Before I get started with my shaving babble, I first want to say HAPPY STAR WARS DAY! May the Fourth be with you.
I’m a nerd, but you know what? I’ve come to accept it. I tried to be a jock in high school, in fact I was a multi-sport athlete, but after games I didn’t go out to the parties to celebrate. I would ride around with my buddies and do our best attempt to chase girls, but most of the time, I was happy coming home to a video game and gallons of Mt. Dew and stay up for hours on end. Now, I’m a shave nerd! And with that, let’s get to some shave talk! I had a “budget shave” today. And by that, everything was on the lower end of the price spectrum. I used a puck of Williams Shave Soap, my Gillette Tech (a $5 investment) a Crystal blade, my TBS Custom brush and some Dollar General Old Spice. If you read my last post, you saw my top 5 favorite “Store Brand” products. Stores such as Walgreens, Wal-Mart, Target, CVS and many more can provide you with a great shave. Except for maybe the razor. Some stores have those DE razors that Rick from Pawn Stars is advertising, and a few Sally Beauty Supply stores have cheap DE’s as well. So its possible to get the full thing from those stores, but often you have to go to other shaving websites to get the razors.
That has brought me to our topic for today. Razors. At the moment, I believe I’m up to around 17 razors, give or take a number or five. Why so many? Heck I wish I could give you an honest answer! I call it my working collection and adding to it is kind of a hunt for me, as I truly enjoy going out to flea markets and antique stores in search of razors. But out of these razors, I find myself going back to several fairly regularly and some on the shelf as “specialty razors” that I look at like bullpen pitchers. The lefty specialist, the ground ball pitcher, the closer, etc. I’ve got a razor that I like to use with more than 4 days of growth, a razor I like to use after shaving the day before, and so on. My repurposed pipe rack tends to hold my top razors. There’s 6 slots, but today, yeah, we’re only talking five. Who are my top five? Here we go!
#5 Gillette Ball End Tech
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The first entry is the little Ball End Tech by Gillette. These were the first solid bar razors released by Gillette and were released from 1939 to the last 70’s I do believe. Maybe early 80’s. It is a VERY mild razor, in fact there are times that I wonder if it is even removing any hair at all until I rinse it off and see stubble in the sink. However, this is my go to razor when shaving on consecutive days. I prefer to load it up with one of my sharper blades, something like a Feather works great for me, and let it do its job. It is compact and very easy to maneuver and I am able to avoid getting some irritation with it on a consecutive day shave. I don’t shave in consecutive days very often, but when I do, this is the razor that lets me get that one day growth knocked down with ease.
#4 Merkur 37C Slant
Ah, the mighty slant. One of the most talked about razors (or debated?) around. Some say its one of the most aggressive razors, while some people call its slant a gimmick. I received this as a birthday gift this past year, so it is fairly new, but it has been used quite extensively during that time. Why do I rank it so high after such a short time? Efficiency. While I don’t find this razor to be the aggressive monster that many folks may claim it to be, I do find it to be extremely efficient. I notice that the twisted bar design allows for a smoother cut per stroke. And again, note that this is all YMMV talk. I’ve yet to experience the chin line irritation that some folks mention, so maybe I’ve just been fortunate this far, or I’ve taken a different approach. Either way, this razor has impressed me and cracked my top five rather quickly. Its worked best with either a Voskhod or Gillette Silver Blue so far, although I’ve not tested it with a wide variety of blades. I think this razor is worth the shot, so if you like it, let me know!
#3 Muhle R41
Yet another of the most highly debated razors that I’ve seen, the “blade on a stick”, the beast, the beard basher, and so forth.. It goes by many, MANY names. My wife got me the 2013 version of the Grande (although I believe that I have uploaded a 2011 version picture) for our wedding. I, like many, was a bit hesitant using it. And it was a bit rough on the first go. I’ve cut my nostril twice with it, but it was out of carelessness on my part. But with all the joking, the jabbing, the hype and everything else that goes along with the R41, I’ve found it to be a very efficient razor. Is it aggressive? You betcha! And yes, it WILL bite you if you’re careless. But then again, any razor can do just that. I’ve found this to be my favorite razor with more than three days of growth. It really mows down the thicker beard growth like it wasn’t even there. It does like some of the sharper blades that I have. I have found out that it HATES an Astra (at least mine does, your may be more cooperative) as I got my worst shave with it while using an Astra. But the Gillette Blues, Feathers and the like. Its not an every day razor for me, but I know that if I am too busy to shave for a few days and need to clean up, this guy has it locked down for me.
#2 Gillette Red Tip
The Red Tip. How classic is that? THIS is what I think of when I think of a safety razor. It has the classic lines and look to it. It was one I was attracted to immediately when my wet shaving journey began. They only ran the red tips for about 5 years, from 55-60 and they were the big brothers to the super speeds of that era. They were a bit heavier, and to me, that makes a noticeable difference both in terms of its aggressiveness and its ease of use. I received this last year from my wife (she’s quite the enabler!) and put it to work immediately. Its in my rack and is one of my daily use razors. I’ve found that I prefer the heavier razors as they are effortless in the fact that I hold it and they do the work. This razor also likes to work with any blade that I throw in it, so well that it made a Derby blade work like a champ! I believe this was the first razor that I had a visual attraction to and its shaving efficiency makes it one of my favorites. But, it isn’t my top! Let’s see what claims my numero uno spot!
#1 Gillette Black Handle SuperSpeed
The Black Handle Super Speed! Just take a look at that thing! I’ve always been a sucker for the black/silver scheme of things. The main reason that I am a big fan of this razor, however, is that it was my birth year razor! Thankfully, these razors were still being made in 1983 and I was just fortunate enough to come across one from the first quarter of 1983, making it even closer to being the true birth razor for myself. Is it the best razor as far as shaving that I have in my lineup? No. The super speeds are great little razors, albeit light (save for that sexy red tip up there). They are on the milder side of things, and these black handles seem to be a little more mild. Maybe at this point, Gillette knew that they were about to be phased out in favor of the carts. That all means nothing to me in the grand scheme of things, however. Finding a birth year/birth quarter razor is a bit of a goal for many in our shaving community. To know that I was able to find one with the help of my wife (I really think she’s my inspiration in this now that I think about it) was even better. I don’t use it daily, but every time I do use it, its a special shave for me. One thing I do enjoy about the super speed razors is that they work well with any blade in them. The sharper the better most often is the case, but I like knowing that whatever gets put in it will work for me.
So there you have it, another one of my top five lists of awesomeness! What are your favorite razors? I would LOVE to hear! As I’ve said before, I am a sucker for lists. I guess its the High Fidelity (great movie, check it out) effect or something. What will I list next? Keep checking back to find out! We’ve still got a lot to cover, including blades, soaps/creams, aftershaves, and more! I hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as I have. Stay smooth!
Semo Shaving 