Shaving blog 2: Electric Boogaloo

 I wrote a blog on 25 Jan 2021 about my changing consumer behavior with regard to shave products. Yes, I know. That was pretty random, even for this blog. I switched brands of cartridge razor (That's what razors like Harry's, Gillette Fusion and the Dollar Shave Club razors are called), shave cream and after shave. Other than the razor itself, I went back to using the same kind of shave products that my grandfathers used. They all work remarkably well. Pics below.

 

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And now, I've upgraded the quality of my shave even further by embracing yet another of my grandfather's preferred products: a safety razor.

'But Publius, didn't you say in the last blog that you were happy with the Harry's razor that you bought to replace your Gillette Fusion?'

Yes, I did. That was before I decided to start researching other methods besides electric & razors with cartridge blades. And that Harry's razor will still be used in various capacities. If I need to travel by plane for some reason (as unlikely as that is these days), I'll be taking the Harry's & my electric razor. Both of those combined can give me a baby-butt smooth shave. However, it takes more work and causes a lot of redness and irritation on the skin of my neck.

This new safety razor that I just tried gave me a completely different experience. I didn't bother to use the Lectric Shave and my electric razor first, like I do with the cartridge razor. I just wet my face with a towel, lathered up with Barbasol and put this new blade to work. There was virtually no learning curve. I just had to remember to angle the razor a little more than usual so the blade would catch the whiskers. Not only did this safety razor give me that baby-butt smooth shave that every man craves, it did so with comfort and ease. I could barely feel the razor working its magic on the 24-48 hours' worth of stubble on my visage. When I was done, there was also ZERO redness and irritation. So, yes, we have yet another winner.

The safety razor that I purchased. 
I am not putting the 'we have a winner'
graphic on this stock photo.

The razor that I bought cost me $28.88 from Amazon. I picked up a 100 count box of blades that got great reviews for $11.77. The brand is owned by a company in India and the blades were made in Turkey with Swedish Steel and German machinery for extreme precision. Globalization at work. At least this particular product didn't come from Communist China. :P

For this first shave, I used the sample blade that came with the razor. The box of blades that I bought are a different brand and may work better or worse. I'm not concerned either way. At that price, I would only be out about 12 cents per blade. I don't mind experimenting until I find what's right for me. I've even identified another brand that I might try in the future. That 100 count box would be a little more expensive at $14.95, but it gets rave reviews. (Other retailers besides Amazon might have better prices.) That brand was also the company that introduced safety razors to the USA over a century ago. However, it seems they're making the blades in Germany now. Damned Globalization!!! At least they are still being made somewhere in the (semi) Free World...

The box of blades that I bought...

The safety razor works soooooo much better than any cartridge razor with a lot more speed and comfort and at a much lower price per blade. I really should have done this years ago. And I could have done this a long time ago too. I went looking through my bathroom cabinet and discovered some old shaving supplies that actually did belong to one of my grandfathers: 2 old safety razors with the butterfly door design (both of which are functional, but need some cleaning and mild restoration work) and a cup & brush for traditional shave soap. I'm not sure if the brush is still usable. However, I did clean out the cup and now put the Barbasol cream that I use during a shave in there. And that cup has the Old Spice logo on it too. I really have turned into my grandfather here... And I'm only 39 years old... Lolz.

Either way, the days of me paying exorbitant prices for inferior cartridge razors are OVER.

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Okay... I have worn out the first blade now. It worked quite well. The Parker blades also work quite well, with very little difference in performance. I'm still getting a baby-butt smooth shave every time with little or no skin irritation. Where once shaving was just another grooming chore like brushing teeth, now it's actually enjoyable. At least something these days is turning out right. School has become a drag. My old desktop died and I bought a new one this weekend. (The old one will be repaired and repurposed as one of several different things I am considering right now.) Then there's also everything you see in the news as of late, which is beyond being 'mentally exhausting' at this point. Oh, well. The world maybe running as fast as Usain Bolt down the road to Perdition, but at least I can get a good quality shave.

- Lord Publius