Anyone use a safety razor?

[Doc Dan]

I am no expert and I am just beginning to learn. Things were not so complicated when I started shaving. I do know that blades are not uniform in size. Some brands and some models within brands might be ever so slightly larger or smaller. Some blades have a very high degree of sharpness, such as the Feather, while others are very sharp but slightly toned down. Some razors have different blade gaps, some have different presentations, whether neutral or not, some have different blade exposure, either more or less. Some have more support on the blade than others (though all have a lot of support). I really don't know and my ignorance is showing. What I do know, now, is that the blade has to be selected to match whatever razor you are using, that goes well with your face. Otherwise, you will get a shave but it may not be as close, or it may not be as comfortable. A general rule is that an uber sharp blade will increase the effectiveness of a mild razor and a milder blade will make an aggressive razor shave better and less harshly.

[Woodpuppy]

So mild vs more aggressive… I’m used to Gillette turbos, I think they’re 3 blade cartridges. I’m a once or twice a week shaver. Usually shave in the shower with a mirror. Where would that fit in the spectrum do you think?

[Doc Dan]

A Henson will shave most like your current razor, I think. You could get an Edwin Jagger DE89, also. It is more of a traditional style razor. These two razors are affordable and yet top quality. I have both and my wife has a Henson. Either of these will work great. The EJ is more efficient and slightly more aggressive. The Henson is more mindless.

Here is a long discussion about the Henson: https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/th ... ub.593620/
and here is the website: https://hensonshaving.com/


If you want a stainless steel razor that is another discussion.

[Woodpuppy]

Thanks for the link. The Henson is interesting. Precision machined aluminum has a place in my heart from my cycling days. But I like the idea of stainless too… more so than chromed brass.

[Doc Dan]

Thanks for the link. The Henson is interesting. Precision machined aluminum has a place in my heart from my cycling days. But I like the idea of stainless too… more so than chromed brass.

For a stainless steel razor I like the Razorock Game Changer. You can sweet talk a shop into giving you both heads to see which you like the best, but based on what you told me I'd say a .68-P. http://www.razorock.com/
There are a lot of good stainless razors out there, including the Edwin Jagger 3One6 (316 is the stainless steel type) and the Rockwell 6s (which has all of the different plates to adjust the level of efficiency). https://getrockwell.com/

Some of these you can buy from Walmart online (not sure about in the store). Amazon sells them. There are a lot of good, reputable shaving and razor shops online, too. There is probably one near you (not sure where that is).

You can get rhodium plated, 24 ct. gold plated, and all sorts of stuff if you have money to burn. There are even places like Above The Tie where you can get vintage razors.

I like to hang out at badgerandblade.com and learn from those folks.

Here is a nice intro video on how to shave with a safety razor (I don't do everything they recommend).
https://youtu.be/UtkYYe_Cw14

[Woodpuppy]

Again, thanks! I didn’t intend this to be another rabbit hole, but it’s too late apparently

Brushes and soaps, great googley moogly!

[Doc Dan]

A lot of times I just use Gillette Foamy if I have had a hot shower and my beard is soft. The shave is not as good, though. You can, if you look carefully, find a badger hair brush made overseas really cheap. Also The Body Shop sells brushes, too. Many places do, but they are synthetic hair.

[Doc Dan]

My new medium Henson AL13 has been delayed. It is stuck in a loading point or something not too far away. I realize it is Christmas so I am not too upset...mostly because I don't have my shotgun....Just kidding, of course. With all of the holiday deliveries I am just glad it is this close. I should have it Monday at the latest, I would think. When I shave with it I'll let you all know how it is. My wife's standard is really good so I have high hopes.

[Doc Dan]

Well, I got my medium Henson, today. A blue one, like this one:


I had a day and a half growth of beard on my face. I lathered up with some Edwin Jagger lime and pomegranate shaving soap. I put in an Astra blade that was supplied with the razor. The first thing I noticed was that this medium had a lot more blade feel than the standard that I bought for my wife. I made one pass and rinsed off. I was completely surprised. I knew it was taking off the whiskers, but I was really unprepared for just how well it did. I could have let it go right there and been happy enough for an office shave. I lathered up, again, and made a pass against the grain of my whiskers. When I finished, I put some Thayer's Original Witch Hazel with Aloe on my face, dried off, and then I put just the smallest dab of Barrister and Mann's Barrister's Reserve Cool aftershave balm on my face. I mixed it in with a little Rosken lotion because it is pretty strong, but nice. It is ice cold and felt good in this heat. Feeling my face I was shocked that in two passes I had gotten a baby butt smooth shave. I actually had two weepers, very small, but no cuts. It had shaved me super close and in two passes did what normally takes me three to do. I would put the razor at the same aggression as a Game Changer .84P, but more efficient.

I got a really nice shave. My wife's, which is milder, gave me a nice shave, but this one was much better.

[Woodpuppy]

Ah! I’ll be getting the blue as well. I’d love to get the Ti. Edison, but I’m not spending $249 on my first DE razor! I know they’re a Canadian company, but they should mix up the silver, blue, and red components and market them to Americans

[Doc Dan]

They actually did that a couple of years ago, I think, or something similar. I remember seeing blue and red combos at any rate.

Congrats on the Henson. I have no doubt you will love it. I think my DE89 is smoother, but it is not as no brainer as the Henson. With the Henson you have to pay attention to the blade angle and make sure the flat spot is flat against your face. If you were using a cartridge razor this is not a problem. I was using a safety razor so I had to learn new technique.

Be aware that if it feels like it is just wiping off the foam and not shaving, it is actually shaving.

Now, you can try different blades after you use the Astras up that come with it. Feather blades will split time they are so sharp. Gillette Nacet, black box German made Wilkinson Sword, are good, too. Voshkod and Rapira (both Russian) are milder, so keep that in mind. don't worry. Blades are cheap, like 6 cents, 10 cents, 20 cents (max), depending on which you buy.

[Woodpuppy]

Now, you can try different blades after you use the Astras up that come with it. Feather blades will split time they are so sharp. Gillette Nacet, black box German made Wilkinson Sword, are good, too. Voshkod and Rapira (both Russian) are milder, so keep that in mind. don't worry. Blades are cheap, like 6 cents, 10 cents, 20 cents (max), depending on which you buy.

That’s what I forgot to order, a sampling of blades.

But not gillettes; part of the reason for embarking on this journey is gillette going woke and preachy. I’m on my last couple cartridges. While I was tempted to trash anything with their name on it, it was all already sunk cost; throwing them all away would have only hurt myself. I had already bought a Schick for after the g stuff was used up, but I decided to go the DE route. I may keep the Schick for travel if I decide not to take the DE kit on trips.

[Doc Dan]

Good idea. Well, the Henson will come with some Astra blades (5) and you can get blades at Walgreens, CVC, Walmart, etc. without too much trouble. Don't confuse the Gillette Wilkinson Sword and Wilkinson Sword. The Gillette version is made in India and are not sharp, at all. The Wilkinson brand (black box) is made is Germany is are really good. I would urge you to try a Feather blade at some point. That uber sharp blade in that mild razor make for a combination that is really wondrous.

In my own Henson Medium I have been using the Astra, but I am about to change over to another brand just to see what those are like. Every face is different and some razors and faces like one blade and some another. I re-learned that when I almost sold my Game Changer because the shaves were harsh feeling. Simply finding a good pairing made all of the difference. In my wife's Henson, for my beard, the provided Astra blades were okay, but the Feather was magic. If I remember correctly, mild blade in aggressive razor = good shave. Super sharp blade in mild razor = good shave. At least for me.

I am re-learning all of the stuff I used to know so many decades ago. Kind of fun.

Now I need to experiment with soaps to see which gives me the best shave. There is no end!

[Woodpuppy]

^ I just saw your post on B&B about the GC with a milder blade. Good stuff. I want to try the Feathers, Wilkinsons, and Voskhods which seem well liked. Though the Voskhods are milder, so that may be the wrong direction with my razor? It may be just fine with the Astras!

[Doc Dan]

Very likely you will like the Astras. The Feathers are used by scientists to split atoms they are so sharp.

[Pokey]

After shaving with a DE razor for a couple of months now here are a couple of observations. (Your mileage will vary.)

1) The longer I wait to shave the better the result with less irritation. I'll usually shave twice a week on Monday morning and Thursday morning. I have gone a full week and gotten mo' better results; no missed spots or irritation. Smooth like a newborn's rear-end. If I shave every other day I have to dial the Parker Variant down to the mildest setting

2) I've been using Van Der Hagen (VDH) Shave Butter from the start, but bought a tube of Cremo Original Shave Cream to try. They claim it's "Impossibly Slick." I found the VDH Shave Butter is slicker, thicker, and doesn't wash off your skin as easily. The Cremo brand thins-out with the more water you use, and will thicken and dry out, (e.g. more drag,) as your skin dries. The VDH stays slippery even with less water.

3) On days where I can hear the blade "pinging or ringing" it seems inevitably my skin is more irritated afterwards. Maybe the blade is dull, skipping over my skin and exfoliating it? I kind of hear the same sound when I dial the Parker up for a more aggressive shave. I always heard this sound when I used the Rockwell Razors blades mentioned in my earlier posts, and always got an irritating shave, even with a new blade. Thinner blades or dull blades flopping around more?

[Woodpuppy]

“Pinging” and “ringing” sounds like blade chatter. Movement in the blade relative to the holding fixture would yield inconsistent results on the substrate, ie your face. Just like in machine work.

[Pokey]

I agree. I wonder if by changing the angle of the handle by lifting it away from my face it would cut more aggressively without the chatter?

[Woodpuppy]

I really don’t know! Apply the scientific method and find out.

[Doc Dan]

I can't say for sure, but I'd say try the new angle because I found it makes a huge difference if I "ride the cap" a bit. I get more smoothness and less blade chatter. Another thing you can try (what razor are you using?) is a different blade. Some blades are thicker and some thinner. Some are sharper and some are milder. For example, with my Razorock Game Changer I tried a couple of high sharpness blades and my shave was harsh. I put in a milder Voshkod and got a wonderful shave. I then tried a Rapira Super Stainless or something and hated it, and then tried a Rapira Swedish Stainless and got wonderful smooth shaves.

What about your razor? Some razors have a much larger blade gap and some more of the blade is sticking out. Many love this, but I don't. With my Henson and EJ DE89 I don't get either of these. I get super smooth shaves with no irritation time after time (the Henson requires that I think I am riding the cap, but I am not really). I can use uber sharp Feather blades in these or Astra blades.

What do you think? I mean, I shave in cold water (sad but true) so if a razor is going to be too harsh it shows up drastically. I am experimenting with different blades in my razors to see what I can find out and it is really interesting.