Old style shaving

Nick M

Nick M

Plymouth Colonist
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musterion said:
Gillette pretty much ruled the roost when it came to double edge razors because they invented the double edged blade back in the early 1900s. They did get tons of competition from dozens of knockoff companies through the years, and almost none of those razors are junk, either. Literally hundreds to find today. But for me, Gillette mastered the double edge razor, especially up in the fifties and sixties when they invented the adjustable. That allows you to use different types of blades that are still available, but with different settings that makes for better shaves depending on the blade (stainless vs carbon steel; ultrasharp vs moderately sharp, etc).
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I noticed that Gillette ran commercials to debunk certain razor styles....that they themselves promoted 2 decades ago. Like showing a razor head moving with the contour of the face. That is not what is needed or desired. The skin is soft and flexes, the razor should not.

They are slightly aggravating me by trying to sell to millennials.
 
musterion

musterion

Well-known member
ok doser said:
been using the same double edge safety razor for thirty years
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Hmm...if I can assume you bought it new, is it the black handled Super Speed with the flared silver tip? That's about the only DE they were making at that point, that and the black long handled Super Adjustable. They saw the future coming and had already started shifting to the Good News, Trac II and Atra in the '70s.

one blade lasts months
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Depending of how often you shave, how heavy your beard is and how well you dry it off post-shave, most will. I don't shave every day but if I did, I'd get at least a few weeks out of of one blade. At around 10 to 50 cents per blade (depending on brand and seller), that can't be beat short of using a straight.
 
musterion

musterion

Well-known member
Nick M said:
I noticed that Gillette ran commercials to debunk certain razor styles....that they themselves promoted 2 decades ago. Like showing a razor head moving with the contour of the face. That is not what is needed or desired. The skin is soft and flexes, the razor should not.
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That's right, which is why I swear by the Trac II (which doesn't move) over their Atra (which does). Dollar General sells Korean made Trac II/Atra carts for $1.50 that shave great. That's another money saving option...you just have to find a handle somewhere, but they're inexpensive too.

Gillette saw the disposable market coming and knew others would beat them to the punch (Wilkinson Sword of England actually did, I think, with the excellent Wilkinson Bonded...best cart razor I've ever used).

Interestingly, Gillette just filed a lawsuit against Dollar Shave Club, which means they must be putting a noticeable dent in Proctor&Gamble's sales. DSC is still a ripoff, imo.
 
musterion

musterion

Well-known member
chrysostom said:
there is something in the bible about this
and
it like much of the rest
is
being misinterpreted

it is okay to trim your hair
but
don't change your hair line
and
that rules out shaving
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Then throw out your poly/cotton and wool blends.
 
Lon

Lon

Well-known member
PureX said:
My granddad used an electric shaver ...I switched to an electric shaver.
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I only use my electric on occasion. I have found that talc helps make for a less irritated shave, but otherwise, I've even pressed so hard, I bled and/or had rashes. The talc (baby powder) eliminated that problem for me. I still prefer a wet shave.
 
theophilus

theophilus

Well-known member
The premiere cure to shave burns/rash is witch hazel. Peculiar smell for a little bit but doesn't burn, acts as an antiseptic and an anti-inflammatory.

Also great as an astringent.
 
Lon

Lon

Well-known member
musterion said:
Says she's got three bags, wants to know how many can she put you down for.
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I think I saw her with the alpaca and cashmere goat. I generally wait for the middle man to actually make something, however. It's been awhile, I think his name was Rumplestetson or something.
 
PureX

PureX

Well-known member
Lon said:
I only use my electric on occasion. I have found that talc helps make for a less irritated shave, but otherwise, I've even pressed so hard, I bled and/or had rashes. The talc (baby powder) eliminated that problem for me. I still prefer a wet shave.
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The 'trick' with an electric shaver, I have found, seems to be to move it around in circles, so it cuts against the direction of the whiskers no matter which direction they happen to be growing. And I always clean the stubble out of the shaving head after each use.

But in the end, an electric just doesn't shave as close as a blade IMO. But it's close enough for me.
 
journey

journey

New member
I used the top of the line Gillette multi-blade razors for years. My last one was a Gillette Fusion power with 5 blades. Power simply means that a battery causes it to vibrate while you shave. I used Edge gel for sensitive skin, and I got good to great shaves using relatively new blades. The blades were very expensive, and I still got nicks and raw spots pretty frequently.

I got a Norelco Soft Touch 6700 electric razor with three rotating blades for Christmas. It runs on a rechargeable battery and can be used with shaving cream, dry, in the shower, etc. I'm still experimenting with pressure and methods, but it gives a good to great shave. I'm currently using Williams Electric Shave as a pre-shave, but I've also tried wet and dry. I'm finding that less pressure still gives a good shave without as much irritation. It is recommended that you buy new blades once a year. I don't have a final verdict yet, but I think that I'm going to like the new Norelco and save considerable money. You just run the heads under hot water to clean it when you finish your shave.
 
musterion

musterion

Well-known member
journey said:
Williams Electric Shave
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If that's the stuff I'm thinking of (green?) how can you stand the smell? Gak.

Witch hazel is what I use as well, with a hit of menthol added. Cheap and effective. But I still use various after shaves on top of it.
 
journey

journey

New member
musterion said:
If that's the stuff I'm thinking of (green?) how can you stand the smell? Gak.

Witch hazel is what I use as well, with a hit of menthol added. Cheap and effective. But I still use various after shaves on top of it.
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Yes, Williams Electric Shave has a rough smell that I don't like, but it works well for me. I use Nivea as an after shave lotion.
 
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