Thread: New safety razor shaver here

Hello everyone!
I just started shaving with a de safety razor for the past few weeks and I gotta say I’m enjoying it very much! I still have my Harry’s cartridge razor for the times I need a quick shave but I prefer my safety razor. Now, here is what I’ve been using so far ( please be gentle). I’m using a Van Der Hagen butterfly head razor with the king Gillette blades, poraso shave soap (green puck) and a Omega boar brush. I even tried the Vietnam made blades from my local dollar store and believe it or not they aren’t too bad, but I don’t believe I will use them exclusively. I know I want to try different blades and other razors as well. I’m rather drawn to the vintage Gillette ones. Well, thanks for letting me ramble on and I’m looking forward to meeting you all!

Kevin

Welcome Kevin! Looks like your off to a good start. I have a small collection of vintage Gillettes most of which i found at flea markets and antique stores for a fair price, so if you enjoy that kind of hunting then that's where i'd start. They all shave(blades and razors) a little different so it doesn't hurt to try a few. Enjoy the adventure!

Thank you, I’ll definitely give the antique stores around here a look.

Welcome to the forum. The biggest things that contribute to getting excellent shaves are having good shaving and lathering techniques rather than a bunch of different gear. Once you have those down pat with what you already have then is the time to try different bits of gear. You are off to a good start as the Proraso Green is a good soap and the Omega boar brush is good too especially once broken in. They won't stand in the way of you get consistently good shaves. Which DE are you using?

Bob

Van Der Hagen butterfly head razor...

We all started somewhere. I don't know that razor but I'm betting its a very mild razor. Vintage Gillette blades? Are you talking about these...



I've always been afraid to try them being they are so old. Gillette has so many more blades now.

Welcome to SRP and with time maybe we can get ya shaving with a straight razor.

Originally Posted by Gasman

Van Der Hagen butterfly head razor...

We all started somewhere. I don't know that razor but I'm betting its a very mild razor. Vintage Gillette blades? Are you talking about these...



I've always been afraid to try them being they are so old. Gillette has so many more blades now.

Welcome to SRP and with time maybe we can get ya shaving with a straight razor.

The blades I’m using are new manufactured.

Originally Posted by kwc271

The blades I’m using are new manufactured.

Exactly which Gillette brand blades are you using? They make quite a few different versions mostly in Russia at St. Petersburg. I have found the Gillette Nacet and Silver Blue variety to be very good. I have also tried a few of the Gillette marked King C Gillette but too early to say if they are as good as the other two for me.

Bob

Nacet is my favorite

If you want the sharpest get either Feather or Kai. Yes they require some finesse to get a close and comfortable shave but if you want to get the max out of your razor then, that's the ticket.

You said... "I’m rather drawn to the vintage Gillette ones".

This is why I was asking. The ones I showed a pic of are the most Vintage Gillette Blades.
As Bob said, The Nacet and Silver/Blues are great. But they are new. Not vintage.
Gillette also has Yellow, Black, Gold, and Green. There might be others too but they are not vintage either.

With a mild razor, it's best to use a Keen/Sharp blade. This is a standard combo. And just the opposite with an aggressive razor. You use a Mild blade. These things you learn with time but getting this kind of info can help you to learn quicker. Stick around as we are happy to help you to learn as much as we can.