Originally Posted by smokey
If you are going to get something to help with the nicks, and are only going to buy one of the two, I would suggest the styptic pencil over the alum block. The styptic will stop larger nicks from bleeding than the alum block will. I have both and use the alum block after every shave, and the styptic only when needed. The alum block will give a good tight feeling to your skin, so you might want to get one eventually. They are more expensive and harder to come by than styptic pencils, though.