lets have a new razor thread.

[Tapio]

DE's are not very good for head shaving imo. i usually do the heavy lifting with them if i have a week or 2 on my head.
my favorite is the gamechanger jaws .84. its uncloggable. but you still need to scrub for it to work.

and then when thats done i use a disposable. because its like 10 times faster than a DE on the head.

i remember using a straight on my head about 10 years ago and even that was better than a DE.

I've been shaving my head with modern multiblade cartridge razors for 20+ years. The last few weeks I've been testing different DE razors. Now I'm already quite happy with Slim Twist DE. Shaving my head with it takes a bit more time and I need to be ten times more aware of things but the results are good. When travelling, multiple razors is not an option.

 

[inferno]

i've had good luck with the cheap 1€ 3 blades. they last for 2 shaves.

 

[Tapio]

i've had good luck with the cheap 1€ 3 blades. they last for 2 shaves.

My weaponh has been chosen for the next 20+ years

 

[Rangen]

My weaponh has been chosen for the next 20+ years

If they are Perma-Sharp, why do you need more than one blade?

 

[BillHanna]

My weaponh has been chosen for the next 20+ years

I’m team Voskhod

 

[stringer]

I was bored and trying to take the day off from work so I picked out a straight razor to mess around with from my eBay pile. I honed it, stropped it, and shaved with it. If anyone is interested. I did it in real-time to kind of demystify the process a little. It isn't rocket science. I showed how I fix a protruding heel. The b&b guys would probably have a heart attack. But it works for me.

The razor is a Simmons Hardware Store branded 6/8 German make from 1885-1895 I would say. One of my all time my favorite time period/region combos. Wide razors that are extra hollow ground. About the only thing that tops this for me is mid Century Japanese razors. Which are very similarly ground to these razors except (just a tad less hollow on average) with better harder steel. This one was rescaled at some point with some homemade wooden scales that are pinned with a brass nail or screw or something. I really like this razor and will probably make it my daily driver for a few months.

My progression is Shapton Pro 1500, coticule, Escher Thuringian

Honing


Stropping


Shaving

 

[BillHanna]

If you don't do it the way my grandpappy did it, did you really do it?

 

[inferno]

My weaponh has been chosen for the next 20+ years

for me these are about a 7-8. like the personnas much better. and i prefer the personnas over all the expensive gillettes too.

you can get the personnas cheap at sliqhaq.se at 1,5-2skr a blade or so in the 50 packs.

 

[Legion74]

for me these are about a 7-8. like the personnas much better. and i prefer the personnas over all the expensive gillettes too.

you can get the personnas cheap at sliqhaq.se at 1,5-2skr a blade or so in the 50 packs.

The Israeli red Personna were always my go to DE blade.

 

[inferno]

the state of collection. so basically where i'm at right now is that i've done all the blades on paper up to 1500.
and then i put them all in a jar for the next step. but while i was waiting they started rusting.
no ****.

so i dunked them all in oxalic acid (they all turned black), then neutralized in NaOH (they all turned orange/rusty) then soaked in oil. until further action. i think i'm gonna finish them one by one. and put handles on one by one too.

here is my high dollar box. all exotics. and the most exotic ones are the ones in the lower pic.
humpback w&b
humpback fred reynolds
humpback george wostenholm

ct bingham - tally ho
ct bingham/fenney- tally ho (both of these have 100% perfect fox/tally ho stampings)

reynolds 7/8

w&b 19mm FBU full hollow.

------------------

all of these were run to **** basically, deep pitting etc etc. and its a ****ing nightmare to even do 1 of these.
but i have 25 of them. but i did it. i actually did all of them good.

so whats left now is high grit, low speed buffer wheel to polish and then hand polish with flitz.
then i have to make handles.

a few of that i own i have no plan whatsoever to sell. like all the 3 humpbacks. maybe if i find a better stamped wostenholm but thats it. these are as good as they will ever get. and i want to enjoy them.

i have ground profiles and grinds like a MFer since all of these had flat spots/frowns/rust etc etc. all with sandpaper and my thumb basically. most of it at least.


-----------------------

thinking these will shave good. hope so. sure i dont really need 50 of them, but its nice to have. i need at least 15 of them imo. and i think its in the UN basic human rights laws that we all need to own at least 15 of them, and its a basic human right. quite sure of that.

yeah btw that red/orange/brown tinge from the last pic. it does not exist. they are all black/gray. but my camera seems to think the white balance is something else somehow. and compensates accordingly.

 

[inferno]

The Israeli red Personna were always my go to DE blade.

the israeli is now made in germany. exactly the same stuff. and these are cheap. 1,50-2€ for a 10 pack or so. i have 200-300 of them. gonna last the rest of my life most likely. and i have about 50 years left.

 

[Legion74]

the israeli is now made in germany. exactly the same stuff. and these are cheap. 1,50-2€ for a 10 pack or so. i have 200-300 of them. gonna last the rest of my life most likely. and i have about 50 years left.

I only use a safety razor about once every two months, so I think my stash will outlast me as well. And I have enough straights and hones to last a hundred lifetimes.

 

[Tapio]

If they are Perma-Sharp, why do you need more than one blade?

You have to have few spares, just in case, you lose your old trusty blade. I just wanted to play safe and got 1000 spares.

 

[Tapio]

for me these are about a 7-8. like the personnas much better. and i prefer the personnas over all the expensive gillettes too.

you can get the personnas cheap at sliqhaq.se at 1,5-2skr a blade or so in the 50 packs.

Would you care to elaborate on that? I would like to hear how those blades differ.

I paid about 87 öre a blade.

 

[simona]

And this one is a fun one, a Takami 76mm rentetsu white 1 kamisori. Sharp af, shaves smooth as butter, and the f&f is probably the best ive ever come across in a razor. Came with a super slight frown that had to be corrected and it was scratching my strop for some reason. Come to find out the razor was probably made too precise and straight so i had to ease some of the corners on the ura side spine and now its perfect. A really fun razor!
View attachment 176099
View attachment 176100
View attachment 176101

That is gorgeous.!!

 

[simona]

I was bored and trying to take the day off from work so I picked out a straight razor to mess around with from my eBay pile. I honed it, stropped it, and shaved with it. If anyone is interested. I did it in real-time to kind of demystify the process a little. It isn't rocket science. I showed how I fix a protruding heel. The b&b guys would probably have a heart attack. But it works for me.

The razor is a Simmons Hardware Store branded 6/8 German make from 1885-1895 I would say. One of my all time my favorite time period/region combos. Wide razors that are extra hollow ground. About the only thing that tops this for me is mid Century Japanese razors. Which are very similarly ground to these razors except (just a tad less hollow on average) with better harder steel. This one was rescaled at some point with some homemade wooden scales that are pinned with a brass nail or screw or something. I really like this razor and will probably make it my daily driver for a few months.

My progression is Shapton Pro 1500, coticule, Escher Thuringian

Honing


Stropping


Shaving

B&B guys? Help me out...thanks.

 

[BillHanna]

B&B guys? Help me out...thanks.

Badger and blade dot com

 

[simona]

Badger and blade dot com

Thanks.

 

[inferno]

Would you care to elaborate on that? I would like to hear how those blades differ.

I paid about 87 öre a blade.

i mean some blades are sharp. but not reallty smooth. easy to cut yourself etc.

the personnas seens to be a good compromise. i run personnas in all my razors right now. to really test them out. and i like what i feel.

for example the gillette blues always feel very sharp, and very irritating too. maybe they are too sharp?

the best shaves i've had has been with the personnas. smooth and and sharp somehow. i very seldom cut myself with these. but with gillettes i always do.
i mean gillettes are the best for some people, and for some they are not.

i think i've tried about 15 blades before i switched over to all personna. in all my razors. not really complaining here after that choice. your face might be different.

when i used up all the personnas i'm gonna try something else in all my razors. my philosophy is to run the same blade in all of them so i really get to know them.

 

[cotedupy]

the state of collection. so basically where i'm at right now is that i've done all the blades on paper up to 1500.
and then i put them all in a jar for the next step. but while i was waiting they started rusting.
no ****.

so i dunked them all in oxalic acid (they all turned black), then neutralized in NaOH (they all turned orange/rusty) then soaked in oil. until further action. i think i'm gonna finish them one by one. and put handles on one by one too.

here is my high dollar box. all exotics. and the most exotic ones are the ones in the lower pic.
humpback w&b
humpback fred reynolds
humpback george wostenholm

ct bingham - tally ho
ct bingham/fenney- tally ho (both of these have 100% perfect fox/tally ho stampings)

reynolds 7/8

w&b 19mm FBU full hollow.

------------------

all of these were run to **** basically, deep pitting etc etc. and its a ****ing nightmare to even do 1 of these.
but i have 25 of them. but i did it. i actually did all of them good.

so whats left now is high grit, low speed buffer wheel to polish and then hand polish with flitz.
then i have to make handles.

a few of that i own i have no plan whatsoever to sell. like all the 3 humpbacks. maybe if i find a better stamped wostenholm but thats it. these are as good as they will ever get. and i want to enjoy them.

i have ground profiles and grinds like a MFer since all of these had flat spots/frowns/rust etc etc. all with sandpaper and my thumb basically. most of it at least.


-----------------------

thinking these will shave good. hope so. sure i dont really need 50 of them, but its nice to have. i need at least 15 of them imo. and i think its in the UN basic human rights laws that we all need to own at least 15 of them, and its a basic human right. quite sure of that.

yeah btw that red/orange/brown tinge from the last pic. it does not exist. they are all black/gray. but my camera seems to think the white balance is something else somehow. and compensates accordingly.

View attachment 204295


View attachment 204296

What are your favourite finishing stones for straights? I know you have a few cotis and high grit synths which I assume you might use. Any other things you like...?

 

[inferno]

What are your favourite finishing stones for straights? I know you have a few cotis and high grit synths which I assume you might use. Any other things you like...?

i basically only use 2 these days.
shapton pro 12k. and
gokumyo 20k.

the shapton is very fast and gets sharp enough. i usually just splash water on my face 2 times and then lather up for about 1 min, then shave. and the shapton can handle that.

the gok is one step above this in sharpness. just a tiny bit slower. i feel its a bit harsher too. its basically "scary sharp" so you have to be careful.

other stones that will work but i dont use any more:
naniwa ss12k. very sharp results. this is a very good razor stone. it clogs more than the shapton.
karasu 9k. this one works too. about the same results as the 12k shapton. but its not truly splash and go.
morihei 12k. this one is quite muddy so you need to keep it clean. not a fan.

my cotis dont work somehow. too dull. new production ones.
i do have a suita from atagoyama i think (check the jnat thread). that one actually works. maybe half a step below the shapton in sharpness.

 

[inferno]

What are your favourite finishing stones for straights? I know you have a few cotis and high grit synths which I assume you might use. Any other things you like...?

whats your fave??

for me the cotis dont work somehow. even though they should. its just too dull somehow.
i need one step above this. (12k shapton) or 2 steps above (gok 20k).

BUT i also just splash some water on my face and go to work. ymmv.

 

[cotedupy]

whats your fave??

for me the cotis dont work somehow. even though they should. its just too dull somehow.
i need one step above this. (12k shapton) or 2 steps above (gok 20k).

BUT i also just splash some water on my face and go to work. ymmv.

Ah yeah, the Gokumyo 20k does seem to be something of a gold standard in the razor world. Lots of people seem to rate it very highly.

I haven't tried myself though, and in fact very high grit, razor finishing type synths are something I have almost no experience of. So I can't really say how any of the following might compare, but here are some things I like FWIW, most would finish between 12-15k equivalent I guess:

Thuris - I'm not sure I'd even heard of these before I started using straights, but I must say I do get the hype. Very good results, very easy to use.

Charnleys / Idwals - These two are broadly comparable to each other. Though Idwals have a bit more variation and some stones are coarser; most Charns are good finishers, maybe about 50% of Idwals.

Water of Ayr - Of all the stones I know, WoA are the ones that are most like Thuris. Lovely, high grit finishes and very easy to use.

Cotis - I've heard from a few people that the 'Standard' level from Ardennes Coticule aren't particularly great, though I've only ever had older stones myself. I still use them mostly for knives, but I'd say about half have worked well for razor finishing, with about half of those (i.e. 25%) very good for it.

Then there are various other slate-like things like the Nantlle Valley Stone or Salmen Silkstone which I like a lot too, and can often be found very cheaply. Though they tend to be quite slow, and sometimes take a little bit of time to understand how to get the best from them. And I have a couple of jnats too which are good. The only highly regarded razor stones that I still haven't got my head round or fully mastered yet are translucent / black arks.

---

Give a shout if ever you want to try any naturals and I can keep an eye out (you're in Europe, right?). I'm always up for swapping for another stone or razor or something...

 

[Desert Rat]

Ah yeah, the Gokumyo 20k does seem to be something of a gold standard in the razor world. Lots of people seem to rate it very highly.

I haven't tried myself though, and in fact very high grit, razor finishing type synths are something I have almost no experience of. So I can't really say how any of the following might compare, but here are some things I like FWIW, most would finish between 12-15k equivalent I guess:

Thuris - I'm not sure I'd even heard of these before I started using straights, but I must say I do get the hype. Very good results, very easy to use.

Charnleys / Idwals - These two are broadly comparable to each other. Though Idwals have a bit more variation and some stones are coarser; most Charns are good finishers, maybe about 50% of Idwals.

Water of Ayr - Of all the stones I know, WoA are the ones that are most like Thuris. Lovely, high grit finishes and very easy to use.

Cotis - I've heard from a few people that the 'Standard' level from Ardennes Coticule aren't particularly great, though I've only ever had older stones myself. I still use them mostly for knives, but I'd say about half have worked well for razor finishing, with about half of those (i.e. 25%) very good for it.

Then there are various other slate-like things like the Nantlle Valley Stone or Salmen Silkstone which I like a lot too, and can often be found very cheaply. Though they tend to be quite slow, and sometimes take a little bit of time to understand how to get the best from them. And I have a couple of jnats too which are good. The only highly regarded razor stones that I still haven't got my head round or fully mastered yet are translucent / black arks.

---

Give a shout if ever you want to try any naturals and I can keep an eye out (you're in Europe, right?). I'm always up for swapping for another stone or razor or something...

Have you tried the arks with a heavy grind razor, like the old Sheffield's? Arks like pressure which can be problematic with full hollows. To little pressure and it's really slow going or not going anywhere which is why I think most folks use arks more like a post finisher.

I also have a couple or Kamisori that arks struggle with. Might just be that they cut the mild steel faster than the forge welded steel I don't know, but it's no bueno.

 

[Rangen]

Have you tried the arks with a heavy grind razor, like the old Sheffield's? Arks like pressure which can be problematic with full hollows. To little pressure and it's really slow going or not going anywhere which is why I think most folks use arks more like a post finisher.

I also have a couple or Kamisori that arks struggle with. Might just be that they cut the mild steel faster than the forge welded steel I don't know, but it's no bueno.

Right, I use my hard arks as a post finisher only, with very light pressure. They are brilliant at that, including with my kamisoris. The edge you get is amazing, trading off a bit of comfort for a lot of keenness.

 

[cotedupy]

Have you tried the arks with a heavy grind razor, like the old Sheffield's? Arks like pressure which can be problematic with full hollows. To little pressure and it's really slow going or not going anywhere which is why I think most folks use arks more like a post finisher.

I also have a couple or Kamisori that arks struggle with. Might just be that they cut the mild steel faster than the forge welded steel I don't know, but it's no bueno.

That's a good point, I'd not really thought about that. I've got quite a few thicker grind razors, so next time I need to hone one I'll chuck it on an ark and see if does better than full hollows do.

 

[Desert Rat]

Right, I use my hard arks as a post finisher only, with very light pressure. They are brilliant at that, including with my kamisoris. The edge you get is amazing, trading off a bit of comfort for a lot of keenness.

I have pretty good luck using jasper or petrified wood like that. They are probably my sharpest edges and for me comfortable as well.
Them edges are so unforgiving to shave with though and I'm kind of sloppy and in a hurry half the time.

 

[stringer]

I have pretty good luck using jasper or petrified wood like that. They are probably my sharpest edges and for me comfortable as well.
Them edges are so unforgiving to shave with though and I'm kind of sloppy and in a hurry half the time.

My jasper is the same way. I dread the first shave because I have to be so careful not to scalp my Adams apple for the 300th time. It mellows out after a few shaves. My surgical Black and Thuringian are better at being comfy right from the get-go.

 

[Desert Rat]

My jasper is the same way. I dread the first shave because I have to be so careful not to scalp my Adams apple for the 300th time. It mellows out after a few shaves. My surgical Black and Thuringian are better at being comfy right from the get-go.

I had given up on those stones several times but kept going back out of stubbornness. If they don't crash the edge they are good to go.

 

[BillHanna]

Hey y’all. A Toyota Corolla straight razor, that I could find on yabe for less than 100USD.

What do you suggest? Orrrrrr…. What can be shaken loose from your box o goodies?