My razor came with Tatra blades. I've tried Kai and Feather, and recently received a 5-pack of Astra as a gift. I'm not sure I can tell the difference yet.
Israeli Blue aka Personna Platinum. Sold in various different packaging. I'm not sure what the current production status is; you might check some shaving forums. Feather and Astra both have fans, but neither felt good on my face.
Bic, from Amazon. Like anything else Bic makes, it's good stuff at a reasonable price. I used Astras for a couple of years but they were inconsistent. Might not get them now; made in Russia. Tried some others, but the Bic was the best. Yeah, I moved from the double-edge to disposables a long time ago, but since I normally shave with just warm water, the disposables plug up with whiskers and you have to keep tapping it on the sink to get them out. The double-edge lets you loosen the razor and they flush out easily. Went back to it three or four years ago. Double edges will cut you if you're not careful. They're for real men, much like taildraggers...
I'm not sure which is more surprising; that people still use double edge razors or that there are forums dedicated to shaving.
Spoken like a man who's never used a double-edge razor. Gillette started sending me razors on my 18th birthday, and I used them for awhile. Until I learned about real shaving. I still use disposables and can creme when traveling and can never wait to get home.
Norelco triple header here! And I'll readily concede electrics don't shave nearly as closely as blades...but for many years, the convenience factor swung me in favor of the electric. When I'm half asleep in the morning and rushing to get to work, convenience will win every time. Although since I discovered an even more convenient alternative (a full beard) even the Norelco isn't seeing much use.
Bic three blade cartridges here, and with Edge shaving cream. I used to use Gillette Trak II but those blades were getting hard to find. Forgot my toilet kit while travelling once, and the hotel desk gave me a sample set of Bic 3s. Head and shoulders better than the old Trak IIs. But I guess that's not saying much! -Skip
I like Feather blades in open and closed comb razors. I find little difference in the way that they feel but they do seem to have a keener edge than others I’ve tried. There are a few online retailers that specialize in men’s shaving gear, and I recall that some offer variety packs that allow you to try several brands of blades.
I use a Supply single edge with Schick blades. Switched from the 5 blade cartridge type razors as the single edge basically eliminates in-grown hairs (TMI?).
We also drive old cars so we can afford to fly old airplanes built with old technologies. And why do people still fly those dangerous taildraggers? And airplanes with only one engine? Weren't all those things developed when we were still using straight razors? How many here are using a straight razor? Now there's an adventure...
Maybe for you, but for me, trust me, ladies do not love Bill the Cat. My beard resembles random piles of barbed wire. And feels like the same.
I stumbled across a shaving focused subreddit one day, about 8 years ago, and decided to buy a basic 'safety razor' which I think is what you all mean by double edge. I think it was a Merkur handle if I remember right. I used Astra, Feather, Rapira, Gillete 7'oclock, etc blades. They're all made slightly differently and some were much more effective than others. Bottom line is, shaving with a safety razor is the bees' knees. One swipe will clean a path, and I have course facial hair. Once you get the technique down, much like flying I'm sure, you will not cut yourself and will have the smoothest face ever. I haven't ventured into straight razor yet, maybe I will soon.
I started using a safety razor close to 2 years ago. I tried a few different blades and settled on Astra. The last two boxes (100 blades each) have been Russian made. I was a Mach3 guy for years, then I was using Dorco 5-blades. Did the Dollar Shave Club thing for a while, but I got tired of getting gouged for blades. Now I spent about $30 a year total on shaving - that’s blades and really nice shaving soap (Proraso or Taylor). The only inconvenience is occasionally not getting my spare blade through TSA. They always see and inspect the razor, but usually miss the extra blade. I’ve identified the process issue that leads to being able to slip a blade through about 75% of the time, but I’m not sharing that info with them. The absolute worst thing was buying some overpriced blades at a Walgreens when I was out of town. I think they were marked Gillette, but I’m not sure. I just remember it was like shaving with a rusty machete. And yeah, I tried a straight razor a couple of times. I don’t think I’m that dedicated. And there’s no way I could get one of those through TSA.
To my wifes great disappointment, I discovered this time and effort saving solution last year. No more bumps, no more cuts, a bunch of extra time. Trim the growth and shave around the edges once a week. As to the question that prompted the thread: I use Feather. Buy a big re-sale pack off Amazon every couple of years.
You're lucky. If I didn't shave around my beard, I'd have a beard the same way sasquatch has a beard.
It's a resurgence in popularity of double-edge in the past few years. When I saw one for the first time in a big box store, I did a double-take and started laughing out loud. Never be surprised at forums dedicated to anything. "With you."
I alternate between a straight razor and a Merkur adjustable double-edge. In the latter, I use PolSilver "Super Iridium" blades. I've used those for literally decades and they are the right combination of really sharp but not scary-sharp. Feather always struck me as "scary sharp" and the others aren't quite sharp enough. But these I like. They used to go under the name "Super Iridium" but now you'll find them as "PolSilver" with "Super Iridium" as a sub-title. I bought a bulk pack some time ago, so I don't know how available they are now. Many of us love to shave the old fashioned way, like our grandfathers did. I also like not creating more plastic waste. The straight razor is the ultimate environmentally friendly razor. One of mine is almost 100 years old and still shaves like a dream. I hate the "disposable culture" of today, and my little antiquated shaving habit is one small, admittedly feeble, move against that.
I've been using either a double edged razor, or single edge since about 2013. Stumbled onto the Badger and Blade website when trying to figure out how to get a good shave on my neck. I would always get bumps and redness using either a Trac II, or Mach whatever. Used an electric for awhile, and it made my neck look like hamburger. It took a bit of practice (I know, gasps from the crowd) but I now have great, effortless shaves in about 5 minutes. Brush, shaving soap and a nice sharp Gillette Nacet or Polsiver SI, in about any DE razor. (100 blades for about $20) I feel bad for guys who were never taught how to shave, and fall victim to the fallacy that it is like trying to wash a cat. Gillette does a tremendous job of marketing the latest/greatest thing because it makes them piles and piles of money, not because it shaves any better (usually worse) than razors from the 1920's-1960's. I shave 6 days a week, and spend about $50 per year for blades and soap.
I have a full beard now, so blades last forever, but even when I didn't, I could get 10 shaves out of a $.10 blade, easily. And the handle is amortized over years. Good soap has always been my largest expense. Double-edge shaving is a rare occasion where the cheaper way is also the better way.
This. I have five minutes of dedicated "me time" every morning. A hundred blades costs me around $10 and will last me all year and then some -- I just bought this year's supply, in fact. I like the brush and soap better than the canned foam, too. I bought a cheap Chinese-made handle to start with in case I decided not to continue with it. I keep getting tempted to buy a nice Merkur, but there's not a thing wrong with this one and it seems like it will probably outlive me.
