Razors, and Shaving stuff you bought but wish you had not. Bad purchases, or bad products?

[Phoenixkh]

Just like an empty zoo, I have no egrets.

(groan)

Our egrets don't need no stinkin' zoo..... We have 4 or 5 species of them who hang out at the two alligator farms here. They show up near the first signs of Spring, start building nests to win over their woman for the season..... court... get a temporary wedding license, mate... guard the ensuing eggs, then feed the chicks when they arrive until Mom can't stand their aggressiveness (R41X100), then they make sure they can fly, even if that means knocking them out of the nest... Hang around for a few more weeks, then the alligator farms are quiet until the next Spring.

I've only been to the one in St Augustine. It's fun....I have pretty decent birding photography equipment but even with a phone camera, you can get close enough to them to get some nice pictures.

The farms were created to raise alligators for their skin and meat.... but the birds found out... the gators keep all the crawling predators away... Their eggs... then the chicks.. are safe in the nests because the gators can't climb trees, but they eat anything that walks. So now, the gator farms make more money from the tourists than gator skin or meat.

 

[Dokobg]

Not a fan of my Pearl Flexi OC adjustable. A bit too aggressive for me, but i still keep it for when i decide to go 1 month+ without shaving... which has never happened so far.

 

[WThomas0814]

I’ll get destroyed for this, but, a Gamechanger.

I tried so hard to make it work… three bases, different handles, multiple blades… I just couldn’t make it work.

 

[Tanuki]

I'm just doing this whole "collecting shaving gear and trying it out" thing for amusement. So I don't fret over the minor wastes of time and money.

As a hobby, it is inexpensive. One uncomfortable plane trip to and from a couple weeks in a crowded and uninteresting tourist spot would pay for everything I've accumulated.

I have been surprised by some shaving soaps that really work poorly for me. Even those had some amusement value, as I tried to discover a way to make them function.

 

[gpjoe]

Not much. The value in buying something I don't like is the experience gained...and even though subjective, maybe helping someone else avoid the same mistakes.

 

[Wgg2017]

I’ll get destroyed for this, but, a Gamechanger.

I tried so hard to make it work… three bases, different handles, multiple blades… I just couldn’t make it work.

I don't know how to explain it, but most of the modern versions of a Tech don't work for me. I've tried the Gamechanger, Feather as-d2, Charcoal Goods, Tatara Masamune, and a post war Canadian Tech. Only the Canadian Tech works for me. I don't know how to explain it but there is no shame in a popular razor not working for you. We all have different skin and whisker types.

 

[Umma2gumma]

I don't think I bought many razors that were a "bad product" or "bad purchase". I do have a couple that either did not work out, or were based on a wrong assumption about my needs. E.g. Razorok German 37 Slant - I just can't seem to fall in love with it. Or Muhle R41 - well, I used it with Feathers for a while. I guess I proved it to myself. It's not my preferred way to shave. However, both are great products for what they are intended to do. At some point, I will revisit them.

About the only crappy razor I have is a Baili something-or-other that is an older model and is very rough. Got it by mistake. However I also have two other Bailis which are excellent, if cheap, razors.

 

[htownmmm]

Just curious how you consider whether to purchase the most polarizing products that have both lovers and haters. I'm talking things like Tabac, Arko, and Lilac Vegetal.

Some people absolutely love them, for both objective (performance) and subjective (scent) reasons. Yet, others hate them (mostly for subjective reasons like scent).

Personally, while I loved the performance of tallow Tabac, the scent grew old very quickly. Kind of like when you try a new food and initially like it, but by the end of the meal all you want is some peppermint gum to get rid of taste in your mouth (strongly seasoned Greek kebabs, in my case).

I tried both Tabac and the Veg based on the cult following they have here. Tabac performed great but I quickly grew unable to tolerate the smell. With the Veg, I never even tried it due to the smell. Just awful to my nose, ymmv. Two purchases I wish I hadn't made.

If it sounds interesting enough and I don't have it in my shave den as of yet, I will try it. I owned Tabac before it became polarizing and loved it from the start. My initial results with The VEG weren't good at all. Then the suggestion was made to decant into a glass bottle and did so. Lo & behold, the cat urine odor went away and I have used it ever since.

I bought a 'baby' case of Arko (12 sticks) but cannot stand the smell! However, the Arko is a tallow back up since other soap makers decided to remove tallow. Leaving the case in my basement serves 2 purposes- scent dissipation and keeping critters away!

Do I regret the Arko purchase?-nope. I'll probably begin stockpiling even more cases of it to prepare for the Tallowpocalypse!

Anything that disappoints me eventually gets passed on to others in their wetshaving journey.

marty

 

[Quaznoid]

Weishi 9306. Doesn’t shave at all

 

[shaveandleather]

Barrister and Mann Seville AS. The cream was unassuming but fine. However, after applying the AS my wife said I smelled of rotten produce and would not approach me. To me it smelled fine but to my wife, and may other woman family members I was a stinky man. Some made quite a spectacle. Perhaps a good AS among men but not for woman closeness.

 

[McBuzzBang]

1) I bought a cheap DE razor in the mid 1990s. (black handle Gillette) I had no idea what I was doing. Thought about going to the E.R. after shaving.
2) Pawn Stars 'Micro Touch' razor when it first came out. I did throw that one away. I still had no idea what I was doing.
3) Van Der Hagen DE razor. Same results as the first two. (stubbornly stupid, or insane). I gave this one to a 'friend'.
4) Van Der Hagen shave butter. When I want to use a cream with the consistency of chunk style P-nut butter, this is my go to.
I think the about covers it.
Today, things are so much better.

Reminds me of my early days, although I was lucky enough to start off with a Mercer 34C. However I did buy something with a name like BullDog shave gel. Bad news I tell ya's...bad news.

 

[Salty_Shaver]

Barbersol in a tube pure yucky slime waste of money. Also buying an electric razor.

 

[Woodshaver71]

Yaqi mercury head

 

[walpan]

I have been pretty lucky over this past 1st year of wet shaving. My biggest regret is buying the Personna Comfort Coated blades on Amazon. Just horrible and thrown in the trash after the 4th time.
My next newbie regret is jumping to some very good high end razors without first getting a good technique under control. I wasn't ready for them and it resulted in me not getting good shaves and returning them, only to regret it later on. At least I repurchased the Konsul.
Some 2nd tier soaps and a/s, but not enough to be a big deal. I basically read and followed all of your leads.
All in all, a great first year of wet shaving.

 

[Woodshaver71]

I have been pretty lucky over this past 1st year of wet shaving. My biggest regret is buying the Personna Comfort Coated blades on Amazon. Just horrible and thrown in the trash after the 4th time.
My next newbie regret is jumping to some very good high end razors without first getting a good technique under control. I wasn't ready for them and it resulted in me not getting good shaves and returning them, only to regret it later on. At least I repurchased the Konsul.
Some 2nd tier soaps and a/s, but not enough to be a big deal. I basically read and followed all of your leads.
All in all, a great first year of wet shaving.

Yes those personna are trash as i have never gotten a good shave from them!

 

[Lane101]

Barbersol in a tube pure yucky slime waste of money. Also buying an electric razor.

Hi, Welcome to B&B. I see you just joined us yesterday.

Why would you consider an electric razor a waste of money? While they don't shave as close as any DE/SE or cartridge system they do offer convenience when time is of the essence. I used a Norelco rotary for years prior to returning to DE 4+ years ago. With my Norelco I can shave in two minutes versus the 10-15 minutes for my DE shaves. I still use it now when I travel. We all respect that your mileage may vary (YMMV) with any shaving tool or product here so no issues that you have no use for an electric.

Looked at your posts over the past two days and see that you've been shaving for over 40 years and have tried shaving many different ways. You may want to consider posting on your shaving journey over those three decades as a way to introduce yourself and share your experiences with fellow B&Bers.

 

[4pointOh]

Barrister & Mann's War soap. Chiseled Face Midnight Stag soap. Fine Accoutrements Latigo Aftershave.

Midnight Stag though?!!%*....I didn't try the soap but someone gifted me the AS (I think purchased purely on look) anyhow I believe it's the worst aftershave in the history of after and shaving.

 

[Salty_Shaver]

Hi, Welcome to B&B. I see you just joined us yesterday.

Why would you consider an electric razor a waste of money? While they don't shave as close as any DE/SE or cartridge system they do offer convenience when time is of the essence. I used a Norelco rotary for years prior to returning to DE 4+ years ago. With my Norelco I can shave in two minutes versus the 10-15 minutes for my DE shaves. I still use it now when I travel. We all respect that your mileage may vary (YMMV) with any shaving tool or product here so no issues that you have no use for an electric.

Looked at your posts over the past two days and see that you've been shaving for over 40 years and have tried shaving many different ways. You may want to consider posting on your shaving journey over those three decades as a way to introduce yourself and share your experiences with fellow B&Bers.

The reason why for me an electric razor is a waste of money is because when I was younger could use it a 5 am and by ten am I have a five o clock shadow they are a waste of money for me other people might be the cat’s meow. now that my beard is white I don’t get a five o clock shadow like I used to but my stubble is just as thick and course.

 

[blade08]

Biggest mistake was buying a Simpson M7 in synthetic. A 'brand name' purchase. Nice brush but really nothing special considering what I paid. It's no longer part of my rotation.

 

[mockit]

Biggest mistake was buying a Simpson M7 in synthetic. A 'brand name' purchase. Nice brush but really nothing special considering what I paid. It's no longer part of my rotation.

Yeah I bought a Simpson Chubby2 in synthetic badger and it’s easily my worst brush. Solid regret. Honestly if I didn’t have a Wald brush, I’d be totally content with PAA synthetic brushes. They are marvelous and inexpensive.