back to SE/DE - need some guidance

[Dobric]

EJ 3One6
Stainles steel, razor that is going to last forever.
Closed comb, agressivness 7/10, comfortable daily shaver that can easily remove few days of beard.

 

[Quaznoid]

A Tech will last forever

 

[Atarian]

I have a job I have an early start for too - I shave in the evenings before bed.

If you're showering anyway, it only adds ten or fifteen minutes to the time, and any time shaved off on the morning is good...

 

[Lane101]

morning everyone - ive been a B&B member for quite awhile now but havent been on in a long time. I used to nerd out over DE and blades and soaps and creams and.....but then I got a job that has me up at 4am, and out of convenience it was back to the sensor excel carts.

Since those have been discontinued for awhile, i rely on searching the web and getting the occasional poor qc versions and im getting pretty fed up.

It seems that there are alot of new companies putting out high quality items that didnt exist 10-20yrs ago (Blackland, Razoroc, Leaf, etc), so im thinking it might be worth my effort to go back to something better. The last time I used DE, one of the common options was a 34C, which I used for awhile with a personna red, astra, or feather blade. It was ok, but I could never get it to navigate my face as well as the smaller carts.

What would be your opinion as far as where to get back into a new razor? The Blackland looks really nice, and I dont mind the price, Razoroc has so many choices i dont know where to start, and Leaf looks ok, but I am sure there are more out there. FWIW, i have a pretty thick beard that I try to mow down every other day (2 passes), definitely a 3pm shadow.

Welcome back!

You might want to experiment with some inexpensive razors first to determine the level of aggressiveness that works best for you. My daily drivers are a Weishi Long Handle (moderate aggressiveness) and King C. Gillette (mild). They work so well for me (note my beard is likely not as thick as yours - YMMV) that I was able to settle on them. I also tried a Lord L6 and found it to be too aggressive. These razors run from $6 (Lord) to $12-$20 when on sale. Note that I returned to DE shaving after many years with an Norelco triple header. Used a Gillette Black Beauty adjustable during my first 5 years of shaving starting when in college.

King C. Gillette may be a great razor to start with as it has an excellent blade/gap architecture that easily delivers DFS while making it almost impossible to get a weeper unless there is user error. Good razor with which to hone your technique for navigating your face. By "rocking the cap" (google on web for info on how to do this or I can post a link) I realize BBS shaves with a partial extra pass.

If you go the Razorock route have a look at the aggressiveness scale posted by Italian Barber. It may help you decide on where to start within their razor assortment.

In case you are also looking for a new brush or two note that during your absence synthetic brushes have also become really popular thanks to vastly improved performance. My daily drivers are two Razorock plissoft brushes (26mm knot Monster and Big Bruce) that are excellent. You will see lots of positive B&B reviews on these. Italian Barber has plissoft brushes in a variety of knot sizes depending on your personal preference. I also use a Razorock Blondie boar (26mm knot rebranded Zenith 80N) for my hardest soaps.

Finally have a look at Connaught Shaving in the U.K. Lots of great values there on razors, brushes, soaps, creams and blades. If you like shaving soaps consider the Cyril R. Salter pucks, one of the few remaining excellent tallow based soaps at a reasonable price. Their shaving creams are also great. I've the soap, wild rose and french vetiver creams. Lots of other options there. Free air shipping for orders over 60 british pounds. Per my experience and that of other B&Bers they are reliable.

 

[Lane101]

I have a job I have an early start for too - I shave in the evenings before bed.

If you're showering anyway, it only adds ten or fifteen minutes to the time, and any time shaved off on the morning is good...

I do that a lot too. Less 5 o'clock shadow from a pre-bed DE shave than with a morning shave with an electric razor.

 

[Redline]

In case you are also looking for a new brush or two note that during your absence synthetic brushes have also become really popular thanks to vastly improved performance.

that good intel, Ill check out those recco's. Im still working with an old EJ Super thats seen better days.

 

[Redline]

just for a quick recap - im sure most already know this info but for anyone going down this path, here are my initial results with the two new DEs -

from L > R the old sensor excel, old Merkur 34C, new Razorock OG (0.76 gap), new Henson AL13-M (0.85 gap)

I loaded up my old go-to Astra SP/Green in the three DE's and swapped back and forth during a few shaves. All achieve good results, but as expected there are differences. The OG is very heavy, it does all (and then some) of the work for you and seemed to have a pretty generous range of working angle. The AL13 on the other hand is very light, like sensor excel light. That made it very forgiving, but does require the user to add some input pressure. I found myself taking extra passes on the AL13 as a dialed in the right amount of pressure. The working angle on the AL13 also seemed to be smaller, making positioning more crucial. Also, the head on the OG is narrower than the AL13, and was easier to get the corners around my nose, unlike the AL13, which i could barely get the upper lip/nose intersection. The 34C that ive used for a few years in the past was basically in the middle in both weight, and working angle, but the short handle and fit/finish/precision leaves a little to be desired. I do like how the base plate of the Merkur is attached, just a little more convenient when changing blades, but not critical.

Thanks everyone for their recco's. All in, im happy with these as a return to DE. Ill dial in the blade choice (maybe a feather on the AL13 will be more productive with less input pressure) and work with them a little more before i decide if i want to try anything else.

 

[Wgg2017]

If you don't find any of your current razors to your liking I'd suggest a Timeless OC in either .68 or .95. Despite being an OC, they work very well even with just one day of growth. Also incredibly smooth. To me there is just something magical about the Timeless OC razors that doesn't exist with their SB or scalloped razors. 30 day return policy as well.

I know I sound like I sell the razors, but I've used every version and the OC versions are special, imo. They work well with one day of growth or five days of growth.

 

[Corndogg428]

morning everyone - ive been a B&B member for quite awhile now but havent been on in a long time. I used to nerd out over DE and blades and soaps and creams and.....but then I got a job that has me up at 4am, and out of convenience it was back to the sensor excel carts.

Since those have been discontinued for awhile, i rely on searching the web and getting the occasional poor qc versions and im getting pretty fed up.

It seems that there are alot of new companies putting out high quality items that didnt exist 10-20yrs ago (Blackland, Razoroc, Leaf, etc), so im thinking it might be worth my effort to go back to something better. The last time I used DE, one of the common options was a 34C, which I used for awhile with a personna red, astra, or feather blade. It was ok, but I could never get it to navigate my face as well as the smaller carts.

What would be your opinion as far as where to get back into a new razor? The Blackland looks really nice, and I dont mind the price, Razoroc has so many choices i dont know where to start, and Leaf looks ok, but I am sure there are more out there. FWIW, i have a pretty thick beard that I try to mow down every other day (2 passes), definitely a 3pm shadow.

+1 for Henson. I have the AL13 mold. Absolute best shaves I’ve ever had. Smooth yet efficient.

 

[FreeFlyFreak]

morning everyone - ive been a B&B member for quite awhile now but havent been on in a long time. I used to nerd out over DE and blades and soaps and creams and.....but then I got a job that has me up at 4am, and out of convenience it was back to the sensor excel carts.

Since those have been discontinued for awhile, i rely on searching the web and getting the occasional poor qc versions and im getting pretty fed up.

It seems that there are alot of new companies putting out high quality items that didnt exist 10-20yrs ago (Blackland, Razoroc, Leaf, etc), so im thinking it might be worth my effort to go back to something better. The last time I used DE, one of the common options was a 34C, which I used for awhile with a personna red, astra, or feather blade. It was ok, but I could never get it to navigate my face as well as the smaller carts.

What would be your opinion as far as where to get back into a new razor? The Blackland looks really nice, and I dont mind the price, Razoroc has so many choices i dont know where to start, and Leaf looks ok, but I am sure there are more out there. FWIW, i have a pretty thick beard that I try to mow down every other day (2 passes), definitely a 3pm shadow.

Sounds very similar to my situation.
Been a Sensor shaver since they came out, the cartridges are getting hard to find and the last ones I got were very expensive.
I have tried other cartridges before with more blades but hated them, always went back to the sensor.
So my dilemma was “now what”, what to do when I can no longer get sensor carts?
So I started looking into DE safety razors, after many threads here and many YouTube videos I finally pulled the trigger last night on a Razorock Game Changer and a 90 pack of assorted blades.
I am almost certain I won’t like it as much as my Sensor, but time will tell that story. Others I considered were the Henson AL13, the Overlander, Rockwell 6c and some others I forget. But after having a Henson, an Overlander and a Rockwell in 3 different shopping carts I always balked at the price for something I really am not sure I will like. So in the end I bought the game changer 68, cheap enough to take a chance, good enough to give it a shot.

I usually shave every 2 days, sometimes every day, sometimes every 3, I don’t grow a thick growth, in the end if I’m not working I shave on the 3rd day because that’s when the growth starts to irritate my neck.

Good luck to us both to find an acceptable alternative to the Sensor

 

[StewB]

I am almost certain I won’t like it as much as my Sensor, but time will tell that story.

You probably won't like it as much, at least at first. Using a DE razor requires some technique to get a good shave. As you've probably heard, use a very light touch and watch your shave angle. Once you get adjusted to it, you might even like it better than cartridges.

 

[FreeFlyFreak]

You probably won't like it as much, at least at first. Using a DE razor requires some technique to get a good shave. As you've probably heard, use a very light touch and watch your shave angle. Once you get adjusted to it, you might even like it better than cartridges.

I guess I will see, the GC 68 is supposed to arrive Monday.
I am most concerned with slicing my moles.
I have 5 flattish moles that I used to slice regularly 40 years ago with fixed head BIC disposables. They haven’t been a problem since the Sensor, rarely ever even get a nick maybe once in 100 shaves.
But I’m willling to give it a shot, probably end up shaving around the problem areas to start.

 

[FreeFlyFreak]

You probably won't like it as much, at least at first. Using a DE razor requires some technique to get a good shave. As you've probably heard, use a very light touch and watch your shave angle. Once you get adjusted to it, you might even like it better than cartridges.

Got my RR GC today and did a quick one pass shave with it.
Zero pressure just using the weight of the razor, it is extremely heavy after using the sensor for about 20 years
I was surprised, for one pass, and trying to get the angle down, I got an OK shave and zero cuts nicks or weepers, even over my 5 moles. Using an astra blade, forget which one, blue?
Now I have to wait, because I generally shave every other day, and this shave was after 1 day, want my next shave to be with the usual growth.
Initial impression was favorable, perhaps too mild, not sure yet, but I’d rather have that than slicing myself, and perhaps too heavy, but I’ll probably get used to that as I remember I hated the Sensor at first, because it was so light after using the Atra for probably 15 years.

 

[StewB]

For sure, a steel DE razor is going to feel very heavy compared to a cartridge razor. But the weight can be an advantage, as you have seen, to help with using a light touch ehencshacing with it. Keep using it and you will adjust before too long and you should achieve very good results. Congrats!

 

[gpjoe]

Got my RR GC today and did a quick one pass shave with it.
Zero pressure just using the weight of the razor, it is extremely heavy after using the sensor for about 20 years
I was surprised, for one pass, and trying to get the angle down, I got an OK shave and zero cuts nicks or weepers, even over my 5 moles. Using an astra blade, forget which one, blue?
Now I have to wait, because I generally shave every other day, and this shave was after 1 day, want my next shave to be with the usual growth.
Initial impression was favorable, perhaps too mild, not sure yet, but I’d rather have that than slicing myself, and perhaps too heavy, but I’ll probably get used to that as I remember I hated the Sensor at first, because it was so light after using the Atra for probably 15 years.

A single-pass WTG shave with a mild razor (GC 68P, ASD2, Tech...three of my favorites) will only give me a socially acceptable shave - clean look, no visible whiskers, but still a bit of stubble to the touch in some areas.

Which is why, as someone that prefers a well-behaved mild razor, I do three passes, also every-other day.

The second XTG pass picks up more and gets me at or near DFS with only minor stubble when feeling ATG.

The final pass ATG gets me very near BBS - 85 to 90%.

All to suggest that you may want to try a second XTG pass which should give you a better result without risking the irritation of an ATG pass, until you are comfortable.

...and also to say that you can definitely achieve near BBS with a mild razor.

 

[MondoJ]

I like the Rockwell best as you can go from mild daily driver on up. I started with mine on 3 plate which is where I normally start if adjustable but the 4 plate really shines for me.