What's new

Five Years of Wet Shaving

Time goes by quickly, I began wet shaving after Christmas 2014 and I took to it with ease. I have cringed as I've read some of the not so pleasant experiences of newbies getting started out, thank God my experience was mostly great.

Today I realized that it has been five years since I began. Looking back, I had to find the right blade(s) and soap(s) to finely tune my shaves. For me, most my shaves in the past year have been with an Astra blade, Arko soap, with my Merkur razor or my Gillette Tech.

I had not really given much thought to all of this until I did. We traveled for Christmas and I opted to not pack my beloved razors, as I did not want to lose them. The day after Christmas I whipped out this multibladed cartridge razor, some decent gel, and managed to chew up my neck. Even my wife, who doesn't usually notice such things, was shocked. She said, "Your DE razors don't cut you, do they!" "No, dear...they don't," I said.
Sometimes you don't know how good something is until it is gone.

It's nice to be back home with my Merkur, Tech, New, and Black Beauty. And I dread the horrid experiences of cartridge shaving when traveling, and trying to figure out another way.

Thank you all, and happy new year!
 
Happy Anniversary, Birddog! Great story, too. Late last year I had to travel sans DE razor as well, used a Harry's cartridge but took a couple sample soaps and a brush with me. I could not get a satisfactory shave no matter how hard I tried--passable, certainly, but not satisfactory. I sure do appreciate my DE shaves more now.
 
A timely reminder.

If you need to take a cartridge because of travel restrictions, your brush and Arko stick will allow you to have a reasonable shave. Proper lather does a much better job of protection than does goo from the can. Lower your expectations and simply make one pass with the cartridge aiming to be presentable and the travel shaves won't pose such a problem.
 
I check a bag and take along a DE whenever I can now. If I really have to only take a carry-on, I take one of the 2-bladed carts like a Trac-II, but I haven't had to do that in a couple years now and don't look forward to having to do it.
 
Well, I will have to put my Merkur and a couple de blades in my checked bag next time I fly.

And it is good to be comfortable again. When I tried to shave with the Harry razor, it was as though I was holding a pencil with a flat rock taped to the end. I started laughing because it felt so awkward in my hand.

My shave today was with my Merkur (short old fashion handle), Israeli blade, Arko face lather, cheap boar brush, and green skin bracer aftershave. Two passes. Oh yeah!
 
Top Bottom