When I got back into wet-shaving some time ago, I began using an old Gillette super speed. It was similar to the one I learned upon many years ago. After spending too many years with multi-bladed Machs, Atras, & other off-brands, I wanted to ease back into the process of using a DE razor. The old Gillette was just like I remembered—
easy to use, and
easy to get a nice clean shave with minimal nicks. The term
'a mild shaver' has been used to describe this and other similar models.
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However, a few weeks back into the routine, I began to develop some signs of irritation, particularly in those 'tough' areas on my throat and chin. I was thorough in my prep, used quality soap, and believed my technique to be adequate. Upon further investigation I realized these
'trouble spots' were requiring many more passes to get smooth! To achieve a baby-bottom smooth shave in those areas, unfortunately, was requiring multiple passes with the mild Gillette. I sampled several brands of blades in the razor (Astra, Dorco, Wilkinson, Gillette), but was still not satisfied with the results.
This, of course, necessitated my testing and acquiring more razors in order to achieve a close, smooth shave. I picked up a number of other vintage Gillettes (Slim, FatBoy, a few News, Aristocrat, Techs, a Red Tip) to try and found some of them (the Red Tip and Fatboy, in particular) required no more than 3 passes to get near-BBS. And my skin irritation diminished.
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I even picked up a modern Merkur (38c Solid Bar) and was pleased at the results. All of these razors (subsequent to the original SS) felt more aggressive on my face and seemed to require less work of the operator to get smooth results. I thought I had reached shaving nirvana.
...And then a TSD member convinced me to try a
slant bar razor...
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I was hesitant at first to try a slantbar razor. After all, everything I read on the forums and in vendor's descriptions stated, "For heavy beards," "Not for the faint-hearted" "Beware!" Thanks to the encouragement (and loan of one of his Slants) of a fellow member (Bob, aka 'Battle.Munky), I tried the slant bar. I had a complete week of VERY close shaves, no blood-letting, and was able to hit BBS regularly with only two passes. PLUS:
No skin irritation. I immediately ordered my own slant, returned Bob's Merkur 37c to him, and my shaves have not been the same since. Being able to reduce the number of passes and still get an ultra-smooth shave was a real boon for me.
I now found myself investigating and acquiring other
'more aggressive' razors out there. Since I acquired the Slant, I picked up an aggressive open-comb Fatip, and the notorious Muhle R41 (2011 version). Arriving next week is a Merkur Futur—an 'aggressive' adjustable. I've also looked at Cobras and others. For right now though, I've quite enough razor-sampling to do comparing blades in all these models.
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So where will this razor search end?
My guess:
With a straight razor.
Eventually.
When I get up the nerve. Or another fellow TSD member convinces me that it is the next logical step for the wet-shaver. We'll see....
Click to expand...
