B discussions but that does not necessarily translate into a greater number of unit sales compared to more popularly priced items. Also, recently I've seen as much or more discussion here on razors like the $5.99 Razorock Teck II or $15-$30 King C. Gillette razors from fellow B&Bers as we have on high end razors.

As these popularly priced razors provide excellent shaves they are not just for those who cannot afford a $500 razor that is as much a collectable as a shaving tool. They are for anyone whose preferences prefers quality tools that get the job done well. Same thing for brushes, you are absolutely right that a $10-15 synthetic brush can deliver performance that rivals premium brushes costing hundreds of dollars more. That said many fellow B&Bers also enjoy the collectable aspect of our hobby and prefer higher end brushes for that reason.

Your overall message is right on as the market has evolved to offer a wide variety of options to DE/SE hobbyists with personal preferences that range from just a good everyday shave to enjoying ownership and use of a wide variety of artisan products and collectable tools. Believe that actual unit sales is likely still skewed towards the more popularly priced and classic products.

The majority of shavers young to middle age men who have beards who have not yet become quite so tough and skin that has not become quite so sensitive as mine. Also, they are either starting out in life or they have families to support. Thus, for the majority of shavers, price is perhaps the most important thing when selecting shaving products. Just because a product is popular on Amazon or even at the web sites of online shaving vendors does not make it a high quality product. Likewise, just because a product is expensive does not make it a high quality product.

As you note, the Weishi clones of the SuperSpeed razors are quite popular. I have one made by Weishi, but branded by Van der Hagen, that I use for every shave for my clean-up pass matched a super sharp blade. While inexpensive, it is made of brass and of reasonable quality. It is one inexpensive product I recommend. Remember that the best selling razors on Amazon and elsewhere are not DE razors, but are either cartridge razors or electric shavers.

According to many shave vendors, including Amazon, the Gillette Astra Superior Platinum (green) razor blade, is the best selling DE blade. It is also one of the least expensive when purchased in bulk. It is great for those whose beard hairs are not coarse and whose beard growth is not thick. Although I have tried these blades from various sources, I have not found them to be sharp enough for my beard. However, the majority of shavers might be able to use them with no issue. BTW: all of the Astra SP blades I have tried are older one with the black ink printing rather than the newer laser etched ones. Everything I read, though, says the new ones are similar to the older ones I have tried.

Some products like TOBS, DR Harris, and Tabac have been reformulated and some believe them to be inferior to their original formulas. However, they still sell well based on their previous reputation.

Mitchell' Wool Fat is the only traditional soap that I recommend. It still retains its tallow formula with added stearic acid and lanolin. For those who use the same soap every day, it is an excellent soap. For those who have a soap rotation, the soap is difficult to lather once it dries out. I have a large number of soaps in rotation, so I mailed my puck of MWF to a friend who uses it daily.

In my opinion Van der Hagen is a inexpensive, detergent-based product that performs like an inexpensive, detergent-based product. However, for those looking for an inexpensive soap, it might be good enough. For me, it is in the bottom 5 soaps I have evaluated; it is not something I enjoy using. However, a younger shaver looking for a inexpensive soap might find it adequate. Personally, if I want to shave with a detergent-based product, I would just shave in the shower with shampoo, something I used to do routinely when I traveled frequently.

Likewise, expensive soaps are not necessarily great. I have a puck of Saponificio Varesino beta 4.3 along with the matching aftershave. Admittedly, the scent of the soap is wonderful. However, I rate the performance of the soap alone at a B-level primarily due to limited skin protection and post shave conditioning. If you use it with an aftershave or balm, it is fine. Considering that the soap is now selling for a list price of $51 for 5.3 ounce puck and the matching aftershave is $39 for 4.3 ounces, I can not recommend it. I have the soap and aftershave, but have not used them in over a year as I get better results from other products in my den that are far less expensive.

 

[Lane101]

The majority of shavers young to middle age men who have beards who have not yet become quite so tough and skin that has not become quite so sensitive as mine. Also, they are either starting out in life or they have families to support. Thus, for the majority of shavers, price is perhaps the most important thing when selecting shaving products. Just because a product is popular on Amazon or even at the web sites of online shaving vendors does not make it a high quality product. Likewise, just because a product is expensive does not make it a high quality product.

As you note, the Weishi clones of the SuperSpeed razors are quite popular. I have one made by Weishi, but branded by Van der Hagen, that I use for every shave for my clean-up pass matched a super sharp blade. While inexpensive, it is made of brass and of reasonable quality. It is one inexpensive product I recommend. Remember that the best selling razors on Amazon and elsewhere are not DE razors, but are either cartridge razors or electric shavers.

According to many shave vendors, including Amazon, the Gillette Astra Superior Platinum (green) razor blade, is the best selling DE blade. It is also one of the least expensive when purchased in bulk. It is great for those whose beard hairs are not coarse and whose beard growth is not thick. Although I have tried these blades from various sources, I have not found them to be sharp enough for my beard. However, the majority of shavers might be able to use them with no issue. BTW: all of the Astra SP blades I have tried are older one with the black ink printing rather than the newer laser etched ones. Everything I read, though, says the new ones are similar to the older ones I have tried.

Some products like TOBS, DR Harris, and Tabac have been reformulated and some believe them to be inferior to their original formulas. However, they still sell well based on their previous reputation.

Mitchell' Wool Fat is the only traditional soap that I recommend. It still retains its tallow formula with added stearic acid and lanolin. For those who use the same soap every day, it is an excellent soap. For those who have a soap rotation, the soap is difficult to lather once it dries out. I have a large number of soaps in rotation, so I mailed my puck of MWF to a friend who uses it daily.

In my opinion Van der Hagen is a inexpensive, detergent-based product that performs like an inexpensive, detergent-based product. However, for those looking for an inexpensive soap, it might be good enough. For me, it is in the bottom 5 soaps I have evaluated; it is not something I enjoy using. However, a younger shaver looking for a inexpensive soap might find it adequate. Personally, if I want to shave with a detergent-based product, I would just shave in the shower with shampoo, something I used to do routinely when I traveled frequently.

Likewise, expensive soaps are not necessarily great. I have a puck of Saponificio Varesino beta 4.3 along with the matching aftershave. Admittedly, the scent of the soap is wonderful. However, I rate the performance of the soap alone at a B-level primarily due to limited skin protection and post shave conditioning. If you use it with an aftershave or balm, it is fine. Considering that the soap is now selling for a list price of $51 for 5.3 ounce puck and the matching aftershave is $39 for 4.3 ounces, I can not recommend it. I have the soap and aftershave, but have not used them in over a year as I get better results from other products in my den that are far less expensive.

RayClem, thank you. These are great additional facts and views that will help fellow B&Bers better understand if the above popular shaving items are the best choice for their needs.

Regarding Astra blades the only ones I own are two 100 blade boxes of the newer laser etched blades. These are excellent blades that work well for my beard. Of interest there have been more recent post that newer Astras are back to black print versus laser etching. Unclear if these posts were based on counterfeits or another change in the Gillette manufacturing process. For those for whom the blades work they are a good value though I've found that newer production Dorco blades provide more shaves.

Surprisingly my first blades, when returning to DE 3+ years ago, were Derby blades that also work well for me (though with fewer shaves per blade) that were chosen over Astro SP because of all the concern that the laser etched blades were not genuine even though they are a bonafide Gillette product.

Your comment on Mitchell's Wool Fat (MWF) being hard to lather is shared by many fellow B&bers. My view is that, when we get used to softer soaps that load in 10-15 seconds, going back to a hard soap like MWF, that takes longer to load, will be perceived as challenging. Like many other B&Bers my mileage does vary on this one as I perceive MWF as easy to lather. With a boar brush I load and build great lather directly on the puck for about a minute and then finish via face lathering. This technique, that I evolved to effectively use Williams shave soap, actually works a bit too well on my MWF. I'm currently playing with less loading time and use of a synthetic brush to see if I can build great lather with less than the 2 grams of soap the above technique pulls off of a totally dry puck for each shave. Again, YMMV here as I don't perceive a roughly 2 minute loading and lathering process as something hard to do but rather enjoy it as I perceive it to more closely replicate a historic old style shaving process. Respect that anything much beyond 10-15 seconds loading is a negative for you. MWF is an excellent soap with great core shaving performance and a nice post shave feel from the lanolin.

P.S. Have you ever experimented with shaving creams meant for use with a shaving brush? I've recently been trying out some LEA and Cyril R. Salter products with good results.

 

[RayClem]

RayClem, thank you. These are great additional facts and views that will help fellow B&Bers better understand if the above popular shaving items are the best choice for their needs.

Regarding Astra blades the only ones I own are two 100 blade boxes of the newer laser etched blades. These are excellent blades that work well for my beard. Of interest there have been more recent post that newer Astras are back to black print versus laser etching. Unclear if these posts were based on counterfeits or another change in the Gillette manufacturing process. For those for whom the blades work they are a good value though I've found that newer production Dorco blades provide more shaves.

Surprisingly my first blades, when returning to DE 3+ years ago, were Derby blades that also work well for me (though with fewer shaves per blade) that were chosen over Astro SP because of all the concern that the laser etched blades were not genuine even though they are a bonafide Gillette product.

Your comment on Mitchell's Wool Fat (MWF) being hard to lather is shared by many fellow B&bers. My view is that, when we get used to softer soaps that load in 10-15 seconds, going back to a hard soap like MWF, that takes longer to load, will be perceived as challenging. Like many other B&Bers my mileage does vary on this one as I perceive MWF as easy to lather. With a boar brush I load and build great lather directly on the puck for about a minute and then finish via face lathering. This technique, that I evolved to effectively use Williams shave soap, actually works a bit too well on my MWF. I'm currently playing with less loading time and use of a synthetic brush to see if I can build great lather with less than the 2 grams of soap the above technique pulls off of a totally dry puck for each shave. Again, YMMV here as I don't perceive a roughly 2 minute loading and lathering process as something hard to do but rather enjoy it as I perceive it to more closely replicate a historic old style shaving process. Respect that anything much beyond 10-15 seconds loading is a negative for you. MWF is an excellent soap with great core shaving performance and a nice post shave feel from the lanolin.

P.S. Have you ever experimented with shaving creams meant for use with a shaving brush? I've recently been trying out some LEA and Cyril R. Salter products with good results.

Your comments are good ones.

There are a lot of razor blades in inventory in various places around the world. It may well be that the Astra SP blades with black printing are just from older production at the PPI plant. If Astra SP blades are sharp enough for your beard, then there is no reason you should not use them. However, as you grow older, your beard might become tougher to the point Astra SP blades are not sharp enough, so do not wait too long before using them. For those who like the price of Astra SP blade, but do not find them sharp enough, Astra Superior Stainless (blue) blades are a good alternative, but there are many other options that will work as well that sell for similar pricing..

Mitchell's Wool Fat has been an excellent soap for many decades. For those who use the traditional method of lathering using a single soap, a single mug, and a single brush for every shave, it works well. Most of my soaps are harder croaps. With most of them, I bloom the soap for 10 seconds, load my damp (but not wet) brush for 10 seconds, and whip up a lather in my shaving bowl already containing 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) of hot water. With better soaps, the lather is ready to go in 30-40 seconds. Thus, it takes me 1 minute total to build a lather ready to apply to my face. I might be able to do that with MWF if I used it every day, but with a large number of soaps in rotation, it takes a lot longer. I enjoy using a variety of soaps and scents.

I have evaluated a few shaving creams in my time, but not the ones you mention. The ones I have tried do not work as well for my sensitive skin as my better soaps. The one cream I do use occasionally is Cremo. It is designed to be used without a brush, but because it becomes incredibly slick when mixed with water, I like to whip up a pseudo lather using a brush. It is my choice for travel. I take a synthetic brush and use a coffee cup from the hotel room as my shave mug. It is not nearly as good as my better soaps, but it is adequate for a few days away from home.

 

[Heron]

One unfortunate change I've noticed is new razors are wider to cover the blade tabs, making it harder to get around the nose

 

[Pudzee]

It's a funny old game..... When I spent 8 years traveling around the world surfing and scuba diving in my 20's into my 30's I was buying Palmolive shaving cream and sticks to save money on shaving products and only spending a dollar or 2 on either ..... Knowing how things have changed in the shaving world as regards to soaps and the need for people wanting the old classics...... I wish I'd bought a few containers worth in bulk and sat on them until now

 

[kingfisher]

Yes.

*Shavettes are now called straight razors.…. By youtubers.

*I don’t know you, but I’m sure your lather is sh**.

*There must be enough residual slickness to shave next day with only water. Otherwise bin it.




Oh… and it‘s 6 passes now.

Technically, 'shavette' is actually a registered trademark. Dovo owns it. So, unless your razor is a Dovo, it ain't a shavette.

The correct term for what you call a shavette is actually replaceable blade straight razor (unless, again, you are talking about a Dovo).

Just saying.

 

[kingfisher]

One unfortunate change I've noticed is new razors are wider to cover the blade tabs, making it harder to get around the nose

Lupo solves that problem completely.

 

[rockviper]

Most people don't know who the Three Sues are.

 

[kingfisher]

A lot of things haven't changed at all. Here are a few things that are still the same:

Tabac may have changed its formula, but don't worry, it still stinks.

There is still a waiting list for a Wolfman razor.

MdC is still overpriced.

 

[ShavingPrimate]

In regards to the King C Gillette razor I felt it was interesting to see Gillette attempt to come back to market with a modern DE razor. It was both sad and great. Sad because it appears they no longer have the capacity to develop a great razor they were once known for let alone one in house but also great because they appear to acknowledge the fact that traditional wet shaving is now a thing. I guess any sort of exposure is good as I have seen a few posts of people getting into traditional wet shaving based on this razor availability.

Gillette came back into the American DE razor market with the Gillette Heritage. In that they no longer have the facilities to manufacture a DE razor, they appear to have sourced the head from Muhle and the handle being US made. It was $35 and came with a tuck of Gillette Platinum blades and a travel case.

The King C. Gillette head is a similar R89 type head, likely made in China, along with the handle. It comes with a tuck of King C. Gillette blades, which are likely rebranded Platinums, for $30.

I don't think this was about reintroducing DE shaving as such. The razor is being marketed as a "Trimming Razor". Though it's in every way a normal DE razor, they stop short of suggesting that you actually shave with it.

This time, it is not about selling you razor blades, although you can purchase a box of ten, in two tucks if five each for $6.

Their motive here is to sell you on all of their recently introduced (expensive and profitable) King C. Gillette shaving products.

Just my thoughts on the subject. I doubt if they are eager to replace their lucrative cartridge blade market with the relatively inexpensive DE type blades?

 

[ShavingPrimate]

Use of canned foams and gels so widely available on store shelves is generally discouraged.

And darn well it should be!

Why buy a perfectly good can of gel for $4 when you can get an equally good shave with an exotic $14 cream?

 

[SalS]

I think over the past two years it has become obvious that two soaps and creams formulated over 100 years ago are still two of the best you can buy while newer soaps and creams that are extraordinary are actually brushless like Blu Atlas and even Cremo.

 

[TechClone]

Guys, guys, guys. Most of you are talking about things that have happened over the last 15 years, not the last two. I haven't been away that long.

NB: I have been shaving with canned Gillette goo (lime scent) and my trusty Gillette Sensor Excel (circa '97). It's fine. I have a heap of junk that will last 20 years, so I don't think I will be buying anything more anytime soon.

 

[BigJ]

Gillette came back into the American DE razor market with the Gillette Heritage. In that they no longer have the facilities to manufacture a DE razor, they appear to have sourced the head from Muhle and the handle being US made. It was $35 and came with a tuck of Gillette Platinum blades and a travel case.

The King C. Gillette head is a similar R89 type head, likely made in China, along with the handle. It comes with a tuck of King C. Gillette blades, which are likely rebranded Platinums, for $30.

I don't think this was about reintroducing DE shaving as such. The razor is being marketed as a "Trimming Razor". Though it's in every way a normal DE razor, they stop short of suggesting that you actually shave with it.

This time, it is not about selling you razor blades, although you can purchase a box of ten, in two tucks if five each for $6.

Their motive here is to sell you on all of their recently introduced (expensive and profitable) King C. Gillette shaving products.

Just my thoughts on the subject. I doubt if they are eager to replace their lucrative cartridge blade market with the relatively inexpensive DE type blades?

+1! This is also my theory! ‘Follow the money.’ At least that is what the Gillette marketing machine does.

 

[Three_Bravo]

One trend i notice is that men are using shaving not only as a skin conditioner, but as a fragrance. When i'm done shaving i rinse my skin with water pretty thoroughly, and while i wouldn't say the scent is totally gone but it's greatly diminished. Applying a matching aftershave gives me maybe an hour or so more of that scent, but it's still not strong enough for anyone but me to notice. Soap and aftershave was never meant to replace the Edt or Edp, but it seems like that's what the current market is trying to change.

I can only speak for Stirling, as I use them near exclusively, but many of their splashes have a remarkably long staying power. There are some lighter ones (Island man, etc), but most stick with me all day. I have gotten compliments on exec man hours after I quit smelling it, meaning it's still projecting enough to be noticed but my nose is just used to it.

 

[ERS4]

The newer information is that Rockwell has finally made the stainless steel modet T of TTO.

And "Charcoal Goods" has ended its career making de razor.

Now luxurious handmade resin lather bowls are the new target of enjoyment.

 

[Keto]

OP Do any of the things you've read seem much different?

 

[ShavingPrimate]

I have been shaving with canned Gillette goo (lime scent) and my trusty Gillette Sensor Excel (circa '97). It's fine. I have a heap of junk that will last 20 years, so I don't think I will be buying anything more anytime soon.

Shaving with canned "goo" is perfectly fine. It works as good today as it did when when it was invented.

There are always new trends but the more things change, the more they stay the same.