If you are over 60, it is a fair guess that your first razor was a double-edged job. If so, can you remember what it was and if and how you converted to a twin-blade cartridge offering? Mine was a Gillette Slim Twist with a white or ivory handle. I never quarreled with it, but never really developed any great affection for it either. I must have had it for quite some time, before a girlfriend replaced it with the inevitable piece of modern trash.
YOUR FIRST DE RAZOR?
- Thread starter Fuzzypeg
- Start date
Nope. My very first razor was a single blade Wilkinson cartridge razor back in the late 60s or early 70s. A couple of years later I could not find the cartridges so I went with a Schick injector. I kept that same razor for many years until I got a case of the stupids and decided to try electric razors like my dad used. After giving up on that forlorn hope, I could not find my Schick handle, nor could I find a new one for sale. That forced me to get a Trac II . My first DE shave was last year and I am 66. That razor was a 1953 birth year Super Speed.
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- #3
I am 68, so perhaps you have to be really "getting on a bit" to have started on a DE. I suppose the Trac II must have been my first cartridge razor. I didn't find re-adjusting to a DE remotely difficult. How did we allow ourselves to be conned?
My parents both told me that if I used a DE it would be a bloodbath. I chose the Schick over the Trac II because to this day I believe multiple blades in a razor are a gimmick. I was forced into the Trac II because I couldn't find an injector handle and I never gave a thought to buying a used razor. I didn't go willingly.
I'm under 60 and my first shave was with a Slim or Fatboy my grandfather gave me. I cut the $#!+ out of my face and promptly got an Atra.
My first razor was a Gillette Superspeed that I swiped from my father without his knowledge or consent. I think he obtained it in the PX while he served in Korea. He had another razor that he preferred. I don't know what it was, but I remember it having a thicker handle than the Superspeed. Anyway, I still have that stolen razor. It is very mild. When paired with a sharp blade like a Feather or a 7 O'clock yellow, it provides an exquisite shave.
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- #7
I couldn't agree more. I never got beyond twin blades in a cartridge razor. I think it was a particularly crass Gillette television advertisement that caused the penny to drop.
My first DE was a Merkur 23C. It was far from my first razor though.
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- #9
It was a bit mean of your grandfather not to give you lessons!
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- #10
They are still very reassuring, aren't they?
My first DE was a Merkur 23C in 2016. I dropped and broke it only two months later. My search for replacements sent me deep into the rabbit hole.
My first razor, back in the '60's was a Schick Eversharp injector.
My first razor, back in the '60's was a Schick Eversharp injector.
MicroTouch One. The "As Seen on TV" cheap copy of the Super Speed.
Merkur Sledgehammer. Cut the @*#£ out of my face.
Switched to the 1904 OC after that....super mellow.
Now...over 60 razors. It’s an illness.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Switched to the 1904 OC after that....super mellow.
Now...over 60 razors. It’s an illness.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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- #14
Was it any good?
Yes, it was a good enough shave that I immediately recognized its superiority over a multi-blade cartridge razor. For one thing, it could not be clogged with hair. I had to tap cartridge razors on the edge of the sink to dislodge the crud. Not so with DEs.
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- #16
I think it is a bit of an illness, but they can a beautiful example of engineering in miniature.
Merkur HD 34c
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- #18
I blame my girlfriend at the time. Once I had accepted the cartridge razor, it felt like "the norm". Of course! She wanted to borrow it!
'My' first razor was a hand-me-down Slim. And I really wish that I kept it 
I’m 49 years old. I started out with a Gillette Atra. Picked up a Gillette Super Speed some time when you could still buy them new in a drug store. And lost both of them in a move 15 years ago...
In between, tried every new razor that came along, and finally came back to the safety razor. I haven’t looked back since.
In between, tried every new razor that came along, and finally came back to the safety razor. I haven’t looked back since.
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