Safety razor buying guide - How to choose the right DE safety razor
Wet shaving expert Aaron Wolfenbarger’s simple guide to choosing the right double edge razor
Often the question asked by our customers after “How do I get started traditionally shaving?” comes “Which razor do I use?”. With so many varieties and choices on the market it is no doubt that the choices would be overwhelming. Three piece, two piece; adjustable versus non-adjustable; turn to open doors; chrome, satin, red, blue or black, ivory; aggressive versus mild shavers, no wonder it is confusing! Let’s shed some light on the essentials, how they will affect your shave, and some recommended models for you to try.
A safety razor will give you a much closer shave than a multi bladed cartridge razor
As you learn the technique of shaving with a double edge razor a milder shaving razor would be better than a more aggressive shaving razor. The milder razor would be more forgiving of poor technique or mistakes reducing the risk of nicks and cuts. This mildness or aggressiveness comes down to blade exposure: the lesser blade exposure the milder the shave and conversely the more blade exposed the more aggressive the shave. There are articles on shaving forums across the web identifying the exact blade gap measured in microns, but for our purposes here we won’t be that detailed. Typically those razors that are two or three pieces, and those that are non-adjustable are more mild. The noticeable exception to this rule is the Muhle R41, which despite being a three piece razor is one of the more aggressive shaving razors on the market.
The shape of your face and body is a thing to consider. If you have a smaller face, a razor with a large head such as the Merkur Vision or Futur would prove impractical to shave with. Also if you have large hands you might want to consider a razor with a longer handle. Razors such as the Merkur 38c Barberpole, Progress, 25c and 23c all either are or have long handled versions. Another point of consideration is grip and steadiness of hand. If you have concerns about being able to hold your razor, choose one with knurling (the criss-cross pattern cut into the metal), it will provide a rougher surface with less slippage.
The Goodfella Chrome Safety Razor
For our beginning shavers we recommend the Bluebeards Scimitar, Muhle R89, Merkur 38c barberpole, Edwin Jagger DE89 and Parker 94r. These razors all have good reputations within the shaving community, and have a lesser blade gap. As you progress in experience and technique the need to upgrade your razor or buy another may come. For the more experienced shaver we recommend the Merkur Progress, 37c Slant, Muhle R41, and Merkur Futur amoung others. These razors are aggressive in nature, or can adjust their blade gap from a mild exposure to a much wider gap. Another option would be the open comb razor. The comb allows for a closer exposure to the blade and the comb acts as a guide for the hair leading it directly to the blade. Gentlemen with hair that grows closely to the skin, or with tough beards seem to benefit best from an open comb such as the Merkur 23c, 15c, Fatip Piccolo, and Goodfella.
Whatever your needs are: shaving fine or coarse hair, thin or thick, knowing your face and knowing the right razor to suit your needs will go a long way in improving your grooming experience.
The ultimate guide to double edge shaving - DE shaving for beginners
Posted in Double Edge Shaving, Safety Razors, Shaving Brushes, Shaving Creams, Shaving Tips | Comments (0)
Wet shaving expert Aaron Wolfenbarger’s simple guide to double edge shaving
Here at Shaving Shack, our mailbox is flooded with gents often complaining, and rightly so, about the high costs of cartridges and asking advice about how to get started traditionally shaving. It is undisputable that shaving with a double edge razor is less expensive than using modern cartridges. Just a simple cost comparison shows that for the same price of a pack of 4 replacement cartridges, you can buy 50-100 double edge blades. We love hearing from you our loyal customers and would like to offer you some practical points on how to get started!
The first place to start would be the equipment: razor, blades, brush, soap/cream, and aftershave. It seems like a lot, but once you get these main purchases down they will last you for many years, decades, or life. As with many purchases start with what you can afford, and as you get used to traditional shaving explore and find which items suit your needs best.
Double Edge Safety Razors
A safety razor will give you a much closer shave than a multi bladed cartridge razor
Your razor should be one with good reviews and from a reputable company such as Merkur, Muhle, Edwin Jagger, or The Bluebeards Revenge. I personally recommend The Bluebeards Scimitar, Merkur 34C, and Edwin Jagger DE89 as great beginner razors.
Shaving Soaps & Creams
The Bluebeards Revenge is one of the best shaving creams on the market
Soaps and creams can be found in a huge variety of scents and flavours. If you know your water type, creams tend to work better in hard water and soaps better in soft water. However, this is not a hard and fast rule, and good technique can overcome most water quality issues. Many of the most popular companies to produce soaps and creams are Bluebeards, Taylor of Old Bond Street, Cyril Salter, Mitchell’s Wool Fat, and Proraso amoung many others.
Double Edge Razor Blades
Blades are the most subjective of the wet-shaving experience
Blades are the most subjective of the wet-shaving experience, but it is best to start with a good standard blade and as your technique improves, then find a blade that more suits your face. Some of the most popular blades are Derby, Feather, Personna, Shark, and Wilkinson-Sword.
Shaving Brushes
A shaving brush can improve the overall quality of a shave
An overwhelming variety of choices can be found for the shaving brush, with the hair type being the most obvious. Choices of boar bristle, badger hair, and a variety of synthetics are available on the market. If your convictions lead you to stay away from animal products, you are in luck as many advancements in recent years have led to great strides in synthetic fibers being able to function as natural hair. The Men-U brushes have received rave reviews in their ability to hold water and produce good lather. The Bluebeards Vanguard brush should also be a good bet to try as well. For a natural hair brush, boar bristle brushes tend to be less expensive, but perform well. The Semogue 830 and 1305 are quite popular, as is the Vulfix Grosvenor, and the Bluebeards Revenge Dubloon. The badger hair brush has been used for many many years, and is the most desirable. It has a superior water retaining quality, softness on the face, and a superior lathering ability. There are many to choose from and a few recommended would be the Bluebeard Privateer, the Kent BK4, Simpsons Duke, with Plisson being the cream of the crop. As mentioned above buy the best you can afford, the quality will reward you with a better feel, and longevity.
The Perfect Shaving Routine
Shaving with a double edge safety razor should be a pleasure and not a chore
To perform the shave, first shower or hold a hot wet towel to the face; this softens the outer layer of hair allowing for an easier cut. Prepare the brush by soaking it in water, then gently shaking the majority of the water out. Gently press the tips of the brush into the cream or soap gathering enough material to shave with. Lather your soap in a bowl or on your face using a whipping motion and adding water as needed to create a thick lather that resembles whipped cream or meringue. Holding your razor against the face an an approximate 30 degree angle, shave with as little pressure as possible in the direction of hair growth. Remember to use short strokes and rinse the razor often. After you have completed the first pass, re-lather and shave across the direction of hair growth, then rinse the lather from your face. After rinsing apply your choice of aftershave, whether a balm or alcohol based splash.
Shaving Tips
A few tips as you improve your technique: keep your wrist locked and use a whole arm motion, a pre-shave oil will help those gents with tougher beards to retain moisture and provide glide, leaving 2-3 days between shaves gives the skin rest and leaves longer hair to shave. With these general gear guides and tips we hope you will have the information to choice your equipment well and have a fabulous shave!
If you have any questions for Aaron please submit them here.
Ultimate shaving guides
> Safety razor buying guide – How to choose the right DE safety razor
> Preventing, treating & curing: Razor burn, redness, shaving irritation, bumps & ingrown hairs
> How to care for a shaving brush – Top tips for maintaining your shaving brush
> An easy step-by-step method for getting the best lather out of shaving cream
Double edge shaving: Do you remember your first time?
Switching your shaving habits from a mass produced multi-bladed cartridge razor to a double edge safety razor is a great way of ensuring that proper, manly shave. But for many men around the world this can be a daunting move and something that is not taken lightly. But the rewards are great, as Steven Pearson, one of our customers, found out.
Here is his story:
Vividly, it was quite frankly horrible. I was a ridiculously moody teenager with more bum fluff than I, and it turns out most of my class mates, thought natural, so after skulking off home I decided to take matters into my own shaky hands. Armed with some shockingly blue old spice shaving gel stolen from my brother and also a clean razor from the brother’s stash, I wandered into the bathroom with much trepidation.
Steven Pearson applies some shaving cream with his shaving brush
What happened next is still difficult to describe, my non-washed or softened skin getting slavered with untold luminous chemicals, sliding across the grain, bleeding and, for the piece de resistance, a loud bang from the kitchen door as it is slammed shut after getting caught with the breeze that made me jump so high that I almost cut my chin off. In fact the scar was there for a good six months and was the starting point of any conversation that a female tried to have with me for the entire summer. That’s the best a man can get? - was it hell!
Over the next couple of years I tried various shapes, sizes and blade numbers with limited success until, as a poor broke student I stumbled across a double edged black, but yet again, double edged razor sold in Boots. It was amazing, still not at the level of doing anything vaguely helpful in the way of pre or post shave care but I learnt how to shave properly and with confidence for the entirety of my student life. That is until my first pay packet saw me running out to buy the latest, shiniest, many-bladed monstrosity that I ravaged my skin with for the next 18 years.
That was until recently, when again financial constraints and silent mouthing of “how much” in supermarket aisles drove me back to the same high street retailer where, sitting quietly and plainly, in the almost easily overlooked part of the shaving section stood my saviour.
Mass produced, made of plastic and badly made, of course - so badly that a quick once over with a blade and nail file to the flashed edges was necessary, was my Wilkinson sword classic, complete with blades - an absolute bargain! Home I rushed and quickly washed and prepared my face and drew the old friend across it, it was like a homecoming.
Steven Pearson shaves with a DE safety razor
A homecoming to that fateful first day and a blood loss of prestigious proportions as I attempted to remember how to shave properly! And yes over the next few days, and I am ashamed to say weeks, I relearnt the art of shaving. Not much has changed to be honest, early mornings are still a ridiculous time to get up, but the array of products available to Joe Bloggs has improved dramatically thanks to the advent of the Internet and the postal van of happiness that now drops off delights at my house regularly.
The feeling of delight when your face has its whiskers cleanly lopped off is still there and the clean shaven face that greets me with its big smile is more familiar than before, it seems to say: ”welcome to the billionaires boys club, we all shave like this”. Work seems a bit more impressed, with one of my colleagues commenting about how fresh faced I looked.
The good lady seems impressed too; comments about how she prefers to see me clean shaven have reduced as I’m always clean shaven now. Also the incidence of the European kiss hello, you know, the one where you get a kiss of the side of the face instead of square on the smackers has reduced dramatically. Long live the double edged razor and all who use her!
Submit a wet shaving video
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Earn 150 Shaving Points!
Calling all Shaving Shack Account holders! We want to hear about you and your shaving kit that you have purchased from us. If we spot a video we love, we’ll give you a whopping 150 shave points (worth £10) to say thanks. It could be in the style of, for example:
- a product review
- a tour of your kit (must be items purchased from us at the Shack!)
- a testimonial of the service you’ve received from The Shaving Shack
- the story of why you got into wet shaving e.g saving money/a better shave
Videos should be no larger than 30mb in size.
The Sun newspaper puts double edge shaving firmly on the shave map
Posted in Double Edge Shaving, Shaving in the News, The Bluebeards Revenge | Comments (0)
As you will probably be aware of the UK men’s shaving market is dominated by three big players -Gillete (owned by US giant Proctor and Gamble) and British brands Wilkinson Sword and King of Shaves (the brainchild of likeable entrepreneur Will King).
All three of these companies specialise in providing men with easy to use multi bladed cartridge razor systems, and in Gillette’s case, these products are backed and promoted with billionaire dollar marketing campaigns.
Thankfully there is still a market for traditional double edge safety razors, and its growing as more men get fed up with the increasing cost of cartridge razor blades. A recent study has found the annual cost of shaving with a Gillette Power Fusion, new cartridges and all, is an eye-watering £85.37.
But getting the message to the masses that double edge shaving is not only cheaper in the long run, but also much better for the skin, is a difficult one as the mainstream press favour the Gillette Power Fusion over the Merkur 34C and the Hydro 5 over the Edwin Jagger DE89.
Well that was until we contacted The Sun Newspaper journalist David Firth, who runs the highly popular Tried and Test section on The Sun website. David had previously tested out wet razors from the “big three” brands to see which was the best.
To our delight and slight surprise, he agreed to test three of our top selling safety razors - the Merkur 38c Barberpole, Parker 94R and The Bluebeards Revenge ‘Scimitar’ (which has graced the likes of the Daily Mail, Loaded and GQ).
So what did David think to the razors we sent him?
Merkur 38c
“My favourite of the three,” he said. David praised its balance, control and grip. “The diagonal thread design on the pole helps you keep a solid grip and I also like that you change the blade by simply unscrewing the base, rather than having to disassemble the whole thing. A great piece of kit,” he added. Price: £39.99. Buy here.
Parker 94R:
“The big plus-point with the Parker is the grip - thick, diamond-shaped ridges help keep this lodged in your hand no matter how much cream or water is knocking about,” explained David. He added that he liked the light weight of the razor; but found the short pole a little fiddly during the shave. Price £19.99. Buy here.
The Bluebeards Revenge ‘Scimitar’
David loved the look of the Scimitar. “It does look lovely, particularly with the laser-etched Bluebeards Revenge skull and cross bones logo on the razor head. As with the other two - it does give a great shave,” he said. Price £34.99. Buy here.
The Bluebeards Revenge “Scimitar” Double Edge Razor
Overall, David loved the theatre of double edge shaving. “You splash your face with warm water, apply a pre-shave cream to help the blade glide, then apply the shaving cream all frothed up with an old-school brush to exfoliate a bit and lift up your bristles. And then you can shave. It takes time but it’s a lot of fun,” he explained.
In conclusion, David said: “If you follow all the appropriate hints and tips on how to use double-edged blade razors properly - you can find loads of videos on YouTube - you will get the best shave of your life.”
Thanks for taking the double edge shaving test David, and for helping to bring such as a cool method shaving back in to the media spotlight. You can follow David on Twitter at @davefirth.
Read his full review by clicking here.
What do you think think to David’s comments? Let us know by commenting below.
Ask Aaron Q/A: Straight razor maintenance - Honing & Stropping
Posted in Ask Aaron Q & A, Straight Razor Shaving | Comments (0)
Aaron is asked a question about honing and stropping a straight/cut throat razor
James Allen, from the UK, asks:
“Hi, my face is on fire and I have about 5 cuts as well. I am new to shaving with a straight razor and have tried to hone and strop the blade myself. I used a 800 grit stone, then onto an 8000+ slate stone, then strop. The blade will pop hairs from my arm but when I try to shave with it, it just isn’t sharp enough. Please tell me where I’m going wrong? (had to abandon my shave 3/4′s of the way through to) very painfull.”
Honing and sharpening your own straight razor is a fine art
AARON SAYS
“Mr. Allen,
Honing and sharpening your own straight razor is a fine art. From what I have read, you need even finer grit honing stones to continue your process.
I definitely recommend taking your razor to your local barber, or finding a honing specialist in the UK through one of the many online shaving forums (straightrazorplace.com, badgerandblade.com, and shavenook.com are the most popular). Many gentlemen there will be able to hone your razor, and give you tips and tricks on how to learn to hone it yourself.
Also you can find great information on stropping your blade (rolling the edges will defeat all your honing work!) and shaving technique. Good luck with your new shaving venture, and I wish you the very best!
Happy Shaving,
Aaron”
Do you have any burning questions you would like ask our wet shaving expert Aaron Wolfenbarger?
CLICK HERE TO ASK AARON YOUR QUESTION
Ask Aaron Q/A: Sore skin & small blood spots on chin & neck after shaving
Posted in Ask Aaron Q & A, Double Edge Shaving, Shaving Tips | Comments (0)
Aaron is asked a question about sore skin & small blood spots on chin and neck after shaving
Andrew James, from the UK, asks:
“Hi there, new to double edge shaving from 18 years of cartridge shaving. Using Merkur HD and only tried Merkur blades so far. First pass WTG generally ok but tried second pass ATG yesterday (after re soaping) which left sore skin and small blood spots on chin and neck - ouch. What blade should I try next? Also, maybe I should stick to one pass, but I would like to do at least two to get a pretty close shave. Would value advice please. Ps; this blog facility is great.”
Take time, focus on basic technique, and enjoy the process, says Aaron
AARON SAYS
“Mr. James,
I would first make sure that you are developing your lather correctly, have a good blade angle (it should be about 30 degrees), and preparing your beard well by either showering or a hot towel.
Next I would say that since you are new to shaving with a single edge razor don’t shave against the grain. At the most right now go across, or perpendicular, to the beard growth. You may also take a second pass with the grain too, to increase the closeness of the shave. Shaving against the grain is a little bit advanced, and some say unnecessary, although it is something I practice for a close shave.
If you are looking to change the blades, I recommend the Israeli made blades, Astras, Derby, Lord, Sharks, and Wilkinson-Sword blades. I don’t recommend Feather blades until you are more comfortable with your shaving technique, they are incredibly sharp and unforgiving of mistakes.
I realize this is a lot of information at once. Take time, focus on basic technique, and enjoy the process! Soon you will be shaving easily and nick-free in no time.
Smooth Shaving!
Aaron”
Do you have any burning questions you would like ask our wet shaving expert Aaron Wolfenbarger?
CLICK HERE TO ASK AARON YOUR QUESTION
Ask Aaron Q/A: Palm stropping & corking of razor blades
Aaron is asked a question about double edge razor blade harshness
Grant Letham, from the UK, asks:
“Hi, I’m enjoying my double edge shaving experience with my Edwin Jagger D89. Currently using routine of shower, King of Shaves shaving oil, lather - proraso or arko, 2 pass shave - 1 with and 1 across grain, cold water rinse and then moisturiser. I’m finding the first shave with a fresh blade can be risky in terms of nicks and cuts. Any clues as to how I can minimise / avoid this?”
AARON SAYS
“Mr. Letham,
I too experience new blade harshness occasionally. I have heard this can be due to tiny burrs left over from the manufacturing process. There are two methods I would recommend trying: corking and palm stropping.
For corking, take a natural cork stopper from a wine bottle, and run the blade edge into the cor gently two or three times.
For palm stopping, grasp the blade in the middle and rub the blade away from the edge on the thick of your palm. This can be a little bit tricky, so watch the following video tutorial to see exactly what I mean: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ogq4wfpT7hc. This should help with those new blade blues!
Smooth Shaving!
Aaron”
Do you have any burning questions you would like ask our wet shaving expert Aaron Wolfenbarger?
CLICK HERE TO ASK AARON YOUR QUESTION
Ask Aaron Q/A: Redness around the mouth
Aaron is asked a question about skin irritation and redness around the mouth
John Ramsay, from the UK, asks:
“Hi, I just bought the osma alum bloc and started to use it after shaving. I started by wetting the block and applying it to my face, I let it set in for a minute and then rinsed off, then applied some aftershave lotion. But there was still redness around my mouth -am I doing something wrong?”
AARON SAYS
“Mr. Ramsey,
The redness around your mouth could be a variety of things. It coud be irritation from the block, or shaving irritation. The mouth area tends to be one of the hardest areas to shave. I would pay special attention to the angle of your razor, rub on the alum block then immediately wash off, and be sure to use a good moisturizing balm. If you continue to experience redness, reply below and we’l try to troubleshoot some more! I hope this helps and gives you some relief.
Smooth Shaving!
Aaron”
Do you have any burning questions you would like ask our wet shaving expert Aaron Wolfenbarger?
CLICK HERE TO ASK AARON YOUR QUESTION
Ladies give their men the James Bond treatment with a close shave – Retailer reports bumper female sales of cut throat razors
Woman make up 73% of cut throat razor sales since Skyfall DVD release, with two-thirds planning to use the tools to give their man the best shave of his life
Women are getting more hands on with their men following the saucy shaving scene in the recent James Bond film release of Skyfall.
The newest in the Bond series, which was released on DVD and Blu-ray on Monday 18th February and is available on the Sky store, sees actress Naomie Harris take control of the blade to give 007, AKA Daniel Craig, the best shave of his life with a cut throat razor, uttering the words; ‘sometimes the old ways are the best’.
This sexy scene has inspired women all over the world to pick up a cut throat razor and do the job themselves, James Bond style. The Shaving Shack, the UK’s leading online retailer of premium shaving products, found that sales of their cut throat razors had tripled within five days of the Skyfall DVD/Blue-ray release, with women taking on a whopping 73% of these sales.
Woman have made up 73% of cut throat razor sales since Skyfall DVD release
This unusual trend led to the men’s grooming company conducting an email survey of these female customers. They surveyed 1,005 women and found that two thirds (66%) of these were intending to use the tools themselves to give their other half the best shave of his life.
And Scottish lasses are leading this trend, with 167 out of 220 Scottish customers surveyed (76%) intending to give their own Bond a close shave.
English ladies took second place, with 445 out of the 666 (67%) surveyed planning on carrying out a cut throat shave, followed by Welsh women (50%) and Northern Irish (43%). Thirty-eight per cent of women from outside of the UK plan to use the shaving weapons on their man.
The company has attributed this trend to the release of Skyfall with Miss Moneypenny’s take charge moment, inspiring ladies to give their man the James Bond treatment.
Nick Gibbens, brand manager at The Shaving Shack, said: “It’s great to see more women taking control of their partner’s grooming and who wouldn’t want to recreate the shaving scene from Skyfall?
“I’m sure couples are still feeling the love after Valentine’s Day and for men, it’s nice to be able to sit back and let someone else do the hard work.
“Skyfall saw Bond return to his Scottish roots and perhaps this is why more ladies from Scotland than any other country surveyed are keen to take control of the razor.
“Shaving with a cut throat razor is certainly one of life’s pleasures as it will give you the closest possible shave. But it does take time to master the technique and you’ll certainly need a steady hand and plenty of practice.”
Women need not cut corners – or chins – when shaving their men, as The Shaving Shack have put together a handy how to film to help these women give their men the best possible cut throat shave.
You can also watch the video at: http://youtu.be/qMVAhDqPbv0
-Ends -
Notes to editors
For more information, please contact: Nick Gibbens on telephone 01752 898191 or email [email protected].
About The Shaving Shack:
The Shaving Shack is one of the UK’s leading online retailers of high quality wet shaving accessories. The firm stocks high end razors, shaving brushes, double edge razor blades, shaving creams, soaps, bowls, pre-shave lotions and gels, alum bocks and aftershave lotions.
More information can be found at http://www.shaving-shack.com.
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