I'm now in my mid 50's. I started shaving probably in my mid teens and have less than fond memories of these years of drudgery.

I've tried what seems like every new fangled device of facial destruction ever marketed with less than stellar results.

I recently went back to a classic safety razor and wonder why I ever changed?

A forty year search for a comfortable shave and I've come full circle.

How often I find myself learning to remember...

Who would have thunk it? CD

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GOA
USA Shooting Supporter

just grow a beard u can hid in the bushes easier

I share your pain and frustration. I may have to try one of those, so sick of the gimmicks.

Bravo, Cdog!

I would never have thought of it.

I remarked how crazy it was the other day to my wife, as I looked to buy replacement cartridges for this Gilette Sensor of mine at Target- the large quantity packages was $48!

I'm going to go retro at the next opportunity...

I, too, was appalled at the cost of Gillette Sensor blades last year, so I decided to try to find an alternate to use as I did earlier in my life. I dug out my single blade razor from my Army days, bought some blades(100 for $20), and proceeded to carve my face to ribbons. My skin(at 71 years old) has become too thin and fragile for such harsh measures, due to the medications I have to take. The one good thing that I discovered from all the experimentation I did with soaps, razors, brushes, and shaving balms, was a soap called Kiss My Face. It comes in a tube, and is the slickest shaving soap I have ever seen. You only need a dab about the size of a nickel, and it will make the razor glide across your skin. It does make the razor a bit slick to hang on to, but rinsing will cure that. Give it a try. It makes shaving less of a chore now.

I have a Parker Butterfly I use every day, along with a mug and brush. I've been doing it since the 70's and see no reason to change. Finding blades, however, is a whole 'nother matter.

After WalMart quit carrying the Wilkinson Sword 10 for $1.99 double edged refill packs (because the markup on the $4 per each blade quadro-turbo-phonic-super-dooper-teflon-platinum-vibrating rollerball series ones is so much more) I started looking on line.

There are a lot of boutique choices and a couple of interesting shaving forums and by the way, that pawn shop guy is fueling the fire so expect prices to go up. I tried Feather and Shark and Astra but came back to the tried and true.

Amazon sells blue label Personna blades 100 for $13.72, and Red label Personna's, which I prefer, at 200 for $25, shipped. At a blade a week, I'm good for about four years!

All electric here. Two Norelcos. One for mein kopf, one mein face. I look like an ugly version of Telly Savalis with a big goat tea

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SOS USA

A beard on me?

Well let's just say "I don't wear one well."

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GOA
USA Shooting Supporter

Bluejax, where did you get that brush and razor stand? I've been looking for one for a couple of years since mine "Jumped" off the bathroom counter and broke into a gazillion pieces. Seems nobody makes them anymore.

Class III

Try the Bic Metal disposables. It's a single blade with a metal bar, works the same as a safety razor. Great razor especially for trimming around beards. Drug stores no longer care them, but you can buy direct from Bic online.

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Dick

Shaving, what the heck is that. With my beard and stach I could play Grizzly Adams in a TV remake.

Being I used to work outdoors in upper NYS cold winters I grew a face warmer. Used to shave it every spring but about 20 years ago I kept it year around. Just get the weed wackier and tune it up once and a while!

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14 S&W Revs none with locks!

I've been using store brand disposable copies of the old Gillette Trac II. I can't find blades locally for my real Trac II.

They're cheap and pretty good.
(The disposables.)

I have a fancy Gillette Sensor that they sent as a freebie, probably to get people hooked on them and have to find the money for the ridiculously high priced refill blades.

It's a very fine razor, but I use it mainly for final smoothness trims and haven't yet changed blades. I just hate spending so much for razor blades, and the shape of the head won't let it get into the tight spaces around my nose as well as the Trac II and those disposables will.

It's a crying shame that blades for the newer razors cost what they do. Are they much cheaper Online? Then, of course, one pays postage, too, and maybe credit card fees.

But I'm not comfortable with a beard, either physically or culturally. I like a smooth face and the clean feel that I get from a good shave.

Hum... shaving! Lots of fun! Try these... Dollar Shave Club - Shave Time. Shave Money. .

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<><

I have a few of the old safety razor's hanging around some place, I also have a straight razor that was my fathers, those old razor's were great if you liked to see blood running down your face and going off to work with pieces of toilet paper stuck all over your face, I've been using the Gilette Senson for the last few years, the blades are a little pricey but worth it.

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Don

I like the gimmicks, I guess. I use disposable 3 blade swivel head razors and I get a better shave than I did with others. I like a very light razor. Less momentum that way. I also get a lot of shaves from them. I use regular sensitive skin type shaving cream, and I know I could do better than that.

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Wayne
Torn & Frayed

I prefer Gillette Sensor Excel. Best razor I've ever had.



I bought mine in 1999 when I joined the Military... they told me that I had to shave every day

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Jorge

I went back to a safety razor a couple months back. Love it. Actually look forward to shaving again.

I've been using a straight razor for 3 years now. Once I learned how to do it and not cut my face to shreds, they're the best/closest shaves I've ever had. How close? While in the Army, I could get away with shaving before bed and not in the morning.

Couple hundred to get started with a good razor, strop and eventually wet stones. They've paid for themselves by now.

Best shave cream I've found is from The Body Shop. Maca Root Shave Cream, about $18 for a 6.3 oz jar.

uploadfromtaptalk1403101007345.jpg

Goat Tea.. New from Lipton??

My late grandads' Gillette Fatboy is my every day user, hard to go to a cart after getting a nice shave.




Use this rig on weekends when a little more time can be taken.

I'm another safety razor user. I have no idea why anyone ever left them. I bought everything from Amazon and still buy the blades from Amazon since there isn't a local source for them. I started with a cheap brand and haven't felt the need to upgrade yet. At some point I started adding soap cakes and blades to every other order I did and right now I'm pretty sure I have enough for the next decade.

I've used many bladed razors, now, an electric. When my daughter was 4 years old she kept after me to shave off my full beard. One day I did so and she didn't recognize me for a few minutes. Two days later she asked me to grow my beard back. Tell you something??

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Endeavor to persevere. <><

I have been shaving since the age of 13 and I currently use a Remington Electric Razor.

I have used many different electric razors through the years but the Remington razor I have now has served me well for quite a while.

I use the orange BIC single edge razors that come 12 in a bag. I have a shaving mirror on the shower wall, same routine every morning. Shampoo hair, wash face with shampoo suds, rinse, apply cheap shave cream usually Barbasol with aloe from can, shave, rinse razor, done. The razors last about 10-14 days. If I am on a trip I shave with a AA battery powered Braun reciprocating shaver that fits in my roll up kit.
I find double or triple blade razors clogup and are $$.
Steve W

I've been using a mug and brush now for over 45 years. I've tried a few different razors during that time though. Had an old Gillette M'Lord that I gave my son-in-law. Great razor. Since then, I've gone back and forth between my trusty Trac II and a Gillette Sensor. Since my M'Lord is gone, I just might have to find me a good safety razor. Any recommendations?

A good source that I've found for blades, brushes, soaps and that kind of stuff is eBarbershop For Men's Toiletries, Men's Grooming Accessories & Gifts For Men.

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Pack light and cinch tight.

When I shave with a blade I always look like I came out 5th in a four-way knife fight.

Been using Norelco for many years...

My tired old face needs a break and I was thinking electric and Remington. What model is it or do you have a picture for reference? Thanks

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Dick

I went back to safety razors about five year ago. Check out Badger and Blade forum sometime. I now have about eight old safety razors and they all shave slightly different. I decided to really treat myself and got one of those coffee cup warmers( sorta like a mini hot plate). I load up the brush in the mug and build up lather in a small dish on the hot plate. It makes for a nice hot lather. It feels so good I usually do three passes and get a super close shave.

I really, really hate to shave. I don't have a tough beard, and, with age, it's pretty well all gray. Also, there a small place on my jaw where the beard just doesn't exist, so a full beard won't wok.

I've had a goatee and mustache since I retired almost 7 years ago.

I recently bought a safety razor and, within a few days, remembered why I hated them.

I have a good electric (Braun) and disposable blade razors and simply shave every other day.

But I hate it.

My son has insisted on numerous occasions that I try a blade. Originally it was one of the triple blade versions. I lathered up and made one pass on my cheek and promptly threw it out. He now swears by the old double edge models like my father used when I was a kid. I'm not touching that either. I've used numerous brands of electric and have finally settled on a Norelco triple head (the goofy looking one). Although expensive at first, as long as you don't drop it on the floor it'll last almost forever.

I use a 1953 vintage Gillette double edge. I have had a couple of newer ones but they didn't last and cost too much. I use Cremo Shave Creme. Great stuff. I wish you could still get the old Noxzema in the blue tub, but it's been gone for a while.

During my 10 years in the Army, I was one of those guys that had to shave twice a day if I had an inspection in the morning as well as later in the day. The last time I shaved was 1979 (the day I got out of the Army). I haven't missed it at all, in fact I'm sure that if I shaved there wouldn't be a face under the hair.

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Minimize the variables

There must be something under the hair to keep your nose from sliding down.

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Dick

Even better solution...I shave once every 6 months whether I need it or not...and when I shave I don't get it all, I leave a short "starter" beard. Don't like the scruffy look of the first week or two of starting fresh!...

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Bob | KM4DEO
Sport | Glock 22

Interesting topic. Thanks CD.

Might be bucking the trend here. Modern razors are miracles in sharpness. Recently saw a Modern Marvels episode that covered it. I do believe manufactures have inflated prices on what should be inexpensive products. Average corporate greed at work seems to trump ethical business practices.

YMHO

diamondback68: The Remington razor that I use is Black and it is shaped in like square or rectangle.

the only markings on it are Remington Triple Action and it uses a cord to function.

The blades are long and horizontal.

It is an older model I am not certain if Remington is still making it.

I don't have a picture to show it off unfortunately sorry about that.

When my Grandpa gave it to me several years ago, the box was really old and worn out


but it had never be opened and the razor was never used until I started to use it.

I am sorry if this information is not helpful.

But if you are willing to give me an idea of the type of Remington electric razor your looking.

for I can do some research for you and find some Remington Razors that may or may not suit your needs.

havent shaved since 1980

(have trimmed a few times though)

the pictures of the double edged and cup and brush bring
back fond memories

not enough to take shaving back up

not sure i can take a sharp edge to my neck and face
that early in the morning

and....i am saving a heck of a lot of hot water!

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bullets have lawyers attached

Thanks guy, I think I know what I'm looking for now.

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Dick

Been wet shaving with a double edge for years now. Try these guys for blades, etc.
https://www.westcoastshaving.com/mobile/home.asp

sent from my phone 'cause I'm too lazy to walk to the laptop..

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I used to be disgusted..

I too got fed up with $6.00 replacement blades. I use a Fat Boy with lather, my wife bought me a hot lather machine several years ago.

The import part of a shave is prep and after care, shower first to soften it up and open pores. Then I use rubbing alcohol after and then moisturize .
Oh year the other day I forgot to tighten the blade all the way down, I looked like I ran thru barbed wire. 3 days later the grand kids were asking me what happened to my face.

I think that the first twin edge razors were pretty good but they started going wild with trying to make shaving a different experience, which was really a lot of hype. Pivoting, swiveling quad blades and the like. The old safety razor worked just fine.

You have been watching Rick of Pawn Stars advertise the original safety razor!!!

I bought a safety razor about two months ago. For about $12, I was able to get a Gillette Super Speed from the 1960s, and it works great.

Just recently, I ran across a Gillette Slim adjustable, also from the 1960s, and had to buy it for $10. I like it even better, although both are great.

As far as blades go, Amazon carries them as inexpensively as anywhere-depending on the brand, you'll pay between $9 and $30 for 100. I bought a sample pack of blades(about 100 blades in total) that I'm still working my way through, but surprisingly enough have found that one of the least expensive blades(Derbys) work best for me.

I have never understood the concept of getting up every morning and scraping the hair off my face. So I quit a long time ago. I have a set of twin daughters that were 18 before they saw me without a beard. I believe I shaved then to go to court or something like that. I just let it grow and trim it up once in a while. Works for me.

I chuckled when I saw the post title with "facial" in parenthesis. Lots of folks shaving different body parts these days (not me).

I've had a beard for a long time. I trim it up and shave my neck when I have a business meeting, etc.

Yeah it's Barbershop brand and JC Penney carried it in the way back when. It came with a brass handle for Trac II blades (which I still have somewhere). Anyway my brush is gonna fail soon as the ferel is cracked and she's been trimmed many times. I do not know why I'll do then. Modern brushes won't fit.

I do have an extra stand and mug. PM me your addy and I'll send the stand to you - IF I can find it!

I started out with a "safety" razor when I was a kid and decapitated many a zit. They work, but get in a hurry and the results are gory. I used a Sensor until Costco stopped carrying refills, so went to the Mach 3. Refills are absurdly expensive even at Costco, but they work and I get a lot of shaves out of a razor as long as I shave just out of the shower and the beard hairs are soft. Otherwise it is like dragging a rake down a gravel road.

Been using it for a couple of years now. Greatest thing since they came out with stainless steel blades.

For several years, before I retired, I shaved with a Braun Series 700 electric razor, and I got very good shaves with it, as long as I shaved every day. Once I retired, though, I didn't want to shave every day, and the Braun just wasn't comfortable, especially with a few days' growth (I have a very heavy beard, and it grows in a number of different directions.) So, I started using a Fusion, and I was really pleased...except for the cost. My wife bought me about a hundred cartridges on eBay (she finds the best deals) but when those finally ran out, I wanted to find something cheaper.

I first tried some of the disposables, with a variety of blades (1 to 5), and most of them were "OK" but not great...they worked best when I shaved every other day. Still, I didn't get the smooth shave I liked from the Fusion. I tried several different double edge razors, and with the cost of the razors themselves (a couple I bought were over $100), brushes, mugs, soaps/lathers, plus a wide variety of blades, I probably could have just bought a 20 year supply of Fusion cartridges. I watched all the tutorials I could find, and still couldn't shave my face well with a double edge razor. Ironically, the cheapest razor I bought, a Feather Popular, gave me the most comfortable shave...much more so than some of the really expensive Merkur razors I bought.

Finally, I hit on a system that works for me...as I said, I don't shave every day. Most of the time, I only shave about every 4th day, and I have a pretty heavy growth by then...and my beard is very stiff and wiry. So, I make a first pass with the Feather Popular DE razor and a blade that I found at our local grocery store (they are rebranded Dorco blades - 10 blades for $1.89) which give me a better shave that all the other DE blades I've tried. I also use Barbasol lather, which I like better than anything else I've tried...even the soap and brush lathers. That first pass pretty much takes off the growth, but I still have stubble...so, I do a second pass with a 6-blade cartridge razor that I get from ShaveMob. (I tried Dollar Shave Club, but I didn't like having to subscribe...I can order when I want from ShaveMob, and they are basically the same razor.)

With this routine, I get a shave that actually feels smooth for a couple of days. Plus, the DE blades are very cheap, and the ShaveMob cartridges are very cheap too. Since I only shave every 4th day, and since the DE blade takes off most of the beard on the first pass, there isn't much wear on the ShaveMob razor, so I get a lot of shaves from it.

Cant believe the language in this thread. Im mean wow how many times can that S word used before an admin locks it.