The Manly Shaving Thread

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I have to admit a slant for me was very tempting, i was also going to buy a gem micromatic but after some thinking i decided to take the plunge and buy a straight instead.

The advantage of a very aggressive razor is that you can use a very light touch, whizz around pretty quick and yet still get a decent shave just remember that when they bite you will know about it, personally i love it you feel the blade going across your skin a lot more so i find nicks are a thing of the past unless im being silly.

Try googling mergress, now that is a nice one and is meant to go further aggression wise than my futur.
 
So my 34C arrived today, but not the shaving soap i also ordered which proved to be more of a problem than i anticipated....

As many of you with good memories will recall i also had three cans of shaving foam i was using when i ordered the razor. After deciding to go all out and order a soap and badger brush i decided to give two of these cans away to my sisters' fiancée and keep the near-empty one to use until the soap arrived.

Because i'm such a sad git i decided to jump straight in the shower after work to give my new toy a test run. After i had finished washing i leapt out of the shower and ran a hot tap, grabbed my shiny new 34C and reached for the can of foam... only it wasn't there. Turns out my girlfriend had thrown it away because 'it felt nearly empty and i saw you giving loads away so assumed you didn't need it and it was making the bathroom messy' /facepalm.

So i had a choice, wet shave without any soaps tomorrow morning, probably opting for my rubbish Wilkinson sword 'quattro titanium explodinum extremium' and put up with a HORRIBLE shaving rash all day tomorrow, or i could brave the 34C now and potentially scar myself. 'NO MORE!' I thought, 'NO MORE SHALL I SUFFER YOU!!' as i threw the petty plastic Wilkinson blade aside and reached for the manly safety razor.

What was the end result? One nick on my top lip because i got cocky towards the end. Shaving rash? None. Stinging? Zilch. Smooth face? Mostly. Awesome? Yes!

I may have exaggerated the story... well a lot but lets face it how would i manage to make shaving even mildly interesting (i failed even when i lied)? But the end result is i'm incredibly happy with it, my skin feels fine despite not even using soap. It'll be interesting to see how i fare once i've got all the soap and other gubbins as it wasn't anywhere near as bad as i anticipated even without any.

Skip to the end: I'm pleased.
 
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Got my merkur 38 at xmas and been using derby blades which have been good, just down to my last few blades so have just ordered 10 feather blades, Derby and Israeli blades to try them all out, will see what is best
 
hux said:
Have a nose at connaught shaving they do a great shaving blade sample pack.
http://www.connaughtshaving.com/popular.html
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Great site that, ta. I've been looking for a retailer that stocks a good selection of blades but had little luck until now. I'm down to my last box box (10) of Derby Extra's so I might buy some Feathers of those Iridium things - they seem to have a good rep.
 
Iridium blades are great i love em to bits.

You won't hear connaught mentioned on badger & blade as they're oddly a banned retailer yet i'll bet most uk folk use them, i also have their p160 soap which is fantastic stuff, even better than my trumpers dare i say.

Anyway this is the straight i fancy, a dovo bergischer lowe (mountain lion)

main.php
 
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So here's a question.... How long do these blades last on the Merkur?

On average - should I be looking to replace after about 5 shaves or 1?

Not sure....

Thanks
 
I replace every two shaves, though they will last a lot longer, it's always nice to have a new blade for the best shave. They're very cheap too :)
 
I was changing blades ever 2-3 shaves but some people on B&B suggested that some types (Derby's) get better after the 2nd shave (up to a point) and even suggest stropping them or corking them before use.
I've just had my 5th shave with a Derby and it's starting to dull so I'll be swapping it out for some Israeli ones next.
The feathers are currently my favourite though.
 
just had my first merkur shave, omg its so close, didn't realize my cheeks could be so smooth again, lol, so much better than the quadbladevibratingextrememach78fromorbit razors.
 
[FnG]magnolia;16074384 said:
Oh, I very much want that :)
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Can do if you have a spare £180 lying around. ;)

Tbh im getting a bit cocky with the futur, i can fly it about my face whilst set on 6.5 and think nothing of it ho hum.
 
does everyone have the same type or razor or do some people have butterfly ones?
was looking on ebay and there are some DAMN cheap ones going. should I avoid something very old?
 
It depends what you fancy. Mine is a 2 piece one but I've been looking at some vintage Gillette butterfly ones (TTO twist to open).

Some of the old ones are better made than the new ones but remember sometimes cheap is too cheap!

There are some nice Gillette super speeds on there for around £30
 
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hux said:
Can do if you have a spare £180 lying around. ;)

Tbh im getting a bit cocky with the futur, i can fly it about my face whilst set on 6.5 and think nothing of it ho hum.
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The shipping would probably cost more than the value of the razor itself but thanks anyway :)

They go for about $600 here so about £220 - £240. It really is very nice, though.
 
certainly is, it is one of dovo's top razors of course, wouldn't bother with the mammoth as the blade isn't as good all you're doing is playing a fortune for the scales.

Right got my cheap gold dollar from mystery razor from ebay, i shan't be using it until tomorrow as im dosed up on caffeine thanks to my gym session, i shall be half asleep later on so no good doing it then.

Cheap scales but the blade looks to be pretty decent, should make for quite a decent shave i should imagine. :)

Don't bother with any other sellers, there's a dodgy seller trying to pass them off as dovo's, plus jay will hone them for $10 more anyway.
 
I wonder if anyone can help me. I shave 3-7 times a week and it really annoys me - I try to go for Mon, Weds, Fri so I look OK for work.
After reading this thread I now use my dads soap stick and badger brush (shaving foam from a can really does kill my face!). I also ensure that I use warm water in my face first to soften the thick stubble.

The problems are that if I shave without having one for 3-4 days then it is ok, but should I shave the next day it is so so sore.

Last time I shaved I had a super close one - I took my time and used soap stick and badger brush (even though soap dries my skin out in general), but 2 days later I get loads of spots between mouth and chin. I often get ingrowing hairs on my neck if the blade is not a brand new one.

If the blade (which is a Mach3 btw) is not sharp then it absolutely kills to shave. I know it is retarded to shave with a blade that is not sharp but I would need a new blade every 2 shaves otherwise!

Can OCUK assist me? I cannot go to work looking like a hobo as I am on placement and work in an office environment. Thanks.

EDIT: I have considered a Murkur or the like, but will this really stop me getting loads of tiny spots due to a close shave? Dad keeps telling me that I will cut my face to bits.
 
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Your dad is a bit misguided, he's probably thinking of straight razors a good de safety razor is a big pussycat and nothing to be scared of, a good starting razor is the merkur 34c might be known as the hd i don't honesty know, personally i prefer the edwin jagger DE89L as that too is a good razor and quite gentle.

Have a look for mantic59 on you tube, he does great shaving video's and what technique and prep you should be using, the spots you are getting are indeed ingrown hairs, don't forget that with the mach 3 because it has 3 blades you are essentially making 3 passes at once, plus the way they pull the hair out to cut it means it often shaves too close and that's where you get the in growns.

As for blades hmm id start with super ididiums, very sharp but also very smooth, some would suggest derby's but they've been making a lot of dud blades and from experience most people i've seen get on great with the super iridiums from the start.

Don't forget prep is also important.

http://www.youtube.com/user/mantic59
 
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