I was chatting to our host this morning, and today we talked about shaving. I only shave on Wednesday and Sunday. Currently I still have a supply of Harrys 5 blade things which I dislike. In a straight line it is like shaving with a double decker bus but I find it useless under the chin so I also have a Gillette that vibrates.

I used to use a traditional single blade. I have gone back to a badger brush and soap over modern foam. I have just gone and dug out my old shaving gear and here it is. Furthest right is a Merkur which is nice. The first one is a Wilkinson Sword. For a time they used to date stamp them and this one is as close as I could find to 11/57.

So, does anyone else wet shave and I am guessing if you do, it is a passion?

https://www.suddencardiacarrestuk.org/2024/02/thank-goodness-for-madeira-cake/

I do wet shave, did a triple run this morning in fact, and you phoned me as I was cleaning up. Working from left to right:

The razor on the left is a Vintage Gillette Tech Ball End Double Edge Safety Razor 1939, my dad bought it at the beginning of the war because it was small and light. This makes it over 80 years old and I have used it as my weapon of choice for over 40 years.

The plastic bowl is my rinse and drying bowl. Fill with hot water and swish the razor head into it to clean it after using each side. This keeps the sink cleaner and you don’t have to have a sink full of water….leaving scum and shaving hairs all up it. Then pop the razor into it to dry.

The Brush is my old natural bristle brush (cream, was white handle)…around 40 years old and way better than the piece of crap synthetic brush next to it. the bristle absorbs water, foams better, works better and doesn’t loose hairs like the synthetic I purchased a few weeks ago. The synthetic is also too soft. Brushes should always be stood upwards to dry, never hang em in those fancy stands!

The double walled steel shaving bowl is to fill with warm water and soak the brush, then empty. Whip up the dab of shaving cream into a rich lather(about 40s) and work the bristle brush a little, during shaving the brush sits in the bowl, ready for the second shave and possibly a triple if desired. Water used is always warm (not hot) to avoid damaging the brush.

On the right is shaving cream and I also have shaving soap (a solid block you work the brush on to fill with soap), both work well.

The tube with a red cap is my styptic pencil to stop bleeding, that particular one is over 45 years old and was really only used when I was a pimply teen. It saves having to put little bits of torn toilet roll on your face. especially handy if you forget them and go down the pub with 3 or four small pieces of tissue paper covering shaving wounds.

The razor on the right is a Gillette 195 Adjustable Safety Razor or as it is more commonly known the “Fatboy”. It’s the standard model and was purchased circa 1958 by my dad. He didn’t use it much and neither did I as it’s quite heavy. https://gilletteadjustable.com/fatboy/

Contact me

    Yes been using them for years - got quite a few razors of different shapes and sizes. Like the feather blades as they are so sharp.

    Used to buy them in packs of 100 from ebay - i suspect they will outlive me.

    Had a badger brush since 2006 which has finally given up - so just have a kent sythentic at the moment which does the job.

    Not really a passion as such - it works and I like the results so onwards I go 👍

      DavecUK That is interesting, especially the link to the history of the Fatboy. Having read it I think mine is its counterpart, The Standard Slim. I found it too short in the handle for my enormous hands and ended up buying the Merkur Futur Adjustable

      I am going to give it a clean and use it on Wednesday. Wet shaving can be a bit of a rabbit hole and well suited to coffee enthisiasts!

      https://www.suddencardiacarrestuk.org/2024/02/thank-goodness-for-madeira-cake/

        I admire shaving tools, especially the well crafted ones that have been around a while and it’s exactly the kind of thing I could get quite into.

        I’ve been significantly bearded for the last 15 years. I often consider shaving it but by this point all of my friends and family are used to seeing my face look 2 or 3 inches longer than it actually is. One day!

        I worked for Gillette for many years. I never wet shaved until I worked there. Mostly use Mach3.

        I went back to wet shaving a few years ago. I swap between wet and electric as and when required as I have sensitive skin which becomes inflamed at times. I use the Rockwell 6s which comes with different head attachments to change the closeness of the shave.

        I did try an electric Razor for a while, didn’t really get on with them and was still wet shaving as well. I had a Philipps dual rotary head one and a Braun foil one. The Phillips was way better than the Braun but both were totally inferior to the blade.

        I was basically lazy and thought the electrics were the easy way to shave, but it was actually taking longer for a worse result than a very quick wet shave would achieve and not last as long. My dad always used to say electric razors made your skin all flabby…but that might be because he wanted me to wet shave?

        Giphy - double chin jabba the hut GIF

        Contact me

        Given that I only have one face, I have built up a much larger collection of double edged razors, blades, soaps and brushes than I strictly speaking ever need to have (as my wife often reminds me). I think my favourite razor is a close run between the wolfman or the H & S - both offer superb fit and finish and design and cut very close while still being comfortable - and I tend to prefer synthetic muhle fibre for brushes over even silvertip. Thankfully I managed to resist the collectors urge to buy too much gear in my espresso hobby which would have cost me a lot more!

        MattH

        Feather blades are very sharp indeed - so much so that I used to strop new ones a little with a cork before using them. I do like the asd2 razor that feather makes that is a perfect march for their blades though it is perhaps too mild sometimes.

          Electric shavers for me, Philips with 3 heads I’m afraid. Agree is not as good as a wet shave, but if I wet shave I get lots and lots of spots. I would if I could, but it doesn’t agree with me.

          I’ve pretty much always wet shaved, I tried a Braun electric razor for a while but didn’t think it shaved close enough. My go to was Gillette G2 and shaving gel but that all changed around 15 years ago when I was working overseas in a remote location and decided to take shaving more seriously as a hobby to fill some time!

          Plunging into the world of the straight razor was a bit of an international affair.  I bought a German Dovo razor and leather strop from Solingen and a Shavemac silver tip badger brush.  I sent the razor to the US to get it professionally honed by a ‘honemeister’. Shaving cream came for Trumper’s in London after I visited the shop and left with various flavoured tubs.  I practiced for ages to get proficient using the straight edge but it took me way too long even as a hobby 😊

          Thankfully I didn’t get too immersed in the world of sharpening stones, well purchasing them anyway. Apart from the various grit sizes needed to get the perfect edge on a straight razor you enter a parallel universe.  You could get a simple man-made stone for a tenner up to several thousand quid for a Japanese stone used to sharpen swords. The stone world is bewildering so I avoided.

          Moving onto safety razors was a good move and my weapon of choice is the Muhle R89 which I have a couple of. The one bought 15 years ago differs form the one I bought a couple of years back, the newer one has a much more aggressive cut and my understanding is that the razor comb has been modified in some way.  The move to the safety razor meant looking for the best blades to suit my skin and it has taken a lot of trial and error over the years but my go to blade is the Gillette super 7 which I get by the card from a mate in Kuala Lumpur.

          I tried out loads of different shaving creams, I have tried loads from eastern Europe, India, UK, SE Asia but my go to at the moment is the Arko brand from Turkey.

          Don’t forget to buy an Osma block to rub on any shaving nicks to stop the bleed it beats forgetting to take the loo paper off your face😊

            NHK295M I am reminded of a joke:

            Woody Allen gets into the lift at The Waldorf Towers where he was living. Morning said the lift operator, and how are we today. He received a grunt in reply. Sir, said the lift man. By chance have you cut yourself shaving this morning? Yes he said back. Why, whats wrong? It is the toilet paper Sir. What do you mean? Everyone uses toilet paper on their shaving cuts. Yes sir, Mr Allen, they do. But most people use clean pieces!

            https://www.suddencardiacarrestuk.org/2024/02/thank-goodness-for-madeira-cake/

              I’ve been using an electric razor for at least 45 years. Early ones were Philips, after that Remington. However, when I came to replace my last Remington the Remington I bought was a pale shadow of its predecessors so i went back to using the one before. It was on its last legs so I gave in and bought an expensive three head Philips and much as I hate to admit it, it is giving me the closest shave I’ve ever had with no discomfort, pulling etc. It also copes well with up to five days growth. The Remingtons, even in their youth pulled like mad on even a couple of days growth.


              Havingsported facial hair most of my life, Fu manchu, Mr Meaker, sideburns, and full beard I now just clean the neck and cheeks.
              I find the cutthroat a little too risky now😅

                Elcarajillo Nice stuff Frank! I have been assembling my gear for my twice weekly shave tomorrow. I have a new Moulton Brown soap for no reason other than someone gave it to me. I have reverted back to an older smaller bristle brush (I have no idea if it is badger or otter or synthetic). A new larger stainlesss steel dish I used to put food into but should let me build up a nice lather. I am going to work the soap until I get a lather like you see in cowboy films then use a new Astra blade in my Merkur Futur. I have some Prorasso ointment for cuts at the ready!

                https://www.suddencardiacarrestuk.org/2024/02/thank-goodness-for-madeira-cake/

                    dfk41 Do you find the M-Futur a little slick to handle when wet /soapy ?
                    Buy yourself an ‘alum ’ block, it is ideal for sealing/ healing tiny nicks. If you wet your fingers with alum it improves the grip on the razor.🤙