Carbon Razor

[Flig7127]

I made the switch at the beginning of the year from cartridge to a safety razor.
I bought a Blackland Titanium DE razor with the regular and lite base plate & a Timeless Titanium razor, both with the .68 & .95 base plates. I find the Timeless .68 base plate is a nice smooth shave for me. The Timeless .95 is to rough for me, as it cuts me up. The Blackland base plate also is rough and cuts me up, the lite base plate is not that bad, a few nick here and there. I just recently tried and returned the Henson TI Mild, since it cut me up real bad. I’m still healing from the battle wounds of this razor.
Anyway, I was just curious as I was looking out there for another razor. I had an eye on the Carbon CX-TI 22. I like the titanium razor since they are lite. I have sensitive skin and shave every other day. I am reaching out to see what the razor community and there opinion.

 

[deafficianado]

If the Blackland lite and Henson mild might be too aggresive for you, I would not recommend Carbon. Since you pefer titanium, I recommend the H&S ZO74 whlch has negative blade exposure or their Efficient razor. The NO75 model is also nice with neutral exposure.

 

[ewk]

You went straight to the top of the line razors! Serious envy on my part . Before investing in another, I wonder about your technique. Using a double edge razor does not require the pressure and digging into the skin that a cartridge does. If you are getting a serious amount of nicks, a lighter touch might help reduce the damage.

 

[StewB]

If the Henson + gave you cuts, you might have a defective razor. Sorry to hear that. As others have said, a DE razor needs a very minimal amount of pressure to work effectively. I think I would start with the Timeless .68 or Blackbird Lite and focus on technique: Work on maintaining an optimal angle and only the minimum amount of pressure needed to glide the razor across the skin. It takes a little time to adjust if you're used to cartridge razors.

 

[mikhou]

Wow! You have dropped some serious $$ to get started into this hobby! I started with a cheap Feather Popular and then graduated to an even cheaper Baili (that shaved better than the Feather). I have landed on a Henson AL13+ and a pre-war Gillette Tech as my backup and have gotten rid of all of my other razors.

I am honestly shocked that you cut yourself up with the Henson. JMHO, but it sounds like you need to start at the beginning and learn some technique. There are tons of videos online. Maybe the more knowledgeable among us have a "best of" series of videos for the newbies that would include lathering and shaving for newbies.

A few pieces of advice from a guy that's been at it for less than 2 years is this.

• Keep at it. It ain't rocket science, but there is a learning curve.
• Until you are comfortable maybe only go WTG (with the grain) and not XTG (across) or ATG (against).
• No pressure on the razor. Just let the weight of the razor do the work.
• It's okay to shave every other day. Since I'm not in the business world anymore, I find that every other day is very acceptable and most of that is because my shaves are so close that it's just not necessary to shave every day.

Good luck and keep us posted on how it goes.

 

[Patrice]

Carbon have some mild plates, you should ask them, they are very kind and helpful.

 

[Flig7127]

Thanks to all that have reached out. Before I went out and bought my razors, I watched many many videos on shaving. One thing I know is that I need to shave on a 30 degree angle and let the weight of the razor do the work and no pressure either.
As far as the 2 razors I bought, I did some research and I came down to these 2 razors. I figured since I was using a Gillette shaver which is light, I might as well go with a DE Razor that was also light, like the Titanium. I was afraid the SS may be to heavy on my sensitive face. I also figured if I am shelling out $200 plus for a razor I might as well get the best, but also I got expense taste. The guys at work think I am crazy to shall out $750 for an Apple Watch.
This morning when I got up; I work the grave yard shift (IT); I had 3 days growth. I used my Super Badger Brush and my Timeless Titanium .68 with a Feather Hi-Stainless Platinum Coated Blade, 2 passes and a nice clean shave, followed after wards with Alum Bar, Witch Hazel and Hoffman's After Shave Balm. The Timeless is my main Driver, but I switch back and fourth between the two. I have a Henson Aluminum AL13 for my wife, but she is a little hesitant on using, so I may give the Henson a try again. I'll watch some more video's too.

 

[Flig7127]

Wow! You have dropped some serious $$ to get started into this hobby! I started with a cheap Feather Popular and then graduated to an even cheaper Baili (that shaved better than the Feather). I have landed on a Henson AL13+ and a pre-war Gillette Tech as my backup and have gotten rid of all of my other razors.

I am honestly shocked that you cut yourself up with the Henson. JMHO, but it sounds like you need to start at the beginning and learn some technique. There are tons of videos online. Maybe the more knowledgeable among us have a "best of" series of videos for the newbies that would include lathering and shaving for newbies.

A few pieces of advice from a guy that's been at it for less than 2 years is this.

• Keep at it. It ain't rocket science, but there is a learning curve.
• Until you are comfortable maybe only go WTG (with the grain) and not XTG (across) or ATG (against).
• No pressure on the razor. Just let the weight of the razor do the work.
• It's okay to shave every other day. Since I'm not in the business world anymore, I find that every other day is very acceptable and most of that is because my shaves are so close that it's just not necessary to shave every day.

Good luck and keep us posted on how it goes.

Thanks for the advice. I know about the $$, but I'm 60, started late in switching to a DE Safety Razor, had some extra cash sitting on the side and said what the heck. I am not sorry that I did it. This is far the best shave I had ever had.
The Henson I gave 2 tries, but from my lower face down to the beginning of my neck, using the blade they provided and a Derby blade, I just got cut up and also felt my skin being popped like a grape. Horrible experience. I returned the shaver to Maggard, even knowing I had to pay a 20% restock fee, that I knew nothing about. So the restocking fee is for try out the razor. It is what it is. Maggard should of been up front with this restocking fee and its burried in there web site. I take your advice and watch some more video's.
Thanks

 

[Blackland Razors]

Thanks for the advice. I know about the $$, but I'm 60, started late in switching to a DE Safety Razor, had some extra cash sitting on the side and said what the heck. I am not sorry that I did it. This is far the best shave I had ever had.
The Henson I gave 2 tries, but from my lower face down to the beginning of my neck, using the blade they provided and a Derby blade, I just got cut up and also felt my skin being popped like a grape. Horrible experience.

Some general suggestions here for using a new razor that I think will help you going forward.

• Never use a new blade at the same time as new razor (even if the razor comes with it). You'll never know if the blade or razor is the culprit. Always use a blade you know well when you use a new razor.
  
  
• Two shaves isn't sufficient for getting the technique of a new razor down. 5-10 shaves is highly recommended.
  
  
• Since these razors are all light weight, you might actually not be using enough pressure. All the razors listed are quite mild and should not give nicks or cuts. With titanium, insufficient pressure can cause the razor to skip, tug, and nick. I'm not 100% sure that's what happened with your shaves, but it's a common issue.

Hope that helps! Best of luck.

 

[mikhou]

Thanks for the advice. I know about the $$, but I'm 60, started late in switching to a DE Safety Razor, had some extra cash sitting on the side and said what the heck. I am not sorry that I did it. This is far the best shave I had ever had.
The Henson I gave 2 tries, but from my lower face down to the beginning of my neck, using the blade they provided and a Derby blade, I just got cut up and also felt my skin being popped like a grape. Horrible experience. I returned the shaver to Maggard, even knowing I had to pay a 20% restock fee, that I knew nothing about. So the restocking fee is for try out the razor. It is what it is. Maggard should of been up front with this restocking fee and its burried in there web site. I take your advice and watch some more video's.
Thanks

Regarding the very nice and expensive razors, hey, if you can afford it, then why not? One other thing I'll add is to try a blade sampler pack. IMHO, the RK Chromium blades are lower mid-tier blades, and the Derby Extras (what I assume that you have) are bottom tier blades. Every face is different and for every person your mileage may vary (YMMV).

Here are some of the blades that are fairly popular.

• Gillette Silver Blue
• Astra SP
• Personna Lab Blue

I personally don't love the blades above, but they are well respected here. Below are ones that I have gotten along with very well.

• Tatra Platinum (not a popular blade, but one that I like very much - maybe my favorite)
• Any of the Gillette 7 o'clock series
• Gillette Permasharp
• Shark Super Chrome and Shark Super Stainless
• Bolzano
• Derby Premium (so much better than Derby Extra)
• Rapira Platinum Lux
• King C. Gillette (expensive)

Again, this is a small sample of the blades out there. But that's why you get a sample pack and keep trying them. Also, keep an eye out for PIFs on this board (Pay it Forward) and maybe you'll get a chance to try some blades for free.

Specifically watch out for the Newbie PIFs that @dmshaver runs.

 

[bonbon]

I would just like to second stated above. Give your razors more time and use different blades.
I have been shaving with DE razors 3-5 times a week since 2014 and sometimes I get awful shaves when I try new/unknown for me blades. That’s why it’s crucial to change one thing at a time and compare results.
I would also recommend Wilkinson sword (Germany) blades or Astra SP. They are quite mild and effective. Feather might be too aggressive to start with.

 

[Flig7127]

Between the 2 razors I have, on one or more of the post above, I’ve been using MS Excel to keep track of what blades work and which don’t. I also bought a large sample pack to try the various blade. I’ll work with what I have for now and put off looking for another razor. I appreciate all the advice from all.

 

[emwolf]

For very mild I enjoy the Phoenix artisans Meta4.

 

[Jimmythekd]

If it’s not your technique maybe try phoenix ascension twist, low price and gives you ability to change blade aggression. Unfortunately it takes time and money to find out what works for you. The only thing for certain you will never stop looking for the razor and blades that give you the best shave.

 

[Leverspro]

To the original post, the Carbons are fantastic razors. I first bought the Ti and returned it a month later. No problems with the seller. I've since bought two more in brass and really like them. These are very high quality razors, beautiful and easy to use.

 

[bikebrcd]

Just received mine in polished brass. It is a cutie. I love it.

 

[AJMiami]

The OP has some top of the line razors that should work well for him. No reason to start on trial and errors.
My recommendation is to focus on one razor and one plate for a month, and once you can consistently get good shaves, then add some experimentation with the other plates and razors. Use the timeless with the 68 plate as your baseline.
I’m a poor shaver, and started on 2008 and I don’t switch razors much. Variety is not good for some of us.
Hope things work out

 

[Leverspro]

Just received mine in polished brass. It is a cutie. I love it.

Is that a Carbon?

 

[lloydrm]

From the first post I knew what the problem was: feather de blades. Get some nacets and see what happens.