Thread: So I tried a safety razor

i would try different blades in it then,some people dont get on with the feathers

Blades are a very big issue and personal preference in DE shaving. The feathers Left me raw and the Derby's cut me up too much. I have narrowed my blade choice down to about 6 different brands that give me close comfortable shaves. Blade selection alone took about a year of trial and error. I use a blade no more than 4 days. The first days shave is not as good as days 2 and 3. PM me your address and I will send you a variety pack of the blades I use.

I posted this on a thread in safety razor section. The question was is there a sharpness rating for DE blades. My response to this was as follows:

"Sharpness is only one criterion. It is an important one to me as my beard is very tough. But there are other properties like longevity, smoothness, uniformity that are also important. The problem is that a given blade can be perceived differently in different razors. I know people who keep blades of various degrees of sharpness around to go into different razors. One might not want a Feather in R41. Finding out what works for you and the razor(s) you use is pretty much an exercise in trial and error. I +1 the idea of the sample pack. Try as many differnet blades as you can. It's part of the fun of DE shaving (that and owning lots of different razors)."

The perception that DE shaving is a lot easier than straight shaving is based on two things IMHO. Each safety razor is designed to work at a specific angle. When you find that angle you use it everywhere on you face. A straight requires you to constantly find and maintain the appropriate angle for wtg, xtg or atg and the part of your face being shaved. Also, DE blades are sharper than straights. My beard is very tough. A hot shower leaves it little changed. Many DE blades pull from the first stroke. I have found 3 or 4 blades sharp enough to cut my beard smoothly and comfortably. I have yet to find a straight that even comes close to a Feather or SuperMax DE blade. If your straight gives you a close smooth shave, then you should not use a Feather. Get a sample pack and experiment. Also, raw skin with a DE means you are using too much pressure. No matter how light you think you are using it, it's not light enough. You should never use any pressure with a DE. The closest a straight can get to the sharpness of a Feather is a Feather shavette.

Also, the safety razor you are using might be too aggressive for you. One DE razor is not like all the rest. Blade and razor combinations take trial and error to determine (unless you're extremely lucky). The DE razor is a different tool than a straight and you need to learn how to use it. Sometimes DEs are thought of as being simple to use like cartridge razors. This is totally untrue. Stick with it. Having more than one tool in your kit is definitely worth it.

I learned a long time ago that I am not man enough for a Feather blade Seriously, I get decent shaves after the 4th or 5th shave with it. I use Merkur and I far prefer it.

But truth be told, I have only used my DE once since I started using a straight 3 months ago