Hey, just joined the forums! I was looking into an electric foil razor, but I got distracted. I ended up looking at wet shaving gear, and now I can't remember why I wanted an electric. Anyway, I was hoping you "shaving nerds" could catch me up on a few questions I had. 1. I heard these double sided blades only last a few shaves. Is that true? How many do you go through in the time it takes to go through a regular Gillette Fusion blade? 2. If you go through a lot of them, that brings a few questions to mind which may seem weird to some people... one question being what do you do with them? It doesn't seem like a good idea to just toss them in the bathroom trash, as they may cut the bag and possibly a person emptying the trash. Do you keep a tin handy for all the waste blades? On a semi-related note, do you guys think that the waste produced by shaving with a safety razor is greater than that produced by shaving with standard 3-blade style plastic razor heads? There are a few things I am hoping to accomplish by the switch: get a better shave, enjoy shaving more, purchase more items that aren't shipped from overseas, move towards more natural shaving products, save money, and not put as much money in the pockets of large companies like procter & gamble.
Welcome to TSD, skoobs! You'll fit right in I'll link below to 2 threads that speak to your questions, b/c it really helps to have a variety of views. 1. How long does a blade last for you? http://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/how-long-does-a-blade-last-for-you.15161/ 2. Blade Disposal & Blade Banks http://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/blade-disposal.28311/ Regarding waste (plastic cartridges vs. DE blades), I believe cartridges are far worse. If you dispose of your blades in a metal container (see link #2), you can often recycle the whole container, depending on your local recycling center regulations.
Welcome to TSD! I don't know about "shaving nerds", maybe "shaving addicts" or "clean shaven" even "baby butt face guys" heck even "shaving gentleman"!
Hello, there, and welcome to TSD! It's good to have you aboard. These are only my opinions. Number of shaves per DE blade depends on the blade, beard prep, but largely on removing moisture from the blade after shaving. I know how obsessive it sounds, but a dry blade during the 23+ hours that it isn't being used will last longer. I often get about five good shaves from Personas, sometimes more. There are many vintage DE sharpeners out there, some producing good results to extend the life of an DE even further. I don't doubt that the waste of the 8,000,000,000 cartridges and disposable razors that hit landfills last year world-wide was much greater than had that been the same count of DE blades. Blade disposal: I toss them in a glass jar with a bit of moisture so they'll start to corrode and loose their edge quickly. When they hit the trash, any old container (Altoids, etc) will hold a bunch of them. Our city's recycling is ultra picky, so rusting away is my only option. If you'd like to REALLY get into saving resources, consider straight razors. Sure, there's certainly a learning curve, but one of the straights in my rotation was being used over 125 years ago; was reworked and has many, many more years in it.
Thanks for those links, ohpaos. I think I might actually pick up a straight razor. Would it be best to get a less expensive one just to try out? If I get a cheaper one just to try out, do I still need to pick up a strop to use every shave? Or can I wait until I decide whether I want to keep going? edit: also, do the 7/8 vs. 6/8 really matter? or is that just preference? straights aren't exactly like double edge where you can buy a blade sampler. haha
Welcome, nice to have you here. If you want a cheap straight, Larry at Whippeddog.com will not lead you wrong. You can get a whole kit for straight shaving really cheap. You can also pick up a brush there too. http://whippeddog.com/
I also have one of these right by my house: http://www.theartofshaving.com/ they sell a 50 dollar straight razor with disposable blades. on the other hand, I live not too far away from an area that has a large number of shops that probably have vintage straight razors that need some sprucing up. Larry's prices seem reasonable, maybe I could do that.
Given the direction you're heading, The self-contained razor ( Hone, strop all built in). One blade that will last a few generations. It's called a Rolls
I have a straight from Larry. I didn't get the whole kit, I just bought a straight by itself. It has some cosmetic flaws on it, but the blade should polish up pretty nicely if I get some MAAS for it.
Welcome to the Den. We know you'll fit right in. So grab yourself a comfy chair, and give our threads a spin! Burma Shave
to TSD Skoobs.......I hope you enjoy it here... My 2 cents: I always try to get at least 6-7 shaves from a blade I use regularly,some blades will last more some less thats why it's a good idea to get a large blade sample pack and try alot of blades out. Unlike a Fusion, your not "STUCK" with only one blade choice...As far as how many blades you go through. The question is how much does it cost to use one Fusion blade,how long can you get close,smooth,irritation free shaves from the Fusion and how many single blades would you have to use to equal that cost. I've never used a Fusion I used a Trac2 for 30+ miserable years(one cart a week). How does the Fusion shave for you? I "HATED" shaving with the Trac2!!! Since finding "traditional shaving" "I LOVE SHAVING"!!!! I dispose of my blades in an old plastic parsley flakes container(so second use on the container). The dimensions of the container are about 8" high by 2" by 3" . It's going to take MANY years and MANY 100's of blades to fill this container. How many Fusion heads do you think would fit in it?? "Traditional shaving" is in general very grassroots business at least in this country as of now anyway I.M.O. It's very spread out. Many/most razors and blades do come from overseas. However they are distributed through many different small American companies all across this country, some smaller and some larger. A very large amount of quality shave soaps are made here in America(TSD,Honey BEE,Mama Bears,Rays of Colorado,Pyrates Cove,Van der Hagan,Williams) to name only a few.. Also we are at a grassroots level producing cutting edge quality razors in both stainless and brass. The guys who make these products still care about their customers.. ie: Weber,Greistshaving,Tradere,Above The Tie(ATT). If you make the switch to "traditional shaving" I.M.O. you WILL 1) Enjoy the "ABSOLUTE BEST" shaves of your life. 2) Have "MANY" more shaving options than you ever dreamed of. Allowing you for the first time in your life to "customize" your shave to your tastes. 3) Unless you get a bad case of AD(Aquisition Disorder), long term "traditional shaving" will be "MUCH" cheaper and "MUCH" than using a Fusion or any other cart I.M.O.. 4) Much more environmentaly friendly. 5) Finally yes you will cost P&G money.......
