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How Harry's Bought a German Razor Factory

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Re: How Harry's Bought a German Razor Factory

#31
post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have long pondered using old fashioned blades - but the ones I used in my time were all very much inferior to Gillette or Harrys which is what I am using right now ( they are cheaper, are good quality and last far longer than Gillette btw.). If you don't mind answering - what blades/razor combo you're using and are there any downsides (ex. easy to cut yourself, shave quality etc.) that you choose to live with?

I've tried probably a dozen brands. Counter-intuitively, I found that the sharpest were the ones least likely to cut, because you apply so little pressure (and maybe because they notch the hair immediately, instead of sliding down to the skin). Feathers are easily the best at least in my experience, beating even the "premium" offerings from Gillette and Wilkinson and making it easily worth the (rather large) premium;…

> Counter-intuitively, I found that the sharpest were the ones least likely to cut...

This is actually a pretty common phenomenon among pretty much any kind of blade. The logic is that (supposedly) the majority of knife accidents are caused by losing control of the knife through applied pressure. When something unexpected happens, the knife has a lot of force behind it and travels quickly to places it isn't supposed to be, like inside you. A well-sharpened kitchen knife will cut through vegetables with barely more pressure than the weight of the blade, so unexpected forceful interactions are very rare.

Re: How Harry's Bought a German Razor Factory

#35

Pro tip: just get an old fashioned safety razor. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003LW4L2W/ It will last longer than you do and gives you a perfect shave. A box of 100 blades will last for years and will cost you almost nothing. All disposable razors, including Harry's, are overpriced.

I've switched to this setup a couple of years ago. The biggest improvement, even if you stay with disposable razors: get a good brush and whip up your own lather from soap or shaving cream and use a preshave. It's a massive improvement over the standard goo imo. I've experimented with a lot of them and settled on the relatively cheap Proraso shaving cream (green) and pre/postshave. Warning: you can spend tons of time and money tinkering :P

Finding the right blades also takes some time. I've tried some that are highly rated (Feather) but they didn't work for me. I'm using Personna Reds now and am very happy with them. I got a 200 pack and it usually last quite long (2-3 shaves per blade, you could get more but I prefer taking no risk)

Re: How Harry's Bought a German Razor Factory

#36

Pro tip: just get an old fashioned safety razor. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003LW4L2W/ It will last longer than you do and gives you a perfect shave. A box of 100 blades will last for years and will cost you almost nothing. All disposable razors, including Harry's, are overpriced.

That's what I do, but the bad thing is that they get "rusty", maybe because they stay wet?

Also I use these blades: http://www.amazon.com/Derby-Extra-Double-Razor-Blades/dp/B00...

They are pretty cheap but I feel like they are not well made sometimes. Any tips on what blades to buy?

Re: How Harry's Bought a German Razor Factory

#37
post #4

It's cool what they're doing with vertical integration, but this whole product category seems silly to me. I can see why a 15yo who has never shaved before would buy these. Once one has shaved for some time, however, what's the problem with the good old-fashioned safety razor? I'm currently on a box of 100 blades (conveniently subpackaged into packets of 5), and it cost me $10 on Amazon. How do Gillette and the rest…

One of the biggest issues for me, with the safety razors, is just how easy it is to nick yourself. However, there are other parts of one's body, that are impossible to shave with a safety razor.

dude here, no problem shaving everything with a safety razor.

Re: How Harry's Bought a German Razor Factory

#38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm happy to pay extra for a razor that gives a close shave without cuts or skin irritation, and that doesn't require extensive training to use.

If you can use a disposable razor, you can use a double-edged safety razor. You absolutely don't need "extensive training" to shave with one of these.

I bought one a few years ago and found it to be a much less enjoyable experience than a multi-blade razor. The single blade would pull at my hairs a painful amount before cutting them.

Re: How Harry's Bought a German Razor Factory

#39
post #36

Pro tip: just get an old fashioned safety razor. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003LW4L2W/ It will last longer than you do and gives you a perfect shave. A box of 100 blades will last for years and will cost you almost nothing. All disposable razors, including Harry's, are overpriced.

That's what I do, but the bad thing is that they get "rusty", maybe because they stay wet? Also I use these blades: http://www.amazon.com/Derby-Extra-Double-Razor-Blades/dp/B00... They are pretty cheap but I feel like they are not well made sometimes. Any tips on what blades to buy?

I shaved for at least two weeks each with Timor, Astra, Derby, Feather & Merkur blades. Everybody has a different experience, but I wasn't happy with Timor or Astra. Derby does the job, but I settled on Merkur and Feather (they're much, much better).

They're also a bit more expensive but since I can get so much use out of them and they're so, so much cheaper than the Mach 3's I used to use, I'm cool with that. :)

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