What did you buy?
Looking for the best high quality DE safety razor? NEW
- Thread starter BeardBat
- Start date
What did you buy?
I'll make it even simpler. Buy a Blackland Dart. If you don't like it, return it under Shane's generous return policy.
This is a huge aside but there is a lot of truth to this. The truth is these modern high end cars are just so powerful and silent that they are actually pretty boring to drive, unless you are driving a ludicrously illegal speeds and/or ludicrously dangerously (taking corners at 40 etc). In contrast older cars from the ones you describe and those old $300 "get up and go's" we all bought as students and effectively stayed together with judicious/prudent use of duct tape were absolutely crazily exciting to drive at 60 miles an hour, you can feel it, you can hear it, you knew it. They were definitely not boring and represented fun and excitement in that visceral ways that hearken back to youth and living. They wouldn't beat a Mercedes in a drag race but how often is anyone drag racing compared to just driving. (In PA drag racing is regulated ubiquitous pothole deployment strategies )
Regards
Avi
Thiers Issard Historic Le Grelot
Red Boxelder.
Thats a nice razor.
I've been drooling over a few Ed Brice razors for a while, but it would end up in a drawer with my knives because I dont use straights.
I'd like to get on another Suzuki Gamma too, but those days are gone lol.
The sentiments expressed @SilentAssassin resonate with me. As hobbies go, wetshaving is relatively inexpensive. We’re in orbit for a brief period of time. If the OP has the financial means, which he does, and wants to splurge, so be it. As @Blackland Razors suggested, get the Merkur, then order something even nicer. Maybe you won’t have your beard for the rest of your life, but you will the razor.
They seem to get a lot of good reviews as well as far as how they shave, though I find the handle on them homely to put it kindly, in fact I'll just say it is(in my opinion only) about the ugliest razor handle I have ever seen.
That said, function over fashion, aesthetics are merely a nice feature to have and quite subjective as everyone has different tastes, performance is really what is important and by all accounts this is a fantastic performing razor(I'll add that the head is really nice looking which makes the handle all the more disappointing for me).
Aesthetics are a pure matter of taste and one man's meat is another man's poison. So it's ok for a design to be loved by some and hated by others - in fact that shows individuality and that the designer was not playing it safe.
Also I believe rhat for me, once I start paying serious money for a product, beautiful design becomes a necessary part of the package and it becomes more than just a functional tool - it is a functional piece of art and so it needs to embody that dual purpose in its looks.
For me personally, I think the Tatara Masamune has the most cohesive and unique design aesthetic of ANY razor on the market. It doesnt look like anything else ans nothing else looks like it. It embodies minimalism and modernity perfectly but despite that its finish and lines are supposed to reflect the pearlescent grain and lines of a traditional Japanese Katana. From.handle to head, the design is consistent throughout and well thought out functionally to increase strength and rigidity- it really is a design for the 21st century. And to my eyes rhe handle and the head are far more beautiful than most of the very expensive razors that peoppe like on these forums - most of which look derivative and boring to my eyes.
I agree with @Esox and @Atlantic59 - Get a Fatip Grande or Piccolo, a nice blade sampler (or a couple of tucks of SilverStars if you don't go the assortment route) and stick to one razor/blade combination for a month.
Then, and only then, research any razor/blade changes you think you need to make.
Just my opinion.
- Thread starter
- #70
I didn’t think it would be that complicated to pick a safety razor
So i should get one of those Fatip Grande, Fatip Piccolo, Merkur 34C HD, Gillette Tech, Razarock Gamechanger? Which one would be the overall best choice of those then?
Also what kind of razors are those open comb/closed comb/slant, mild/medium/aggressive?
I think that those aren’t adjustable wouldn’t an adjustable one like a Rockwell 6C/6S for example be a better choice since you can adjust it and such?
Also doesn’t everybody have atleast one razor that everybody owns and loves a must have/own?
So i should get one of those Fatip Grande, Fatip Piccolo, Merkur 34C HD, Gillette Tech, Razarock Gamechanger? Which one would be the overall best choice of those then?
Also what kind of razors are those open comb/closed comb/slant, mild/medium/aggressive?
I think that those aren’t adjustable wouldn’t an adjustable one like a Rockwell 6C/6S for example be a better choice since you can adjust it and such?
Also doesn’t everybody have atleast one razor that everybody owns and loves a must have/own?
The rockwell 6s isnt actually adjustable though...it is a system of plates u mix and match with and you have to disassemble the razor to change plates - not really adjustable enough on the fly in my book ...if it's your first perhaps I may suggest you stick to the mild razors and to stay away fron slant razors for now...
If you want an adjustable razor that isnt a bad idea at all and perhaps the best rated adjustable razor currently that is both smooth and efficient seems to be the russian made Taiga from homelike that is currently awaiting the completion of the second batch or generation in a couple of months time...I understand that the finishing of the second batch is said to be aiming to be an improvement over the first batch that was already said to be good...
If you want an adjustable razor that isnt a bad idea at all and perhaps the best rated adjustable razor currently that is both smooth and efficient seems to be the russian made Taiga from homelike that is currently awaiting the completion of the second batch or generation in a couple of months time...I understand that the finishing of the second batch is said to be aiming to be an improvement over the first batch that was already said to be good...
On the fatip, I am happy with my fatip piccolo SE which is a very nice looking razor that is also working well and comes with both OC and closed comb plates however I have read on the forums that fatip is known to have irregular QC and so sometimes some customers have complained at getting irregular aligning heads and as a result the razors dont cut evenly...
So to avoid possible disappointment on your first razor you may want to choose a different brand unless u r ok with that risk...
So to avoid possible disappointment on your first razor you may want to choose a different brand unless u r ok with that risk...
No one said that.
Yes, it’s called a Wolfman.....but the wait for one is running about a year right now.
I'm not going to recommend anything specific, but you could always buy a vintage Gillette off EBay. You may not even end up liking a DE. With a vintage Gillette, if you don't like it you can always sell it for what you paid for it. Or you could sell it and buy something "nicer" if you like.
I can see the next thread and reply coming already.
OP: “As my first ever soap or cream I’m considering either the SMN, ADP or similar. Money is no object and I want the best.”
Various replies: “You don’t need to spend that kind of money, just get a Proraso soap. That’s all you’ll ever need.”
OP: “As my first ever soap or cream I’m considering either the SMN, ADP or similar. Money is no object and I want the best.”
Various replies: “You don’t need to spend that kind of money, just get a Proraso soap. That’s all you’ll ever need.”
This is like asking a crowd of 100 people what you should have for dinner. Everyone is going to respond with their personal favorite.
...Pizza!
...Fish!
...Peruvian chicken with fried yuca and cabbage salad!
...Duo of Grass-Fed Kobe beef ribs and Wagyu Tenderloin, served with hand-harvested truffles and morels, delicately balanced on a bed of organic quinoa pilaf, with a reduction of Japanese tamari and manuka honey, spinach and onion compote, and locally grown pomme frite!
No but Proraso or C/O Bigelow is a good starting point because unlike Aristan soaps you are guaranteed to get a soap that won't burn your face because they know how to mix batches to a specific pH. Any large scale operation will. Frankly you can shave with bar soap in a pinch if you want to but it doesn't lather like shave cream. Same with washing your hair with bar soap instead of shampoo which is something I've done for over 15+ years now.
