The perfect, consistent shave. I might add lol I’ve had some great shaves but to replicate them is the key!
Why Multiple Razors?
- Thread starter jayjacque
- Start date
The perfect, consistent shave. I might add lol I’ve had some great shaves but to replicate them is the key!
I intended having only one razor to do a necessary daily job, but have five after only two years. A $6 Chinese head was bought to see if I wanted to shave with a DE blade or stay with cartridges. (3rd photo, red handle). Mediocre results were actually due to poor technique more than the low quality of the head. I bought a Merkur 23C.
I have a welder and I got an idea for a 3-piece razor I could make from mild steel. (3rd photo, back row, right side) It works quite well, and I can bend the safety bars to tune the amount of aggression. I do not use it often now because I want to take it apart after each use and dry the parts to prevent rusting.
I got an idea for another razor with a baseplate of 1 1/2 inch PVC and a top cap of steel tubing a little less in diameter. This week I reworked it a little and it is now my favorite. (3rd photo, front right, and 2nd photo) This is an easy razor to make for anyone who wants to try. See additional notes under the 2nd photo.
The remaining razor is aluminum with a stainless steel post screw. It is very low maintenance and works very well. Blade adjustment is by “fiddling,” except I made an adjustable jig for aligning the blade consistently and it works quite well. See also the first photo. The primary tool was a hand file. I carefully removed a very few strokes with the file each day until the razor felt right when I shaved.
I have multiple razors because I get an idea for another one I could make easily and inexpensively. My total cash expenditure for the five is less than $40 US.
If you want to try making your own, cut the PVC to be about 1/8 inch wider than the blade on each side. A common hacksaw will do the job. Place 100 or 150 grit sandpaper grit side up on a flat surface. Drag the PVC across it with a rolling or tipping motion to round the sides. Use a caliper to get the width on each side of the mounting hole identical. The blade will hug the baseplate and the razor will be exceedingly mild at first. Sand further without rocking so you reduce the area under the edge of the blade on both sides, but not the area where the top cap presses on the blade. Be careful and check often. Shave with it. You can easily remove more than you wanted and the razor is suddenly very aggressive. I cut the steel piece for the top cap and used a caliper to get both sides parallel. Get the mounting post hole centered. I used a spring loaded punch, and I began with a very small drill to work up to the size I needed. A flat head screw works well. Because I have a welder, I threaded the hole and welded the screw in place with no head. The top cap and baseplate on my razors fit better one way than the other, so I make an alignment notch for consistency in use. In order to get even pressure from the top cap I placed it on a flat sharpening stone and ground by hand until there was a smooth stripe on each side where the cap was in contact with the stone.
I have a welder and I got an idea for a 3-piece razor I could make from mild steel. (3rd photo, back row, right side) It works quite well, and I can bend the safety bars to tune the amount of aggression. I do not use it often now because I want to take it apart after each use and dry the parts to prevent rusting.
I got an idea for another razor with a baseplate of 1 1/2 inch PVC and a top cap of steel tubing a little less in diameter. This week I reworked it a little and it is now my favorite. (3rd photo, front right, and 2nd photo) This is an easy razor to make for anyone who wants to try. See additional notes under the 2nd photo.
The remaining razor is aluminum with a stainless steel post screw. It is very low maintenance and works very well. Blade adjustment is by “fiddling,” except I made an adjustable jig for aligning the blade consistently and it works quite well. See also the first photo. The primary tool was a hand file. I carefully removed a very few strokes with the file each day until the razor felt right when I shaved.
I have multiple razors because I get an idea for another one I could make easily and inexpensively. My total cash expenditure for the five is less than $40 US.
If you want to try making your own, cut the PVC to be about 1/8 inch wider than the blade on each side. A common hacksaw will do the job. Place 100 or 150 grit sandpaper grit side up on a flat surface. Drag the PVC across it with a rolling or tipping motion to round the sides. Use a caliper to get the width on each side of the mounting hole identical. The blade will hug the baseplate and the razor will be exceedingly mild at first. Sand further without rocking so you reduce the area under the edge of the blade on both sides, but not the area where the top cap presses on the blade. Be careful and check often. Shave with it. You can easily remove more than you wanted and the razor is suddenly very aggressive. I cut the steel piece for the top cap and used a caliper to get both sides parallel. Get the mounting post hole centered. I used a spring loaded punch, and I began with a very small drill to work up to the size I needed. A flat head screw works well. Because I have a welder, I threaded the hole and welded the screw in place with no head. The top cap and baseplate on my razors fit better one way than the other, so I make an alignment notch for consistency in use. In order to get even pressure from the top cap I placed it on a flat sharpening stone and ground by hand until there was a smooth stripe on each side where the cap was in contact with the stone.
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I have one razor that I started with when I came back to DE shaving after a 30 year hiatus with cartridge razors. It is a Micro One Touch.
I have a second razor that is my every day driver. Rockwell 6S
My third razor was an impulse buy hoping for some nostalgic experience. The New Gillette Chinese/German razor.
My fourth razor was my birth year razor. 1952 Gillette Super Speed. Never shaved with it, it’s for display only.
My fifth razor was a 1930 Gillette New Long Comb. I saw it, the price was right and I always wanted to try an open comb razor. It is now a display piece as well. I went back to the Rockwell after three shaves.
So that’s why I have five razors. I didn’t mean to end up with them, things just got out of control.
I have a second razor that is my every day driver. Rockwell 6S
My third razor was an impulse buy hoping for some nostalgic experience. The New Gillette Chinese/German razor.
My fourth razor was my birth year razor. 1952 Gillette Super Speed. Never shaved with it, it’s for display only.
My fifth razor was a 1930 Gillette New Long Comb. I saw it, the price was right and I always wanted to try an open comb razor. It is now a display piece as well. I went back to the Rockwell after three shaves.
So that’s why I have five razors. I didn’t mean to end up with them, things just got out of control.
I just have 2 Techs, a daily driver and my near new backup. It works perfectly so i have no need for any others. I am a simple guy.
Mike M
...but this one IS cracked.
I received my ninth razor (just a Yaqi slant head, no handle) yesterday and it gives me amazing shaves. I enjoyed using it so much I used it again today.and maybe I will use it for a few more days, but I will keep using my other razors because I also get good shaves from them. I will use my shavette because I would like to progress to a SR, my Gillette slim twist reminds me of my dad. My Fatip Piccolo is one of my favourite razors.
All of them have merits and drawbacks, some of them have meaning to me and my shaves are richer and more enjoyable for them.
All of them have merits and drawbacks, some of them have meaning to me and my shaves are richer and more enjoyable for them.
^ This
I am in the category of now only owning a Single DE Razor and some left-over Cartridge Razors (before ever trying a DE) are used as Travel-kit.
Razors, Brushes, and Soaps/scents/creams are definitively catered to one's personal tastes and preferences.
As one makes their way from one product to another they may get the feel for what they desire in a whole package.
Due to the modular-builds of most DE razors, a person can fine tune: weight; material; razor; handle length; solid bar/comb vs open; straight vs slanted bar; etcetera
The collectors and hobbyists in the community have been great for insight and direction to helping steer people, such as myself, towards what may best suit are tastes.
For me it is akin to made-to-measure shoes and boots; where certain character traits can lead me to a particular design with me ultimately ending up with a product suited specifically for me. (In between off the shelf and individually sourced: so can still be replicated easily down the road. Like heirloom products of yesteryear.)
I have been DE shaving for about 6 years in the first 3-4 years I acquired about 30 razors exploring various blade gaps, blade position plus or minus, blade rigidity, razor weight, length, material ( stainless, Zamak, brass, bronze, machined, stamped, forged,etc), and how each worked with different blades and with different soaps and creams. All the while learning and improving my technique and learning to adjust to different skin conditions throughout four seasons. I have now a number of razors that work well. I enjoy the differences and the variety. Same goes for different blades, and different Creams/soaps. That is why I have multiple razors. No wrong approach, whatever works well for you is the right path for you.
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