One chance to convert Dad - Advice?

[Talal]

Hello friends,


My father has been cartridge shaver all his life (sensor excell), and at 67 years old has switched over to the plastic disposable cartridge razors.. he has very sensitive skin and complains often of the irritation. Ive helped him with creams and after shaves but for the first time ever he is willing to try a DE razor to see the difference.. He has tried them in his youth he said and would nick himself so i think just has bad initial experience with it that lingered.. I have no idea what he tried probably really poor ones out in the mid east.

In your opinion if you were to pick a razor for him to try in this case what would you pick to recommend? he has a thick middle eastern style beard and sensitive skin.. I was thinking maybe the mildest henson but they are so expensive.. ive never tried one myself so I dont know .. I use the R41 and Fatip Lo Storto open comb slant and thats it but those would be too intense for him.

Maybe Merkur 34c? I really want it mild and and to make him cutting himself almost impossible.. maybe a modern adjustable? i dont know I dont know the mild world of the DE realm being on the aggressive end..

Thank you for your thoughts.. I only have 1 shot at this and I want to make it count..

 

[DE Steve]

The 34c is a good, cheap way to experiment with his willingness to use it. Excellent shaver too.

BTW the 34c is probably the most popular DE shaver of all time. There's a reason for that.

 

[taiga]

I also got my father who is in his mid 60's back into DE shaving this year. I gave him my 34c to try out. He now likes to use the Rockwell 6s with plate 6. I think the 34c paired with a sharp blade will work great in the beginning.

 

[Dodger59]

I’m about the same age as your father and also used the sensor and fixed head disposables like the Gillette good news. What worked best for me is the Leaf Twig, but don’t use the blades that come with it. Perhaps the PermaSharp half blades.

My other regular razors are the RazoRock Game Changer 68-P and a black handle Gillette Super Speed. All three are wonderful mild razors.

 

[Alex Jr]

Rockwel 6C. Smooth as butter and several plates for him to choose from.

 

[helicopter]

I would go with a flare tip superspeed, a ball end tech, or a 34c.

 

[spacemonkey42]

I'd suggest a Henson (mild or medium) or a Game Changer 68p. Good luck, I can't get my dad to think anything but that this shaving hobby is silly.

 

[Iridian]

I second the standard Merkur head models, the Razorock BBS or Mamba also an interesting options for him.

 

[WThomas0814]

Gillette Slim or 195. Hands down the smoothest razors I have ever used at lower settings and can be adjusted as necessary to find his sweet spot.

I would suggest you do a search for his birth year/quarter 195 (no Slims in '57). I'm confident you could find one that has been fully refurbished and replated, or, as a minimum, one that is shave-ready.

 

[DesertIguana]

Plant seeds, do not over water, maybe dad will come around. At 67 he is set in ways.

 

[abies]

Your dad's complaints with cartridges sound really similar to my experiences with them, although I have a thinner beard.

I'd recommend something with a negative to neutral exposure. My favorite in terms of smoothness is probably the Tatara Muramasa but that's expensive, more so than the Henson.

I also really like my Gillette Slim, like on a 2 setting. So that's another option. There's also Superadjustables but those are a little more aggressive in my experience — I still like them but they're not as mild. My sense from numbers is a Fatboy would be milder than a Slim but those are also more expensive. My guess is a blue tip Superspeed might be in the same ballpark as well.

The Rockwells I'm not sure the exposures of but the gaps are pretty small so those might work. Early 3-piece Techs are similar in that, but I found they were kind of "bitey" because of the exposure but I'm not sure if the Rockwells would be similar.

Basically you probably want anything to the lower and left on this figure:

Blade gap and exposure

You beat me to mentioning it, also Henson aggressive and Timeless .95. This is already starting to show a clear correlation between the measurements and the type of adjustment. I am wondering though about those three on the far right, that seems a bit strange. One other thing, it has been...

www.badgerandblade.com

Maybe a Progress?

Do you know what your dad used before?

Any kind of DE razor comes with a risk of nicks. I think the trick/idea is to get the nicks small and infrequent enough that the constant irritation from cartridges is worse.

But I agree with others you don't want to be too pushy about it probably.

 

[Lockback]

I’m about the same age as your father and also used the sensor and fixed head disposables like the Gillette good news. What worked best for me is the Leaf Twig, but don’t use the blades that come with it. Perhaps the PermaSharp half blades.

My other regular razors are the RazoRock Game Changer 68-P and a black handle Gillette Super Speed. All three are wonderful mild razors.

Absolutely agree with everything you said.

 

[Tathlum]

I would try the Gillette Guard. When I used cartridge and disposable razors the cause of irritation was the blades getting clogged. The Gillette Guard doesn't clog and rinses pretty easily. With it being a single blade cartridge system it would be very familiar to what he is use to using.

 

[brucered]

@Tathlum posted at the same time as me. What he said!

A Gillette Guard and a couple hundred cartridges.

Buy him a nice synthetic, a tube of Proraso Blue and let him have at it.

It's pretty much a fail safe razor,.single blade, cartridge conformer but DE closeness.

 

[Doc Dan]

Hello friends,


My father has been cartridge shaver all his life (sensor excell), and at 67 years old has switched over to the plastic disposable cartridge razors.. he has very sensitive skin and complains often of the irritation. Ive helped him with creams and after shaves but for the first time ever he is willing to try a DE razor to see the difference.. He has tried them in his youth he said and would nick himself so i think just has bad initial experience with it that lingered.. I have no idea what he tried probably really poor ones out in the mid east.

In your opinion if you were to pick a razor for him to try in this case what would you pick to recommend? he has a thick middle eastern style beard and sensitive skin.. I was thinking maybe the mildest henson but they are so expensive.. ive never tried one myself so I dont know .. I use the R41 and Fatip Lo Storto open comb slant and thats it but those would be too intense for him.

Maybe Merkur 34c? I really want it mild and and to make him cutting himself almost impossible.. maybe a modern adjustable? i dont know I dont know the mild world of the DE realm being on the aggressive end..

Thank you for your thoughts.. I only have 1 shot at this and I want to make it count..

I would get him a Henson aggressive (+++) without hesitation. It will feel more familiar to him and go through that heavy beard and not irritate him.

BTW, I am very certain he started shaving with a DE safety razor if he is 67 y/o.

 

[Talal]

I’m about the same age as your father and also used the sensor and fixed head disposables like the Gillette good news. What worked best for me is the Leaf Twig, but don’t use the blades that come with it. Perhaps the PermaSharp half blades.

My other regular razors are the RazoRock Game Changer 68-P and a black handle Gillette Super Speed. All three are wonderful mild razors.

thank you kindly. Ive tried to look this up but was unsure what you meant , can you confirm by providing a link please? there was a few that popped up.

I would try the Gillette Guard. When I used cartridge and disposable razors the cause of irritation was the blades getting clogged. The Gillette Guard doesn't clog and rinses pretty easily. With it being a single blade cartridge system it would be very familiar to what he is use to using.

Hmm when i looked it up it was a triple razor system am i seeing the right one?

 

[NorthernSoul]

It's hard to know sometimes where irritation comes from. Remember, good shave prep can help a lot to avoid irritation. Good lather, applied with a brush helps too.

Too mild a razor means you have to go over the same area more times. A more aggressive razor could actually be better. A person with a heavy beard sometimes can benefit from an open comb. If he doesn't need to shave real close, maybe the Razorock Old Type, which is similar to the Merkur 15c, but slightly more aggressive. Pretty inexpensive, also. Closer shave, I'd think about a Fatip Grande. It's effective and smooth with a bit of practice. Runner up, a slant razor such as Merkur 37c or Razorock 'German 37'. Vintage, difficult to beat 1950s to early 1960s Gillette Super Speed.

On the blades, some good choices might be Astra SP or Perma-Sharp in the gold/red pack for a bit sharper blade.

 

[Tathlum]

thank you kindly. Ive tried to look this up but was unsure what you meant , can you confirm by providing a link please? there was a few that popped up.



Hmm when i looked it up it was a triple razor system am i seeing the right one?

Nope, they do have a single blade one. Search on eBay.

 

[Talal]

Thank you kindly gents so much good info here.. I do want to mention hes very overwhelmed by techie details so the simpler the better. Additional knick knacks will over whelm him. He currently uses the Gillete 2 blade blue disposable razors as you can see below. I think they suck and know they contribute to his issue!

With regards to what he used before I honestly have no idea.. The middle east in the 70s didnt have many choices I think so whatever was lying around then! Im not sure he would be able to tell me but I know he never tried it very much he said he would always cut himself. Hes pretty notorious for having a beard that most barbers fear shaving due to the many bizarre angles and directions his facial hair goes. They usually ask to try and end up cutting him so bad they dont charge him lol.. He even booked a shave at Trumpers in London once and it was a total blood bath the barber was completely embarrassed.

I might go for the 34C we will see what you gents come up with

 

[Talal]

Nope, they do have a single blade one. Search on eBay.

thank you found it! i think i will put this in his parcel as a backup as he will likely feel comfortable with this in case the DE i choose fails..

he currently uses the ones pictured above, the blue plastic ones with dual blades... i assume these are more effective in your opinion?