Shaving Adventures of the 'bob

Liking the Old-Style Double-Edged Razors
For X-mas last year I received something I had been asking for since the x-mas before: A double-Edged Safety Razor. I had read a lot about how they can really help to minimize skin irritation when used properly.

Seriously though: “used properly”? Who does that? We’re human. Let’s face it, we see a warning label that says “don’t use this product for that,” instantly we think “hey that’s a great idea, I should use this product for that.” Never say when used properly.

Anyway. The reasoning is that since you’re taking one good-quality blade across your skin instead of many cheap & inadequate blades with each stroke, your skin will not get as irritated as fast. Think about it: We’re talking about Gillette Fusions with 5 MOTHERF*CKING BLADES these days. 5. So for each swipe, 5 cheap razor edges pass by your already-irritable skin.

I can attest it works pretty much as described. It’s a nice close shave, and it never seems to grab and pull as bad as the new blades do. The only thing that really took me awhile to get right was the concept of “don’t push into your skin, let the weight of the razor do the work.” I get it now though, and yeah it works pretty well (though I imagine each person will have to tailor their style to their own face, as have I). There’s also the added benefit of cost: I can get a pack of 10 two-sided blades for about $6, and each one will last a week or so. Contrast this with today’s blades that run – in my experience, with a lowly two-blade Sensor, mind you – at least $8 for 4 blades, that only last two or three uses. And clog mercilessly.

So Far, I’m pretty sold.



Which blades to run
The only real problem I’m having now is deciding which blades I like. The set came with Some Merkur Platinum blades that I’d been using. Hell, I’m still on the original 10 blades I got, and it’s now more than 3 months later. Anyway, I started getting low and since I can’t find a local supplier, I figured I should order some replacement blades before I actually ran out. But what blades to try? Well thankfully a lot of places offer “sampler packs,” that have a collection of blades from different manufacturers. Everything I read says the Merkur’s I have are pretty top-notch, so I half-expected that when I got the sampler I ordered – from westcoastshaving.com – that I’d probably end up sticking with what I had. I mean, Bic? I’m going to like blades from Bic more? Or Dorco? Yeah. Sure. Dorco.

So: yes. And no.

I went about it a little scientifically, at least as much as you can with something so subjective. I did one half of my face with one blade, and the other with another blade. First up, it was tried & true Merkur Platinums versus “Bic.” And I was so surprised I had to do a three-day test to make sure, and even switched sides of my face for each blade to make sure I wasn’t imagining it: the Bic’s are better. Crap. Bic. They make crappy everything. You buy boats of Bic whatever because they’re cheap, not because they’re high-quality. Those’re the disposable pens & razors.

So, yeah. First off the bat, Cheap-ass Bic knocks off the venerable, “Made in Germany” Merkur Platinums. They’re the new kings to beat right now. I’ve still got a number of blades to try out though. I’m in the process of warming up the Dorcos, and I’ve got some Feather Hi-Stainless waiting in the wings – which I’ve heard good things about – as well as some Gillettes.

Basically, try them out. If you’re going the “DE” route, try them out. ALL of them. I did, it worked for me! I mean c’mon, who’d have guessed that anyone would willingly pick a Bic product over something that was made (...fabulously!) in Germany?

Not I, said the ‘bob.