What do you use for shaving?

BreaknBrix said:

I'm italian / sicilian and have to shave everyday.

So naturally, I have tested most razors on the market. And I'm very obsessive about using the "perfect" razor.

The schick quattro, gillette fusion, mach 3 are all great razors. By "great" I mean you will get the fastest, smoothest shave with those razors.
The downside is, these blades are so sharp they lose their "edge" very fast. Plus the lubricant reservoirs are designed to empty out quick which forces you to buy more expensive blades.

One thing I always do after I shave, I rinse the razor in water, shake it off very fast and pat it with a towel.

You always want to dry a razor after you use it rather than let the water dry itself which will degrade the blades faster. And I also dip my finger in coconut oil "hair food", it's a very thick white gel, I push the gel and smear it across the blades. So the gel squeezes between the blades and coats the top/sides of the blades blocking them from air and moisture. Then I snap the cap back on.

This gives you about double the amount of shaves. Sometimes I can get 14 shaves before the blades start "plucking" my hair. On average it's around 10-12 shaves with added lubricant.

The cheaper ones don't shave as quick. And a lot of these cheaper blades do in fact suck. Some of them "pluck" right out of the box on first shave. Many of them position the blades too close together which makes the blades clog. So you have to smash these things so hard (in water) to get the hair out & sometimes the tops of the razors break right off.

However, there is 1 brand specifically that has impressed me A LOT. It's the disposable "Schick ST2".

They don't look very fancy, but I've compared these razors to at least 10-15 other types of disposable razors, and these are the absolute best.

Here's a few reasons why:

1) They are cheap as fuck. My shoprite sells them for $7.99 and many times they're on sale for $6.49. When they're on sale it's almost $.50 / razor (12 razors).

2) They are built extremely well. The lubricant strips are nothing like the "reservoirs" you see on the premium blades. Instead they use the good old fashion "sponge" pad. Which is really just a thin piece of sponge. When it gets wet it gets slippery, and the good news is they last much longer then reservoirs do.

3) They shave really well. You can't do 1/4 of your whole face before you rinse off like the premium blades. Since the ST2 only have 2 blades it means more rinsing off. But they unclog VERY FAST. Literally 1 smack against the sink and all the hair drops out quick.

4) They last very long. Without any added lubricant they last same as premium razors do. With the coconut gel they can last 10 shaves easily before they start to pull and pluck your hair.

5) One package of the ST2 generally lasts me 3 months. So that's $2.60 / month on blades.

With the gillette fusion, it's $10 for the initial blade + 2 blades. Then >>$16.99 for 4 measily blades ($4.25/blade). Or $27.99 for 8 blades ($3.49/blade). For 3 months, I would need at least 10 blades, so that's $37.99 / 3 = $12.63 / month for blades.

In the end, premium blades are 5 times more expensive.

So you're paying 5 times more for a blade that is only slightly sharper, and you don't have to smack it against the sink as often.

To sum up, 90% of the time I use the ST2. 10% of the time I use the Gillette Fusion (for special occasions, meetings, holidays, b-day parties, dates, etc).

And one last thing. Make sure you get a really thick lather on your face.

I actually use 3 different "lathers" before I shave.

1) I soap up my face with hot water and rub the soap bar all over my face. I do NOT rinse. I leave the soap on my face.
2) I spread the coconut hair gel on my face and mix it into the soap. This gives you a dense, but slippery layer underneath the gel or cream.
3) I put gel/cream over the gel and soap.

THEN I shave. This was a habit that started in prison of all places cause we had these shitty razors that would tear your face up. But we had hair gel, soap, and cream, so a lot of guys would use this lather before shaving to make these blades work and you'd get a much better shave.

Once I got out and started using better blades, I kept using the same lather and was AMAZED how good it feels. I dare you people to test this. Shave 1 day with your regular water based gel or foam. The next day put some soap on your face, than some oil based petrolatum hair gel (mix the gel around into the soap on your face), THEN foam up your face and shave like normal. It'll be the smoothest, fastest, closest shave you've ever gotten in your life.

Just think about it. Why don't barbers put shaving foam on clippers before they cut your hair? Cause it does NOTHING to lubricate the blades while they cut your hair. Same thing with a chainsaw. You always use a petroleum based, non-polar oil to lubricate. The only purpose foam serves is to create more surface area which stops hair from clumping. But as a lubricant they are shit. They do very little of anything to prevent the friction of the blades going through your hair. But a thick oil based gel will make the blades cut right through your hair like butter.

/end rant

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BreaknBrix said:

However, there is 1 brand specifically that has impressed me A LOT. It's the disposable "Schick ST2".

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abhi007 said:

I always use cold water for shaving...what makes you use hot water?

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ShadeDream said:

Do they still make blades for that thing? I've still got one and must agree, just no blades... lol

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mladja3 said:

So i bought Wilkinson DE razor and it sux! Im cutting myself everytime i shave.

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Macthetrix said:

Im Dan Bilzerian. I dont shave

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dadangle said:

I keep a finely trimmed beard most of the time. It just seems that in times of crisis, dudes with beards are normally who save the day. Think about it, Rick - the walking dead, Chuck Norris, Gandalf, the dude from 300, GOD. Just makes sense, ya know?

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