Asking for a little advice here. I am interested in Dopers opinions regarding the best disposable razor available. I have a supposedly top-of-the-line Gillette that I don’t like at all. It takes many, many passes to get a smooth shave, and many times patches are left that my wife notices and complains about. I’ll admit, I don’t get any nicks or scrapes from it, but that seems to be because it doesn’t seem to want to cut anything. It is one of those fancy three-bladed things, which seem to be more for advertising than for cutting.
Do any of you folks have a particular favorite that you would recommend. Price is really no object.
Honestly, if your Gillette razor only has three blades, it’s not the top of the line. The Gillette Fusion razors are the top of their product line and they have five blades.
I’m pretty sure technique matters more than brand.
It works much better with some kind of shaving cream than without. But plain old hand soap lather works perfectly fine.
Short-to-medium length slow cutting strokes work better than long or rapid strokes. Don’t be in a hurry, and the job will get done faster and better.
Rinse off the razor frequently, after every 2nd or 3rd stroke at least. Even better still, have some kind of stiff-ish brush to ream out the hair that gets wedged in between the blades.
What do you mean by “disposable razor”? The kind where you throw the whole thing away, handle and all? That’s what I have always understood the term to mean. But it almost sounds like you actually mean the kind with replaceable cartridges, where you throw out and replace the old blade/cartridge, but keep the handle.
Assuming you actually mean the latter, I have always always loved the Gillette Mach 3 which I’ve been using since the early 2000s. I was skeptical when they first came out, but when I tried one I found I get a much closer shave than any other razor I’ve used and fewer nicks and cuts. I once tried going back to the old 2 blade razor I used to use just because I found a good deal on replacement blades for it, but I hated it in comparison to the Mach 3 and haven’t used anything else since. I haven’t actually tried any of the newer 4 or 5 blade razors (which I assume is what Gillette considers “top of the line” nowadays), but I have read that they provide no additional benefit or might actually be worse. It seems like three blades is the sweet spot.
ETA: I missed that you said your current razor has 3 blades. When you said top of the line I assumed at least 4. Never mind, then. As stated above 3 blades isn’t top of the line anymore.
I can’t use my glasses while shaving, so the image is not all that clear. I just seem to remember that years ago when I used a safety razor with a disposable single blade, it didn’t take near as long to get a smooth shave. Of course, that method had the disadvantage of leaving a nick or two.
I just seems that the razor sort of glides on top of the beard hairs without really cutting them, unless I make many passes over the area, pressing rather hard. And I make all the recommend preparations for shaving, although I don’t shave right after a shower as the damned mirror is completely fogged up.
If it didn’t mean a divorce, I’d grow a full beard.
Senegoid’s post covers the main points. I’ll add that they say strokes should go in the same direction as the hair grows. I think it’s supposed to prevent itchiness a a day or two down the road, but if the goal is a smoother surface to enhance your partner’s pleasure, shaving against the grain is the way to go. Also, don’t press hard and don’t go over the same spot too many times. If you have to do that, the blade’s lost its edge.
OP didn’t specify what kind of razor. If it’s the wholly disposable kind, they go dull pretty quick (10 uses?). The blade should cut right through the hair with very little pressure. My hair’s thick and coarse, and when blades lose their edge they skate right over the surface, although maybe that could happen with a sharp blade on fine, silky hair.
Does anyone else remember a Saturday Night Live skit from the 70s about a three-blade razor? It was back when razors had only recently started sporting two blades, and it was one of those fake ads that you don’t realize is fake until the very end. It went through the claim of the first blade(s) pulling the hair and the last one cutting it, and it ended with, “Because you’ll believe anything!”
*Shave after a shower. After showering I turn the overhead off and sit down in the bathtub and shave.
*I use either the Bic Sensitive single blade disposable, or Bic 3, both of which I get at the local dollar store.
*I use an aloe vera gel which I also get at the dollar store.
*Gel up the pus, shave downward. Rinse the razor completely after ever stroke.
*Rinse face off, reapply gel. Shave upward against the grain.
*Rinse face off. Do not reapply gel, but stroke razor downward over face. This closes up any open pores and collects any dead skin still remaining on your face.
*Dry face lightly with towel. Then put just a drop of aloe on the palm of your hand and massage into face. Do this before applying any aftershave or cologne.
*Throw the razor away. One and done. They’re only a buck for 6 of them.
The entire shave takes only slightly longer than it took you to read all this. But the result is a face that’s smooth as a babies bum. Your wife will appreciate not getting scrapes and razor burns on her inner thighs.
A decade ago, I found an overlooked Personna, and it was amazing. Great shave, lasted a long time. The store had none… The web said the company discontinued. I found a web listing of a seller who still had a stock, and I ordered 6-dozen, cheaper than Gillette retail. I shave three times a week, and I still had some after eight years, That’s well over a thousand shaves from 50-somr disposables.
I just lather up with hot water and Mexican Zote all-purpose bar soap, sold in the laundry soap aisle.
cartridge razors peaked at 2 blade excel - shame they discontinued them. maybe an off brand version is available.
if you fancy a real change then delve into the art of shaving - get yourself a DE razor - single blade, just like your dad/granddad used to use. get a brush and some decent soap/aftershave and you’ll never look back.
there are forums for this kind of obsession - blade and badger is US based, theshavingroom.co.uk is a decent UK forum where you will get lots of (too much?) advice. if you get into it, shaving becomes a pleasure and something to look forward to
I bought a Bic Flex 5 and haven’t gone back. Very similar to a Gillette Fusion. Five blades, a sixth blade for edging, a pivoting head. It gives a really good close comfortable shave. The refills are economical too, only $6.99 for four cartridges.
Double edged Gilette from the 1920s (comb bar style), brush and bowl using hand soap ends, nearsighted as a drunk owl. Never a bad shave in twenty years.
Personally, on the rare occasion I use a blade rather than an electric, I find that the super-cheap ONE-bladed razors work better than any of the multiple blades. All the multiple blades do is provide a place for cut hairs to accumulate and clog the thing up. But good luck finding any single-blade any more.
Yeah, I always shave at the end of a hot shower or bath. It makes a huge difference, as in, I can’t even shave unless my skin is wet and warm as it is painful (maily in the mustache area under the nose. The rest isn’t so bad.) For me, the key seems to be the water being hot. The hotter I can get the water and face, the easier my shave.
And, personally, I find single blades work better for me than multiple blades, so I’ve just gone back to real cheap single-blade Bic Metals. (I probably should try a safety razor at this point.) I buy the Bics on Amazon. The problem I have with the multi-blade razors is my hairs get stuck in between the blades and are a bitch to get out. I have to smack the razor on the side of the sink or whatever every pass.
