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Consider a simple old-fashioned safety razor with double-edged razor blades. They're not quite as fast and effective as the 4 (+1) bladed razors, but for the $30 you'd pay for a four-pack of the Mach 5 blades you can also get ~100 Feather blades off Amazon (Prime) so even if you replace the blade every single time they'll last you four months or so. and if you do that, they will be sharp enough.

I used a safety razor for the last two years or so. The shave quality is nowhere even close to even a cheap three blade razor. Cheap, but you can get (almost as) cheap and a much better shave with just about any modern alternative.

The proper way to shave using a safety razor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IuA8HGacJw

It takes a tad longer than a three blade razor, but I've always had closer and better shaves.

I've tried disposables, cartridges, electric and the safety razor and I'd rate safety razors better than all of them.

Not a bad tutorial. Also check out mantic59 on youtube, aka the Shave Tutor.

Funny, I find the shave quality of a safety razor to be far superior to any of the cartridge blades (Like the Gilette Fusion). My shaves are super smooth and close.

However, I still use a my Fusion daily, since it's so fast and efficient. With a safety razor it takes time to lather up and get a proper shave.

I just used my brand new Harry's 4 blade razor, and I gotta say, it just blows away my safety razor, in every category, except it doesn't get the mustache hairs that are really close to my nose, so I used my safety razor to get those.

I've had just the opposite experience, and the multi-blade razors really irritate my skin.

They're undeniably cheap as chips. But shaving with safety razor takes longer and requires more skill not to cut yourself.

With a cartridge system, it is damn near impossible to cut yourself even if you tried... With a safety razor if you hold it at the wrong angle you'll get cut (and the angle depends where on your face you're shaving, so it is very much a per-face learnt skill).

The main reason why a safety razor takes so much longer is that you need a good lather from the shaving soap. This offers the most lubrication, which will protect your face from the sharp blade. The crappy supermarket shaving foam just won't cut it (minor pun intended).

I use the non-foaming gels with a cartridge, which is fast and smooth. I gave a safety razor a real shot, but I don't want to spend 20-30 minutes before working shaving, I want to spend 5-10 minutes, and have almost no risk cutting myself no matter how reckless I am.

But undeniably safety razors are sharp and cheap. They're just a lot of hassle.

I've found the opposite to be true. My beard hair is so thick it gets stuck in the space between blades on multi-blade razors and I spend twice as long making the cartridge usable again. By the time I'm done shaving I'm irritated and the blades are not in great shape (if only my beard hair were my head hair, hah!). The thing with safety razors is you need to find the right blade/razor combo. The big reason why you get cut by a safety razor is a mismatch between blade gap and your technique. Adjustable safety razors are simply awesome for dialing that in.

Which adjustable razor do you find works best for a thick beard?

I use a Merkur Futur with Astra Blades, set to somewhere between 2.75 and 3.25 (typically on the lower side). That plus any alcohol free aftershave leaves me with the best shave possible with low irritation (I have sensitive skin) and no blood loss. The shave lasts me about a day and a half before obvious stubble shows up. When I used a Mach III I had to shave every day.

That said, you don't really need the adjust-ability to deal with beard thickness, you set the blade gap to match your skin, the angle you shave at, and your blade selection. The idea is more gap means the razor cuts deeper into the exposed hair, giving a closer longer lasting shave. If you get too greedy, you eventually cut your face. Sharper blades typically need less blade gap than less aggressive blades. Adjustable razors just make it easier to tune for the other two variables you can control (sadly it does nothing to make your skin more robust ;).

Having a single disassemble-able razor is what helps with beard thickness. The hair just washes away rather than getting stuck in between the blades. Cut beard hair is fairly sharp and irritates the skin as it passes over your face. It also bends the blades and changes the angle the blades travel at. That can also increase irritation.

For a large swath of the world that isn't a big deal, but it makes it darn near impossible for me to get a good shave.

When I travel I use a non-adjustable 53 Gillette Super Speed[2] due to its light weight and size. It's not nearly as nice as the Futur but responds well to the Astra blades for a shave that is as good as I would get with a Mach III but without the cleaning needs and less irritation. I bought it for $20 off of ebay and it's not quite as pretty as the linked one.

[1] http://www.amazon.com/Merkur-Futur-Safety-Razor-Finish/dp/B0...

[2] http://www.razoremporium.com/gillette-1953-notched-super-spe...

Brain dump:

http://www.shaving101.com/index.php/education/double-edge-sh...

http://www.shaving101.com/index.php/shaving-faqs/253-do-i-ne...

Thank you for the detailed response!

As someone who made the switch to safety razors, I have to say that with practice the shaving time gets within a few minutes of cartridge shaving. Cartridge shaving was taking me about 5 minutes, and I've gotten safety razor shaving down to about 7 minutes.

Part of the time savings is going with a tubes of shaving cream. The cream (Proraso in my case) lathers quickly and consistently, and is vastly superior to the canned stuff.

In the end, after becoming fully adjusted, I find that safety razors are just as convenient, give a better shave, and are far cheaper than cartridge razors. It takes just a minute or two longer.

By far the most important factor for getting a smooth, fast shave with a traditional safety razor is finding the right shaving cream. If you get the pre-lathered ones that come in a tube or tub, you can avoid spending several minutes lathering in a bowl. Good creams include Keihl's White Eagle or Blue Eagle and Truefitt and Hill 1805, each of which is pretty much universally loved by anyone who has ever tried them.

With those shaving creams, I find that it pretty much doesn't matter what brand of blade I use any more, and I can shave in 5 minutes. If you really wanted to optimize on the margins, you could get a sampler pack of 10 different kinds of blades and find the one that works best for your skin chemistry.

I had an issue with Proraso, but I started putting Jack Black's Beard Lube on first and it seems to make my shave much more smooth.

Lathering the Proraso takes seconds, rinse my brush with really hot water and put some hot water in the Proraso tub for a few seconds before dumping it out. Swirl around the brush for a few seconds and it's good to go.

>> The cream (Proraso in my case) lathers quickly and consistently, and is vastly superior to the canned stuff.

For what it's worth, Proraso works well with cartridge and disposable razors also.

I find a shave faster if anything - short quick strokes with a sharp razor decimates my thick facial hair faster than a triple blade cartridge.

I typically wait until my facial hair is pretty thick before shaving too. I use Jack Black's Face buff in the shower, then Jack Black's Beard Lube and layer Proraso on top of it. I'd be interested how well my shave would be if I used the same method with a cartridge.

Same here. I have really thick hair and I use an old 1950's style razor with cheap single blades. One pass and I'm done. With the 3-4 blade razors I'd have to shave down 2-3 times in each spot and then back up again to get a clean shave.

This is going to sound stupid, but after a while of shaving with a double-edged razor I found I could shave in the shower with no lather.

I just wait until I'm done washing and the steam has had a chance to soften the hair, then shave directly in the shower. It took a couple of weeks of shaving daily for my skin to get used to it but now I get it done with no irritation. An advantage of no lather/gel is that I can keep putting my face under the shower to keep the hair soft.

(I shave without a mirror, and then clean up afterwards)

This isn't going to be for everyone, and it certainly isn't as close as a gilette, but I can get the shave done in a couple of minutes.

Those of us in California are jealous of your ability to have decadent, long showers!

I haven't used shaving cream in decades. I exclusively use a small amount of regular conditioner. I don't need a foamy mess all over my face, just need the smooth glide the conditioner offers.

Personally I like the multi-blade disposables razors. I think I have a pack of gillete 3 blade disposables that have lasted me almost half a year. It was 7.99 for a pack of 10.

It's a skill you'll have for the rest of your life. It's a razor you'll have for the rest of your life. A minor hassle of a few bad shaves while you learn good technique for shaving your face is entirely worth it. Think long term, get away from short term thinking.

Check out the Beluga Razor from Beluga Shave Co., problem solved. (Drops the mic)

Funny how their strategy seems to be based on annoying ads and locking people to their service

About shaving: after I got an electrical one I never looked back

Relevant: http://imgur.com/gallery/fkkn3

While interesting, is it really relevant? As in does the observed visual difference amount to significant practical difference

Actually it does make a practical difference but I would argue in favor of the electric razor.

Ever wonder why it itches in those first couple of weeks if you decide to grow your beard out?

Look at that picture.

Shaving with a straight-blade razor basically leaves a bunch of tiny little hypodermic needles behind. When those suckers start growing out, they curl back into your face and start jabbing you, resulting in that annoying itching sensation.

If you want to grow your beard out, take my advice and make your last shave with an electric razor, it's a lot more comfortable.

That makes sense. ha!

> If you want to grow your beard out, take my advice and make your last shave with an electric razor, it's a lot more comfortable.

Shouldn't make too much of a difference after a few days, should it?

Locking in? You can pause your subscription at any time. You can adjust the amount of blades you get in a month based on your shaving frequency.

As a very occasional shaver, I'm very happy with their service, although I agree that the Mach 3 is superior to their top-end razor.

Still, I'm cheap and I find their razor far superior to Schick and other alternatives. I've adjust my shaving techniques to better suit their blades, and am happy to save a bunch of money.

Locking in? You can pause your subscription at any time. You can adjust the amount of blades you get in a month based on your shaving frequency.

Agreed. I very easily cancelled my subscription a few weeks ago (and have since subscribed again, realizing that I could adjust my shipments).

Recommendation for an electric one?

Have you tried Harry's?

Harry's concept is similar, an online-only, delivery model at low cost, but their branding really emphasize the quality of the blade. They build their story around buying a blade factory in Germany... Now I wonder with Harry's being the second player, if they emphasized blade quality to hit DSC where it hurts.

I have recent blades from DSC (the mid tier 4 blade type) and Harry's and do not find the Harry's any sharper. Harry's hinge also has less range / more resistance (which can be good or bad depending on technique).

I've tried Gillette, Harry's and DSC and ended up with Harry's being first preference, DSC a backup. Harry's (subjectively) does seem sharper and smoother, with a caveat that I shave in hot shower, with skin being soft, pores being open and all, the experience probably differs if shaving gel is applied onto a dry face.

Harry's clog up for me and stop cutting well mid shave.

My suggestion to stop the clogging is either: - use a beard trimmer on the shortest setting, and then shave with Harrys - Try a Bic Metal razor, single blade with lot's of space so it doesn't get clogged

Or just switch back to the Mach 3 blades I was using before. Which is what I did.

That suggestion is absurd. Why should you have to work around limitations in your razors? Just pay an extra 50c for the branded ones.

Use a safety razor: with a single blade there's nothing to clog.

When I was shaving daily, the 3-5 blade razors would last me at least two weeks for each one. I wanted to say 3 weeks, and think that's actually true, but never actually counted the days.

I hope you guys aren't just using them a few times, and tossing? And yes--I always hated buying them, but because they seemed to last, it wasn't really a concern.

Locking them up was a bad move? They seem cheap to manufacture? Why didn't the companies offer to replace stolen merchandise? (by the way, I have worked security--guess who steals the most? I'll give them in the order I witnessed: (1) Managers stole the most. (2) assistant managers second (3) clerks (4) then janitorial, maintence, and special contractors. (5) The customers. The customers are always blamed in the media, but not among security insiders.

I signed up out of curiosity when they first came on the scene. I think my subscription lasted until the first shave. Hurt so much that it wasn't worth it to me at any cost.

Would be interested in club where the razors don't tear your face apart, but no amount of funny videos are going to make me want to start my day with that experience.

Its funny how advertising influences "brand perception"

Before this thread I might have, stupidly, recommended them just because they had ads I didnt mind watching

It's also funny what one person considers "hurt" and "bad razor" while the other considers smooth as butter.

I could never stand Gillete for shaving. Crap, hairs caught in between blades etc. Haven't tried DSC, but I do use the plainest blades: Bic Metal. Single blade.

http://www.bicworld.com/en/products/details/178/metal

I was just saying the same thing to my girlfriend this morning. I love the concept of DSC. Love the leaflets, love the humor, wanted to tell all of my buddies about it...I even liked the razor quality. But over the last month or two I have cut myself multiple times a week and I'm not getting that nice smooth shave I used to get with my Gillette Mach 3's. Now I think I'm going back to the $30 5-packs of Gillette blades at the pharmacy. Oh well--It was fun while it lasted.

Since we're briefly on the topic of razor blades: wipe the blade with alcohol after using it, it'll increase its lifetime by deterring oxidation

How does that help? The alcohol will evaporate off rapidly leaving the cleaned metal exposed to the air which contains moisture.

Back when I shaved with a razor, I'd store it in a cup with baby oil. Did work to keep it sharp longer.

This works wonders for preservation (both sharpness and rust). You can also sharpen them by running it backwards on an old strip of denim a few times before each shave.

Purely a guess, but I'd say the alcohol rinses away the standing water on the blades, leaving only the airborne moisture to deal with.

And how did you keep the blades from being clogged up with hair? Usually, they just stick in there, even if I try wiping them off before they get to that point.

Run hot water through both ways (flip the razor while rinsing). Hold the razor at an angle, so that the water runs straight through the blades. Do this after every 2-4 strokes to prevent hair build up, and give you a nice warm, clean razor each time it touches your face. (Mach 3 user for as long as I can remember.)

This is actually why I use the 4x dollar shave club razor instead of the 6x. There are gaps between the blades so you can actually rinse it.

Surprised you had that experience. I've been using them for awhile now, and I think they are great. I usually get bad razor burn while shaving, but using the Shave Butter and Executive razor I get a awesome shave.

"I doubt I'll try Gillette's shave club as I've heard they just send out their "not as sharp" razors for the reduced price."

I have actually bought OEM hard drives from the Apple store that I can buy cheaper on Amazon on the theory that Apple gets the better drives. I don't know if I am right but that is my theory and is based on past experience with other products (and similar to what you are saying).

Your comment reminded me of the story recently about Harry's and how they bought a razor blade company in Germany because of the difficulty of reliably sourcing quality razors. I wonder if the 1DS folks have had supply chain issues?

I'm pretty sure they just resell the blades from a Korean company. I did the dollar shave once then went directly to the company that makes them for a better price. Now I use Harry's which I think are a little better

Pro tip to everyone using these blades: Pickup a bottle of mineral oil from the drugstore, and fill a small cup about half an inch with it. After you shave, rinse off the blade, blot it dry, and stick it in the mineral oil, so that it's fully submerged. Each blade will last somewhere between 2-5x as long.

Not entirely sure about the mechanism, but I recall hearing the oil slows down oxidation, which is the primary cause of the blade's dulling (it's not, surprisingly, the cutting of the beard hairs).

I've found generic disposables (two blade, throw the whole thing away, handle and all) work pretty well, as long as I replace them regularly. I also use a nice shave oil, which seems to help.

Have you heard about Beluga Shave Co.? We make single edge shaving easy. Better shave, premium razor, no irritation, super low cost blades, and no clogging.

You might like a safety razor. You can buy much sharper blades for less money.

Totally agree! Branding has been their strong suit. Everything from their website to their Facebook page has style and personality.

Taliban beards are en vogue nowadays.

Why is that?

http://fashion-year.com/fashion-mens-beard-2015-year.html

You must have seen those beards.