Hello Fellow Ozbargainers,
Here's a great deal on this Double Edge Shaver.
After years of using the cartridge shavers, I dabbled with a straight edge razor, but unfortunately cut myself too many times.
Was looking for a double edge shaver, and when I saw this at Woolies for half price, it seemed a fair price for a starter one (comes with 5 blades).
Good luck, and happy shaving!
It gives smoother if you do it properly.
@jv: I have to agree. I owned this type for years and the reality is cartridges have thinner flexible blades so they cut hairs closer. I detest still feeling and seeing hairs after shaving and this type left visible hairs every time so I looked like I shaved yesterday not 10 minutes ago. And if you try to go over the same area in different directions to get them all, you slice up your face because these blades don't flex, and they're perfectly straight, so they take more and more skin off areas already shaved as you try to reach the uncut ones.
If someone has thin hairs and/or hairs perfectly aligned in the same direction/angle, their experience might be different. But not with thick wirey "real man" hairs, and especially not if they grow in all directions in close proximity. e.g. "Swirls of hairs."
I wish it was different because I'd actually rather use one of these, or a cut throat razor. I hate the waste/cost of disposable cartridges and blades so I currently don't shave. I just use electric clippers every few days to make it a stubble. I'd probably shave again if I could slice off those damn spastic hairs that grow in all directions, so one day I plan to pay for a barber to shave me… to judge whether a cut throat razor would give a better shave. If yes then I might buy one of those, or might just get them to do it for events like weddings.
I hate the waste/cost of disposable cartridges and blades so I currently don't shave.
If I have too much stubble for a cartridge, I usually do the first pass with this, and then do the second pass with the cartridge.
It makes the cartridge much easier to clean, and they last way, way longer…
You're the only one with this opinion
That is a blatant lie.
@jv: Speaking of blatant liars - I have seen a recent photo of you jv, and you haven't shaved in ages.
admin you are wrong and move one
Which admin is wrong?
Do you mean the mods?
and move one what ?
Yeah, nah, I get a much smoother shave with 3 passes of DE razor. Maybe you're doing it wrong? :)
Maybe you're doing it wrong?
Maybe you have bum fluff whiskers?
Three passes? One with the grain, one against, what third pass? Soap each time?
@rokufan: One with, one sideways and one against. I have already lathered up a bowl by then so a quick run over with the brush before each pass is super easy. It takes a few more minutes than a bit of spray foam in the shower but it's way worth it. Generally I only need a shave every second day.
@EightImmortals: Thanks. I'm just a beginner in my second week trying a DE. I shaved today with three passes - best shave yet! I got a small bowl to whip the soap into a meringue-style lather, works so much better than just directly applying as I was.
@rokufan: Nice, took me a while to get the hang of it so now I hardly ever get any weepers at all. :)
Try Dry shaving with a razor….. tricky at first but leaves a real smooth finish.
I always use dry soap.
Tried that a few times. it's even worse. Hairs are left even longer, more hairs uncut, and 3-4 times more bleeding.
@jzx100
Not sure if this is serious advice - but you're a blessed individual if you can do this. For most of us would be tantamount to cruel and unusual punishment.
A 'cold water' shave in summer is sometimes quite nice (especially with a quality citrus soap) but no water? So zero hytration of hairs, which is perhaps THE most critical part of a shave? Yikes.
@Daniel Plainview: Serious as anything and I had a dry shave yesterday (I don't shave everyday)……… I streach the skin to avoid and nicks and discomfort. Baby smooth shave.
I can only assume I have really soft skin to be able to do this? Or is it in the technique?
@jzx100: Well all i can say is you are blessed. Some ethnic backgrounds have very different facial hair e.g asian races often have quite fine and sparce facial hair, in contrast African ancestory often have very coarse and curled facial hair.
Sidenote - safety razors are actually recommended for folks of African background as multi-blades often cause ingrown hairs, single bladed safety razors do not.
It's great you stretch the skin - such techniques stem from straight razors users, who are the masters of such practices - and I've said on this thread folks who use other shaving techniques should use these techniques as they help - perfect example you - haha though taken to extremes.
You'd know better than me - but I am guessing your facial hair is quite fine and not dense ie.g many hair follicals. Definitely not a 'I can do so give it a try yourself' approach though….even a lazy prep shave is bound to cause issues for me and most others - so I'm envious.
Thanks, that saved me $14.95. I always wonder if this so good, Gillette would have lose $millions years ago.
Agreed - tried this way but way too much of a faff. Cartridge shavers give me a much better finish and I just find them quicker and easier. Shaving is a chore and whatever gets that chore done quicker is better for me.
If that works for you - I can't fault that at all. It can take a period to get comfy with wetshaving as it's not a like for like swap on technique etc coming from using a multi-blade cartridge razors for years.
Quicker and easier are definitely areas that can be positives - but once at a decent level you'll find it 'splitting hairs' between them.
Quicker and easier is a frozen meal or instant noodles for dinner - occassionally needed after a hectic day but something done from scratch wll generally have a much higher 'ceiling' and also intangible benefits.
For folks that prefer to stay with multi-blades, I recommend they switch to a brush and quality shaving soap and some of the other quality shaving products. Will be a massive improvement over the canned goo/gel/shaving oils.
quality shaving soap and some of the other quality shaving products.
Any suggestions?
@DontNeedThis: Tabac ended up being my favourite soap. Particularly in the stick form, as it cut out the step of having to lather up in a bowl when using the puck.
@DontNeedThis: @DontNeedThis
Alas I've been out of the 'buying' game for so long I'm unsure. I've got around 30 or so tubs of soap - and they last a very long time if you care for them by leaving lid off to dry after use.
I bought most of my cache in several big buys direct from the sellers, who were all in the US. "Mike's Natural Soaps", "Cold River Soap Works", "Stirling Soap Company" - I've about 7 or so from each. Then a bunch of others.
Postage would be more of a killer now than ever - so I'd look domestic. Even if you have a local market, there's usually a soap maker - ask if they have a specialist shaving soap - ask about the formulation - tallow based is best (sorry vegans).
A search shows me a few makers - these guys look good:
https://www.squadronsoap.com.au/
There will be others - but will depend on postage costs and your tastes - try local as you might get lucky but just make sure it's a SPECIALIST shavng soap as many hobby soap makers will just flog bath soap off as shaving soap, when they're completely different from a fundamental level!
@Daniel Plainview: Totally agree - for some people they enjoy the whole process of using the nice brush and a quality handle. I shave every day and my stubble isn't very thick, so for me my method works perfectly, and takes 5 minutes in the shower :-)
Artisan soap? This is OzBargain. We're all stingy bastards who use $1 Derby soap sticks :)
Artisan soap?
cold-pressed
@kamykazi
The old wet shaving joke when people intro'd themselves and said part of their motivation was to save money on the expensive cartridge systems.
Now thankfully what i lose on the 30 or so artisan soaps - I suspect I'll make back on the vintage blade cache I've amassed. Easy to get good razors, brushes and soaps - but they genuinely dont make the blades like they used to. Go figure.
I use a cream that's just called "Shave", in a brown tube. Like $2.50 or whatever. And been using a cheap brush I bought like 10 years ago, had to glue it back into the handle a few times. And my blades are made in Russia like everything cheap should be.
I had some of that, made by Faulding. Its pretty grim stuff - alas my skin is snobby, so envy your being easy going.
There's dud Russian blades and extremely good ones - just like with their armored fighting vehicles. Thankfully none of them are war criminals but I digress.
Spoil yourself, I think after 10yrs on that old brush - likely some pretty grim 'natural' bristle - grab a $10-20 synthetic and that should last you another 20yrs as they're nearly impossible to kill.
I'm thinking of getting a good electric shaver actually. If an electric shaver is good enough for my undercarriage then it's good enough for my face and neck.
I started out with Shave, but ended up buying a Proraso shaving soap for like $10-15 on amazon. Last purchased: March 2021 and I've still got a decent amount left!
Proraso is by far the most recommended newbie soap - but I've never gotten the appeal. It is easy to lather - smells decent but otherwise pretty mediocre - it's a mass market product, nothing artisan about it. No where near the glide & skin care of 'good' soaps.
Always funny when you come across the old codgers who shave with 'Sunshine' laundry soap and swear it's the ducks nuts. As someone who makes their OWN soaps, I can assure folks there's a massive difference in the formulation of a general purpose soap (not to mention a laundry soap!) and a specialist shaving soap. Always go for the latter & they last a very long time if allowed to dry out after usage.
@Daniel Plainview: I've tried Crabtree and Evelyn and Taylor of Old Bond Street, and haven't really noticed much difference between those and the Proraso. When I eventually run out I'll look for something fancier, but it's a decent, cheap, long-lasting soap. 7/10 would buy again.
@Wooluff: @Wooluff
To be fair while C&E and TOBS are quality products, neither would be described as artisan. The latter I would describe as smaller batches, usually with a focus on quality ingredients and generally just sold to a smaller market place. Those two are global products sold all over.
Again zero judgement from me - agree Proraso is a decent solid soap, I'd prolly come in at 6/10 myself putting it as something of a 'benchmark'. :-)
@Daniel Plainview: Oh totally, I didn't mean to suggest those were artisan, they're just the only other ones I've tried lol. Using proraso as a benchmark is a good way to put it. It's better than "Shave" and a good entry into shaving soaps in general :)
@Wooluff: Oh no I didn't mean that way sorry. Agree they're all good soaps….haha not sure about 'Shave' though.
I found I cut myself too much with these types of razors as well. I've had to go back to cartridges. I use the razor sharpener from Shaver Shop now to get multiple shaves out of one cartridge. I was getting cut up if I used a cartridge more than ones before. I think my skin is much more susceptible to cuts than most people.
It's a good idea to buy a variety pack of blades when you are starting out to see which one works best for you.
@currentfad
Is funny this is often tipped - but I wonder how often it really works out helping that much. As generally I will see those variety packs have a handful of the known good blades - and then a bunch of the lesser ones as well.
I really do wonder if many people ever have tried good blades like the many Gillettes, Permasharps, Polsilvers and said,"Nah, I really find this Dorco hits the spot for me!"
Extreme example (if you've ever used a Dorco!) but I'd instead say to grab a pack of the most popular blades and see which one works best or is the best performance vs value.
Example: https://mensbiz.com.au/products/double-edge-blade-sampler-pa…
What % of folks could use this bunch and come away feeling the Derby, Treet or Personna's were the best of the lot? Even the Gillette Greens aren't that well liked.
I get why folks try them - I get there's a few rare souls who swear they get the best results with blades the majority will find average to poor - but I'd say get a few good packs and decide from there, far better probability IMHO of a good result as these packs often don't have the better blades in them - so achieve not much.
more expensive, but check out henson shavers, game changer imho for not cutting yourself and skin irritation
Fully agree with Henson. Have a Ti mild and Al medium. The mild works well for me, even with notoriously sharp feather blades. No nicks past the 1st 1-2 times
Interesting razors - and no harm if they work well for you. But to me the weakness in their product is shown by the fact they set the blade angle and gap for you - this cannot be altered by the user.
This is the beauty of the 50+ yr old adjustable razors like the Slim and Fatboy. Want a more aggressive first pass, dial it up to 7, going against the grain to buff an area, pull it back to 3.
Furthermore after only a short time shaving you know to adjust the head angle to more acute when you do extra passes or go against the grain (as a general rule).
They're also gilding the lily implying that the type of precision is needed on the blade gap etc to ensure a smooth shave - incredibly rare to find even the cheapest of 3 pieces with issues in this area - TTO razors sure, but depends on their handling and original quality.
Is curious they market their titanium razor as 'buy it for life', which it is - but you can find near 100yr old brass gillettes that I will bet would give you a near identical shave - the fact their make models of of Aluminium shows a 'made for life' razor is something of a sledgehammer on a nut. Sexy razors though, can't deny that.
I have tried 2 other adjustable razors, the Supply one and a Parker. Both still cut me or at the smallest blade gap required multiple passes. The Henson and my feather AS-D2 on the other hand has almost never cut me and gives a great shave.
That's part of the fun of this "hobby", there are so many variable with the razors and blades that everyone has different experiences
+1 for the Henson. Got one recently and was dubious given the price but it's a brilliant unit.
Keen to give it a go. Did you get the medium for shaving??
@bemybubble: Head to https://bit.ly/3RNSzLp and enter code "MARCUS" at checkout to get 100 free blades with your purchase.
Not cheap.
Honestly though I've tried a couple of Rockwells and one or two others but have been using the cheapo adjustable from Aliexpress/Amazon the most with either Rubie/Permashave or Feather blades.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DN85M7Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b…
I would bet dollar to donuts that this was just a technique issue. Honestly 85% of any shave being 'good' or 'bad' is user technique - not the gear, I have more than enough of the latter to know.
You have to shave a lil differently than you would with a disposable multi-blade. I've assisted senior citizens shave with safety razors and their skin is paper thin and with proper prep, technique and half decent lather - rare to get cuts.
is good you're getting mileage out of that Razor Sharpener thingo - I was dubious about that but handy if it does assist.
Yeah, it is possible it's technique, but I've been shaving since my 13th birthday and tried every different technique and trick that I've heard. If I shave within a day or two of my first shave I'm going to get lots of nicks. Twice a week is about the limit.
I was skeptical of the sharpener thing, especially when I pulled it out and it was rubber. It legit seems to work and is lowering the average cost of a shave for me.
My facial hairs are so thick and wirey I rarely get a shave without bleeding in a few places.
I've often considered getting it all lasered off and/or electrolysis. I've even tried an electric epilator a few times because just ONCE I'd like to experience perfectly smooth skin, no uncut hairs, no hairs or "shadow" still visible. But the hairs are so thick and deeply rooted I can't take the pain as its rotating head slips, grabs, slips, grabs, dozens of hairs over and over again.
Yeah, my facial hair is super thick. For a few years I had a beard just because I hate shaving. An epilator sounds painful AF. At the moment I just shave twice a week and generally don't have issues. If I shave with shorter hair I get a lot of nicks.
As someone who has used 3 different DE handles, and over a dozen blades, this pack is really forgiving. The razor and blades are super smooth and not at all harsh. It's very hard to cut yourself with these. I use Wilkinson Sword day-to-day, but if I could buy these Gillette blades in bulk, I would.
Just looked it up, named for the founder "King Camp Gillette". Never knew that. Incredible.
Does anyone have a preferred holder for this one?
Right hand, always.
I just have a Joseph Joseph bathroom organiser and put this in if the compartments.
I put it back in the box and back in the draw.
As someone with several dozen safety razors and a trove of nearly 8500+ blades (yes thats not a typo) here's a few thoughts:
I saw these in store, CBF'd opening them but odd the razor has knurling only further up the handle, ideally it'd be at the end or all along it's length. I can see this being slippery & you choking up on it to offset this - not a deal breaker but not ideal.
I believe unsurprisingly the blades are made in China - who have made many things exceptionally well but when I last checked safety razor blades was NOT one of them. Hate to say it, but Russia is the gold standard for decent blades - so not sure if these have any value at all.
I suspect it's easy to grab one of these but there's many cheapie available online - likely at lesser price, if you can wait for postage - suspect it's made from Zamak or similar. Perfectly fine but nothing spesh (IMHO).
Curious to know what blades you find the best? I got a grab-bag of different blades from vshod.com a couple of years ago and have narrowed it down to the Bic blades (which are made in Greece) and the Wilkinson Sword (which I think are German - not sure on that one) as the best for my skin. I did like the Pol Silver a lot but they seem to have disappeared lately, plus they're Russian made (in case anyone is in the mood for boycotting their goods).
@Chazzozz
I think most folks who own a few razors will tell you that different blades work better in different razors. As razors will have different head geometry and also different blade gaps (adjustable razors being able to alter this).
In simple parlance folks would say that a razor is either aggressive or mild. And the prevailing thought often was that very sharp blades worked best when paired with a mild razor, while very smooth blades worked best in aggressive razors.
Suffice to say I am certain there's a HUGE amount of confirmation bias etc when folks use blades.
But look by far quality vintage blades are the best - they are sharper, last longer and just seem to have been made with superior technique &/or materials. Gillette, Wilkinson Sword etc - but expect to pay top dollar for them.
Outside of this a lot of brands used to all be made in Gillette's St Petersburg plant - under their brand, different varients and other 3rd party brands. These were always top shelf - Gillette Yellow/Black/Platinum, Polsilver, Astras etc.
The next tier stuff can be very hit and miss - some love, some hate but might have changed as I've been away from the shaving forums for a number of years as got a tad wanky with folks insisting you needed all manner of stuff for a decent shave. :-)
PS. Hmm modern Bics were pretty grim (IMHO) and modern Wilkies are nothing on the vintage English made ones. yes you're 100% right Greece and german made respectively - atleast used to be - Polsilver are great, but have a following and production ceased and then restarted but as you say, Russian made. Haha more reason to go for vintage stuff. ;-)
I totally agree there's always going to be a lot of personal bias. I know how to adjust the angle for varying levels of aggressiveness even though my razor is not 'adjustable', but I was still quite surprised when I was trying all different sorts that there was such a difference between them. For example, some people swear by Astra but for some reason I just couldn't get them to work for me - literally, when I drew one down my face the blade simply didn't cut at all, or just snagged on hair. I found the same with the Asco blades. Various flavours of Gillette (Blue, Platinum, 7 O'Clock) worked reasonably well but didn't really impress, Voskhod was a little better but not as good as PolSilver, and I totally disliked Feather (they were just too sharp for me).
I'd like to try a selection of Lord blades next to see how well the Egyptians know how to make them. Ever tried any of those?
@Chazzozz: Yes I hated Astra used in a variety of very different DE shavers I have.
Then I got the "final" Rockwell multihead shaver and Astra is brilliant. As good or better than Feather,
Weird but they are way cheaper! :)
@Chazzozz: @Chazzozz
Did you use the Astra Blue or Greens? The latter are quite solid IMHO - the former's below average.
Lord makes a bunch of blades, their yellow packet Shark Super Chrome are the post well known - I have a few hundred - they're well below average IMHO.
Yes, you can change the 'aggressiveness' of your non-adjustable razor with simple wrist angles or even make 'spacers' from old blades to widen the blade gap. I personally find much better end shaves when using a 'mild' razor and doing 2 or 3 passes vs 1 pass + with an aggressive razor e.g the Merkur Slant or an an adjustable dialed up near max.
Interesting comment about sharp blades with mild razors. I picked up a QShave adjustable handle a few years ago to learn on and have been using Feather blades. It is the first time I have ever looked into it but it checks out. I started with it set to max for aggressiveness and worked down to about 3.5 - 4 with trial and error.
Can you recommend a forum for beginners?
I have the Gillette and you are correct - the knurling on the handle needs to go to the end because the handle get slippery.
much thanks - is an odd design, seems a lot of cheapos do it. And you really do appreciate having a great handle that sticks to your hand like you know what to a blanket - when there's soap running all down it etc.
Can you suggest a good starter handle?
No really - as mentioned I've several dozen razors, so not looked at them for years. But cheapies are fine. Most 3 piece handles and heads are interchangable. You can buy handles buy themselves but I assume you meant starter razor (handle and head).
Either way just ensure you get something that looks like it will be easy to hold when covered in soap thats made to be incredibly 'slippery'. This and handle vs head balance are the main things for handles.
Anything I've read online seems to think the blades are russian made and not chinese.
@Nikko Any suggestions for a first timer DE razor? I was looking into it a couple months ago and I noticed Merku 34c was suggested alot for beginners. Never got around to ordering.
https://www.amazon.com.au/Adjustable-Safety-Double-Classic-A…
$20 or so, adjustable, made of metal. The snobs will claim otherwise but I’ve been using one for about 7 or 8 years and it’s totally fine. Only issue is that the handle is a bit slippery so I put some tennis racquet tape around it.
@dtc
This is a Chinese copy of a Merkur razor. I'm sure it's metal, it'd just likely be zamak which is an alloy - still metal.
Obviously it's working well for you - and I'd be idiotic to question this. But as @Cludo is asking I would say this. That Merkur razor, that this is copied off wasn't all that well regarded. it was heavy, it was hard to hold and in tight area like under your nose, folks felt it struggled.
I'd also recommend at cheap price points avoiding Chinese knockoff adjustable & twist to open (TTO) type designs. As they can have issues with quality control etc.
I'd say to go for a bulletproof 3 piece screw together design - and you can usually swich parts between these later if you get another i.e this ones handle with that one's head. If one's having to put racquet tape on your razor just to hold it, I'd say grab one of the hundreds of others on the market - but i think IF one like that type of razor, $20 delivered is low risk price that looks more than fair. :-)
@Daniel Plainview: What can I say. It’s worked for me for years, shaved well and done the job perfectly without it breaking or causing any issues. When I bought it the price was closer to $10 than $20. The racquet tape is my hack, I replace it about every 3 or 4 years so it’s not exactly an issue.
@cludo
Merkur 34c? Yes, thats been the 'goto' beginner recommendation for decades. That said I'd imagine it's pricey nowadays (quick look shows me ~$70).
It's made from chromed zamak. Chunky, solid construction but is it $70 well spent for a first time shaver? Not really IMHO.
It's design has been copied by many other razor makers - I know the Egyptian company, did one - sold for barely more than $10 posted. There'd be Chinese copies as well.
A person new to 'wetshaving' can get by with a super cheap razor, a super cheap brush, cheap soap but I would want to use good blades. I think they're the biggest equipment variable.
That said, as said before a 'good shave' is 85% technique - so learn how to take extra time hydrating your facial hair, which way your hair patterns go, skin stretching techniques, changing angle of your cut, building a properly hydrated lather etc.
$70 is too much for a rookie razor IMHO - get something in the sub $20-30 area, should be a lot of options. :-)
@Cludo
as much as I hate to link to a retailer that seems to have Russian sympathies - this is the Merkur 34c knockoff I flagged. What they copied is the HEAD, the handle is a long aluminium one thats not that pretty but actually reasonably tactile. Is $24 with free postage from what i believe is a domestic seller. The blades would be crap. The head design is very good - has been copied by Edwin Jagger and several others - is a good starter razor IMHO
http://www.vshod.com/safety-razors/LORD-Premium-Double-Edge-…
Thanks @Nikko appreciate the info! I'll look into that one you linked, razors and all the other bits I'll need
ooft a good deal. That other brand had metal plated razors. I've started using this and it's not metal plated or at least i think yet.
I'm pretty sure you'll find it's chrome or nickel coated zamak. Looks it and is common in this strata of the market. Nothing wrong with that at all - I've several myself (same construction materials, not this model).
This is a great way to save compared to the usual multi blade Gillette fusions… until you jump down the rabbit hole of artisan soaps, US made stainless steel razors and silver tip badger brushes.