I was wondering if any of you experience problems where a razor just does not work for you. What I mean is a razor that just doesn't fit your shaving style or live up to its title. I currently only own a gillette tech, gillette fatboy, and merkur 34c HD (Don't worry got 3 GEMs on the way and a possible gillette new in the workings). I have only been wet shaving for about 4months and for some reason the merkur just isn't working for me. The merkur was my first razor and for me it just feels inefficient and to mild i guess. There also is no audio feedback when I use it, which is something I look for. The gillette tech and fatboy however work flawlessly for me. In the merkur I have tried derby, feather, and a few others and while I did get a DFS with a feather in it. It took me a lot more passes than I experienced with my tech or fatboy with a crystal blade. As of right now it looks like the merkur is going to gain dust or get put up for sell.
Razors that just won't work
- Thread starter Mitch897
- Start date
For some reason I can't seem to warm up to the Super Speeds. The black handle SS in particular. I know I need to revisit these but they didn't give me that out of the gate "WOW" I've gotten from other razors.
Durham Duplex. Thought it would be cool when we did OCtober, but just couldn't get good results and it was a pretty rough go of it. Oh well, I tried.
When I started out DE shaving my 1st razor was a Weishi 9306
Because I was so used to a BBS with only 1 pass with an M3 Power cartridge, after only a couple of weeks, I got the idea into my head that the Weishi was too mild, if I'd known about B&B and read a few threads I'd have known to persevere until I'd developed my technique - they say a bad workman always blames his tools !!
Instead I "upgraded" to a Fatip Grande, bought a sampler pack and broke even selling the Weishi
The Fatip Grande soon taught me to learn by my mistakes - after a lot of cuts, nicks, weepers and ingrown hairs I developed my technique the hard way
I bought a NOS Russian Ideal Adjustable, aggressive in itself, but much smoother than the Fatip
I got a Hariyali of London 3-piece with a faux ebony handle and a thick Merkur style head- my dream razor until I sheared off the female threads on the handle - gutted !!
I got a Windrose D-9 Chunky with a slim Merkur style head, put the thick Merkur style head from the Hariyali on it and created my dream razor
I got a Rapira Platinum Lux 3-piece and a Boctok 3-piece, liked the Rapira, but found the Boctok too mild, so I put the knurled Boctok handle on the Rapira and liked it
I pulled the trigger on a Weishi 9306CL and like it a lot, living proof that I should have just kept the original one
Just before Xmas I sold the Fatip Grande at a loss on eBay, but I was glad to see the back of it, I'd hardly used it in 12 months, and every time I did, I didn't enjoy it
I bought a Windrose SP-4 shiny chrome handle with the profits, fitted the slim Merkur style head that came with the D-9 Chunky and created another dream razor
I got a very nice NOS Wizamet W-11 Adjustable from Poland, from what I've read some say it's better than a Gillette, from experience it's a very good razor
I tried various cheap Chinese made 3-piece razors without success, until I tried a Nutnut "Tech style" razor, it gives a nice shave and only cost me 3 at auction. An almost identical razor is either the Jagen David E01 or the Baili Victory Shaver
My latest addition is a Rose Gold Baili BD17, it's got a wider head and a slightly longer and fatter handle than a Weishi, and shaves like a dream, an identical razor is the Jagen David B40
I've got 8 very good razors that work for me
Because I was so used to a BBS with only 1 pass with an M3 Power cartridge, after only a couple of weeks, I got the idea into my head that the Weishi was too mild, if I'd known about B&B and read a few threads I'd have known to persevere until I'd developed my technique - they say a bad workman always blames his tools !!
Instead I "upgraded" to a Fatip Grande, bought a sampler pack and broke even selling the Weishi
The Fatip Grande soon taught me to learn by my mistakes - after a lot of cuts, nicks, weepers and ingrown hairs I developed my technique the hard way
I bought a NOS Russian Ideal Adjustable, aggressive in itself, but much smoother than the Fatip
I got a Hariyali of London 3-piece with a faux ebony handle and a thick Merkur style head- my dream razor until I sheared off the female threads on the handle - gutted !!
I got a Windrose D-9 Chunky with a slim Merkur style head, put the thick Merkur style head from the Hariyali on it and created my dream razor
I got a Rapira Platinum Lux 3-piece and a Boctok 3-piece, liked the Rapira, but found the Boctok too mild, so I put the knurled Boctok handle on the Rapira and liked it
I pulled the trigger on a Weishi 9306CL and like it a lot, living proof that I should have just kept the original one
Just before Xmas I sold the Fatip Grande at a loss on eBay, but I was glad to see the back of it, I'd hardly used it in 12 months, and every time I did, I didn't enjoy it
I bought a Windrose SP-4 shiny chrome handle with the profits, fitted the slim Merkur style head that came with the D-9 Chunky and created another dream razor
I got a very nice NOS Wizamet W-11 Adjustable from Poland, from what I've read some say it's better than a Gillette, from experience it's a very good razor
I tried various cheap Chinese made 3-piece razors without success, until I tried a Nutnut "Tech style" razor, it gives a nice shave and only cost me 3 at auction. An almost identical razor is either the Jagen David E01 or the Baili Victory Shaver
My latest addition is a Rose Gold Baili BD17, it's got a wider head and a slightly longer and fatter handle than a Weishi, and shaves like a dream, an identical razor is the Jagen David B40
I've got 8 very good razors that work for me
Grand Shave King ridiculously mild, made a Tech seem like a monster.
Superspeed. I really wanted to like it.
I have a thin-cap 20's OT that always seems to cause me irritation (which my thick-cap one does not).
I recently received a Cadet OC TTO from a PIF and shaved with it today for the first time- much too aggressive for my current level of technique and a there was much blood.
I recently received a Cadet OC TTO from a PIF and shaved with it today for the first time- much too aggressive for my current level of technique and a there was much blood.
I've rediscovered wet shaving a few years ago after learning to shave with a Slim in my youth and I have tried 50 plus razors and give each razor I try a fair amount of time in my rotation .There are a lot of razors I like and I have 12 in my regular rotation ,unfortunately there are a few razors I just can't get to work for me . Before I try a razors I do my research and this has been a good guide to what are likely to be good shaving razors but not alway, YMMV as they say . I consider my beard to be normal and my skin isn't overly sensitive
ATT M1 & M2 rough shaves and not that efficient , bought into the hype when I rediscovered wet shaving, a few years later I still don't get it. Sometimes I think I'd like to try the other plates but the M1 and M2 perform so poorly for me that I can't bring myself to buy the R or H . A beautiful well made razor but I can't seem to get it a good shave .
The Fatip Piccolo has a reputation as aggressive and efficient and I find it neither. I tried a lot of different combinations/angles to see if I was missing the angle or the right blade to make it work but was never able to get a more than mediocre shave. Mine doesn't have the alignment issues I've read about.
Gillette Fatboy underwhelmed would be an understatement .
I like to think that I gave these popular and highly rated razors a chance but they are not for me .
Glenn
ATT M1 & M2 rough shaves and not that efficient , bought into the hype when I rediscovered wet shaving, a few years later I still don't get it. Sometimes I think I'd like to try the other plates but the M1 and M2 perform so poorly for me that I can't bring myself to buy the R or H . A beautiful well made razor but I can't seem to get it a good shave .
The Fatip Piccolo has a reputation as aggressive and efficient and I find it neither. I tried a lot of different combinations/angles to see if I was missing the angle or the right blade to make it work but was never able to get a more than mediocre shave. Mine doesn't have the alignment issues I've read about.
Gillette Fatboy underwhelmed would be an understatement .
I like to think that I gave these popular and highly rated razors a chance but they are not for me .
Glenn
My first DE was a Van Der hagen safety razor, and I thought it was good until I used a Schick Krona, my 1960 flare tip, my 1975 travel tech, and even my S&S Precision. They all out perform it. Hell, I just got a Yingjili razor from Hong Kong in the mail, and it cost $1.80 and IT is better!
For me Feather
Grand shave king... Those little bakelite handled injectors
Sad to say I have to agree with you on that one too.
Keep try my adjustables, but I have never had a great shave from them (Fatboy & Slim).
The Blue tip SS and modern Merkur 34C HD are the other razors that have not provided a good shave for me.
The Blue tip SS and modern Merkur 34C HD are the other razors that have not provided a good shave for me.
For me it's the Blue tip SS.
My razors none work. They lay about the den doing not a darn thing all day. Some even protest when I pick them up to shave in teh morning, something about too bright, where's the coffee. They give up after I try to drown them in the sink, then I can safely use them for a shave.
The Feather Popular just doesn't do it for me. I don't know how it does it, but it's able to cut me, but not my beard.
Darn unionized razors, always griping about something...[emoji14]
The Merkur 23c just doesn't work for me. It feels - even with a Feather- like it is not cutting and while it does take hair off, I am not satisfied after 3 passes. I wont part ways with it though since it was my first razor.
The Gillette New Improved razor from the 1920's is my challenge. I like everything about the razor, except it doesn't like me. It's a blood letter.
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