General Questions

Hello guys...brand new and 1st post..I have a few questions...

1) How do you guys feel about the products from Art of Shaving? Well made products? Good value? Are there others I should be looking at? What about Menscience?

2) I read online that to keep a Mach 3 sharp and extend the usage per cartridge you can strop the blades. Have you guys tryed this and had success?

Thanks for any help

 

1. I've not used any AOS products but they consistently get good reviews with their biggest flaw reported being the price. I know nothing about Menscience.

2. Once I switched to SE & DE I've not used a cart so I can't help you with this one.

 

First, welcome to the Den.

1) Art of Shaving (AoS) products are great. Way over priced, but great. I have the pre-shave oil and a puck of their Sandalwood shave soap only because they were gifts. Again, great stuff.
But there are a ton of other products out there that are just as good, some may say even better, for much less.

2) I hand strop my DE and SE (double edge and single edge) blades. I think it helps smooth out the shave and extend the life of the blade by a shave or two. Some say it doesn't do a thing. Some say that even if it does work, blades are so cheap, why bother? I figure can't hurt, might help, so I do it. I have heard of hand stropping carts, but I've never tried it myself. I haven't used a cartridge in over 4-1/2 years.

 

1. AOS stuff is considered excellent quality - its just that products every bit as good, and better, can be had, literally, for 1/4 to 1/2 the price.

2. In order to effectively strop a blade you need access to both sides of it, which isn't possible with a cartridge. That's assuming you could even figure out how to strop a blade that is, what, 1/8 of and inch wide? The stropping devices you sometimes see for sale for cartridges are mostly gimmicks - may partially stand the edge back up , but can't truly "strop" the blade.

Now, welcome to the Den! Be sure to check out the Newbie forum and Shave School areas for good advice!

 

Welcome to the Shave Den!

AOS stuff is good quality, unfortunately you pay for their name through the nose and back. Check out the Soaps and Creams section or read through the Shave/Shower of the Day thread to see what many of us are using, there's a lot of cheaper options that work as well, if not better.

You can strop cartridges to get more life, but at most you get 1-2 extra shaves out of them in my experience (I still used cartridges on my head for a while after switching back to DE & Straight Razors). It does add a little measure of smoothness though before it finally bites the dust at least.

 

I sampled some AOS and found it to be really good, but, as others have mentioned, it is priced higher than other quality soaps/creams. If it were priced more in line with other similar products, I'd pick some up.

 

Welcome to the Den.

I have never used any AOS, products because there are products that are great at a better price point.
Once I made the switch to traditional wet shaving with a DE, I have not used a cartridge razor.

 

Thanks for the input guys...DE...SE...what are we talking about?? A straight razor? Sorry guys Im new to this but I have a really sensitive beard and I am prone to razor bumps if I do not use good products. I currently use AOS products but yes, they are expensive. If anyone has any good luck with a specific product or products for razor burn/bumps...Im all ears er rather eyes! Thanks in advance.

 

DE double edge razor
SE single edge razor
Welcome to TSD!

 

DE = Double Edge Razor, SE = Single Edge Razor. Most (If not all the time) DE's and SE's will be able to shave people and remove the formation of razor burn and bumps because they don't sever the hair below the skin - which is inherently a major part of where the bumps come from and very common on multi blade cartridge razors.

There is literally hundreds of different shave soaps which work well with sensetive skin, Proraso White is particularly geared towards those consumers. Best would be to hunt around for brands and scents that may catch your eye or browse through the Shower or Shave of the day thread to see what many of the other members are using.

 

Check these out for some great products at a reasonable price. I like The Shave Den Wheat Cream personally. If you are having trouble with bumps I would not recommend trying to extend the life of your blades. It took a couple of months for me to get the hang of things with traditional shaving with a double edge razor, but I have had considerably less bumps ever since.

 

I have a bowl of AoS Lavendar soap, the same fragranced balm, shaving oil (which I don't use now), face wash and their ingrown cream (it is superlative, but expensive). I sort went wild one day there. As others have said, it's pricey.

For ingrowns, the AoS cream is helpful in ridding current problems. After you have cleared up, a DE razor can't be beat. I have started using an open comb razor to help with my ingrowns and it is helping. I have also started using a much more agressive razor (Fatip grande) with feather blades which is great for me. I have borderline sensitive skin and a not too heavy beard, but this combo works for me. I would not suggest you do this for a whole though, you need to get some technique with a DE down first. I'd suggest an Edwin Jagger 89--you can't go wrong with it.

One thing that is a fundamental for those of us who suffer ingrowns is don't shave against the grain on your neck. This will help more than most anything.

 

Have used both AoS soap and cream. Higher quality products, a little pricey.

Please bear in mind that I'm a soap lover as you read my thoughts ...

I typically use other soaps, but that's not necessarily a commentary (or lack therefore) on the quality of AoS soap ... it's seen plenty of use in my den in the past. There are a number of less expensive soaps that perform quite well or better, so I don't mind compromising on expense paying less.

The only creams I really use are the Truefitt and Hill Ultimate Comfort cream and the AoS cream. AoS cream is actually cheaper per ounce than the T&H cream. I do prefer the T&H UC cream and don't mind paying for it, but the AoS cream is up there and a good alternative (cheaper alternative). Other creams that I've tried have fallen short in one way or another (get a rash, not enough protection, drying, etc); therefore, unlike soaps I never compromise on creams based solely on expense.

That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it.

[edit: to make sense]

 

TSD Wheat Cream is one of the best, you should give it a try.

 

Welcome to The Shave Den! A great community of guys and gals that enjoy wet shaving, I hope you enjoy your stay!

Be sure to sign up for the July Newbie Give-Away for a chance to win some great shave gear!

While its not required, how about you hop over to the Newbies Section and give yourself a proper introduction thread, I'm sure you'll receive many warm welcomes from the friendly folks of this community.

 

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

 

So, I am a newbie on this forum and have enjoyed wet shaving most all of my adult life. I have a question about the use of old adjustable Gillettes. I came into possession of an early fanboy "195" adjustable from the daughter of a since deceased Gillette employee from Boston. The razor seems to be in fine working order, clean with good finish some minor scratches. However, I cannot seem to find much info about the razor itself. Quick discription has a bottom dial numbered 1 thru 5 with dots at half clicks. The underside of the razor has no date code that I can see and has the words PAT. OFF" The top doors open smoothly and the blade holder adjust to all five settings. Would this be a good razor flor wet shaving. My current razor is a Gillette Fusion.
Also curious what are best blades to use in this for testing on my beard?

 

Sounds like it is worth trying. As for blades, people's results vary with the razor, their technique, skin type, etc. So it is best to buy a sampler pack and test a variety of brands, until you find what works for you. There is no universal "best blade."

 

This is the best blade ---> click here.