Giving up on DE razors. Yet to find my Goldilocks razor.

[Chickencutlets]

Hi,

Just wanted to say I have been a big lurker who mostly reads over the last few years. I have tried a majority of all the popular razors that people suggest and I can’t find that razor that gets me the mythical bbs , irritation free shave. Best I can do is DFS with two passes. Most often I shoot for the one pass to avoid ingrown hairs. I’ve tried several Merkers, EJ, including a slant and adjustable. A slew of Gillette razors, feather as-d2, twitch ,single edge, adjustables from Gillette . A lot . I’ve tried mild, medium and aggressive razors. The aggressive seems to kill me the most .My last ditch effort is the Henson mild before I Chuck everything and go back to the Gillette Sensor excel carts.

Anyone else still yet to find that mythical dream razor after years of searching and spending ?

 

[Multum in parvo]

I do have to say that picking a razor is nowadays more a mood thing than going for a specific result. Using a brush and good lather counts for me more than the tool that scrapes the whiskers away.

Constantly good and predictable lather and halfway decent technique yields me 8 out of 10 shaves a DFS+ with the odd BBS or DFS thrown in for good measure.

What is your setup?

 

[EclipseRedRing]

I have not found my dream razor, not sure I have one, nor am I searching for it; likewise I care nothing about BBS or irritation. I get a lot of pleasure from the vintage kit that I use and am completely satisfied with it. I suppose each of us are looking for different things

 

[Chickencutlets]

I do have to say that picking a razor is nowadays more a mood thing than going for a specific result. Using a brush and good lather counts for me more than the tool that scrapes the whiskers away.

Constantly good and predictable lather and halfway decent technique yields me 8 out of 10 shaves a DFS+ with the odd BBS or DFS thrown in for good measure.

What is your setup?

I often reach for my semogue brush and a good soap or cream. Like Mike’s or T&H.

The one took that did give me half decent shaves was a shavette. I hesitate to go on to a straight edge that requires honing but that’s why I got the twig.

 

[Multum in parvo]

I often reach for my semogue brush and a good soap or cream. Like Mike’s or T&H.

I refuse to use anything with a swivel head, lubra strip or more than 2 blades. An Indian Gillette PII is a good choice if you want to pause your DE/SE shaves.

 

[Chickencutlets]

I refuse to use anything with a swivel head, lubra strip or more than 2 blades. An Indian Gillette PII is a good choice if you want to pause your DE/SE shaves.

View attachment 1578541

I have tried a slew of cartridges. For me the atra and sensor I found were best.

 

[Yuritau]

I don't chase BBS or DFS or any other acronym. I go for a level of shave that is enjoyable, comfortable, and satisfying. I also don't have one unicorn razor that gets me there every time. What I do have is a small handful of razors that live in a category I didn't see mentioned on your tried list: CNC machined stainless steel razors. On average that category tends to be the highest priced, but if you decided you wanted to try it out, there's some very well made options from RazoRock (Lupo and Game Changer are the two I would recommend) that are around the same price as a Henson.

But at the same time, don't feel pressured to try to make something work if you think it's not. The important thing is find what works for you. If that's Sensor carts, then use that.

 

[DriftKing79]

Before I found the One (in my case two), I also tried many DE-Razors from A like ATT to Y like Yaqi, in a range from 5 bucks (a cheap baili from ali) up to 250 bucks (Rex Ambassador), with most of them I got a decent shave, sometimes dfs sometimes bbs. But with three passes there was always a slight razor burn left.
After that I started to clean out my den and only keep the ones that were so efficient to achieve an irritation free shave even after two passes. Today I stuck with two go to Razors with which i can shave every day without razor burn, the Merkur Progress and the Blackland Blackbird.

 

[Chickencutlets]

I don't chase BBS or DFS or any other acronym. I go for a level of shave that is enjoyable, comfortable, and satisfying. I also don't have one unicorn razor that gets me there every time. What I do have is a small handful of razors that live in a category I didn't see mentioned on your tried list: CNC machined stainless steel razors. On average that category tends to be the highest priced, but if you decided you wanted to try it out, there's some very well made options from RazoRock (Lupo and Game Changer are the two I would recommend) that are around the same price as a Henson.

But at the same time, don't feel pressured to try to make something work if you think it's not. The important thing is find what works for you. If that's Sensor carts, then use that.

I have also tried several RazoRock razors. No luck there. The majority of razors under $100 have been tried. Only the really luxury razors are yet to be tested excluding the one blade razor but even that nicked me without fail every shave.

 

[T Bone]

I have tried a majority of all the popular razors that people suggest and I can’t find that razor that gets me the mythical bbs , irritation free shave. Best I can do is DFS with two passes. Most often I shoot for the one pass to avoid ingrown hairs. I’ve tried several Merkers, EJ, including a slant and adjustable. A slew of Gillette razors, feather as-d2, twitch ,single edge, adjustables from Gillette . A lot . I’ve tried mild, medium and aggressive razors. The aggressive seems to kill me the most .My last ditch effort is the Henson mild before I Chuck everything and go back to the Gillette Sensor excel carts.

Anyone else still yet to find that mythical dream razor after years of searching and spending ?

First, I've come to believe that a true BBS shave is mostly a myth, I think the term is thrown around way too loosely. As defined, it means no stubble felt on any shaved area even ATG. I've only been at this 16 months but I'm not sure that's really possible. Maybe for some of the really experienced guys who have been at it for years and years and spend a lot more time on a shave than I have to spend. But I've stopped trying for perfection. I come close occasionally, but there's always some area(s) that I can feel stubble ATG.

Second, if you get ingrown hairs with less than BBS, I'm not sure you can get a closer shave while avoiding ingrowns, since those are caused by shaving below the skin. TBH, I'm surprised you can get a closer shave with carts than a DE and avoid ingrown hairs, but if you can, then more power to you.

 

[NorthernSoul]

A DFS shave is actually a good result! Chasing BBS is fine and all, but IMHO just enjoy it when it happens instead of feeling like you're falling short somehow.

The main purpose of shaving is to look neat and presentable, not to win some award for perfectionism. I doubt most other people could detect the difference between a DFS and BBS shave on someone else. My closest shaves are probably with an R41 + Feather blade combo, but I don't use it all that often since I don't really require that degree of closeness every day.

 

[Chickencutlets]

First, I've come to believe that a true BBS shave is mostly a myth, I think the term is thrown around way too loosely. As defined, it means no stubble felt on any shaved area even ATG. I've only been at this 16 months but I'm not sure that's really possible. Maybe for some of the really experienced guys who have been at it for years and years and spend a lot more time on a shave than I have to spend. But I've stopped trying for perfection. I come close occasionally, but there's always some area(s) that I can feel stubble ATG.

Second, if you get ingrown hairs with less than BBS, I'm not sure you can get a closer shave while avoiding ingrowns, since those are caused by shaving below the skin. TBH, I'm surprised you can get a closer shave with carts than a DE and avoid ingrown hairs, but if you can, then more power to you.

Oh let me clarify. I still get ingrowns from carts. It’s just the lesser of the two evils it seems. With a cart I can do one pass and that’s best. Once I do several passes with any razor that opens me up to a bad time.

 

[desertcat]

I've come to believe that a true BBS shave is mostly a myth

I agree with this sentiment (and I've been shaving this way for a decade) that the dictionary definition of BBS is probably a closer shave than most are actually achieving. I think BBS-/DFS+ is probably more accurate/common in terms of whisker length. I do wonder if 3-pass shaves also make stubble that feels softer, less stubble-y, and perhaps that contributes to the apparent smoothness of the fabled "BBS."

The more experienced members (in my limited observation) seem to prefer comfort over closeness in their shaves. The frustrating beauty of this pasttime is the broad variety of goals and circumstances at play. Many folks have found better results with DE than carts, but it sounds like your experiments have led to different results. Shave with the tools that give you (and the unique circumstances of your growth, skin, etc) the outcomes you're happiest with.

 

[StewB]

I place much more value on getting a socially acceptable, irritation-free shave than a super close "BBS" shave. If you've been using DE razors for a year and all of your shaves are still poor, I would suggest there are one or more contributing factors. I would consider all variables such as angle, pressure and lather before giving up.

 

[MichWR]

I don’t have a “Goldilocks” razor, and don’t expect to ever find one. What I have found is a blade that works well for me (Personna Reds) and a half dozen razors that all give me a DFS with two passes. Luckily I don’t have an issue with in-grown hairs. Do what works best for you.

 

[DougK]

@Chickencutlets You might want to consider the Gillette Guard if ingrowns are a problem for you. It's a single blade cart that's designed for a comfortable shave rather than the closest possible shave. I've used the Guard for several years (it's now my daily razor) and my shaves are excellent and close enough for me to easily remain stubble-free until the end of a typical workday. I've yet to have it cause an ingrown hair or skin irritation.

 

[timetofly]

There are no "Goldilocks" razors in my lineup of razors. I mainly use vintage Gillette razors. They worked 50 to 80 years ago, and they work today!

I don't think any one shaving back in those days were looking for a BBS, DFS, or any other letters one wants to pull out of the Campbell's Alphabet Soup.

Good luck with your journey, my friend!

 

[CANES]

Very interesting thread and responses.

I've been using a DE since 1993- when I wasn't playing around with various cartridges, electrics or growing a full beard occasionally. Carts were, and still are, the worst at giving me ingrown hairs. DE blades also do, but not to the same extent, and usually only if I go any way other than WTG. I've actually had the best luck with electric razors not causing ingrowns, but the shave is not as close in some directions as my DE WTG pass. So, it's a trade off for me. I rotate between all of them depending on how my skin looks and feels for the day.

It was/is very hard to not settle for some stubble left over. I think I'm finally grasping that fact much better now, but it sure takes time.

Best of luck to you on the journey.

 

[gpjoe]

First, I've come to believe that a true BBS shave is mostly a myth, I think the term is thrown around way too loosely. As defined, it means no stubble felt on any shaved area even ATG. I've only been at this 16 months but I'm not sure that's really possible. Maybe for some of the really experienced guys who have been at it for years and years and spend a lot more time on a shave than I have to spend. But I've stopped trying for perfection. I come close occasionally, but there's always some area(s) that I can feel stubble ATG.

Second, if you get ingrown hairs with less than BBS, I'm not sure you can get a closer shave while avoiding ingrowns, since those are caused by shaving below the skin. TBH, I'm surprised you can get a closer shave with carts than a DE and avoid ingrown hairs, but if you can, then more power to you.

I'm going to agree with this.

Probably far less folks are able to get a true BBS shave than we are led to believe. The only way for me to even get near BBS is through repeated passes and excessive touchup, that leads to irritation or blood.

You have to find the shave that you are happy with, that doesn't tear your face up.

Mine is a 3-pass with touchup, every other day, using a mild razor. I've gotten some very close shaves, far better than any cartridge but have not yet gotten a perfect BBS shave because I have also learned that the more the blade touches my face, the greater the chance of things not ending well.

If you've tried a lot of different DE hardware and software, and you still can't get the shave you desire, maybe you're best off using what you know works: cartidges.

 

[Big_T]

Take a look at the High Proof razor. Takes half of a DE blade, has a swivel head and is made of anodized aluminum. It's a mild razor and gives a great shave.