Anyone shaved with no safety bar?

Hi everyone,

I was in Milan (Italy) this weekend and went to a store were 99.99999% of you would be like kids in a toy store. Amazing place with great shaving gadgets including streight razors made of real elephant ivory and damascus. They also had a fine badger brush with ivory handle...how wrong is that).
Anyway talking to the 83 year old owner and great guy he told me to take the safety bar off my Mercur Safety Razor to get a shave as close as with a streight razor. I used to shave with streight razor so have the experience but was wondering before venturing into this experiment....anybody here ever tried it?

I personally don't think that is a good idea. Gillette, Merkur and others have designed these DEs with optimum efficiency and safety in mind. Removing the safety bar will effectively ruin the razor and make what would be a pleasant shaving experience unsafe and subject you to possible injury. Shaving with a straight razor is one thing and shaving with other implements is another kettle of fish.

If you want to simulate what that would be like in a safer manner buy a shavette, which is made like a safety razor, and uses DE blades that are snapped in half. Still not a true straight razor shave but at least using the tool as it was meant to be used. IMHO. :gl:

You have think about what makes a safety razor just that. Once you modify it to remove the "safety" parts, well, why not just use a straight to begin with.

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Originally Posted by thebigspendur

You have think about what makes a safety razor just that. Once you modify it to remove the "safety" parts, well, why not just use a straight to begin with.

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well...the "safety part" was designed so people could shave in an easier fashion without having the learning curve of shaving with a streight razor (notice I am talking about the safety part not the fact you can use disposable blades etc etc etc), but I have already passed that part as I used to shave with a streight before but stopped because I simply dont have the time to sharpen it every morning before work. I still use it on a lazy Sunday.
I was actually thinking it could be neat to use it this way for the second or third pass...but again wanted to see if it was "commo practice" before I did it. I do love a close shave!

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Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

I personally don't think that is a good idea. Gillette, Merkur and others have designed these DEs with optimum efficiency and safety in mind. Removing the safety bar will effectively ruin the razor and make what would be a pleasant shaving experience unsafe and subject you to possible injury. Shaving with a straight razor is one thing and shaving with other implements is another kettle of fish.

If you want to simulate what that would be like in a safer manner buy a shavette, which is made like a safety razor, and uses DE blades that are snapped in half. Still not a true straight razor shave but at least using the tool as it was meant to be used. IMHO. :gl:

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Good idea! never saw one before believe it or not...can I use regular DE blades and break them in half? How does one do that is a safe manner?

Thanks!!

Hello Gallinazorey.

I use the razor you can see in this post.

It has not got a safety bar and I find it quite sure. I do not remember to have cut myself seriously and I have never used a straight razor. I must say that I do not use it in the part of the neck... hehe.

Regards.

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Originally Posted by belce

Hello Gallinazorey.

I use the razor you can see in this post.

It has not got a safety bar and I find it quite sure. I do not remember to have cut myself seriously and I have never used a straight razor. I must say that I do not use it in the part of the neck... hehe.

Regards.

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That it!! Thats EXACTLY what my Mercur without the safety bar will look like.
Attachment 114657

so someone here IS using it this way...interesting! thanks

Attachment 114659

This is the one I have

I don't understand the need to shave with a DE with the safety bar removed. Obviously at least a couple of people have or intend to. Can you imagine the lawsuits against safety razor makers if they actually built them without the safety bar for producing an unsafe consumer product. I am sure they have and that is why they don't make them without a safety bar. Use it that way at your own risk fellas.

Bob

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Originally Posted by Gallinazorey

This is the one I have

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Does it work for you as is ? If you cut the safety bar and it doesn't suit you it is trash. The shavettes that take a half DE blade you just hold the blade in your fingers and bend. They snap easily. They are "too sharp" for a comfortable shave and you have to be really careful of you'll be bleeding.

Well, I tried it this morning and here are my conclusions:

1. As far as the shave is concerned it will give a very smooth return, the blade really gets "under the skin" and cuts the hairs at the very root.
2. The actual shave is confortable, the blades goes naturaly in the correct angle and stays there.
3. Problem is since the blade is being held at the very center, so the sides are a bit flimsy. You dont get a very safe feeling as it glides through the face because of tiny vibrations from the 2 sides of the blade. I guess this is where the shavette is better since it holds the blade firm from end to end (since it was meant to be used this way as others have mentioned).
4. This should definatly not be attempted by anyone without prior experience with a streight razor
5. FANTASTIC for side burns or for defining thin mustaches above the lip or any other area of a fine defined facial hair, but not to do the whole face (even though I did with no cuts or knicks)

So does this mean that not only are the guards missing, but also there's no bottom plate under the blade, holding it up against the top? Point 3 implies that.

Another alternative is the Rolls Razor. Sold about 60 years ago, its a straight razor on a stick. Cheap and plentiful, they are common on auction sites.

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Originally Posted by Gallinazorey

Well, I tried it this morning and here are my conclusions:

1. As far as the shave is concerned it will give a very smooth return, the blade really gets "under the skin" and cuts the hairs at the very root.
2. The actual shave is confortable, the blades goes naturaly in the correct angle and stays there.
3. Problem is since the blade is being held at the very center, so the sides are a bit flimsy. You dont get a very safe feeling as it glides through the face because of tiny vibrations from the 2 sides of the blade. I guess this is where the shavette is better since it holds the blade firm from end to end (since it was meant to be used this way as others have mentioned).
4. This should definatly not be attempted by anyone without prior experience with a streight razor
5. FANTASTIC for side burns or for defining thin mustaches above the lip or any other area of a fine defined facial hair, but not to do the whole face (even though I did with no cuts or knicks)

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I am agree with your conclusions, specially with point 5. I use it just for side burns and it is incredibly precise.

With my razor I do not have the problem you comment in point 3, so that depends on the model.

Regards.

Some Old people in villages do that in Greece and maybe a young guy just for experimentally reasons.In our shaving forum that idea has not many fans,we believe it's a dangerous risk.

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Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

The shavettes that take a half DE blade you just hold the blade in your fingers and bend. They snap easily. They are "too sharp" for a comfortable shave and you have to be really careful of you'll be bleeding.

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I agree with that
I have 2 of them an cause me nothing more than nerves and troubles.