Remember these? Before I was old enough to shave I remember my fascination with my Dads safety razor. My nickname as a kid was "fingers" because I always had to play with everything. But the safety razor always ended with the same response from my parents "Put that down" It was just a few years ago that for whatever reason I became interested in them, don't ask why I don't have the foggiest idea. I shopped for them, but none were to be found. Every time I was in a drug store it always ended with me finding safety razor blades but not the razor. So in time I just kinda forgot about them. Until recently I hadn't even thought about them but MugPuerh had a blog about them and I asked where he got it from and he obliged. West Coast Shave. I bought a Merkur Classic 1904 Razor and a couple tubes of cream. The razor is beautiful. I,m gonna have to get used to this, shaving with these is slightly different than with a cartridge type razor. I found out there is a booming interest in these safety razors, quite a few online sources for this kind of stuff. These company's do try to educate you as to the history of the various kinds of razors and why the safety razor is much more economical to use than any other type. The blades themselves are a fraction of the cost of conventional replacement blades, but when you shop for the razor and brushes and see the price of these things you think how in the world can this be cheaper? The razors range in price from say, $28.00 to $150.00 the brushes are what gets me. You can easily spend $100.00 on a brush, and that's the middle of the road they get more expensive than that. But I just got my new shaving gear delivered today, and tomorrow morning I,ll give it a whirl.
O.K. so now Ive had a go with it. What I like about it was the smoothness of the shave, I have a very thick, dense beard. This razor just sliced through it like butter. Unlike a modern razor you cant just go plowing around your face in any old direction you feel like. With this you need to go in straight lines and go slow. Take your time and the razor does all the work for you. It,s gonna take some time to get used to it but I think I,m gonna really like the safety razor. With only one shave under my belt I already know, your problem area,s don't change regardless of the razor your using. For me that's my chin and throat. The Proraso is great, a really healthy size tube of cream that makes a really creamy and thick lather. Smells like Eucalyptus.
Ahhh! I'm glad your stuff came in. It takes a little while to adjust with it for sure. I'm still getting it down. My second razor arrived in the mail the other day, I'm sure I'll probably try out quite a few more before I find myself receiving senior discounts at the supermarket and theater. The best advice I can give is to let the weight of the razor do the work for you. It's a weird concept to explain, but after a while, you'll get a feel for it.
ReplyDeleteCheck out Badger & Blade as well. It's a fantastic forum for wet shaving. In fact, there are quite a few pu-heads who are regulars there. I'm starting to think it's a pre-requisite for avid tea drinkers! Good luck!
jamus~
Oh yeah? which razors do you have now? Like you I just bought the $7.00 brush from CVS. It works, but something tells me it,s an apples and oranges situation here. I,m not about to spend $100.00 on a brush but 50-60 I wouldn't mind. I,m getting confident w/ it now. Two shaves and so far not even a nick. The Proraso is brilliant, thick, creamy and luxurious.
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