First Safety Razor - did I leap too soon!?

Hi Guys,

Just about to move off of Cartridges. The tips I've read about shaving generally have really improved my shaves and result in less burn/irritation - even with cartridges.

I ordered a Wilkinson Sword Safety razor from the Bay. It's new and called "Wilkinson Sword Classic Double Edge DE Safety Razor" by the seller. After perusing the forum I'm worried I may have just bought a duff item. The old adage - you get what you pay for - is springing to mind. Luckily it didn't cost a fortune so I haven't lost out that much.

I'm on a budget with an upcoming house move, so any cheap starter razors you could recommend would be great.

Thank you!

Limosos

The Wilkinson DE is a decent DE razor to cut your teeth on. You won't be able to hand it down to your great grand kids (it's plastic) but it gives a good mild shave from what I have heard. It certainly won't slice and dice you unless you slide sideways too much or something.

You might not have too much to worry about Wilkinson Sword Classic DE Razor — BruceOnShaving.com . Delrin seems to be a pretty tough synthetic material and sometimes synthetics can be better than traditional materials for certain uses.

Bob

If you don't like it, you can find a number of old Gillettes (Superspeeds or Techs) for very cheap prices on the bay and they give good shaves, more than serviceable and in general are user friendly and not too aggressive for a new shaver. They are metal and will last a lifetime and more (and already have).

How does this look guys?

#RARE# Vintage Gillette 1938 -45 Fat Handle Tech Razor. Nice | eBay

i have one of those.
Nice shaver IMHO.
that one shows some brassing and condition issues.
They are NOT rare here.
:)
Mike

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Limosos

I ordered a Wilkinson Sword Safety razor from the Bay. It's new and called "Wilkinson Sword Classic Double Edge DE Safety Razor" by the seller. After perusing the forum I'm worried I may have just bought a duff item. The old adage - you get what you pay for - is springing to mind. Luckily it didn't cost a fortune so I haven't lost out that much.

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In my collection, I have a Merkur Futur, a Merkur 15C, a Gillette Superspeed flare tip, and one of those razors you've just bought. It's a cheap and cheerful DE, and used when I feel like having a change.

Also, you say you're on a budget. For blades, try the Tesco branded DE blades for size. £1.99 for 10, and they're almost as sharp as Derby or Feather blades.

I woudln't be worried about it. Getting a cheap DE to start is probably the smart move anyways. It will help you decide whether or not this is something you want to pursue without investing too much.

My first DE was a Weishi (less than $20 new) and my second was a Merkur Futur. Now i've also got a couple straight razors in the quiver.

It's a natural progression... Don't assume your first razor will be your last :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Limosos

Hi Guys,

Just about to move off of Cartridges. The tips I've read about shaving generally have really improved my shaves and result in less burn/irritation - even with cartridges.

I ordered a Wilkinson Sword Safety razor from the Bay. It's new and called "Wilkinson Sword Classic Double Edge DE Safety Razor" by the seller. After perusing the forum I'm worried I may have just bought a duff item. The old adage - you get what you pay for - is springing to mind. Luckily it didn't cost a fortune so I haven't lost out that much.

I'm on a budget with an upcoming house move, so any cheap starter razors you could recommend would be great.

Thank you!

Limosos

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I think you will be glad you did, because I used multiblade razors for 40 years and never really achieved a comfort level. I went back and forth between those and electric razors.

The DE is so much kinder to your face and the results were much better for me. Whether you decide to stick with the Wilkinson or upgrade to another, you can justify the expense because you are going to save a lot of money by not using cartridge razors.

I'm hoping you are using a nice soap or cream with a brush and not a canned gel or foam. The gel gunks up the razor and the foam offers zero protection.

Well, I just had my first shave.... And it was pretty rough. My Wilkinson hasnt arrived yet, but I saw a cheap DE razor in Boots - their own brand.

I'm not sure if it was a cheap razor or poor technique - probably a combo of both - but it felt rough all the way through, I've got real irritation on my neck and a nicked myself about 5 times. I don't know if its quite an aggressive razor, there's 1.5mm to 2mm of blade showing.

I'm hoping my Wilkinson Sword isn't like this or DE might not be for me!

Ouch.

Just a suggestion: go to YouTube and check out some of Mantic59's videos on using a DE--he's like a major dude in that area and his videos are very helpful. He's also got a site called the Sharpologist or something.

I hope your next experience is much more pleasant; I like to use my straight but I like my DE shaves very much too.

If this is you first shave with a DE then other than the razor being very aggressive it is probably down to poor technique. DEs ,I think, are much less forgiving than cartridge razors as far as technique/proper blade angle goes. A good lather and the proper angle, like with a straight razor, makes for a smooth comfortable shave. Even aggressive razors will perform smoothly if you can dial your technique in with them. Hope you get better results with practice.

Bob

Thanks all, really helpful. It most likely is technique, though that razor is vee aggressive. I'm terrified to practise again!

I've heard shaving with cartridge razors is like driving a car with an automatic gearbox. Stick the gearshift into "Drive" and off you go, no worries of messy or clunky gear changes. Use a DE, and you're using a manual gearbox. Practice is needed to get smooth gear changes.

With a cartridge razor, all you need to do is drag the handle down. The blades are set at the optimum angle in the cartridge, and that's held flat to your skin automatically. With a DE, you have to find the angle all by yourself. The angle can be found by starting by holding the handle horizontally, then gradually angling the handle downwards whilst moving the handle downwards.

If you're still suffering, then reassess your preparations. Shaving cream; good. Shaving soap; good but can dry the skin out. Shaving gel; about the lowest you can go without really suffering. Shaving foam; forget it. Also, make sure your beard's wet, before slapping the lather on.

Don't forget, water hardness is important. If you live in a hard water area, you might be better using a shaving cream.

Finally, to round off the car analogies, when you have a bump or a scrape in a car, you have to get back in the car and drive again. If you don't, you'll get put off by the memories of the accident.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Limosos

Well, I just had my first shave.... And it was pretty rough. My Wilkinson hasnt arrived yet, but I saw a cheap DE razor in Boots - their own brand.

I'm not sure if it was a cheap razor or poor technique - probably a combo of both - but it felt rough all the way through, I've got real irritation on my neck and a nicked myself about 5 times. I don't know if its quite an aggressive razor, there's 1.5mm to 2mm of blade showing.

I'm hoping my Wilkinson Sword isn't like this or DE might not be for me!

Ouch.

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1. Look to see if the blade exposure is or crooked when sitting in the razor. My first DE razor was defective in this manner and had to be replaced. When I got my money back and bought another I couldn't believe how close and comfortable my shave was.
2. If it is a three-piece razor (the base on which the blade sits has to be removed when changing the blade), make sure you did not install the base upside down.

Just starting DE shaving myself but have been shaving with straights for about 6 months now (I'm still a noob with em though!) Biggest suggestion I could give, other than what others have mentioned already is to use a light touch, the weight of the razor itself is sufficient to shave. If you push your going to cut yourself and get razor burn. I'm guessing it's a lot like the straights in that there is a learning curve, but once you get it, it's golden! :D

Hi Guys,

I've only just had an opportunity to get this on here, but I finally received my Wilkinson Sword safety razor and managed a first shave. It was on two days growth and, by jove, what a shave! I couldn't believe the difference between that and the first razor. I guess the first one will just be filed and "cheap and nasty" and i'll learn my lesson about cheap razors and impatience.

Thanks for all the support on this thread though, I've really appreciated it. :beer1:

Congrats, Limosos! Glad you had a good second try.

I got off base today for a bit and stopped by a grocery store and picked up two of these Wilkinson Sword DE Razors today. One for me and another for a buddy who was wanting to try using a DE. I look forward to adding it in to my rotation with my two straights and my Aristocrat Adjustable. I also picked up a few tubes of Nivea cream Mild and Sensitive. While there I grabbed a couple of each type of DE blade I saw. I ended up with the following blades SuperMax Super Platinum, SuperMax Super Stainless, BiC Chrome Platinum, BiC ASTOR Stainless, and lastly Wilkinson Sword DE blades.

My buddy was very happy when I gave him his razor, tube of cream, and blade assortment. Attachment 119271
Sorry for the low light cell phone pic, I don't want to wake up my roommates by turing on the big lights.