One chance to convert Dad - Advice?

[borwish]

Gentlemen this Leaf Twif Razor appears to use a Single EDge design.. interesting.. Is this a quite mild razor youd say folks? quite a neat look to it i must say

I will be sure to update on how my experiment went

Yes it uses a DE blade snapped in half. It is mild but I was able to mow down a few weeks worth of hair no problem.

I value smoothness the most in a razor. The SCS razor I mentioned earlier is my #1 razor and the Leaf Twig is my #2. They are both mild but efficient. The Twig would have wilder appeal to the general population while the SCS has better build material.

I am currently using the SLOC/ Yaqi Mellon. It is also mild and smooth. It's much cheaper than the others but not as easy or quick to use.

 

[Talal]

aah i see thank you. yes thats how the barbers back home load the cut throat blades, they snap DE blades (usually NACET) in half and load the straights that way and replace each blade per customer.

 

[Lockback]

Gentlemen this Leaf Twif Razor appears to use a Single EDge design.. interesting.. Is this a quite mild razor youd say folks? quite a neat look to it i must say

I will be sure to update on how my experiment went

You simply snap a double edge blade in half (still in the paper, of course!).
It's one of my favorite razors and, yes, it's mild. They offer the Thorn, which is slightly more aggressive but still quite moderate. I highly recommend either of them.

 

[Talal]

Very interesting.. I hope he enjoys the upgrade to the Guard hopefully then i can slowly poke him to try the Thorn i think would be the one for him from your fine recommendations.. it looks really nice and not too aggressive. The lack of double edge may psychologically be less intimidating and more familiar to him

 

[Talal]

Gentlemen if i may ask, if i go for the more aggressive Henson VS the Thorn from Leaf, which of these is considered Milder ? or are they in the same league?

 

[tm3]

The Mild Henson would still cut through a tough beard i assume eh?

Since I have a mild beard I can't really say. IIRC, Henson stated that 90% of owners had the mild version. From what I have read on this forum I am under the impression that the choice of blade has more effect on dealing with a tough beard than the choice of razor. You may want to read through the posts in the Henson Owners Club thread and/or ask the members what they think.

Trying the Guard is a good plan, although it doesn't really get you all into the cost savings of the DE blades and (IMO of course) the shave with the Guard isn't quite as smooth as a good DE and the final result definitely is not as good (for me).

See how it goes and if you want to try a Rockwell 6S or a Henson remember the BF deals. Last year I think the discounts were in the 20-30% range and Rockwell also offered a money back guarantee.

 

[profusion]

In addition to the Guard, I'd say do what you can to encourage your father to spend a little more time on shave prep. Irritation often has to do with an insufficiently slick face.

It doesn't have to mean an extensive and fussy lather-making regimen. Putting some Cremo on his face as a pre-shave underneath canned foam or a gel could make a big difference, regardless of what razor he's using.

My father (now sadly passed on) had a nice chuckle when I told him about switching to DE razors about a decade ago. He probably thought I was daft. For him, shaving was just another morning grooming chore to be done as quickly as possible. He switched to disposables when they first went on the market and never looked back. I'm sure he didn't put much into prep.

 

[House Boy]

Early 70s when I started, used a Qshave to play with and figure out what gap etc. to get used to. After figuring out what setting was comfortable and did as well or better than a cartridge I got a AS2D razor. Let dad know that if he can use a cartridge he won't have a problem with a DE. The Q is an excellent starter or forever razor and can be had for under $20. I'm happy I didn't jump into other DE's first cause I know I would have been disappointed. I also have a RR SLOC, scary but very smooth and easy to use.

Also I recommend use good blades, they make a difference. I suggest feather, personna platinums or tatara blades all three are excellent smooth get the job done well. If dad gets into it he can always experiment with different cheaper blades but will still be ahead of the curve as far as saving over the cartridge stuff with the three blades mentioned.

Look at it this way if you get him hooked you'll never again wonder what to get an old guy that has everything already for a birthday gift. The enablers on this web site will give you billions of gift ideas from blades to soaps and beyond.

Had an after thought. Cartridge razors are very very light weight, maybe think about a Henson its light and the angle of top, bottom and with blade are similar to a cartridge. Gave a friend a Q and he got use to it than he tried my Henson and after two years still loves.

 

[DEgeezer]

I agree with @House Boy. An adjustable would be what I'd recommend. And a Qshave would be a great choice. Inexpensive and well made.

 

[House Boy]

Gave my Q to a friend, he said oh no cause remembered his dad coming out of bathroom with toilet paper all over his face. I told him his dad probably was rushing it and maybe bad or over used blades. I also mentioned seeing guys slice their faces with cartridge, again going to fast and not paying attention.
My friend also mentioned he just wanted to shave and not spend a lot of time with it, my response was you don’t need a brush, a bowl and special creams. I can use a cheap can of cream and my DE and get the job done as fast as his cartridge, geez I just took up using a straight with cheap foam and don’t need a lot of extra time. I also found no learning converting to a DE, the straight was different but not difficult.
Maybe stand next to dad for pointers and some toilet paper

As a side a friend let me try his Q, set it to 3, I got into the shower with no mirror, foamed up and used it. Great shave no nicks no irritation and very comfortable over the multiple cartridge.

 

[ivan_101]

If he has the middle eastern type beard as you say, adjustable is the way. All those 34c, Hensons, Techs, Superspeeds and whatever might be too mild for him.

 

[gpjoe]

I admit that I have not read the entire thread, so this may have already been said:

Go to ebay and buy a $10-15 Gillette Tech or Superspeed...not a huge investment and either should provide a mild and comfortable shave.

That isn't to say that success will be instantaneous, there will be a learning curve with ANY DE razor. Just proceed slowly, and use a light touch.

And for the record, you can teach old dogs new tricks...I, and many others, picked up our first DE safety razor in our mid sixties, and we quickly figured it out, and are getting our best shaves ever, only regretting that we didn't start sooner.

Good luck

 

[cpcohen1945]

There's a chart of "aggressiveness" for different razors, both RazoRock and other makers, here:

RazoRock Razor Scale - The Bottom is the Mildest and The Top is the Mo – ItalianBarber

If you are looking for placement on the scale for the new RazoRock Superslant razors, please see below:L1, L1+, L1++, L1++OC - MILD-MEDIUM(L1 being the ...

www.italianbarber.com

He might do well with an adjustable that gets into "mild" territory:

. . . Parker Variant or Merkur Progress (I own one) would be OK

. . . . . . (the Merkur Progress has a quirk -- you must be careful with blade alignment when putting in a new blade)

An alternative -- slightly milder than the Merkur 34C -- would be a RazoRock Lupo Aluminum.

I own one, and if a friend wanted to get started with DE shaving, that's what I'd recommend. Very light, compact head, and you don't have to be too careful with it.

I think you've done OK by getting him a single-blade cartridge razor. It'll be familiar enough, and easy enough to use, so he might actually give it a fair trial.<g>

I've tried a few "guarded" blades, and they've lived up to their name:

. . . It's easy to shave, and not bleed.<g>

. Charles

 

[cpcohen1945]

One more thing:

For a "mild" DE razor to be effective (at removing hair) and not cut the user,

. . . the blade should be sharp, and the pressure on the razor _very light_.

With disposables, especially multi-blade disposables, the temptation is to re-use the blade after it becomes dull,
. . . . and that means using more pressure on the razor,
. . . . . . and that habit needs to be changed, for a good DE shave.

That's especially true for a tough, wiry beard. A sharp blade is a lot tougher that a strand of beard hair. A dull blade, not so much.

Sharp blade, no pressure -- sharp blade, no pressure -- . . . . . . .

. Charles

 

[Talal]

thanks for all the info gents.. Yes my tactic here is get his attention with the Gilette Guard and then move from there.. if he sticks with that only ill claim a partial victory haha.. I just want him comfortable and happy .

 

[Quaznoid]

Tech or Schick injector

 

[Iridian]

So... did dad convert yet? @Talal

 

[Talal]

So... did dad convert yet? @Talal

still waiting on the Gillette Guard to arrive !!! will be sending it to him soon and then update!

 

[bushisho]

I would say try the Qshave futur clone, it's pretty inexpensive (around 20$) and he has 6 steps to choose from, cuz it's adjustable, like the real Merkur futur. Well built, and you don't have to sell your kidneys to buy it

 

[Talal]

he hasent received the creams yet , but he did get the guard from me.. and i asked for feedback on his first shave and he said he cut himself.. and that he will test more this week.. im starting to question his prep and technique which i asked more detail about..

glad i didnt send him a DE ...