Thread: Does it matter which razor blade i use in which razor ?

Originally Posted by jaffacake2000

ok, but how do [1] i maintain the correct angle and [2] correct amount of pressure at all times ?

Those ARE the questions. The two best answers I got were pretty simple. Prep your face and lather up, then:

[1-2] Put the top of a safety razor flat against your sideburn with the handle sticking straight out from your head; slowly let the razor draw down under its' own weight as you gradually tip the handle downward. Suddenly you'll feel/hear the blade taking whiskers; that is the pressure and that is the angle you want to keep throughout a shave.

Originally Posted by MisterMoo

Those ARE the questions. The two best answers I got were pretty simple. Prep your face and lather up, then:

[1-2] Put the top of a safety razor flat against your sideburn with the handle sticking straight out from your head; slowly let the razor draw down under its' own weight as you gradually tip the handle downward. Suddenly you'll feel/hear the blade taking whiskers; that is the pressure and that is the angle you want to keep throughout a shave.

I tried but i cant feel the blade so what i did was put the blade on my skin directly at an angle (yeah, i know, i dunno what im doing)

so, the blade should just only touch the skin lightly on the surface without applying any pressure ? and as i lightly lower the whole thing, the blade will cut itself i presume ? How do i keep control of it so it doesnt drag down the skin surface ?

Originally Posted by jaffacake2000

I tried but i cant feel the blade... ...i dunno what im doing...

Perhaps.

...as i lightly lower the whole thing, the blade will cut itself i presume ?

No. The blade won't cut itself - but it may cut you.

How do i keep control of it so it doesnt drag down the skin surface ?

Lets be honest. This is the part called "shaving." Your fingers must hold on to the razor with a light grip and then steer the blade part through the lather, around your face and swished clean in water. Good luck with the Connery look but it calls for a makeup department! Have a ball!

Originally Posted by jaffacake2000

Hi

I am new to shaving with a DE safety razor. I recently bought the only razor i could find in my local shops which is a (see picture)

Attachment 169549

But i know there are several differnt brands on the net like Merkur, Edwin Jagger, parker, etc and then there are different flavour of blades like Derby, Astra, etc but does it matter which razor i use with which razor blade ?

The razor in the picture is none of these brands, its just a cheap safety razor made in China which i got for £2.00 It came with not so good looking but free BTC razor blade. The only one thing i noticed is although it looks and feels good when you try to open it and put a razor blade in it feels a bit flimsy like when you try open one part of it another part opens etc but thats what i get for what i paid for.

So, do i really need a Merkur, Edwin Jagger, parker or any of the other razor brands or can i just put any razor blade in any razor and shave ?

Hi,
Check the positioning of the blade. If it is placed evenly across the gap, you should be good to go.

I don't mean to be a downer for you Jaffacake, so don't take this the wrong way, but...I don't feel like you're listening to or absorbing what people are saying.

Let me try to simplify:

1) watch some videos. I searched Youtube for DE shaving and got 100s of them. Watch as many as you can stand and pay attention to the ones that make sense to you (and are not selling something).

2) you seem to have a piece of junk razor. If more blade is exposed on one side than the other, then something is wrong with it. The razor needs to be precisely aligned to hold the (very sharp) blade aligned.

3) the razor needs to be closed all the way, tightly to accomplish # 2. If it is closed tightly and you still have uneven exposure, you need a different razor.

4) you need to lather up well before shaving.

5) after doing #'s 1-4, grip the handle lightly and lay the head on your face just under your sideburn. Pull it down a little to get the feel, then move it back up and start again, BUT the second time rotate the handle away from your face slowly as you move down. When you hear (and feel) whiskers being cut keep that angle relative to your face until you've done one whole side...the do the same thing on the other, rinsing the razor under running water periodically to clean out the soap and (hopefully) whiskers. Then move on to other parts of the face.

Good luck and please understand that what you're asking and we're trying to do is like teaching someone to drive a car by email. You're going to have to watch videos, read some DE posts and learn what you can and then experiment carefully. But first, please make sure you have the right tools in hand not a junk razor and blade I've never heard of.

Originally Posted by Haroldg48

I don't mean to be a downer for you Jaffacake, so don't take this the wrong way, but...I don't feel like you're listening to or absorbing what people are saying.

Let me try to simplify:

1) watch some videos. I searched Youtube for DE shaving and got 100s of them. Watch as many as you can stand and pay attention to the ones that make sense to you (and are not selling something).

2) you seem to have a piece of junk razor. If more blade is exposed on one side than the other, then something is wrong with it. The razor needs to be precisely aligned to hold the (very sharp) blade aligned.

3) the razor needs to be closed all the way, tightly to accomplish # 2. If it is closed tightly and you still have uneven exposure, you need a different razor.

4) you need to lather up well before shaving.

5) after doing #'s 1-4, grip the handle lightly and lay the head on your face just under your sideburn. Pull it down a little to get the feel, then move it back up and start again, BUT the second time rotate the handle away from your face slowly as you move down. When you hear (and feel) whiskers being cut keep that angle relative to your face until you've done one whole side...the do the same thing on the other, rinsing the razor under running water periodically to clean out the soap and (hopefully) whiskers. Then move on to other parts of the face.

Good luck and please understand that what you're asking and we're trying to do is like teaching someone to drive a car by email. You're going to have to watch videos, read some DE posts and learn what you can and then experiment carefully. But first, please make sure you have the right tools in hand not a junk razor and blade I've never heard of.

N
+1 on all of the above. Now watch the videos, get a decent razor, re read this thread from start to finish, and take notice of the advice given .Then come back here when you've done all that and I'll bet you'll be shaving like a good 'un.

Originally Posted by MisterMoo

Perhaps.

No. The blade won't cut itself - but it may cut you.

Lets be honest. This is the part called "shaving." Your fingers must hold on to the razor with a light grip and then steer the blade part through the lather, around your face and swished clean in water. Good luck with the Connery look but it calls for a makeup department! Have a ball!

should it touch the skin or just the lather ?

Originally Posted by Haroldg48

I don't mean to be a downer for you Jaffacake, so don't take this the wrong way, but...I don't feel like you're listening to or absorbing what people are saying.

Let me try to simplify:

watch some videos. I searched Youtube for DE shaving and got 100s of them. Watch as many as you can stand and pay attention to the ones that make sense to you (and are not selling something).

I am totally very new to this, I have been watching videos on the tube but as you know its not easy and watching a video is one thing and trying it in real is another but i will try my best to give it another go. I know its nothing really for those who are experienced but I just need to find where the correct angle is and find how not to apply pressure but drag the razor in between the lather and the skin - i think it is a very fine and perfectionist process i have to achieve.

We were all new to this once...before the internet.

They are also called safety razors because they are 'safer' than the straight razors that were in wide use before them.
That piece of steel below the blade serves as a guide and limits quite a bit how the blade interacts with your skin. It really it's not that easy to cut yourself as long as you move the blade perpendicular to the edge. If you move it parallel to the edge you will get cut, period.

The 'aggressiveness' is something different, it's basically the angle that the razor blade makes against your skin. That is pretty much fixed with the razor (unless you have one of those 'adjustable' razors and then you can vary it a bit). The sharper the angle towards your skin the 'milder' the razor is. This is probably counterintuitive but that's how it works.

The main thing to worry about is dragging the razor perpendicular to the blade, and just touching the skin. You can't bear on like you can with the multiblade cartridges, and you don't have to. If you're not cutting hair change the angle of the handle a bit and it will start. You can try it on your arm first if you want - it's pretty flat and much easier to observe how it works. If you don't want to shave the hairs (they do grow back) do it on the underside, just lather first so that you don't just scrape your skin.
I think once you pass the mental issue about cutting yourself with it you'll be fine.