Man it's expensive to shave.

[mgguy]

I use a merker 34c heavy duty double edge shaver with aster or derby blades, van der hagen shaving soap, and a bit of either bigelow (proraso) or maca root shaving cream. I do three passes: with the grain (direction of hair growth), across the grain, and against the grain. I follow that with a buffing of remaining stubble using repeated short strokes. Follow that with cold water rinse, a rub down with an alum block (kind of like a septic pencil), a rinse of witch hazel, and then a face skin cream. Baby butt smooth shave every time. It is very relaxing and a bit fun, actually.

 

[jdechko]

I have a Gillette Fusion ProGlide. I had to look it up to remember the whole name. Got it for free for some promo to replace by old Gillette that I got when I was about 18.

The blades are expensive...

As does just about every 18-year-old male in the US. Give away the handle and charge out the a- for the blades.

Where do you think they got the term "Razor and blades" model?

Personally, I have some sensitive skin right now--too many ingrown hairs from using cheap razors and the wrong kind of soap. So I'm just trimming with an electric razor until things calm down. Then I'm ordering a good DE and doing things right.

 

[Gav2k]

Cba with shaving these days I just buzz it back to short stubble

 

[firedept]

Have you considered using fire to shave?

I have. But I do not like aftershave cream on my face for the razor burn.

 

[juanm]

I stopped shaving eight years ago. I trim my beard with a hair clipper without the socket (very close to the skin, 0.8 to 1mm, perhaps) and then let it grow back for a week and a half or two weeks.

 

[Andeavor]

I like to lay in the grass when the neighbor's gardener mows the lawn.

Depending on my mood and how much of a beard I want/have/can bear (<-- look, pun!), either the electric shaver you can put under running water or a Gillette Whoseewhatsit quadruple blade on an old-school shaver.

 

[SactoGuy18]

I myself use a Schick Xtreme 3 shaver with a good shaving gel. While I'd love to go to a old double-edge razor and whip up shaving cream in a mug, it's a very time-consuming process--something like three times what I normally take to shave now.

 

[maflynn]

I was trying the Gillette Fusion ProGlide‎ and I'm disappointed with it. Yeah it has a gazillion blades but some of the older style razors work just as well. The one thing I noticed is these newer razor blades don't hold their edge as long as the older ones.

I may opt to get the old school safety razor since they're coming back in popularity.

 

[scapegoat81]

Don't like electric shavers. The blades are so expensive on the good razors, but if you cheap out the shave is uncomfortable and the blade doesn't last.

What do you use?

I recently made the switch to a Merkur safety razor & never looked back. I get a better/cleaner shave, & I get a 100 pack of double sided blades for $40. There is a learning curve with how you shave with this blade, but the price of the blades made my decision so much easier.

 

[roadbloc]

It cost me one payment of £40 for my shaver and however much it costs to recharge it. I couldn't do with all that disposable shaving business with shaving foam and all that time consuming bizwizz. It may get a closer shave and give me a neater and tidier appearance, but I've got **** to do.

 

[Kissaragi]

I just use a philips electric shaver. Cheaper than blades in the long run and I can do it in front of the TV. I have fair hair so I don't have to worry about a perfect shave.

I guess a straight razor is the cheapest way but theres a lot of skill needed to maintain the blade and use it safely.

 

[malman89]

Side note - does anyone not use shaving cream and/or aftershave?

I use neither. Pretty much ever. I shave at a minimum MWF for work purposes, but I just use hot water. I get decent stubble, but just don't care.

The only time I use shaving cream is when I decide to grow out a beard of any length and am shaving it off. I never use aftershave, ever.

I personally have never issues with my 3-6 month old Gillette blades. Another way to not waste money shaving, I guess.

 

[Dulcimer]

Side note - does anyone not use shaving cream and/or aftershave?

I use neither. Pretty much ever. I shave at a minimum MWF for work purposes, but I just use hot water. I get decent stubble, but just don't care.

The only time I use shaving cream is when I decide to grow out a beard of any length and am shaving it off. I never use aftershave, ever.

I personally have never issues with my 3-6 month old Gillette blades. Another way to not waste money shaving, I guess.

Same here. Most of the time I can just use hot water (i.e., in the shower) and when I don't chicken out, I'll use cold water to "close the pores" (I've heard that was BS, but I still do it). Once every few times, I use the shaving gel because I find that it's more comfortable.

I've read many times about wetshaving the old-fashioned way with a brush and soap etc. It'd like to do that one day but it seems complicated and maybe a bit overkill for my 18-year-old face. Also, spending 10 minutes for the full setup is too much time for me.

 

[pointy]

Don't like electric shavers. The blades are so expensive on the good razors, but if you cheap out the shave is uncomfortable and the blade doesn't last.

What do you use?

I use various triple-bladed disposables.

Tip: If you dry your razors/blades after you use them, the blades will last twice as long as they do if you put them away while they're still wet.

 

[scapegoat81]

Side note - does anyone not use shaving cream and/or aftershave?

I use neither. Pretty much ever. I shave at a minimum MWF for work purposes, but I just use hot water. I get decent stubble, but just don't care.

The only time I use shaving cream is when I decide to grow out a beard of any length and am shaving it off. I never use aftershave, ever.

I personally have never issues with my 3-6 month old Gillette blades. Another way to not waste money shaving, I guess.

Never use an aftershave product that contains alcohol. It dries out the skin. You want to use a balm (like a lotion)

 

[sliceoftoast]

Cba with shaving these days I just buzz it back to short stubble

Agreed ! me too

 

[mgguy]

I recently made the switch to a Merkur safety razor & never looked back. I get a better/cleaner shave, & I get a 100 pack of double sided blades for $40. There is a learning curve with how you shave with this blade, but the price of the blades made my decision so much easier.

Thats the razor i use, merkur 34C. Its heavy so you can just let the weight of the razor do the cutting with using any pressure of your own. Its also short so fits well in the hand and is easy to maneuver.

 

[DollaTwentyFive]

Side note - does anyone not use shaving cream and/or aftershave?

I use neither. Pretty much ever. I shave at a minimum MWF for work purposes, but I just use hot water. I get decent stubble, but just don't care.

The only time I use shaving cream is when I decide to grow out a beard of any length and am shaving it off. I never use aftershave, ever.

I personally have never issues with my 3-6 month old Gillette blades. Another way to not waste money shaving, I guess.

Your entire post makes my head hurt. But, hey - if it works for you, then that's great.

 

[rhett7660]

I use the Merkur 30c Short handle. Love it.

http://www.fendrihan.com/merkur-cla...currency=USD&gclid=CO3767D-rLoCFel_QgodSCwArA

I am currently using the Merkur blades that came with the razor:

http://www.amazon.com/Merkur-Double...82532326&sr=1-7&keywords=shaving+razor+merkur

I am currently using this shaving cream (and yup I bought the 24 pack because the wife now uses it also with her own brush!)

http://www.amazon.com/Van-Hagen-Del...&qid=1382532500&sr=1-14&keywords=shaving+soap

And I am currently using this brush:

http://www.amazon.com/Van-Hagen-Natural-Shave-Brushes/dp/B001ET7EFA/ref=pd_sim_hpc_4

Absolutely love this setup! There was a learning curve to using the blade. I still have a gillette three blade on standby for the times when I need a really quick shave. But 90% of the time I am using my Murker.

I picked up the wife her own brush to use and she is not going back to the other. Heck with just the brush, I feel like I get a closer shave!!!!

For aftershave, I use some of the Bay Rum, can't remember exact name right now (not at home).

Never been happier.

 

[synergy]

Just dry off the blades after use and you'll be fine. There's no reason they can't last at least a month per blade (on the low end) or a few months on the high end.

Worst case scenario near the end of life (after a few months) is I have to double back and shave the opposite direction in some spots to ensure a smooth shave.

This.

Drying off the blade after shaving allows me to go 2-3 months on a blade if not longer. I shave 2-3 times a week with thicker hairs. I double back regardless of new or old blade as it lets me go longer between shaves.

 

[Mousse]

The family.

Left to right

1918 Gillette Old Type, the style itself is 'open comb'
1940's Gillette Superspeed, TTO (twist to open)
1965 Gillette Slim TTO
1959 Gillette Fatboy TTO

I'm still using the Fatboy my dad gave me when I first started shaving. I still prefer it to any of the newer razors out there. They don't make them like that anymore.

 

[Tomorrow]

Due to an unfortunate incident, my Edwin Jagger DE89 is out of commission - I'm back to using an old Gillette Super Speed (flare tip) that I bought off eBay for about two dollars.

Add to that the Astra blades I bought off Amazon, I paid less than nine dollars for a hundred blades (two years' worth).

A $40 badger brush and a tub of Taylor of Old Bond Street and I'm good to go.

 

[sviato]

I used to use Gillette Fusion 5 blade or whatever it was but 8 blades cost $30+ which was ridiculous.

Now I just use Gillette disposables. It's like $5 for 10 razors and I can use them for 2-3 weeks. No irritation and a great shave.

I do want to try a straight razor though. I want to get the best one and with a badger brush and all but it's a bit expensive so I'm not in a rush to get it.

 

[ejb190]

One of my biggest issues is the handle. The original Sensor was impossible to hold upside-down, which I have to to get a close shave. I recently started making my own handles. This one uses a Mach 3 blade, but I find it much more comfortable in the hand. I have a few more adjustments I want to try on the next one, though...

 

[MyMac1976]

If I shave on Sunday I'll have a 5 o' clock shadow by Thursday afterwork sometime. I in essence shave once a week so I buy a package of disposable razors once a year along with shaving cream.