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Hubby Wants To Play

We went to the local grocery store today to pick up what we need for the week. Since I started DE shaving a few weeks back I have been checking the offerings in the very limited shaving department. There were never any DE blades, much less any DE razors. There was some brand or other of beard oil, lots of canned goo for men and women, a couple of different tubes and powder canisters and such. And, of course, a plethora of cartridge razors and cartridge refills.

Well, my friends, today there were Van der Hagen blades and a razor. I picked them up and said, “Look honey, there is actually a DE razor and blades here.” He asked, “Why don’t you get some blades?” I said, “I’m still working my way through my sample pack to decide what I like, so no need to buy more until I know.” And I walked off.

In a minute I was farther down the aisle looking at something else when I heard him exclaim, “ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! These blades are 10 for $2.99!” I said, “Oh, sweetie, that’s far too expensive for only 10 blades. You can buy 100 for somewhere in the neighborhood of $8-10.” His chin nearly hit the floor.

After picking his chin up, he said “Maybe I want to try shaving with an old-timey razor.”

He already has a Simpson brush with stand, a lovely pottery scuttle, and some shave soaps I got him for Christmas several years ago, but he never made the jump to a DE razor. Seeing the price difference between cartridges and DE blades is enough to make him give it a go. Needless to say, we may have another convert on our hands.

What would you recommend for his first razor? Bear in mind it must be brand new, never used, since he is a little OCD, and I think with his hand issues (multiple surgeries for Dupuytren’s contracture) he would appreciate a TTO. He also keeps a beard most of the time and only shaves his cheeks and neck. ETA: He would also like a longer handle.

Thanks for all feedback and suggestions from this fine and generous community of gentlemen and ladies.
 
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Esox

I didnt know
Staff member
In a minute I was farther down the aisle looking at something else when I heard him exclaim, “ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! These blades are 10 for $2.99!” I said, “Oh, sweetie, that’s far too expensive for only 10 blades. You can buy 100 for somewhere in the neighborhood of $8-10.” His chin nearly hit the floor.

chuckle.gif



What would you recommend for his first razor? Bear in mind it must be brand new, never used, since he is a little OCD, and I think with his hand issues (multiple surgeries for Dupuytren’s contracture) he would appreciate a TTO. He also keeps a beard most of the time and only shaves his cheeks and neck.

There are new TTO razors. Most are low cost Chinese razors made by Weishi and possibly others.

There are a few adjustable razors such as the Merkur Progress and Mergress, Futur and clones but I'm not aware of a modern TTO of similar design to the Gillette TTO's other than the Chinese razors.

RazoRock Quick-Change DE Safety Razor – ItalianBarber - https://www.italianbarber.com/products/razorock-quick-change-de-safety-razor

If there are any however, someone here will surely know about them.
 
Good advice above. I have kept a beard and find DEs to be good for keeping the edges clean.

Edit: You might find a new old stock (NOS) Gillette razor, such as a super speed. They are very mild, but great razors.

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What would you recommend for his first razor? Bear in mind it must be brand new, never used, since he is a little OCD, and I think with his hand issues (multiple surgeries for Dupuytren’s contracture) he would appreciate a TTO. He also keeps a beard most of the time and only shaves his cheeks and neck. ETA: He would also like a longer handle.

If you are looking for a modern razor, Parker has a couple of long handle TTOs, like the 22R and the 96R that might be to his liking and won't break the bank before you know if he'll stick with it.

Good luck ... and keep drawing him in!
 
We went to the local grocery store today to pick up what we need for the week. Since I started DE shaving a few weeks back I have been checking the offerings in the very limited shaving department. There were never any DE blades, much less any DE razors. There was some brand or other of beard oil, lots of canned goo for men and women, a couple of different tubes and powder canisters and such. And, of course, a plethora of cartridge razors and cartridge refills.

Well, my friends, today there were Van der Hagen blades and a razor. I picked them up and said, “Look honey, there is actually a DE razor and blades here.” He asked, “Why don’t you get some blades?” I said, “I’m still working my way through my sample pack to decide what I like, so no need to buy more until I know.” And I walked off.

In a minute I was farther down the aisle looking at something else when I heard him exclaim, “ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! These blades are 10 for $2.99!” I said, “Oh, sweetie, that’s far too expensive for only 10 blades. You can buy 100 for somewhere in the neighborhood of $8-10.” His chin nearly hit the floor.

After picking his chin up, he said “Maybe I want to try shaving with an old-timey razor.”

He already has a Simpson brush with stand, a lovely pottery scuttle, and some shave soaps I got him for Christmas several years ago, but he never made the jump to a DE razor. Seeing the price difference between cartridges and DE blades is enough to make him give it a go. Needless to say, we may have another convert on our hands.

What would you recommend for his first razor? Bear in mind it must be brand new, never used, since he is a little OCD, and I think with his hand issues (multiple surgeries for Dupuytren’s contracture) he would appreciate a TTO. He also keeps a beard most of the time and only shaves his cheeks and neck. ETA: He would also like a longer handle.

Thanks for all feedback and suggestions from this fine and generous community of gentlemen and ladies.


Just be sure you remember after spending a couple thousand on some addiction that this was your idea.
 
Just be sure you remember after spending a couple thousand on some addiction that this was your idea.
Funny. Just like her husband, once I saw DE blades could be had for about a cent each, I was hooked. Now? Well, I haven't bought any shaving stuff except soap in 2019. If I keep that going a couple more years, I'll be near the break even point.
 
For TTO razors, Weishi 9306 which is a brass razor. Parker also have quite a choice, 82R, 86R, 90R, 96R to name a few.
 
The Wilkinson Sword Classic TTO is a nice budget-priced long-handle TTO. (I believe it is a re-branded Weishi.) It is quite a bit lighter than the Parkers, so I find it more maneuverable. To me, it shaves much like my vintage Super Speeds. I found it on the 'zon, but I've read that it is also available in various discount stores. (don't confuse it with the Wilkinson Classic 2-piece, which is plastic)
happy hunting!
 
Fwiw, my first DE razor was the Parker 96R about 10 years ago. It was a great razor and that butterfly method felt fancy while being foolproof in alignment and loading/unloading. Mild but efficient enough as well. It hooked me, and prior to that, I had been using a brush and shaving soaps/creams since the mid 90s (if shaving with cartridges). Good luck!
 
The Van der Hagen razors are made by Weishi and are pretty decent razors, but they are about as mild as you can get for a DE razor. For the price, they are decent razors.

The Van der Hagen blades, however, are a different matter. These "ice tempered" blades are made in Germany. Along with Merkur blades, which I believe are the same blades, they may be the dullest blades I have ever used. If you have a very fine beard, they may work for you, but I have rarely heard any good comments about these blades.

On the other hand, many brick and mortar stores sell private brand blades that are made in Israel by Personna. These are excellent blades. However, if you like them, you can purchase Personna Platinum "Israeli Red" blades in bulk 100 for about $18 including shipping. There is a rumor that the Personna plant in Israel may be shut down with production moving to another plant, so if you do like them, I suggest buying them in bulk.
 
"Hubby Wants To Play"

At first this sounded like another personals ad from Katie Hill. Anyway, for a starter: The merkur 23c/180 was mine. It's light, cheap, a great entry point. Overpriced razors like the Rockwell Model T are where you don't want to be, it costs $150 for maybe $3 worth of parts and will do nothing but discourage him because he'll assume everything else is just as expensive.
 
Van Der Hagen is all Brass and also
Comes in a long handle version and
Twist to open mechanism is very well
Built.
 
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