I've been shaving with a Mach 3 Turbo for a while now, mostly because I can buy the stuff in the grocery store without having to search far and wide. I use Edge Gel for my shaving cream, and my hands instead of a brush. I must say I always hated shaving, and wished that I could grow a beard. But the itching prevents me from doing the beard thing, so I must shave. Shaving produces irritated and red skin, however. So I feel that my male physique is a constant torment -- either itchy with a beard, or irritated with a shave. I picked one and have never enjoyed this charade.

Today, I read a blog posting which asserted that the high prices we pay for disposable blades ($5 and up per blade) is just a marketing ploy meant to keep us all shelling out money for substandard products. Such products claim to be improved every few years with the addition of another blade onto the razor. Gillette just came out with a razor that has 5 -- count 'em -- 5 freaking blades! At this rate, by this time in 2020, we'll be up to something like 12 blades, at the rate of $20 a blade, which will last a day before needing replacement. What the hell is going on here?

I then read about a razor called the Merkur Heavy Duty Safety Razor. It's a 2-blade razor, the blades are about $0.30 apiece, and the quality of the shave is much better. The head doesn't pivot, and so the trick is to keep the razor at a 90-degree angle to avoid nics and cuts. But based on the reviews at Amazon, all the guys swear by it. Supposedly, it's based on 1910 technology, when blades really were blades! It seems that shaving products are one of the few types of products that get more mediocre over time.

In addition, it supposedly improves your shave if you get a shaving brush made of badger's hair.

Rather than going out and spending all kinds of time and money on this stuff (which may be just as expensive as -- and no more effective than -- my existing stuff), I thought I would ask for advice. Who here has unplugged from the shaving matrix of Gillette and Schick, and lived to tell the tale? Is it really true that a better shave awaits if I just buy some different products? Or am I being conned as usual?

As a "problem shaver" myself i have found that the mach 3 turbo vibrating head jobby shaves best and when combined with "king of shoves" oil its a winner.

If there is something better than that, ill be surprised!

I dont like battery or electric shavers

I used to get that problem John, its youth thats all wet your face thouroughly use a good amount of shaving cream always rinse blades under piping hot water.
If you get red skin Slap on some moisturiser. I use hand cream anything with moisturiser in it!
Thats my only concession to male cosmetics anything beyond this is in the realm of homosexuality, you understand me

I have shaved with one of those safety razor jobbies, I would not reccommend it!! They are crap! I have heard that the best shaves are done with a cut throat, but I dont believe it and dont want to risk slicing my ears off..

Try shaving every 3 or 4 days to allow your skin to recover, use boiling water to sterilise the blade and hot as you can stand on your face.

Dont use those shitey things with safety wires on, I could get a closer shave using a salmon (thats a large game fish, not a razor)..

John,
How old are you?,( you can tell me that in a PM if you like)
I started shaving at 17 years old, I grew a full beard at 18 and had to shave it all off to be a Fire-fighter.
Gillette does make some good shaving gel's that have moisturiser, if you are experiencing "razor burn".
What causes razor burn is the fact of incorrect cutting angle with respect to when the blade is made.
Most blades are sharpened to 5 degrees from the flat, for men to shave their faces, no matter how many blades a razor has.
Razors that shave a womens legs are cut to 12 degrees to the flat.
Unfortunately you might have a razor that is cut to suit either sex, like a 7 degree cut, it sells more moisturiser.

Whats the best razor to shave your tackle with?



I used to tidy my ex wife's snatch with the old mach 3!!


The current staff wax, I wonder if a gent can use waxing technology for the facefuzz?

If one wants a "posh shave" at a turkish barbers, its about a tenner apparently in some places..

http://lifehacker.com/373628/learn-t...straight-razor

If that wont scare you off the cut throat, nothing will!

When I was in America, I visited a traditional barber and had the full treatment, including the cut-throat razor with all the creams and such. It was awesome. I left feeling incredibly fresh and supple in the beard area. I know it sounds overthetop, but it was the best damn shave I've ever had. It seems to me though that current blades just aren't up to par.

A beard only itches at the start. And then only sometimes. Once it is established it won't itch. (unless beard-mites move in )

I have a full beard. I haven't shaved for quite a few years except for a periodic cut-back of the undergrowth. An occasional application of a bespoke combination industrial weed killer and vermin toxin - available from special order gentlemen's chemists - takes care of any itch problems.

"You can always trust a man with a beard."

I have never had any enthusiasm for trying to look like a female. I haven't shaved my beard since the 1980s.

I don't know who came up with the fiction about "itch." Hair is natural and causes less itch or problems than shaving.

Blessings

Bob

I have had a full beard most of my life. But if I did not shave my upper cheeks I would look like a werewolf.

I am also deathly allergic to scent binder.

What I have found to work best for me is to dry shave using the cheap bic disposables and to change razors as soon as there is any drag.

Dry shaving is not so bad if you are carefull. I find that any sort of lubricant encourages you to press too hard with a too dull blade and THAT is what really causes the skin irritation.

The Mohawk warriors when they went to war as "Iroquois" (an Algonquian word meaning frightening man) and got those famous shaved head haircuts, they would dry shave the sides of their heads with shards of flint or broken sea shell. When one shard lost it's edge they would discard it and pick up another. A typical Mohawk haircut would require dozens of razor shards.

My beard is like damned copper fusewire. I have grown a full-on face-muff a few times, but I eventually cant be doing with the hassle of eating , drinking, etc and all that mess round me gob!!

For anyone thinking of getting a "posh shave" at the barbers, I have heard a few reports that its pretty common to pick up some nasty rashes if the guys dont clean the blades properly!!