Bogeyman
Shave Member
I have been wet shaving since the mid 70's, but only switched to DE/SE six years ago due to ingrown hairs that started in the late 70's when I switched from the Gillette Trac II to their Atra. My father used DE, but had switched to a Gillette Techmatic "band" razor before going to a Trac II and finally the Gillette Good News. He never said anything to me about shaving so I began basically on my own. In the Spring of 2013 I noticed a lot of hubub on another forum type regarding DE shaving so I bought a used Schick Krona for $12 and ordered a tub of Cella and a Semogue black pure badger brush. A local small grocer sold Israeli Personna blades and I became "hooked" after the first pass so to speak.
I have gone through the RAD and settled on a post-war English Gillette "ball end" Tech as my daily driver, but now & then I use a Schick injector which I think is a better "mousetrap", but with a limited blade selection nowadays. I have taken a scientific approach to this matter and have read profusely on modern Gillette blade patents and have formed my belief that blade sharpness is a myth pure & simple. It is the blade coating(s) and sputtering which impart the smoothness and not sharpness, cutthroat razors excepted due to their mass. I am also of the belief that what you use as a pre-shave wash is vastly underrated and understudied as to its overall influence on a shave. Of course, as many know the soap/cream selected is just as important if not moreso. Good prep & a great soap can aid a blade greatly, however I think the soap part has gone a little overboard as of late with more "weight" in many reviews being geared toward the post shave face "feel" which has no bearing on how a soap performs in general. You are simply paying for what amounts to balm in the soap. However, to be fair there are a few artisans soaps that indeed do both extremely well, e.g., A&E, DG Icarus, Sudsy Soapery & Lisa's Artisan line.
Always remember that you cannot get a good shave until you know how to shave.
I have gone through the RAD and settled on a post-war English Gillette "ball end" Tech as my daily driver, but now & then I use a Schick injector which I think is a better "mousetrap", but with a limited blade selection nowadays. I have taken a scientific approach to this matter and have read profusely on modern Gillette blade patents and have formed my belief that blade sharpness is a myth pure & simple. It is the blade coating(s) and sputtering which impart the smoothness and not sharpness, cutthroat razors excepted due to their mass. I am also of the belief that what you use as a pre-shave wash is vastly underrated and understudied as to its overall influence on a shave. Of course, as many know the soap/cream selected is just as important if not moreso. Good prep & a great soap can aid a blade greatly, however I think the soap part has gone a little overboard as of late with more "weight" in many reviews being geared toward the post shave face "feel" which has no bearing on how a soap performs in general. You are simply paying for what amounts to balm in the soap. However, to be fair there are a few artisans soaps that indeed do both extremely well, e.g., A&E, DG Icarus, Sudsy Soapery & Lisa's Artisan line.
Always remember that you cannot get a good shave until you know how to shave.
