Hang's Harangues

[hangblague]

I am 50 years old. I have mostly shaved carelessly in the shower with cheap disposible Gilette this and thats, with or without soap. Or, I'd sport the beard to avoid the chore.

Just over 2 weeks ago, I took the safety razor plunge, and grabbed the only available retail product from the shelves of my Canadian city - the WS Premium Classic. It is heavy with a long handle, comes with 5 WS German-made blades and has the butterfly mechanism. Seems solid and tight and the blades seem to sit reliably square in the housing. I don't know enough to see why this $20 product would ever be inadequate (unless I get curious enough about adjustables).

I am posting here to keep track of my lessons, mainly to document my experience with several different blades, comparing them to the WS ones I have begun with. So far, of course, I am trying to learn proper technique, mainly from Youtube. I am on my third WS blade and would say overall that I am not satisfied yet, even though I don't bleed like I did at the very first. I get slight burning throughout the day. Not so bad that I chafe in my collar (I wear a tie most days) but bad enough. Maybe the blade, maybe my inexperience, maybe my expectations, I don't know yet.

I've decided that in order to assess new blades, I'll keep everything else fairly consistent. WS boar brush, WS hard soap (the one in the cheap black plastic tub). I'm not brand loyal. Again, it's just the only product available at London Drugs or Shopper's. I've experimented a bit with pre-shave oil, but did not really notice much difference. Until I get a feel for assessing each blade, I'll wait 48 hours between shaves and forego further against-the-grain trials. Down the road I'll want to find that I can get at least as close a comfortable shave as I did in the shower with the cheapo disposables. Suddenly I'm using up that long-neglected bottle of Aqua Velva. I grabbed the Mennen Skin Bracer for a little variety.

That's my long introduction. Thank you for allowing me onto this excellent forum.

 

[hangblague]

Just received my first sample pack. Excited to get started.

 

[Al Bundy]

Welcome to the forum.

The Wilkinson razor is a great bit of kit and if looked after should last you indefinitely. It's a very mild razor so if you're getting irritation I would venture your technique has yet to fully develop.

Watch the pressure, a DE requires far less than the disposables you're used to and could well account for the burn you're experiencing.

The blades are also very good but you've done the best thing and picked up a blade sampler.

The Wilkinson brush and black bowl soap unfortunately have a less favourable reputation. The soap is usable, not stellar, but the brush is definitely by far the weakest product in the line up.

 

[hangblague]

Thanks very much for the input. I'll look forward to upgrading soap and brush then in the not-too-distant future. Also a helpful reminder that beginner technique may be a bigger variable than blade.

 

[hangblague]

Astra super platinum.

Disappointed. 36 hours growth. First pass WTG seemed loud & rough. Second pass across the grain left nearly acceptable results. I began an ill-advised third pass and got a significant cut below the lip and quit. The shave overall is acceptable for the office but not good enough to satisfy myself. Not ready to blame the blade yet. It's likely inexperience.

It's a little frustrating to not shave against the grain when it's so easy with the cheap disposable plastic Gillette. I'll be patient with myself.

 

[Rosseforp]

Nice selection. I see some of my favorite blades there.

 

[Rosseforp]

Welcome to the forum.

The Wilkinson razor is a great bit of kit and if looked after should last you indefinitely. It's a very mild razor so if you're getting irritation I would venture your technique has yet to fully develop.

Watch the pressure, a DE requires far less than the disposables you're used to and could well account for the burn you're experiencing.

The blades are also very good but you've done the best thing and picked up a blade sampler.

The Wilkinson brush and black bowl soap unfortunately have a less favourable reputation. The soap is usable, not stellar, but the brush is definitely by far the weakest product in the line up.

+1

The Wilkerson is a mild razor, so try pairing it with a sharp blade like a Feather or a 7 o'clock. Most of us have had the same issues you are experiencing when starting out with a DE. Your skin takes time to adjust. Try soap samples.

A Fixed Four is also a great way to improve your technique.
Same razor, blade, brush, and soap for a month.

 

[hangblague]

Astra Superior Platinum (2)

I took a little more care with preshave and have to admit it made for a better experience than last time. Still not happy though. Too rough and tuggy. 2 passes only (With and X on face, twice with on neck), since I still felt leery about last time. Aftershave pretty jolty.

I think it's safe to conclude I like the WS blade better than the Astra SP. At least THIS particular Astra SP blade. I don't see much point in trying it a third time.

This surprised me. I had been expecting, based on others' experience, that this would be one of the better blades.

 

[hangblague]

This morning in the shower, I couldn't stop myself from fixing the one spot on my chin demanding touch-up from yesterday's shave. Just grabbed the cheapo plastic Bic that was there and bingo, done. No soap, no mirror, no fuss, no pain.

I'm still committed to pursuing the romance of the DE apprenticeship, but it sure isn't hard to understand why the market changed.

 

[Rosseforp]

This morning in the shower, I couldn't stop myself from fixing the one spot on my chin demanding touch-up from yesterday's shave. Just grabbed the cheapo plastic Bic that was there and bingo, done. No soap, no mirror, no fuss, no pain.

I'm still committed to pursuing the romance of the DE apprenticeship, but it sure isn't hard to understand why the market changed.

Yep, the cheap plastic razor with the pivoting head automatically positions the cutting angle for you. The Gillette Guard is a single edge no frills cartridge style razor made in India. An extremely cheap way to transition to DE from multi-blade carts.

I ordered my razor $2 USD and blades $3.50 USD from WCS and Connaught. OK travel razor that comes with a cheap plastic cover to protect the single edge blade.

 

[hangblague]

Astra Superior Stainless

This was much better for me than the Astra Platinum. Loud feedback, but without the disconcerting pulling. I thought it would be good to contrast the other Astra while the one was fresh in my memory. The stainless was both more comfortable and closer than the Platinum with two passes. Probably not as close as the WS though.

I feel like moving on with the samples instead of spending more time with Astras at this point, but I don't much like the idea of trashing an acceptable blade that has only seen one shave. Do people rewrap their blades for re-use? Is it too much handling?

 

[Rosseforp]

Astra Superior Stainless

This was much better for me than the Astra Platinum. Loud feedback, but without the disconcerting pulling. I thought it would be good to contrast the other Astra while the one was fresh in my memory. The stainless was both more comfortable and closer than the Platinum with two passes. Probably not as close as the WS though.

I feel like moving on with the samples instead of spending more time with Astras at this point, but I don't much like the idea of trashing an acceptable blade that has only seen one shave. Do people rewrap their blades for re-use? Is it too much handling?

I always pat my blades dry and put them back in the wrapper after shaving, and usually put a dash on the wrapper to keep count of how many times it has been used. As I am testing blades right now, I have 4 blades with varying amounts of shaves on them in my drawer. I can get over 20 shaves per blade, but, blades are cheap, sometimes I bin them after only 1 or 2 shaves.

 

[hangblague]

Thanks Ross.

 

[hangblague]

From St. Petersburg to Athens. I'm going to go with the Bic next.

I'm anxious to get to the Feather as advised, but I think I'll delay a bit more as I continue to train for some technique consistency first, especially given the Feather's reputation for being unforgiving. But, from what I read, this (the Bic) will also be a very sharp blade. Here's Bic's dramatic factory tour, mainly featuring their mass-production of disposable ladies' products but also showing off their R&D and factory mechanics:

A few more thoughts about my personal method. I'm not going (yet) to be too anal about fixing variables as I learn. Mainly, I'm learning the basics, but also getting an early and subjective feel for what blades agree with me most. Once I think I know which blades I like most, I may try to hone in on technique a bit more carefully, maybe even with the fixed four method suggested. Then I can revisit blade trials again later and maybe be more objective and detailed about evaluations.

The one fixed variable for now is the razor. I will continue with the WS and not buy another yet. The close-to-fixed variable will be frequency. Rather than 48 hours stated earlier, I've been averaging 36, and I like that a bit better. It makes me a bit less self-conscious during the day. Technique and pre-shave routine I don't expect to be solidly consistent. That I'm happy to learn as I go. I think I'm already giving up on the hot-towel routine. If it's essential magic, I'll go back to it. Otherwise, it seems a bit of a nuisance (towel cools off so quickly).

I couldn't help myself with the other factors: Today I ordered a Semogue badger brush (the low-end wooden handle one) and some Stirling sample soaps. I've been happy enough with the WS stuff, but that's probably because I don't know what I've been missing.

 

[hangblague]

Bic Chrome Platinum

I was hoping to like this more than I did, but I'd say I do prefer it to the Astras. Lots of loud feedback on the first pass, but not as much resistance. I did two and a half passes because I wanted a close shave for once. That went OK, but it produced a couple minor weepers and a shave that was close, but not perfectly close, even with the against-the-grain work.

I also introduced Proraso shave soap that I found in the drug store yesterday, the green tub. I was hoping to find it would provide an amazing greasy slide, but I found it a bit dry. I think I should market soap made of pike slime. The other thing about the Proraso is the menthol smell was very strong and not entirely to my liking. On the other hand it lathered effortlessly.

I think I'll try the Bic again with the WS soap and see what difference if any that makes.

 

[hangblague]

Bic Chrome Platinum (2)

Happier with this shave. I went back to the WS soap. I don't think it made things better or worse, but I think I learned that the Proraso needs more water than the WS soap. I was patient with the pre-shave routine, including hot wash cloth. Another difference in setup was the fact that even though it was the usual 36 hours since my last shave, my whiskers were noticeably shorter because of how much closer the last shave was.

This time I disciplined myself to a limit of two passes (WTG & XTG, but less X on the neck) and no further touch up. I would say it may be the closest I've had after 2 passes, even though not close like last time. Despite all the positivity, I got a significant Nick below my lip, center-left. I'm not blaming the blade for that.

 

[thombrogan]

Sorry to read about the nick. Congratulations on the restraint. It helps focus technique.

 

[hangblague]

WS Premium Classic TTO
Big Ben (Lord)
WS black tub soap
WS brush
Nivea aftershave
Preshave shower, pre-lather scrub, hot towel

From Athens, we take our mental journey not to London (as the blade name wishes to suggest), but to Alexandria, Egypt - the Lord factory.

I didn't like this too much. I did two passes, WTG & XG, but felt that I was fighting the whiskers. I had to run away from some of the high mustache fellas. No cuts, but not what I'd call acceptably close. I also felt nervous through much of it. Maybe I shouldn't blame the blade, but I may anyway.

Today the soap was slick yet dry. I didn't like that either. Also I found the greasiness hard to rinse off with cold water after the fact.

I'm not going to be too patient about giving blades a fair chance to impress. There's a lot of samples to go through and for now it's enough to get a few subjective inexperienced impressions. So far I like Bic the best, followed by the German WS.

 

[Al Bundy]

On blades I think it's true to say you shouldn't hack away stubbornly with a blade that's not working for you.

On the flip side there are some blades that can be harsh on first use but settle down on 2nd or 3rd outing (gillette 7 o'clock yellows are a common example).

There is also the possibility of the occasional bad blade that slipped through quality control. I've had one or two of these and when it happens it's like shaving with rusty pinking shears!

 

[hangblague]

Bolzano Superinox Inossidabile

WS Premium Classic TTO
WS black tub soap
WS brush
Aqua Velva aftershave
Preshave shower, hair conditioner

This blade has me interested, but I got a mixed performance.

From Alexandria, we go to a small German town, Eisfeld to find the factory, which lies in the former East Germany. The manufacturer is Feintechnik, which may have been bought by Harry's. As with the blade from the last shave, we are to think of a different place altogether - this time Italy. Bolzano is a Northern Italian city and "Inossidabile" is Italian for stainless. This time the misdirection is legitimate as the blades were originally Italian made.

I have to give this one another try. I was very happy with the smoothness and action on the first pass. Second pass went well too, but there was still too much stubble. I did some further touch up and started getting a burn and finally quit. No cuts but the aftershave was unusually stingy and I'm not satisfied with what remains on my chin. I don't think I can blame the blade for that. I think the negatives were mostly from getting a bit casual and quick once I was beguiled by the comfort. If it was NOT human error, then I would have to describe the Bolzano as sharp, smooth but inefficient.