Razor Blades: Platninum, Stainless, Teflon, "Oh My!"

Are DE Razor Blades Even Available?

A lot of time can be spent in finding just the right blade to give you the best shave possible. DE razor blades are not easily found in the U.S. in fact, there is only one blade manufacturer left in the states that continues to produce DE blades. That company is Personna. However, overseas in Europe and the Middle Eastern and Asian countries, DE manufacturing is in full swing. At last count, you can possible find close to 100 different DE blades on the market. You just have to know where to look.


I have purchased blades from several places. One of the first places was TryABlade.com. I was able to select single blades without having to purchase a whole box at one time. It is a great place to get started and one I highly recommend using to find blades. One thing I did do is select blades that I knew I could find elsewhere in bulk in the case I hit on a great blade that was a winner. But at the same time I could not pass up trying the blades from exotic places from around the world.

Some things to look for in a blade

Not all DE razor blades are the same. After you try a few you will see what I mean. I gauge a blade by four things. How sharp is it, how smooth is it, did It give me any weepers and finally how much did it cost.


Lets face it. No body likes to spend money when we don't have to. So why spend two dollars on a blade that you can get for 20 cents that will produce equally good results. I've never been able to get more than a week out of a good blade. Besides, at 20 cents why suffer with a rough shave just to get an extra week out of a blade? It's not worth it.

All razor blades are sharp. They will cut you. However, cutting and shaving are two different things. For me, finding one that is smooth is worth not having the sharpest blade in the world. A smooth blade will shave with a lot of comfort. For those of us with tender necks, sharpness along with the highest degree of smoothness can sometimes be what you need, but hard to find. So it becomes a hunt for the perfect blade.

Manufacturers and Materials

There are several DE razor blade manufacturers around the world. Located in The United States, Russia, Germany, Greece, Egypt, Israel, Turkey, China, South Korea, Viet Nam, and Japan, there is no shortage of suppliers. I'm sure I left someone off the list. And then there is a variety of materials used in the blades and coatings on the blades. You can easily find stainless steel, platinum, and Teflon blades. Carbon steel is not easily found and a material I wouldn't recommend for obvious reasons. I'm just not sure how long they will last before they start rusting. However please try them if you wish! You might just find your perfect blade!


Stainless steel blades are very sharp but sometimes the do not rank high in the smoothness category. The Platinum coated blades seek to add a higher degree of smoothness to the blades and do a great at it. Teflon coatings attempt the same thing and raise the degree of smoothness even higher in my opinion. But this coating seems to reduce the sharpness of the blade. I find these blades valuable when I want a quick shave and I am being careless, or just wanting my face to heal from a really bad shave.


When I stated DE shaving I tried a lot of different blades. What I found, was that Russian blade manufactures produced the best blades for my skin type. Sharp and smooth, I am able to get some really great shaves with these. Ironically, one of those blades produced in Russia is made by Gillette! Another great blade for me is the Personna Red made in Israel.

"The Fab Four"

I made it a point to identify four blades that were the best fit for me. With blades coming from overseas, I never new when there may be a supply problem. After identify them, I bought a hundred blade packs of each. I literally have enough blades to get me through the next five years! Each 100 blade pack cost me between 15 and 20 dollars. For me, that was cheap insurance. So what are my four best blades?

The Persona Reds made in Israel are considered my best blade. Sharp and somewhat smooth, I tend to get the best shave from these blades. Besides a good shave, There have been times when I have gotten about 14 shaves with this blade before it got changed out.

The Gillette Silver Blue blades are my second best blades. Made in Russia, they are sharp but not quite as smooth as the Personna Reds. They do however give me great shaves with very little tugging with ATG shaves on my sensitive neck.

The two smoothest blades I have are both made in Russia and I would be willing to bet by the same manufacturer. The Rapira Platinum Lux is one blade that consistently gives me comfortable shaves without weepers. It feels dull when shaving with it, but the results are wonderful!

Finally, the Voskhod is a Teflon blade that ranks high in smoothness with a good comfortable shave. It's a blade I can get a good seven days shaving out of and hardly ever get a weeper!

A final thought

As you begin to research razors, I would suggest such website as TryABlade.com and MaggardRazors.com or one of the other vendors I have listed on the right panel. All provide excellent customer service and options. Some of these websites will allow you to build a blade sample kit for a reduced price. Just remember when shopping for blades read the user reviews. They can be very helpful!

The DE Razor Jungle

Importance of razor choice

Choosing a new double edge razor can be confusing and overwhelming. It was for me, and it took a long time to learn how to choose a razor. And then, in my case, the razor I first chose was hard to learn how to use! This created problems for me right up front. As a beginner, I had difficulty learning how to hold the razor and keeping the right angle for a good clean cut. The razor I chose only added to this problem. It was a nice quality razor, but in my case and beard type, I could not easily feel the blade or detect much audio feedback. This resulted in frequent razor burn and missed shave areas and lots of nicks and weepers. Producing less than stellar results and was a source of many hours of frustration. It was a hard razor for me to get familiar with.  Choosing the right razor for your everyday use may take some time will require a little bit of thinking.

Various types of double edge razors

One piece "butterfly"

The one piece razor is probably the most recognizable of safety razors. The design was engineered and made famous by Gillette back in the 1940's. Since then they stopped production of these razors and now at least two manufactures has copied these designs for modern production. These are made by Weishi and Parker. These razors are designed to be mild and yet produce a close shave. The Parker design is a little more aggressive than the Weishi. Both razors are nice and quality control seems to be very good.

Three piece razor

Merkur 33C Three piece razor

The three piece design is the most commonly available safety razor on the market. This razor comes in various designs for aggressiveness, adjustability, and weight. You can easily  find a razor for just about kind of beard or skin sensitivity. The design of these razors varies quite a bit. Most come with a safety bar that is scalloped to allow the shaving cream to easily flow to the blade.



Merkur 25C Open Comb

Then there is the open comb razor. The base plate of this razor has a "rake" design that is more appropriate for those with thicker and dense bears. It is designed to allow more of the blade to have contact with the skin and to channel more shaving cream and hair to the blade for a more efficient cut. Aggressive in design, some razors can make quick work of several days growth .



Merkur Slant

The Merkur slant bar razor is also designed for an aggressive cut. The head of these razors are made so that when the blade is mounted, it is twisted in such a way that is slices from one end to the other producing a closer cut with less drag.



Merkur Progress Adjustable

And finally, there is the adjustable razor. Made famous by Gillette, they are no longer in production. Merkur razors does have a model (the progress) that is quite different and is based on the two (or is it three) piece model. I'm not sure since I do not own one. However, these razors are adjustable and many enthusiast own them. Because of the weight and the cost, I have not opted to pay the price for having something that is adjustable.

Two piece razor



Merkur 34HD

The only two piece razor that I know of is the Merkur 34HD. This razor is highly rated in the shaving community. Being a little more aggressive than the Edwin Jager DE89, I think it's appeal is the two piece design along with the knurled handle. This makes for easy blade loading and handling during the shave. Personally, I do not own one but would not be against purchasing this razor.

My only experience with Merkur razors is the Merkur 33C. It is a quality product that will last a lifetime. The main disadvantage I see with the two piece 34HD razor is that you cannot change out handles if you prefer another handle than the one that comes with the razor. Some people like to do this to get a razor that matches their grip and hand balance.

Where to start

The first question I would ask would be what type of beard do you have? If you have a mild beard, you might opt for a milder razor such as the Weishi. If your beard growth is thicker you might go with the Merkur 34C. When you are laying down hard dollars making a good choice up front is important. I would spend some time on Youtube researching DE  razor reviews to help make this decision. It is hard for me to make a recommendation because my needs are different from yours so it would be wise to watch these reviews for good suggestions.

My Personal Choices

I currently own five razors. The Weishi 9306F, the Merkur 33C, the Edwin Jagger DE89, the Maggard MR1, and the Rimei. My beard type is light to normal, thicker on the chin area and very sensitive on the neck. I have discovered that a mild razor like the Weishi and the Merkur 33C with a sharp blade works best for me. You will have to do quite a bit of experimentation at first but once you hit on the magic combination you will be well rewarded! More about that soon!

Happy shaving!

 

 

Brushes, Creams, and Soaps

Grain direction shaving

By now you have gotten a good start on mapping the direction of your beard growth and should be seeing improvements in the finish product. It's really not all that difficult but once learned, you will find that shaving is more enjoyable and conquering "the beast" a victory every time you shave. Keep at it. Once you learn the general direction of your growth, you will begin to find the little areas that seem to go against the norm. It takes a lot of practice and attention while you are shaving, but it is worth it every time you get a little better shave!

You don't have to spend much

If you have taken the time to start exploring items on various websites, you can see that prices range to just a few dollars to over $200 or even $300 dollars! In all actuality you do not need to spend that much to get started, For what you currently spend just buying a package of the cartridge razors, you can get set up with an inexpensive razor, blades, soap, and brush. You just have to know where to shop, what to expect and what you are willing to call acceptable.  I really is subjective. Acceptability is not having the best money can buy, but rather what can give you a good, comfortable shave. In the end, that's what it is all about.

Purchasing Starter sets

There are several pros and cons with buying starter sets. These sets and generally put together with the intent of helping the new wet shaver to get started without getting stressed out over what to buy. There are a lot of products out there and user reviews are just a diverse. All of this just leaves the prospective buyer at a loss of what to get. Purchasing individual items can take time to research and the temptation to buy a starter set is tempting.

When I first got started, I purchased the Van der Hagen Premium shave set. This came with a small bowl, a 2.5oz puck of their deluxe soap, and a 22mm knot boar brush. All of this for around ten dollars at my local grocery store. It really wasn't a bad deal. I like the small bowl as it fits my hand nicely as I build up the lather, and their deluxe soap is easy to lather and stays thick during the shave. not quite as slick as I like my soaps and creams, but I have a remedy for that. I'll share that in another post.

Van Der Hagen Premium Shave Set

The brush however is not quite as nice as some that cost a little bit more. It is a boar hair brush that required a good cleaning before use, and it took it about a week to get rid of the smell. Probably the thing that bothered me the most was that it shed bristles like a shaggy dog. I was constantly having to pluck them from the cream on my face and from the soap puck for about four months. It did eventually settle down and became a nice soft brush. After about six months of daily use it became a pleasure to use. Not very stiff, but soft. So if you are willing to put up with loose bristles for a while, I would recommend spending the ten dollars.

Keeping it simple

Semogue 1305

There are other options if you decide not to go with one of those pre-packaged starter sets. You can do very good by spending a little extra on the brush and skimp by purchasing a small pudding dish at Wal-Mart or other type of store and then pick up a puck of VDH Deluxe soap or a tube of Derby shave cream. Here would be my recommendations:

For a nice brush that has a good backbone, bristles with very low animal smell, and becomes a sheer pleasure to use once it is broke in (about 15 to 20 shaves,) is the Semogue 1305. It is an 18mm knot brush that lathers pucks, soap sticks and creams wonderfully. It builds a great lather and holds it until you are ready for it. This was my third brush and my favorite. I think I have only lost 4 or 5 bristles out of mine since I have started using it. To me, choosing a good brush is of more value than an all in one kit!

Nordic Ware Prep Bowl

I went cheap on a lather bowl! For the most part I just face lather because it saves time and is less messy. However I do soak my brush for a couple of minutes before use and sometime I do bowl lather. The bowl I chose was the Nordic Ware Mini Prep bowl I found at Wal-Mart. It is about as small as I would like to go with a bowl, and it doesn't take up a lot of room in the drawer. But then for $1.00 I couldn't pass it up. Besides if it didn't work out It would wind up in the kitchen! One nice thing about this bowl is that if you do purchase the VDH Premium set above, this bowl provides a nice cover over the top of the ceramic one in the VDH set.

Soufflé Dish

And then finally I bought a ceramic dish for my soap puck. It is a simple 9oz.  Soufflé Dish that I picked up at Wal-Mart for $1.50. It is ceramic and looks similar to this one.  It holds a 2.5oz soap puck without any problem and has plenty of room to load a brush. It didn't come with a lid, but I found that a lid from a can of peanuts worked just fine!

Soap or Cream?

Van Der Hagen

You don't really need to make a decision on this. I use both and rotate them around to change up my shave. Soaps can run you less than $2.00 for Van der Hagen Deluxe and around $3.00 for a 100ml tube of Derby cream. These are the cheap ones and do an excellent job of giving you a good close shave. I will say that starting out with a cream may be easier than the puck. Getting the water to soap ratio can sometimes be difficult when starting out. The creams just seem to lather easier and have a good slickness to them. And, if you don't want to purchase a bowl, you can just load the brush and go straight to a face lather. Most days, I just leave my bowl in the drawer!

Derby Lavender Shave Cream

So as you can see it doesn't take much to get started (at least with the soaps.) The brush being the most important and expensive piece of hardware we've talked about today. A simple investment of $10 to $25 dollars can get you set up nicely with the soap side of the equipment that will last you for many, many years.

 

Mapping the Terrain

Calming the savage beast

If you took my advice in my last post, you should already begin to see the benefits of using Witch Hazel. It is a great anti inflammatory agent that really reduces the redness and pain from razor burn. If you are a young guy with bouts of acne, you will also see an improvement in that also.

When I first started DE shaving, I had a lot of trouble with remembering to use light strokes. Having used those disposable cartridge type razors for so long, I was use to the fact that you had to press down on my skin to get it to shave. Using DE razors the opposite is true. You have to remember to use light pressure and let the blade do the cutting. If you press to hard then you will begin to irritate the skin and razor burn and bumps will be the end result. Witch hazel is your best first line of defence.

One thing I did fail to mention in my last post was that Dickenson's comes in two different types. There is the one I use that is in the blue bottle and is found in the pharmacy department, and then there is another type that is found in the cosmetic department. From reading the contents on the bottle there is not a noticeable difference in the contents of either. The main difference is the one found in the cosmetic department is a couple of dollars more.

First aid use

Cosmetic use

Mapping the direction of growth

So far I haven't ventured off into DE shaving products yet. If you are still shaving with the multi-blade shavers, don't make a change just yet. One of the basic things that you need to know first is how to shave with the growth and get the best benefit with each stroke.

Learning the direction of hair growth is kind of tricky (at least it was for me.) When you look at your face, look at it as five different quadrants. You have your right and left cheek, right and left neck and chin.

Spend some time rubbing your hand up and down and sideways across one of your cheeks. You will notice that you will feel the pickiness of your beard as you go against its direction of growth. Begin to make mental notes of this growth and see if it is the same on the other cheek. Do this also with each side of the neck areas. What you will notice is that the beard grows in all different directions and this needs to be remembered as you shave. I would recommend that you concentrate on one area such as your cheek and learn how to shave in relation to the growth.

In my particular case, the growth on my cheeks are the same on both sides. However, it grows straight down next to the ears, it angles outward and down from the end of the moustache area, and then from the ears to the chin right above the jawbone area.

My chin area grows inward from the corners of my mouth to the center of my chin. Under the jaw line, it grows from the bottom of my ears to the centre of my chin. Then the neck areas it grows from my Adam's apple to the side of my neck only to switch 180 degrees about two thirds of the way.

As you can see it is not uniform, but consistent in each quadrant so there is a pattern that needs to be discovered to get a close shave. this keeps you from dragging your razor over the same spot numerous times trying to get everything shaved off. Learn the growth, speed up the shave and get better feeling results!

Once the direction of growth is learned, then you can apply the three pass shaving method. This consist of first shaving with the grain (WTG), across the grain (XTG) and then against the grain (ATG). This is then followed by a few pick ups that may have been missed.

Here is a hand map to use that is easily found on the internet. Print it out and draw little arrows that show your growth.

Thick or thin, standing or lazy?

Another thing that you have to think about is what type of hair do you have. Is it thick and closely grown, is it thin and finely spaced? These things can make a difference when it come to selecting a razor and blade. It also makes a difference in what type od shaving cream you use. So, when you are mapping your direction of growth, it doesn't hurt to identify what type of hair is growing there. It will help you to remember when you start learning technique.

Another thing that you need to try and make note of is whether your hair stands out or lays down. I have both and as luck would have it, my beard lays down on my chin area. This makes getting a close shave on a hard to navigate area. My razor has a tendency to just ride over the hair if I can't make it stand up. So try and note this also.

Tough or sensitive?

I really envy those guys that have a tough skin. My most tender place is on my right neck area. If I don't get things just right with blades, soap and technique, shaving there will make me cry like a baby. Even though the hair is fine, the sensitivity of the skin is extremely high. If you are thick skinned, count your blessings!

Avoid ploughing dirt

Finally, avoid ploughing dirt! What I mean is, start learning to use less pressure on the razor. This is a very, very, important thing to remember once you switch from multiple blades to a single blade, When you get this under control, your shaves will become very comfortable and you will begin to feel like an artist. When I get that perfect shave with no razor burn or nicks, I point into the mirror and at my face and say; "Beat you again, you fiend!"

All's fair in love and war!

Getting Started

Ready to take the plunge?

When you get ready to lay down your hard cold cash for supplies, you really want to make the best decision and get the right things. My problem was getting bit by the shaving bug pretty bad. After watching so many YouTube review videos, I just had to have everything! I spent money on things that I thought I needed and things that will never be used. What you have to be careful of are the reviews on places like Amazon. Some people would rave about a product and it did not work for me. Another would give it a low rating and classify it as a very poor product only to find it was perfect for me. Everybody's shaving needs are different. In the shaving world it's a matter of finding the right things that suit your needs and budget and give you the best results. But above all give you satisfaction during and after the shave! So be cautious with online reviews.

Make one change at a time

I can't emphasize enough to only make one change at a time. This was one of the first mistakes that I made. I changed my shaving cream, razor and blade all at once. It was a mental struggle every shave trying to remember how to create the lather, how to hold the razor at the right angle, how to keep the pressure at a minimum, which direction to shave, what blade to use, how to deal with razor burn. And then I was changing up products every other day! With  so many changes, it was difficult to keep track of what was working and what was not and then to remember all of that the next day. Take small steps and work your way into it.  Remember, Rome wasn't built in a day!

Be a thrifty shopper

Just because it cost a lot does not make it the right product for you. I've bought several soaps and creams that cost up to fifteen to twenty dollars each, and for me, they could not perform as well as the cheap $1.69 soap I buy at the local supermarket. My $12.88 razor performs just as well as my $35.00 razor. Cost does not always dictate what works best for you. Skin type, sensitivity, beard growth and the shape of your face has everything to do with what you need to use. Just because it is popular among the DE shaving community, or expensive does not mean it will work for you. Finding that perfect shave can be frustrating and expensive. Just remember, It will be worth the effort once you find that right combination!

My first two investments

Before you venture any further into DE shaving I would recommend that you make two purchases up front. The first would be a styptic pencil and the second would be a bottle of witch hazel. Both can be purchased at your local drugstore, supermarket, or even Wal-Mart.




I picked up my styptic pencil at Wal-Mart for a couple of dollars. The only one they had was made by Pinaud Clubman. It is quite large but does the job nicely and comes in a plastic tube for storage and traveling. I'm sure it will last me the rest of my life!

You can also pick up a bottle of witch hazel at Wal-Mart. I found it in the pharmacy section. You can opt for the Wal-Mart brand or like me spend an extra dollar and get a bottle made by Dickenson. I opted for the Dickenson because of the cap (and the pretty label!)

The reason for these two items is important. The styptic pencil will take care of any cuts and nicks you will get and the witch hazel works wonders at reducing razor burn with the redness and puffiness that comes along with it. I religiously use witch hazel after every shave. If you are still using cartridge razors, go ahead and start the witch hazel right after every shave. You will see and feel a difference. It will become a more noticeable once you make the change to DE shaving!

Single Blade Efficiency

As with all good debates you will always hear the pros and cons when comparing multi-blade cartridge razors to single edge razors. To avoid getting into one of those debates I will say that both have their advantages and disadvantages. For me personally, I found the cartridge razors to be painful to use and seldom received a good close shave. And because of the expense, I was always shaving with them until they quite shaving and started plucking the whiskers from my face!

When I started DE wet shaving, I soon began to realize that it's not how many blades you have in the razor that determines a good shave. A single, good sharp blade in the right razor and good technique can give you a perfect and comfortable shave. And because the blades are inexpensive, I don't think twice about changing out blades when the one I'm using gets dull.

When I gave my son-in-laws their first DE razor, they told me that the cartridge razors were painful to use, hard to keep from clogging up, keep clean, and expensive. Think about it. Nobody likes an unsanitary device that could cut them and spread some kind of infection.

Now take a moment and think about efficiency. Suppose the young woman in the video had a scythe that had five blades on it. Can you imagine the drag she would have? It would almost be impossible to slice through the grass. To me, the marketing ploy of "the fist blade grabs the whisker the second one cuts it closer than the third... well you get the picture. In reality, you are just shaving your face five times in one stroke with a five blade cartridge.  A single blade that's sharp, in the right tool, and with good technique can make short work of "mowing the grass." Like the video above with the scythe, you don't need to invest in a $50,000 brush hog to do the work!

Wow, what a lady! Who needs an expensive TV weight loss program when you have a single blade scythe!

Old School Luxury

Making The Switch

Deciding to take the plunge into DE wet shaving can be a very rewarding experience. It can even be an addicting experience! You will be amazed when you realize that a single blade can do the job just as good and even better than a multi-blade cartridge and that shaving soaps and creams can outperform those that are sold in aerosol cans. Instead of smearing shaving soap on your face with your fingers you message a warm creamy lather into your skin with a good boar or badger hair brush. It's just a great feeling that is not found in a squirt of cold canned goo in your hand and smearing it around and then having to wash your hands off. DE wet shaving IS less messy, a better experience and just as fast!

It's Not Time Consuming

Well, It is time consuming at first. Especially if you do not know what you are doing and are learning on your own. I have only been doing this for about nine months. I had no idea what I was doing or getting myself into. It was tough at first. I "sliced and diced" my way through many shaves and I loved every minute of it!

The idea of having a precision cutting tool made of metal in my hand that I could load different blades into for different experiences gave me the feeling of being a craftsman. The warm shaving cream was both exhilarating and relaxing. What used to be a mundane routine, became a longed for, end of the day relaxation.

At first I thought that you had to spend a lot of time shaving. Actually you will until you get the feel of the razor and learning how to use it. I shave every day and it took me about four to six weeks to get comfortable using the razor. In fact, it came by accident. One day as I was shaving I noticed that I was naturally flipping the razor around without thinking about it. The second thing I noticed from that shave were no bleeders! However there was the razor burn and the razor bumps that I had to work on (and still do!)

You begin to save time when you learn how to face lather soaps and leave the bowl lathering for the creams. You also learn to save time by properly mapping out your face to find which direction your beard grows. This way you don't waste time doing a face full of touch ups at the end. And then of course how to shave without making a huge mess in the bathroom that needs to be cleaned up. When it's all said and done, I can shave just as fast as a cartridge user and walk away feeling a lot better.

Be warned! One thing you will find yourself doing is constantly palming your face feeling your shave and how great it feels!