My big stack of cartridge razor blades has just run out and I’d like to replace it with something less wastefull, and from what I hear a safety razor gives a better shave too.
From what I can see there’s no big difference beyond personal preferance on ergonomics, but are there any brands to avoid? Any well regarded? Can I just get anything? Anything I might not have thought about?
FYI there’s a whole Lemmy instance for wetshaving. If you don’t get enough answers here, swing by !wetshaving@sub.wetshaving.social
You gotta decide if you want a fixed blade or adjustable, adjustable will cost more and have a higher learning curve but can give a closer shave. I like Merkur, but I’m sure there are other good brands. I started with a cheap fixed and then replaced it with an adjustable a few years later.
It looks like even if I set it once and stick with it, it’s worth it to go adjustable, they’re all reasonably priced and it gives me options later, thanks
Thanks, I’ll check that community out. On vintage razors, there’s a good chance I’ve got a Grandad’s razor somewhere that works just fine with current blades, looks like they’ve not changed design. Should look into that first
I got a handle on amazon and it came with blades. You don’t need anything special, I literally just bought the cheapest ones, but I have found it helpful to change disposable blades just about every time I shave. Maybe there expensive ones that I could use for longer, but at this point I already have enough blades to last me about 5 years.
I actually now use a cheap straight razor that takes disposable blades, and the shave is noticeably the best I’ve ever had. It is time consumung, though.
if you’re in an old apartment or old building, look for a little slot in the back of the medicine cabinet – that’s where everyone before you has been dumping used razor blades
I used a brandless, cheapest one that i found and honestly the shaving experience is comparable with those Gillette 3 blade fancy mancy shaver, but with a fraction of the cost. Definite recommend the swap.
Probably the biggest thing is to try out a few different brands of blades to find what works for you, that’s probably going to be the biggest variable. There at least used to be some variety packs you could order on Amazon and such
Personally I like feather blades, they do have a reputation for being ridiculously sharp even by razor standards, which can make them a little unforgiving, there’s a good chance you’re doing to slice yourself up a little when you’re first using them, but find what works for you. About the only thing I purposely avoid is store brand blades, they’re pretty much all garbage, try to track down pretty much any name brand.
Other than that, pick a handle that seems sturdy, and comfortable in your hand. Honestly I think most options out there, even a lot of the cheapest ones are just fine, there’s really not that much to them. Be prepared for a bit of a learning curve as you figure out the technique.
Some people get way into it, and will give you a whole lot of recommendations about soaps, creams, lotions, etc. and by all means experiment with them, but don’t feel like you absolutely need to get too into it. Personally I lather up with whatever soap I have on hand and splash on some old spice afterwards and like my results just fine (disclaimer - my skin isn’t picky, I could probably just about wash my face with acetone and dry shave with a piece of broken glass, some people have more sensitive skin, so find what works with you)
That’s a great call, thank you, I’ve only been thinking about the handle assuming blades are blades, I’ll get a few differnet ones to decide what works best for me
There is a dramatic difference between razors of different cutting efficiencies (basically, how much of the blade is exposed). Someone with light facial hair and sensitive skin would likely benefit from a milder razor to prevent needless skin irritation. There’s also designs that mimic the experience of a cartridge razor, such as the Hansen razor (makes it very hard to irritate or cut yourself even without learning safety razor techniques).
Walden’s recommendation of a vintage Gillette Tech is a good one, but if you have your grandfather’s razor, that indeed would be the best place to start, as it’s likely just as good as anything you could buy now.
I had previously done what some recommend here and got some random cheap safety razor off amazon. Was a bit of a learning curve but I loved it. Saw a youtube sponsorship for Henson from a creator I really liked and decided to go for it. Hate to be a shill but no regrets. It’s notably more forgiving than my old safety razor and just super satisfying. to look at and use.
Gotta second Henson. Best shave I’ve gotten, and after buying a 100 pack of the razor blades (for, like, $10) I don’t think I’ll ever have to buy anything to shave with ever again. I only shave once or twice a week (and do a light pass with an electric razor between), so I use a new blade every 3-4 weeks. Plus since it’s double-sided, I get two sets of passes per rinse, which doesn’t seem like much but it feels a lot more efficient.
I bought it to not have to buy a crap ton of 5-blade cartridges and nonsense, but my constant razor burn has completely gone away, so it’s generally better.
Sorry, not trying to shill, just was really pleasantly surprised with a product for once.
The first shaver I got was an electric, rotary one. Was okay, pulled a bit.
Later in life, I swtched to electric ones with a foil. Better about pulling, more-durable. I believe those are older. No idea why they moved away from those to rotaries.
Later in life, I switched to those cartridge razors, decided I preferred those. Smoother shave. No idea why they moved away from those.
Later in life, I just switched to a standard safety razor, uses standard old double-sided safety razor blades. No reason to pay for the cartridges, pulls less, seems that the blades last longer.
Every time I’ve moved to an older system, I’ve been happier with it than with the later system.
I don’t plan to ever move to a straight razor, but I gotta say that it’s one of the very few areas that I feel like newer has pretty consistently been worse. I kind of wish that I’d just started out with a double-sided safety razor from the get-go.
EDIT: I will add that I don’t really care that much about blades or specific razor or soap or aftershave. I’ve tried a number, been happy with everything I’ve used. However, I was not happy with a plastic-bristle shaving brush I got – the soap just slides off it easily, makes a mess. A boar brush I got doesn’t do that. Might be that they’ve figured out how to make plastic-bristle shaving brushes with a more-textured bristle surface or something, but I’d default to getting one made out of some type of actual hair.
Welcome to the club! You’ll never swap back. There’s a lot of good info here already so I won’t repeat a bunch of stuff.
The brushes with a nice block of lotioned cream are best but can cream still works fine. I got a $30 screw top razor and can get very close. I go with the grain then reapply cream and go against. One thing to be extremely careful of is never slide it sideways ha. It’s a blade.
Likely the first time you use it you’ll lop off any imperfections in your skin. Those generally grow back flat. I shave my head with one and the first couple shaves when I switch styles are a bloodbath lol
Not what you’re asking, but have you tried sharpening your cartridge blades? I’ve been using the same store brand 3 blade cartridge for a few years now, just stropping by swiping it in reverse up my arm 10-20 times right before shaving in the shower. Shave is close, no razor burn. Considering you’re concerned about waste, zero waste in a few years seems worth mentioning.
https://slrpnk.net/post/4377634 crazy that this lemmy community is old enough and big enough that we can refer some new posts to related older posts now.
Whoo, go fediverse!
Yessss
Just do note you won’t be able to fly with it (in carry-on baggage), if that’s an issue for you.
I switched to a safety razor and loved it, but since we change continents several times a year now, it’s something I had to leave behind and miss it.
I flew with a safety razor in my carry-in within the US, and no one seemed concerned. According to TSA, they’re chill as long as there are no blades, and it’d probably be a good idea to disassemble it too (which is what I did).
Yes, I considered traveling without blades and just buying at each destination (we try to use busses and trains more than flights), but it seems wasteful; I don’t use them up that quick. Instead I buy a 12-pack of disposable razor heads (2-blade only - the 5-blade ones are terrible!) and use one per month. With care they don’t go blunt too quick.
Why not put in check in baggage instead of putting in the bin?
Simple reason! Check-in bags cost $20+ per flight (most expensive I’ve seen in $50 for the smallest bag). That adds up quick when you take a few flights each year.
I didn’t throw out my razor, I gave it to a friend who has gotten many years use out it now, so it hasn’t gone to waste.
You change continents and all you bring is carry on luggage? So you just live in hotels and you never have furniture or big items like a painting, or a set of jackets that don’t fit in your carry on? So basically several times per year you gather all your belongings, put in a tiny luggage that can fit in an overhead lockers and is not charged more by the airline?
Either you’re like a monk or BS.
I choose bs
They didn’t say how long they stay at any location for. So if it’s a short trip for a few days and then fly back home, traveling with just a carry-on is very reasonable.
Nah, it’s full-time travel. Most would find it unreasonable, but we find having few possessions liberating. It’s strange, but there’s a mental load lifted when you don’t have a house of stuff to keep track of.
Yes, my wife and I have been doing it since 2016 (with a break in 2020/2021 for obvious reasons).
Usually stay in short-rental apartments rather than hotels as with two people it’s usually cheaper than a hotel or hostel, given weekly and monthly discounts that are common.
Most airlines used to have 10kg included but now for most it’s gone down to 7kg so we’ve had to get more creative. 5 shirts, 2 pants (one zip-off for swimming), 8 pairs of underwear and 5 pairs of socks, 2 sweaters. Small bag of toiletries. Winter jacket, thermals, gloves (good enough for Hokkaido in the early spring). Do washing once a week when it’s cold, twice when it’s hot. Heaviest thing is of course my laptop & brick. Changed bag to a thin canvas one to reduce weight further when the size/weight restrictions went down. Some airlines (such as Ryanair) don’t even let you use the overhead bins for free so the bag has to fit under the seat in front.
Following
Following what? And how?
Sorry I’m pretending it’s a forum or something and I’m gonna watch the thread but then I realized I don’t think there’s a way to do that on here. But yeah interested to see what’s recommended, I would like to switch to “safety” or straight razor at some point.
I’m gonna watch the thread but then I realized I don’t think there’s a way to do that on here
There is an issue for this on the Lemmy GitHub, but it is not actively being worked on. I hope the Lemmy devs implement it soon.
I use a leaf. Similar to regular razer but uses the same blades as safety razer. So the method and form factor didn’t change for me. It’s metal and will last me a long time.
I’ve never had any problems with different brands. I use BIC blades at the moment because you can do subscribe and save with them on Amazon, at least here in the UK. But you can sometimes get a better deal when buying in bulk.
I shaved my head with a safety razor when I first started as well as my face. I rarely cut myself on my face but it took a while to get used to holding the skin taut on my head to straighten it out before I stopped cutting myself there. But the cuts you do get tend to be very light rather than the deep gouges I got on the rare occasions my cartridge slipped off the handle. A piece of toilet paper should stop the bleeding and they should heal within a day at most.
Also, I’d recommend switching to using a shaving butter or soap rather than a foam. Makes it easier to see what you’re doing.
I’ve been using a Merkur Progress for ten years now. The adjustability of the action makes it more versatile, which makes it easier to adjust to different types of blades. I use Astra Superior blades, but also have a stack of Shark blades that I at some point liked, and some Feather blades that are insanely sharp and unforgiving.
Make sure you learn how to lather properly. A good lather makes all the difference, and it also a major factor in making it a lot more enjoyable than the canned Gillette-stuff. I use Proraso for my run-of-the-mill shaves, and have over the years bought a variety of hard soaps as well. My favorite is Marlborough from D.R. Harris.
EDIT: I had one of those starter razors from Mühle in the beginning (Rytmo?). It snapped in two at the neck after I dropped it by accident, after 6 months use. I still have the synthetic hair brush that came with it. Some people go really into brushes, but I’ve been happy with mine.
