DE/straight shavers?

[GoVegan]

My goal is to get a 1907 Gillette with the floral handle and a WW1 Gillette Khaki Set. I keep getting outbid though.

This was the 1907 that I lost

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=STRK:MEDWX:IT

and the Khaki Set

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=STRK:MEDWX:IT

I kick myself for not going a little higher on the Khaki but it probably would have just made the item go higher anyway. I have more time than money so I will just keep trying.

[Experimental Monkey]

Thanks to you guys I was intrigued enough to do some research on DE razors and ended up deciding on a cheap Gillette G1000 on eBay. Still new and on the card from 1991. $16. Can't wait to get it in and try shaving with a safety razor for the first time!

[GoVegan]

You did good. The Gillette G1000 seems like a nice solid razor from the reviews I read. I would also recommend buying a sampler pack of blades (about $3.00 on ebay) so you can find the blade that works best between you and your razor. You should trying to find a blade that will give you a good week out of the blade before you have to change it. I also recommend buying a shaving cream, oil or soap that you really like. You will almost look forward to shaving once you get the right combination. I have 2 razors now and hope to get more in the future. Me and my son both enjoy going to antique stores together. He hunts for hot wheels and I look for razors.

Keep us posted with your results!

[KarlvB]

You did good. The Gillette G1000 seems like a nice solid razor from the reviews I read. I would also recommend buying a sampler pack of blades (about $3.00 on ebay) so you can find the blade that works best between you and your razor. You should trying to find a blade that will give you a good week out of the blade before you have to change it. I also recommend buying a shaving cream, oil or soap that you really like. You will almost look forward to shaving once you get the right combination. I have 2 razors now and hope to get more in the future. Me and my son both enjoy going to antique stores together. He hunts for hot wheels and I look for razors.

Keep us posted with your results!

Glad to see you are getting into DE shaving. Two razors already? Looks like you are suffering from RAD

Personally I won't be buying a new razor anytime soon. I love my Mühle R89 and at the moment the only other razor I would consider is the Edwin Jagger Chatsworth (with the Mühle head) and perhaps if I was feeling flush with cash the Feather All Stainless or the PILS DE, but at $160 and $240 each that won't happen any time soon.

For now I am concentrating on trying out the myriad of soaps and creams out there and perhaps in the future also buying a straight razor.

[Experimental Monkey]

I hate to say this, but after one shave with the G1000 double edge razor I decided to say forget it and go buy one of those new Schick Hydro 5's. Don't get me wrong, shaving with a DE wasn't all that bad, but I personally get a closer shave with less irritation using cartridges. The Hydro is a great razor, by the way. Everyone should give it a whirl.

[GoVegan]

I hate to say this, but after one shave with the G1000 double edge razor I decided to say forget it and go buy one of those new Schick Hydro 5's. Don't get me wrong, shaving with a DE wasn't all that bad, but I personally get a closer shave with less irritation using cartridges. The Hydro is a great razor, by the way. Everyone should give it a whirl.

You can't base your DE experience from one shave. That would be like trying decide if you like snus by trying one brand. There is also a huge difference in the blades you can use and they perform differently depending on what razor you use. You may have to do a trial and error routine for a while to determine what works for you. If you change your mind try to find a Edwin Jagger DE89L as I have heard nothing but good things about that razor. It is also supposed to be very forgiving. I will say though that it is fantastic that you at least tried DE shaving and hope that the Hydro works well for you.

[f. bandersnatch]

Yeah, you also have to get good at it. My first couple of SR shaves felt nice, but they were pretty crappy, as far as actually removing all of my facial hair in a uniform manner. You have to get the angle down (especially on the jawbone), but after you start to hit that, anything else seems silly.

[GoVegan]

I now have 7 DE razors and a 1907 Gillette Pocket Edition on the way! I also figure that if I use a blade a week, I should easily go for about 2 years with the inventory I have on hand. This DE shaving hobby is getting almost as bad as my snus addiction. So far my favorite combination has been the 1920 Gillette Open Comb with a Derby blade.

Update - I got the 1907 Pocket Edition and it is beautiful! The case is pretty tarnished and the razor blade box is missing but I only paid about $25.00 for this razor so I am quite happy! I am thinking about rubbing it down with some alcohol tonight and then taking it for a taste shave tomorrow. I will try and put some pics up after I have polished it a little but here is a link to the razor as I bought it.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=STRK:MEWNX:IT

The pocket editions are quite beautiful and some of them even have floral designs on the handle. I don't remember the exact amount but I read somewhere that it costs almost a weeks wages to buy this razor when it came out.

[GoVegan]

Just a quick update. I think I have tried about 20 different brands of DE blades out there and IMO Derby Extra is the best so far. I normally got about 3 -5 shaves out of a good disposable but can got a full 7 days from a Derby blade easily. I have also seen other vintage razor users have the same experience with these blades while they don't have a great reputation with the newer razor users. I did try shaving with the pocket edition and it was a treat but so far my open comb Gillette is my favorite.

[KarlvB]

Just a quick update. I think I have tried about 20 different brands of DE blades out there and IMO Derby Extra is the best so far. I normally got about 3 -5 shaves out of a good disposable but can got a full 7 days from a Derby blade easily. I have also seen other vintage razor users have the same experience with these blades while they don't have a great reputation with the newer razor users. I did try shaving with the pocket edition and it was a treat but so far my open comb Gillette is my favorite.

I just don't get on with Derby's at all. Everyone talks about how well they shave but I find them to be really dull.
In fact I've never used a Derby blade more than twice. Once when I tried a third shave the dragging/pulling got so bad that I stopped mid-shave and put in a different blade. They also give me a terrible rash.
I have yet to find my perfect blade but the Astra Platinum's, Iridium Super's, Gillette 7 O' Clock (Yellow's), Personna Red and Feathers are all serious contenders, with the first two being the ones I use the most regularly out of my rotation stash.

[Monkey]

I dig the Merkurs. I also have some Personna and Dorco blades I picked up locally while waiting for fresh merkurs to come in. They are both decent blades and will get the job done but not my preference.

I dislike Derby blades. I almost liked Wilkinson's but not enough to re buy.

On a side note, I tried a puck of all natural soap from whole foods. It came in no packaging and is unscented. It took a few shaves to figure out the right ratio of water to soap to get a nice lather that lasts but it is slick and awesome. If you are patient, try it out. It was cheap too.

[deadpool99]

I use a Merkur Classic with some no name shave brush that does a dang good job with Col Conk shaving soap or CO Bigelow shave cream that is actually Proraso shave cream. I just buy Personna blades from my local Walmart since the cost less than 2 bucks for 10 and they work like a charm. Tried Wilkinson blades and found that they tended to pull at my beard so I stuck with the Personna's. I also have a quite a few Gillette safety razors from 1917 all the way up and snagged a Kriss Kross auto strop device and razor that takes the razors removable blade and holds it down against a leather disk and as you crank it the thing will lift the blade up flip it over and lower it back down for a certain number of cranks and repeat. I dont use it but its neat as heck considering it came from the 1920's. I will never go back to using the Mach what ever number it is now razors. A pack of blades for those will get you a decent antique Gillette Superspeed off of ebay that will do a better job with a little practice and cost a whole lot less in the end

[GoVegan]

I use a Merkur Classic with some no name shave brush that does a dang good job with Col Conk shaving soap or CO Bigelow shave cream that is actually Proraso shave cream. I just buy Personna blades from my local Walmart since the cost less than 2 bucks for 10 and they work like a charm. Tried Wilkinson blades and found that they tended to pull at my beard so I stuck with the Personna's. I also have a quite a few Gillette safety razors from 1917 all the way up and snagged a Kriss Kross auto strop device and razor that takes the razors removable blade and holds it down against a leather disk and as you crank it the thing will lift the blade up flip it over and lower it back down for a certain number of cranks and repeat. I dont use it but its neat as heck considering it came from the 1920's. I will never go back to using the Mach what ever number it is now razors. A pack of blades for those will get you a decent antique Gillette Superspeed off of ebay that will do a better job with a little practice and cost a whole lot less in the end

You might want to stock up on your Personna's. I read in the B&B forum that Wal Mart dropped their contract with American Safety Razor and now the company is on the verge of being liquidated due to bankruptcy. It appears that American Safety Razor relied on their Wal Mart contract to keep them afloat but they got axed by Wal Mart in the end. The Wilkinson's are the replacement for Personna's. I liked the Personna disposables but for some reason I just got about 3 decent shaves out of their DE blades. I have never liked Wilkinson's stuff as they seem dull from the beginning. I love using my 1920 Razor and shave with it every day. I have a couple of Techs as well but I really like the open comb. Any chance you can post some pics of your prizes?

[deadpool99]

Yea I can but I might not be able to until tomorrow night. I got a late shift tonight and and early one tomorrow. That sucks on the Personna blades big time. Looks like a better get ready to find a replacement.

[deadpool99]

Just found a forum posting online that mentioned Walmart is replacing the whole Personna line with Wilkinson Sword products and I guess that includes DE blades. I spotted some Wilkinson stuff last week. Might have to revisit those blades.