Razor blades life hack

[Fab Foodie]

I do use one and have for at least fifteen years now. I use an old Gillette Tech but they are only available second hand now. Edwin Jagger and Merkur get good reviews nowadays but there are lots of others out there much cheaper. The plastic Wilkinson Sword Classic is still available cheaply in many chemist shops and is a perfectly acceptable razor. I have one but just find a heavier, metal razor nicer to use.

I buy Wilkinson Sword blades in my local chemist (packet of 10 for €3) and Boots stock their own brand. You could buy the blades really cheaply if you buy a bulk order from somewhere online.

There is a learning curve to use one of these but with practice you can get a really close shave just almost as quickly as you can with the latest Gillette multiblade. The important thing is the angle of the blade.

Exactly this.
I took the plunge last year with an Edwin Jagger and after a few dodgy shaves and a bit of blood loss, I just wouldn’t go back. I like the weight in the hand, the simplicity of the razor-blade, and the lack of plastic. It’s turned a chore into a joy!

 

[OldShep]

Difficult to strop the edges sharp on the traditional DE blades though... that's the beauty of multi-bladed ones the edges are already set at the cutting angle and are easy to strop sharp again because they are so thin -more like foil blades really.

Can I disagree It’s exactly the same technique and you missed old denim jeans out of your list of materials.
I’ve DE shaved for around 15 years when I became concerned with all that wasted plastic wrapped around all those blades. 100 Astra blades for £8 delivered I turn the blade over after around 10 days and when you get 20 days shaving for 8 pence I really can’t be bothered to start stropping.

 

[winjim]

Exactly this.
I took the plunge last year with an Edwin Jagger and after a few dodgy shaves and a bit of blood loss, I just wouldn’t go back. I like the weight in the hand, the simplicity of the razor-blade, and the lack of plastic. It’s turned a chore into a joy!

Wife bought me a Mühle R106 safety razor a couple of Christmases ago and I haven't shaved with anything else since. I think I'm on the last of the twenty blades that came with it. You're right, shaving is actually a real pleasure now although you do have to concentrate and I usually have one eye in the mirror watching a toddler in the bath as I shave, which is a bit of a pain and not as relaxing as it could be. The kids love playing with the foamy brush though.

 

[Accy cyclist]

A traditional double edged safety razor
View attachment 564445

Looking at that reminds me of many bits of ripped tissue soaking up blood from cuts.

 

[Archie_tect]

Ah well, just goes to show you can't teach a old dog new tricks... because they won't believe you.

 

[Tenacious Sloth]

Exactly this.
I took the plunge last year with an Edwin Jagger and after a few dodgy shaves and a bit of blood loss, I just wouldn’t go back. I like the weight in the hand, the simplicity of the razor-blade, and the lack of plastic. It’s turned a chore into a joy!

Looking at my face in the mirror for any length of time could never be described as a ‘joy’.

I’m with the OP and @Tail End Charlie on this though. A couple of strokes up my forearm every few shaves mean my blades seem to last many months. Although I can only be bothered to shave once or twice a week.

Like @Fab Foodie I also don’t like the feel of a plastic safety razor and so use a metal jobby from Cornerstone which has a bit of weight in the hand but multiple blades. I really like their Sensitive Shave Gel as well, which seems to give a much better glide than cream or foam. I have no association with the company.

 

[Dave7]

Use a DE razor and blades cost pennies and are surely more environmentally friendly than all the plastic cartridge things.

ahhh yes. As a (much) younger man I lost several pints of blood using them.
Not to mention all the tissue stuck to my face to stop the bleeding

 

[figbat]

I haven’t shaved since growing a beard last year but when I did, the thing that significantly improved the whole process was preparation of the stubble. As a young’un I would usually just wet my face, apply foam/gel and start scraping. I then saw a video about the process of a Turkish shave and the biggest factor was soaking the stubble for a while before shaving. They use a hot flannel but after that I made sure to shave straight after (or sometimes during) a shower or bath and it really helped. Hair softens when soaked, like finger nails do, and a good soaking meant no shaving rash and a generally more pleasant experience. They explained that the role of shaving foam is to soak, not lubricate.

 

[Electric_Andy]

Good tip, thanks. I can't use a DE safety razor becasue I cuts the tops of some moles I have on my face. I use the Lidl multi-blades (about 50p each i think) so will try your technique on those one day.