For the shavers....

[Gryph]

No blade is without it's cream/foam/clay. I can whole heartedly reccomend Lush Shave The Planet clay. No closer wet shave nor better moisturiser in one. Couple that with a really sharp blade edge and you're away. Even tried shaving with an uber sharp Tojiro Senkou (spelling??) new kitchen knife and with that clay was v v nice indeed.

[leperaffinity]

i keep lookin at a nice merkur, something like a 38C or similar for those special occasion..or ive got an extra few mins shaves
sick of my mach series..i use a braun electric now that does a decent job..main shave with the foil and touch up with the trimmer..only takes me 5 mins max for work in a mornin haha!
but yeah..a nice safety razor is a man's 'must have'...if he likes quality goods.

[Lee Nub]

Are these available in the UK, or somewhere like target in the US as I'm over there in 2 weeks

[Stevieboy]

Wow. I can't believe there's a website devoted to shaving. Madness!!!
I use a Mach 4 blade and shave every day in the shower....suits me down to the ground or so I thought. A closer shave would be nice....further research needed I think

[Robusto]

Anything that points towards a better wet shave is really welcomed. I stick to the latest supermarket shelf Gillettes and move when Beckham or naughty Tiger Woods tell me to.

I cannot use an electric shaver. I have a lot of head hair so don't need to scalp myself. My many biatches say "Why not manscape?" so I'm ready for advice.

I love a close shave, but I hate being left with a scratchy stubble.

I want it smooth.

Lob pictures in for clarity and get me to upgrade.

(A great thread).

[captain duff]

To be honest there is a reason why modern safety razors are so widespread compared to the older removable blade versions, or even cut throats, and that is that they are a hell of aa lot easier to use and if you get a good brand do the job well. I would never use a bic for example (you learn that lesson very early), and I was never that fussed on gilletes (always seem prone to rusty blades, or at least they used to), but for me the wilkinson sword quattro is pretty much perfect - close and very quick shave with no nics, ever (the anti-nic guidewire things actually do work, wonderfully). Sure, there is a lot of advertising hype out there that go along with this, but in this case the product works (and cheap blades are always easy to find - down the pub or on fleabay for example).

Compare it to a old fashioned removable blade safety razor and what have you got? A shave that takes longer, and unless you are damn careful a face full of cuts and nics - well thats my experience anyway. Not all progress is bad guys...

[Hencore]

I discovered DE safety razors a couple years back. The main problem I was having was that I was letting my facial hair grow for a bit and the Gillette fusion with its 50 blades at ?50 a go just couldn't hack it. Actually "Hack it" is pretty close to what it felt like.

As has been said proper shaving is a true gentlemen's pastime along with smoking cigars :P

Basically the initial outlay will be more than your Gillette but because the razors themselves are pennies rather than pounds it quickly pays for itself. Plus you get 10 thousand times better shave.

As a quick guide you will need a razor, a badger brush, a mixing bowl and either a selection of creams or soaps. Truefitt and Hill are my favourite for creams.

Here's my setup



http://www.gentlemans-shop.com/ is a place I quite often purchase shaving goods from.
http://www.badgerandblade.com/ is really good forum that's been mentioned.

[Burner]

but where does the battery go?

[leperaffinity]

Are these available in the UK, or somewhere like target in the US as I'm over there in 2 weeks

us and UK...theyre all around mate...a merkur (one of the best brands) can be between ?30-?100 or so depending on what you order..how you modify any bits etc.

[captain duff]

I discovered DE safety razors a couple years back. The main problem I was having was that I was letting my facial hair grow for a bit and the Gillette fusion with its 50 blades at ?50 a go just couldn't hack it. Actually "Hack it" is pretty close to what it felt like.

As has been said proper shaving is a true gentlemen's pastime along with smoking cigars :P

Basically the initial outlay will be more than your Gillette but because the razors themselves are pennies rather than pounds it quickly pays for itself. Plus you get 10 thousand times better shave.

As a quick guide you will need a razor, a badger brush, a mixing bowl and either a selection of creams or soaps. Truefitt and Hill are my favourite for creams.

Here's my setup



http://www.gentlemans-shop.com/ is a place I quite often purchase shaving goods from.
http://www.badgerandblade.com/ is really good forum that's been mentioned.

But its all image really, isn't mate? I mean, I've tried everything myself in 30 years of shaving, and have a bastard of a stubble issue if I don't (dark haired, so none of that fine stubble for me!). I've got a fancy philips and a expensive braun stuck in drawers somewhere (both take too long if you want a really close shave - which isn't as close a wet shave anyway - and then give you a rash). And I've gone through loads of different wet shave set ups. The reason (proper) barbers use a cut throat is because they last longer through sharpening (and there is a bit more control with where they cut). No safety razor (that I know) has blades that you can sharpen, and while modern multi-blades can be a pain because of clogging between the blades, they are very quick. And, in my experience, as close if not closer than the fixed heads 1st generation safetys like in the pic, but without any of the nics you can so easily get when you are rushing about at 6am half asleep and trying to look like something other than a cave man. By all means put style before substance if you want, but I prefer something that works and bugger how it looks!

[Hencore]

I don't believe in the slightest that it's style over substance. If anything, its the Gillette that fits that description. Do you really need 5 blades and a moisturising strip to cut the hair on your face?

These new razors are designed for exactly what you said, a way for you to shave quickly with no effort, while half a sleep and still not cut yourself. Everyone's face is different and your happy with what you've got but myself and a lot of other people find that the way these razors work cause irritation and ingrown hairs. I also refuse to pay ?8 for 4 blades!

A little practice and patience (talking under 10minutes for a complete shave) I get a super close shave for ~35p a blade with no irritation, for me it's the only way I'll ever shave.

It doesn't have to be fancy either. I started with a ?4 DE razor that I picked up in boots and even after the first shave the difference was massive!

[Turbo]

I swore by fusion for years before I found how good safety razors were for me. i guess it is mirrored by people that just dont understand cigar smokers, why waste all that money? why have so many, you can only smoke one at a time? Its just different peoples choices and perceptions.

Im bit of a collector of stuff anyway and love the way that something so old can still be considered the best by many. I love the science behind it and the rituals that must be obeyed.... all arguments that you could put forward for smoking a cigar really

Here is my first safety razor..... i dont have any pictures of the fatboy yet

[cj121]

Nice read here chaps, and from memory, we have the owner of Badger and Blade on here as a member. I might be making this up as I go along, but I'm pretty sure he's popped on at some point. I'll check around and see...

Ah, not the owner, but a mod emeritus from over there, Kyber, aka Roughrider. Thought I remembered someone. Anyhow, sorry for interrupting.

[cj121]

I swore by fusion for years before I found how good safety razors were for me. i guess it is mirrored by people that just dont understand cigar smokers, why waste all that money? why have so many, you can only smoke one at a time? Its just different peoples choices and perceptions.

Im bit of a collector of stuff anyway and love the way that something so old can still be considered the best by many. I love the science behind it and the rituals that must be obeyed.... all arguments that you could put forward for smoking a cigar really

Here is my first safety razor..... i dont have any pictures of the fatboy yet

Nice piece there Turbo.
I don't have anything like, but what would you recommend for a first foray into a safety razor for a newb?

[PoohBore]

Looks like a group buy may be in order. This is all good for me as I've bumbled through electrics and all sorts of multiblades.