Daily Driver Razors

Good point. Until one masters the technique, there’s little point of using an unforgiving razor.

Any Weishi, Edwin Jagger, most Merkur or any Gillette super speed should fit the bill for a beginner, yet still hold favor after one develops the technique.

 

To me it seems like many go through these phases: 1. Medium razors, 2. Aggressive razors, 3. Mild razors. I am not saying everybody are going through these three phases, I even know members at this forum being exceptions, but in general I think it fit most. It is like most are starting somewhere in the middle, then wanting to see how high they can fly before they calm down and just want to enjoy the shave. My daily driver, which I mentioned in an earlier post, is actually ultra mild. Even mild razors do give a close shave when they are held at the sweet spot angle.

 

I get what you're saying, and I agree that a well-known aggressive DE razor wouldn't be my first recommendation for someone new to using a safety razor, but it's fairly unlikely that even a total newbie would do enough damage to land them in hospital.

If you have to try a straight to learn a straight, yet people do, I would argue the aggressiveness of a DE razor is unlikely to put many people off wet shaving. Many give up due to excess time needed to shave, or out of the convenience of cartridge razors availability and ease of use.

I'd bet there will be someone here on the forum who learned using an r41. There are some here who went straight from cartridge shaving to straight razor shaving or even DE bladed shavettes. What I'm trying to point out is that the scale you are using is too subjective - what was a zero for you would have been a 3/4 in my eyes.

Someone else listed a Gillette Tech as a 5, but I would be confident recommending a newbie to try one and therefore it would be a 9 or a 10 for me.

It's a good idea, but the whole system inevitably falls down based on subjectivity - one man's treasure is another man's trash and all that. In the end it comes down to perseverance and a focus on good technique.

 

I shave daily with a shavette. 7-8 minutes.

Game over.

 

Egggggzacally!!

 

I work with a guy (my age, 48), who began shaving with a Gillette Slim, and is still his only DE razor. Ok, I lie - he bought another DE to keep in his travel bag. He's not a hobby shaver in the least...two minutes TOPS for him to shave. He leaves it set on 9, uses a Feather blade, two passes using Barbasol, no re-lathering between passes. He finds it humorous that there are those of us who consider shaving a hobby.

 

My DE, SE and injector shaves are over and done with in 5 minutes. That’s the same time it was taking for cartridge razors. Time is not an issue when deciding from one of these tools.

Sorry @wchnu ,but straight razor shaves do take longer. I need 15 minutes to do an SR shave and yes I have developed my technique. I cannot speak about shavettes, but a proper straight razor DFS takes some time. That’s why I only use them when I’m not rushing out to work.

 

5 minutes is fast. Are you including time to build your lather or is that just shaving time.

 

I've been wet shaving on and off for over 50 years and I'm pretty sure my DE shaves take about 5 minutes too. It's just not something I obsess over.

 

5 minutes is it. It takes me under a minute to make my lather and off I go. I’m up for work at 4:00am and any minute counts.

 

Just checked yesterday, 5-6 minutes, from opening the soap box and tap to apply the soap until closing the tap after shaving, 1 pass + some small touch-ups. (no touch-ups and it's 5m max)
I shave daily and with the riding-the-cap method I finally have the feeling not to have to shave twice a day. (no stubble until 10-12 hours after shave instead of after 3-4h)

 

i am happy to shave with the razors that my grandfather learned to shave with., with the luxury of modern blades and software...

 

I guess I'm just slow. It takes me about 15 minutes from start to finish, including cleaning my brush. I don't get in a rush though. I enjoy the whole process, so I don't mind taking a few extra minutes. I can get a quick shave in if I need to, but I have to use canned shaving cream for that.

 

I'm looking for a razor not quite as aggressive as the R41. I have the muhle R89 and it's not close enough even having tried different blades. The R41 is just a little too aggressive.

 

You said earlier that injectors are not so easy to find over there. What about Gems? Personally, I think that when the R41 sleeps, it dreams that it's a Micromatic.

 

Try riding the cap. It's a bit of an "equalizer", making all DE razors (basically) the same. And, stretch the skin...as in, really stretch. You should be able to get just as close of a shave with the R89 as the R41. After all, you can only get so close before you start peeling off layers of skin. I mean no offense to your shaving technique when I say this, but how about joining us in the 30 Day Rule/Focus crew? It's a great crew of guys who share tips to getting excellent shaves from any razor. It's a fun group, who not only discusses shaving, but all sorts of stories, etc. Speaking for myself, my shaves have come a long way since I began DE razors, and much of it can be attributed to the 30DC thread. So, by all means...come hang out with us!

If you're hell-bent on getting a new razor (and, who are we not to enable? ), I'll throw my humble suggestion in for a Rockwell. Although billed as an adjustable, what is really is, is an interchangeable. There are three plates, each with two blade gap setting per plate - so, six total blade gaps. The 6S (all stainless) is $100, and the 6C is a plated zinc alloy for $50. Wonderful balance, heavy razor. Lifetime warranty. It's been known to ruin some people for their other razors.

 

Instead of a new razor try a different branded head. The one modern head that I've used that is not what I would call aggressive for open combs is the razorock old type.

A US made Gillette 3pc tech is a close to sure thing if speed is an issue for a daily driver regardless of skill level. Pre war or post war, handle type makes no difference. I can bang out a 5 minute or less 3 pass shave with a tech on almost autopilot in the morning after a shower. They also shave well with cold water or if my terminology is correct a dry shave aka no shower or hot towel to soften up the hairs and make the skin more pliable first.

 

I've been using my RazoRock Game Changer for 4 months now.

 

I'd go Gillette Rocket HD. It's smooth and efficient, without being too aggressive. I'd call it a 6 for a beginner