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In search of a unicorn (razor and blade recommendations)

Congrats on getting the Timeless .68 Oc. Terrific razor. Hope you have many GREAT shaves with it!!

ps— Timeless is in another league when compared to the Rockwell 6S, speaking from experience.

Another league indeed! I get the love for the Rockwell, but it may not be for me. As many of you have said here, I'm pretty sure my beard requires an open comb.

My best shave yet was with my new-to-me Timeless .68 OC. The combination of an open comb with a Nacet blade made all the difference in the world. Two passes and clean-up and I had a DFS with minimal irritation. Now, I was shaving off 11 days of growth (I know), but that was hands down my best shave yet. I wonder if the .95 open comb wouldn't have been an even better choice? I'd like even more hair to be removed on that first past. Efficiency without aggression, that sounds good (is that thing??) Fortunately, I have a .84 Game Changer OC on the way to try. I've read all good things about that razor. That might be perfect for tackling 7-10 days of growth. I don't typically want to go that long between shaves, but sometimes it happens.

With my skin and beard, I'm not ever going to be a "daily driver" but I'd like to make the commute more than once a week. It seems that perhaps sharper blades and an efficient razor are the way to go. More experimenting to come!
 

never-stop-learning

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Another league indeed! I get the love for the Rockwell, but it may not be for me. As many of you have said here, I'm pretty sure my beard requires an open comb.

My best shave yet was with my new-to-me Timeless .68 OC. The combination of an open comb with a Nacet blade made all the difference in the world. Two passes and clean-up and I had a DFS with minimal irritation. Now, I was shaving off 11 days of growth (I know), but that was hands down my best shave yet. I wonder if the .95 open comb wouldn't have been an even better choice? I'd like even more hair to be removed on that first past. Efficiency without aggression, that sounds good (is that thing??) Fortunately, I have a .84 Game Changer OC on the way to try. I've read all good things about that razor. That might be perfect for tackling 7-10 days of growth. I don't typically want to go that long between shaves, but sometimes it happens.

With my skin and beard, I'm not ever going to be a "daily driver" but I'd like to make the commute more than once a week. It seems that perhaps sharper blades and an efficient razor are the way to go. More experimenting to come!

The Timeless .68 is a wonderful razor that also works as a daily driver for many shavers.
 
I need help finding the right razor for my beard and face.

Shaving with a safety razor is new to me, but I'm slowly getting the hang of it. Let's remove technique and how often I shave from the equation and assume I basically know what I'm doing for the purpose of this conversation.

The situation:

I shave once a week (don't ask - it works for me). I have a tricky beard, it's thick, coarse, and grows in all sorts of directions. I can grow a big thick beard in a matter of weeks. I'm guessing this has something to do with my Italian and Jewish ancestry.

Under that burly beard, I have sensitive skin. Ingrown hairs are common (even when I don't shave) and my chin area and mustache are extra thick. A recent shave with an Alpha Outlaw Mild with a Personna Platinum produced less than ideal results (this is most likely because of a hurried shave with poor technique).

I'm seeking that "unicorn" razor and blade combo. A razor that can handle a thick beard, but not destroy my skin. I understand that if I only shave once a week, razor burn will likely be a part of that, but I'm sure some razors/blades will be better than the others. I think I have a decent grasp of what is considered a mild blade versus a sharp blade. I've read a mild blade in a more aggressive razor could work well, I of course have also seen that a sharp blade in mild razor might be best. I know that blades might be the most important part of this equation. That said, I want to know if I'm even on the right path with the razors I've tried or plan to use.

Razors I've used:

Rockwell 6C - plate 4 ("weekly" driver).
Alpha Outlaw Mild (not exactly mild in my opinion)

Razors I will have the opportunity to try (but haven't yet):

Razorock GC .68 SB
Razorock GC .84 SB
Parker Variant

Razors I have researched but do not own or have access to:

Timeless .68 OC
Karve CB - C plate?
Rex Envoy
Parker Semi-Slant
Henson AL-13

Razors I have not researched (but probably should):
Anything vintage

I have pondered whether or not I'm barking up the wrong tree with closed comb plates. Perhaps I should have gone straight to open comb?

I do not plan to keep an arsenal of razors, I'd like to find one or two that work great for me. I'm more interested in finding a good razor and spending my money on different soaps and aftershaves. I feel like much of the advice on this forum is steered towards those folks who shave every day. This razor would not be a daily driver, but rather a "weekly" driver.

So, I'm seeking the advice of you lumberjacks out there who have a burly beard and gentle skin. I look forward to the discussion, thanks in advance!
Long story short: you should shave with a Straight Razor.

Old school, heavy SR, ideally a 1/2 - 1/4 hollow or near wedge, in 6/8.

If that's too much, I'd go with R41 DE with Feather blades or Blackland Vector OC SE razor with Feather Pro Super AC blades.

Clearly, as once per week shaver, BBS is not your paramount objective, so you can do 2 WTG passes and call it a day, possibly add an XTG 3td pass for a DFS.
 
@The Seasonal Shaver

I also have thick beard and suffered for many years.
I purchased Game Changer OC 84 and things have turned for the better.
It is still not as efficient as I'd like, but for the time being it's ok.

I can suggest you 3 options that can help you and I'm going to take similar steps as well :

1) Get a single edge razor in Open Comb like RazoRock Hawk V3, Blackland Vector.

This will most preferable because the single edge blades are predominantly sharper and rigid, so blade chatter and therefore irritation will be minimal.

There are a wide variety of blades to adjust the efficiency according to your preference.

2) You can get a higher blade feel razor and this'll provide you with more efficiency while maintaining quality of the razor.

Blackland Blackbird (in Open Comb or Solid Bar) is an excellent choice, Rex Envoy is another higher efficiency razor to give a thought.

3) A combination of the above-mentioned suggestions.

You can get a Single Edge blade supporting razor (Feather Artist club razor) and use it for 1st pass, then use any good efficiency razor for finishing the shave.
 
Long story short: you should shave with a Straight Razor.

Old school, heavy SR, ideally a 1/2 - 1/4 hollow or near wedge, in 6/8.

I'll admit I have no idea what you mean here. I need to learn my straight razor vocabulary. Razor burn and ingrown hairs are the norms for me, even when I was using cartridges. Hence the time between shaves. A straight seems counter-intuitive to an irritation-free shave? Under that coarse thick beard, there is some sensitive skin!
 

jackgoldman123

Boring and predictable
I'll admit I have no idea what you mean here. I need to learn my straight razor vocabulary. Razor burn and ingrown hairs are the norms for me, even when I was using cartridges. Hence the time between shaves. A straight seems counter-intuitive to an irritation-free shave? Under that coarse thick beard, there is some sensitive skin!
I am not an SR guy but the SR post is meaningful. SR is pure shaving, ingrown hairs probably don't exist in (on?) an SR shaver's face. ymmv on SR and caveats galore (how close is the nearest ER?) but if you master SR you will be a very happy camper.
 
IA straight seems counter-intuitive to an irritation-free shave?
Actually, quite the opposite. Sure, mastering the technique takes some time, but SR is the ultimate mild razor, given it's properly honed and truly shave-ready.
Under that coarse thick beard, there is some sensitive skin!
9 out of 10 folks who suffer razor burn/irritation claim they have coarse beard and sensitive skin... then it magically goes away once they learn how to shave. You might indeed have a coarse beard or sensitive skin... or both. Still, it does NOT mean you cannot shave irritation-free. Perhaps not every day, but certainly every 2nd day.
 
Actually, quite the opposite. Sure, mastering the technique takes some time, but SR is the ultimate mild razor, given it's properly honed and truly shave-ready.

9 out of 10 folks who suffer razor burn/irritation claim they have coarse beard and sensitive skin... then it magically goes away once they learn how to shave. You might indeed have a coarse beard or sensitive skin... or both. Still, it does NOT mean you cannot shave irritation-free. Perhaps not every day, but certainly every 2nd day.

You could not be more correct. The more I practice, the more I find that my skin is tougher than I thought. Everyone has sensitive skin if you carve it to pieces.
 
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