- There are cheaper alternatives to both the razors the author is showing.
- You don't need to shave every day, especially with 2024 social norms, you choose to.
- Nobody forces you to use a disposable razor. You can use a straight razor. You can use an electric shaver. I use both. But it turns out disposable razors saves your from cuts and learning technics and people want that.
- So you really pay £40/year (which is not huge) for the convenience of a disposable razor, and not even the cheap ones. And the fact you want to shave every day.
That reads like an Ad, except I don't know what OP is selling.
It turns out, properly engineered and precision machined safety razors saves you nicks and cuts and is a better shave than disposable or electric shavers. These razors angle the cutting edge at a certain angle, and has very little jiggle. You can still nick yourself applying too much pressure or slicing sideways.
You pay for it, of course, in the initial investment.
The author went on to list other examples, such as Kureig pods. Maybe he is trying to unsell some things.
> It turns out, properly engineered and precision machined safety razors saves you nicks and cuts and is a better shave than disposable or electric shavers.
Best in class (and should be multiples more expensive IMO): hensonshaving.com
I use feather double edge safety razor blades and swear I get cut by looking at them. Always on my hands though so I try not to touch them using a wash cloth and toss them after 3 shaves.
You can make "disposable" razors last a very long time by rubbing them on a piece of old denim in between shaves. Most of the wear on razors comes from oxidation from air and water vs. cutting hair. I believe doing this helps remove the oxidated spots. This means I can make a pack of them last 12-18 months, and I only need a new razor when the plastic/silicone housing and pads break.
Reading the other comments I should still probably invest in a more permanent razor though.
> - You don't need to shave every day, especially with 2024 social norms, you choose to.
Regarding 2024 social norms: the world is a big place and not everyone lives in the US or Western Europe.
Also, people have extremely different beard growth rates. I'm in my 30s and believe I personally still haven't met a man whose facial hair grows quicker than mine does. I can shave in the morning and by 6PM it no longer looks clean whatsoever. Yet there's many men who can't grow one even if they'd like to.
> But it turns out disposable razors saves your from cuts and learning technics and people want that.
They're also useful for those with disabilities or other issues that make it difficult to use a straight razor. I'd love to use one but have tremors if I hold my hands/arms in certain positions, rendering it unfeasable. We're definitely a small minority though, for most I'd recommend the straight razor.
>You don't need to shave every day, especially with 2024 social norms, you choose to.
different people have vastly different shaving needs, you can't put everybody in the same box like that. learn to be curious about other people's experiences, and their reasons, you can choose to too!
Many takes in this thread are people not realizing this and having a really narrow view of what people are shaving, and why, and what might or might not work for them--inappropriately generalizing their own constraints and desires to others.
>You don't need to shave every day, especially with 2024 social norms, you choose to.
Only if you're a software engineer at a company with no dress code. Many professions you simply MUST shave every day (ex. military, firefighter). Even the first company I worked as a software engineer for in 2005 required men to be clean shaven for work. In 2024 the New York Yankees STILL require their players to be clean shaven on the field.[1]
Beyond that, facial hair growth rate is highly variable.
Indeed. You could buy https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/251618381, for instance, which is a perfectly good razor and costs 70p per unit. Assuming one lasts you a week, that's £36 per year. Many people could make one last at least a fortnight, which brings the cost down to £18 per year.
Is it worth £8 per year to save the hassle of dealing with a classic double-edged razor? Yes, of course it is. This is a very strange thing to get upset about.
I have a Dorco that I've used for years along with a double edge. The Dorco cartridges are pretty cheap and the double edge was used.
Also, yes, you probably do not have to shave everyday these days. I can get by with 2-3 a week if that and still not look messy. Even if I did I feel the Dorco with the double edge is not that expensive.
I think that it's also important to consider that it's much easier to cut oneself when using a double edge razor. The multiple blades locked to a specific angle that makes a modern razor safer likely also contributes to its greater cost and plastic waste.
I suspect that it's more also difficult to travel with exposed blades than with modern cartridges; both due to the ease of packing and due to security hassles.
Personally I started shaving using an electric razor, switched to a double edged razor, and then eventually switched to a modern razor.
A Double Edged razor - also called *Safety Razor* - is a tool that is pretty safe, and requires a few minutes (few shaves) to get the hang of it and virtually almost never cut yourself again.
You do not need to travel with exposed blades, you can remove the blades, and probably buy new blades for a few cents at the destination.
Making things superficially safer at the cost of wasting resources the future generations will need greatly to save 5 minutes of training and practice is the typical problem of our age. As the author pointed out, this trend applies to many parts of our lives with slight differences.
I've never been anywhere inside the US where I could disembark a plane and buy razor blades for my DE razors.
The biggest safety benefit for cartridge razors is that they prevent you from cutting yourself when side-slipping, whereas a DE razor will gash your face open if you side-slip. But it is a tradeoff.
It's pretty safe but accidents still happen. Just the other day I sliced my finger while grabbing my king gillette from the filled sink. It happened because I wasn't looking and the blade was exposed. I basically unscrewed it to clean out the hairs and didn't tighten in back up before dropping in the sink. And this happens to me sometimes that I don't fully tighten it. Even though I've been using this type of razor for a couple of years already I still manage to nick myself occasionally if I'm not careful.
Which, funny enough, was one of the complaints about Gillette's disposable safety razor blades long before we had totally disposable razors which are much more wasteful.
Same. I love the Henson. Had it for a few weeks now but it feels no less safe than the Harry's disposable cartridges I was using before. Ignoring the tiny amount of extra plastic I save each year and the 10s of dollars on cartridges, I really just enjoy throwing away less stuff and the feel of a well made object that is intended to last for a long time.
+1 for the Henson, it's an engineering marvel. It's precision machined to stabilise the whole length of the blade edge to prevent it from wobbling and bending, which makes shaving much easier and the blade last longer. It makes the blade seem sharper. It also makes it harder to cut yourself since the blade can not sink into your skin.
I went from cheap disposables, to a safety razor, back to electric. Prefer the new electric razors, but nothing will beat the safety razor for a clean shave.
I went from a cheap electric ages ago, to cartridge razors, to a DE safety razor, stuck with that for a decade, and finally landed back on electric.
Modern electric razors give me the best shave I've ever gotten. The shave is as close as it needs to be for all practical purposes, but it's much gentler with essentially no risk of cuts, bumps, or irritation. I use a Braun Series 9 on my head and face (Panasonic Arc is supposedly great too) and a Philips OneBlade on my neck (the less close shave avoids causing bumps), in a hot shower with whatever oil I have on hand for pre-shave (MCT) and either Cremo, eos UltraProtect, or Amazon Basics shaving cream (these three all do about the same job, but I had to experiment with a bunch of others that were awful).
The Braun 9 is a bit of an up front investment, but beyond that the ongoing costs are fairly low as long as you maintain it properly. Factoring in cleaning/lubrication supplies, replacement heads, and shaving cream, I'd ballpark it at around $10/mo.
> I think that it's also important to consider that it's much easier to cut oneself when using a double edge razor.
I've actually found it to be the opposite in my case, after having used a double-edge safety razor for almost 7 years. When I use the DE razor, I know exactly where the blade is and it gives me greater control if I need to go over a spot again that I missed. With the disposable razor, I've always found it difficult to tell where the blades are on my skin, which makes me prone to errors. The multiple blades in sequence also make it much more nick-prone when going against the grain for a closer shave, or as in the missed-spot scenario I just mentioned.
But yes, you're right - it's basically impossible to travel with a DE razor without a checked bag. Even just carrying the handle without the blade in your carry-on is a risk. I have an acquaintance who lost his DE handle to a TSA agent that wasn't interested in understanding that the handle by itself poses no more risk than a toothbrush. So, if I'm flying, I'll suffer with the disposable razor and never shave against the grain.
Bevel makes disposable safety razors for travel. Yes disposable double edged safety razors. They are quite nice nice. It's a plastic handle with standard double edged blade in there but it's non removable.
Not to shill, but the reason modern razors make it harder to cut yourself is that the head pivots. This isn't intrinsically tied to being a disposable cartridge. I know that at least OneBlade and Leaf make razors with pivoting heads which accept either single-edge or halves of double-edged blades respectively. You get the benefits of lower waste/spend and fewer cuts/less careful shaving.
Ironic that the razor you call double-edge was originally known as a safety razor - one of its main advantages over the previous technology (straight razors - of Sweeney Todd fame)
The pivoting head on these is a game changer after using the traditional double edge razor. I do cut myself on occasion (Feathers are SHARP) but usually when I'm trying to rush things, and not as much as with the traditional razor.
>The multiple blades locked to a specific angle that makes a modern razor safer
So are the blades in double edged razors, which is why they're also called ... safety razors. The cap at the top and the bottom basically fix the blade at a particular angle, when you angle it wrong it just won't really cut. They were literally designed so people could shave at home instead of going to the barber.
While it's true it is a little easier, I also don't find I ever do it. Admittedly, this no doubt depends on skin and use case, and I only shave around my beard, not all over.
For my use case, I find the multiple blades get clogged more easily and make it way harder to get a clean line, so a simple safety razor works best by a big margin.
I switched from cartridges to DE razors a couple of years ago for many of the reasons listed in the article. The article unfairly doesn't list many of the advantages of cartridges, which drove adoption of them over the dominant DE razors of yesteryear.
Cartridge shaving is just easier, faster, and more convenient. Multiple blades and pivoting heads let you absentmindedly drag the razor over your face and get a very good shave.
It takes me probably 25 - 50% longer to shave with a DE blade because I need to make more passes and shave more carefully to avoid cuts. Even so, I cut myself more often than I do with a cartridge. I do it anyway, though, because it's just more mindful and engaging than a cartridge razor, and cheaper. The spent blades can even be recycled in the right container.
Plus, shaving with hot water causes the metal body of the razor head to heat up, so you can get a hot shave, too. Try that with your plastic handle!
In my student days I at some point decided to go from a double sided razor to using a belt for sharpening a traditionam razor. Didn't last long because this actually is labour intensive in maintenance and shaving. For years I used to break a DE blade in half's and use it in a fake traditional razor. Now I am using the double blade again and actual find it really easy and fast. I am always annoyed from cartridges as longer hair (I wear a beard) gets stuck and the double sided razor is much easier to clean.
Using the old style of double-edged razors would be great. But, I have never managed to use them successfully - there's always a degree of nicks and razor burn.
Fans of this style of razor would claim that this will be poor technique and they may even be right, but not everyone can be good at it, apparently.
If someone were to invent a razor which can use cheap double-edged blades and not be unpleasant to use I'd certainly buy it.
BTW, the old Rolls Razor turns out to give a very good shave and a blade can last a lifetime. Its only disadvantage as far as I can tell is that it takes much longer to shave with (presumably not a problem for those who actually enjoy shaving).
DE razors have a level of aggressiveness. A Muhle R41 for example is a fantastic razor, but known to be hugely aggressive.
A R89 is much less agressieve and will be more comfortable to shave with if you have sensitive skin or are prone to nicks and cuts.
Lots of people talk about how to achieve the greatest smoothness, don’t go for that if you regularly have razor burn. Just go with the grain and that’s it, no across or against the grain.
THIS! My face doesn't like electric razors, but safety razors applied in in beard growth direction are fine, and give reasonably smooth shave.
Also make sure to clean that razor (Of course I did so for the electric one I had, a pretty advanced Phillips one with great reviews), and use sharp blades. Typically changing blades after 5 shaves is a good practice, though a bit of a luxury. Razors themselves and blades both have different level of agressiveness, you might not find the best fit for the first attempt.
I have good experience with Feather, some Lord and Voskhod Teflon blades. Some others didn't work well, but settled on these as soon as I found one readily available and of a good fit for my skin.
I also have a Müle R89 razor that is said to be not agressive, and indeed it did work out well for me! Had some others before, cheaper ones (actualy the Mühle one is not expensive, just not dirt cheap, it will easily serve you your whole life), some were hard on my skin, with the exception of some very basic Lord one was pretty ok. Cannot name the model, bought it while travelling and was sold for a few bucks in a bazaar.
Also shave after shower, or use other techniques to soften your facial hair. (though most are really cumbersome, like using steamed towels) Shaving soap of cream alone is barely adequate in my opinion.
Check out Rockwell razors. They come with a set of plates that let you choose the aggressiveness of the razor, which is very helpful, especially when you're first starting out.
Not all blades are the same - I bought a sample pack when I first started using double edged razors 12 years ago - 9/10 of the brands were horrible. Eventually I found the feather double platinum to be great, ordered a large amount from a Thai seller on Amazon because otherwise they were expensive.
Also I’d say the razor burn and nicks are all down to technique, and perhaps skin/hair type. For me, even from the get go, the old school safety razors did not cause razor burn while the 3 to 5 bladed monstrosities always did because they results in a far to close shave.
Blade type can make a big difference. I'm using Lord Platinum's right now and they've been a vast improvement. My skin is fairly sensitive though - I've only ever really managed to shave about twice to 3 times a week reliably. (I also have a pack of a 1000, so so I'll run out...possibly not within my lifetime).
Yeah seconding this. A lot of my razor rash went away when I went from Gilette Blue to Gillette Platinum. I've tried a lot of blades from different companies including Feather but the Gillette Platinum seem to work best for me.
You have to let your skin get used to it. When I first started I got tons of nicks and cuts and razor burn. Do it for a week or so and you'll get better and your skin will get used to it.
Alternatively, you simply develop better technique without noticing. They are much closer so they are very sensitive to grain direction. I’ve found that I need to go with the grain, then sideways, and lastly against the grain in sensitive areas like the neck. And beard can grow in swirls, so grain is not always the direction you’d think. Secondly, warm clean skin and foam helps a lot to soften the hairs. Best would probably be in the shower but a hot towel before works too.
An electric razor is a good complement, and to be fair I use it more often. But that’s because I usually don’t care about the close shave. When I need make myself presentable I definitely prefer a proper razor, even when irregular.
> Nespresso machines, and other coffee pod brands, replace many styles of coffee brewing. Provide much worse coffee, at a higher price but are superficially convenient.
I dont think John quite realizes the quality of the coffee at the average office before such machines were a thing. It was much worse than capsule espresso, and I dislike Nestle as much as anyone else. The same for most people at home, really. And those who already made better coffee have kept doing so anyway. No, while capsule coffee is absurdly wasteful and there's plenty to criticize about it, the one positive thing is that it produces better coffee than what used to be the average.
There are office-grade coffee machines that make espresso-based drinks with a single button press and work with beans. They’re not as good as a real machines with non-pressurized baskets, but not worse than the pods.
And those might be the common in SV tech companies, but not as much in the other 99% of the world (and even less so at the time that capsule coffee became popular).
They do seem to be popular in places like coworking spaces and other shared facilities. But then they seem to buy the absolute cheapest bottom barrel beans, probably rarely clean the machines and so on, meaning it still just ends up worse than capsule coffee, or similar at best.
What he points out is true, but I could never get comfortable shaving with a double blade razor (constant razor burn) whereas the cartridge razors were much easier to use and get a comfortable shave. I wish there was a middle ground where you could have a durable multi-blade razor body and still replace individual blades instead of the whole head.
Edit:
Some of the other examples given are less strong (tea is still pennies a serving when buying in bag form). However electronic bike shifting systems always seem absurd to me. You mean I have to charge my bicycle!?
> Well understood mechanical bike shifting transitions to electronic shifting which requires you to pay more and charge your pedal bike
This has been on my mind lately. I own a bike with mechanical cable shifters and derailleurs. I've talked to friends who had to maintain these parts over the years, and even seen one maintenance session personally. Namely, you have to change the steel cable every so often because water and dirt enter through the ends and contaminate the cable. And after every few cable changes, you need to change the housing as well. Ask anyone who has ridden over 10 000 km, and they will tell you that they've changed the cable and/or housing during that operational period. Also, cables stretch and shift over time, and even without changing the cable or housing, you have to constantly re-tune the cable tension to ensure crisp shifting and not get stuck between gears - you probably have to do this every 1000 km.
Electronic (wireless) shifters/derailleurs don't have this particular failure mode because there is no mechanical cable. Sure, the derailleur needs lubrication and occasional maintenance, and you need to charge/change the batteries, and of course you need to make sure you don't destroy any electrical cables. But I believe the maintenance of as electronic shifting system requires far less labor. Electronic shifting isn't just a cash-cow gimmick; it offers real advantages. Another point is that some cargo bikes with a long distance between the rider and the derailleur(s) use electronic shifting instead of running a long cable, which again reduces maintenance and failure modes.
On road I don't see the point, any decent derailleur works well in all conditions you regularly experience. Generally rides (consciously or not) let up on the torque to improve shifting, not a big deal.
However on a MTB it's more challenging, more forces (sideways, skidding, jumps, rock gardens, etc), larger temperature changes, more variable torque (large gear ranges and suspension travel induced torque), and more need for shifting under full torque. For example when climbing a steep technical climb strewn with rocks and roots.
All cassettes in the last few decades have on/off ramps to help shifting, however it's pretty much the luck of the draw when you shift, doubly so when shifting multiple gears at once.
SRAM has managed quite the evolution and got the bike industry on board. First they replaced the weakest part of the frame (I've personally lost a frame to this), the derailleur hanger. Now the derailleur is effectively attacked to the rear hub and is perfectly aligned, there's all kinds of silly demos showing them being hit by hammers or standing on them when the bike is on it's side. I saw a study showing that on 5 year old bikes something approximately 50% of bikes has a misaligned hanger, enough to make shifting worse.
Now with that crazy big improvement in strength, durability, alignment, and best of all the bike industry now doesn't require a custom hanger for every bike with variable derailleur positioning, it can now just design in the bike axle.
Now they have a electronic shifter that gets rid of temp variability, cable issues, and can tuck in to avoid hits. It also knows where the ramps are, so it can shift exactly when needed, which allows full torque shifting seemlessly. In fact people complain it doesn't work particularly well when on a bike stand, but does extremely well when actually ridden on the trail.
Is it worth the cost, complexity, and charging once a month? That's up to the end user, but it is a pretty noticeable improvement. Some ebikes can supply the derailleur from the main battery.
I'm pretty late to the game with most bike developments, but I'm considering this one, perfect shifting under load is pretty attractive. My current bike is pretty finicky shifting wise. I replace the cable, casing, and clean/lubricate my derailleur and it gets better, not great though or at least not for long.
I tried the whole "old school" stack: double edge razor, Wilkinson shaving soap, hog hair brush. Still got a more comfortable result with a cartridge + any kind of soap (even hand soap). It's probably a question of getting more skilled/practiced with it, but now I keep a beard so I shave quite rarely.
After I decided to start shaving, I tried a few different razors. The benefit of the cartridge razor is that it requires less skill than the safety razor. The pivoting head puts it at the right angle every time. The downside, however, is the increased cost and packaging. There's also the problem that all the razor cartridges are proprietary and you need a new handle for each different blade set. I didn't like that,so I tried using the older safety razor that I had been using for trimming my neck when I had a beard. I ended up cutting myself a lot, especially around the chin. If that was what safety was, I'd shudder to see what I'd look like with a straight razor! I was still looking for something better, so after I had been brainwashed by YouTube sponsor segments for a few months, I finally caved and bought the Henson Razor in the hope its capabilities matched the advertisement. It's a finely machined safety razor, but the craftsmanship and tolerances aren't what separates it from the regular ones: it's the fact that they've designed it in a way that removes the skill requirements. The cutting angle is built in so you don't have to precisely control the pressure and angle of your cutting strokes. I was half expecting it to be a gimmick but I ended up falling in love with the design. I ended up buying a big sampler of razor blades and I've been enjoying trying all of them. Anyways, actually improving products are out there, you just have to look.
“The double edged razor has become a product that you can only buy on the internet, and which you will only buy if you know that it exists.”
The first seems like a non-problem - I already buy everything but groceries on the Internet.
The second is a publicity issue, if safety razor companies really wanted to, they could advertise the shit out of their products and “cheaper and generates less waste” is going to be a huge selling point tbh.
I only use a disposable razor when travelling (hard to get razor blades through airports security!) and at home I alternate between safety razor and electric razor depending on how much time I have. My first electric razor lasted 20 years, so that’s also a much better investment than tons of stupid expensive Gillette razors/cartridges.
Readit News
- You don't need to shave every day, especially with 2024 social norms, you choose to.
- Nobody forces you to use a disposable razor. You can use a straight razor. You can use an electric shaver. I use both. But it turns out disposable razors saves your from cuts and learning technics and people want that.
- So you really pay £40/year (which is not huge) for the convenience of a disposable razor, and not even the cheap ones. And the fact you want to shave every day.
That reads like an Ad, except I don't know what OP is selling.
You pay for it, of course, in the initial investment.
The author went on to list other examples, such as Kureig pods. Maybe he is trying to unsell some things.
Best in class (and should be multiples more expensive IMO): hensonshaving.com
Reading the other comments I should still probably invest in a more permanent razor though.
Regarding 2024 social norms: the world is a big place and not everyone lives in the US or Western Europe.
Also, people have extremely different beard growth rates. I'm in my 30s and believe I personally still haven't met a man whose facial hair grows quicker than mine does. I can shave in the morning and by 6PM it no longer looks clean whatsoever. Yet there's many men who can't grow one even if they'd like to.
> But it turns out disposable razors saves your from cuts and learning technics and people want that.
They're also useful for those with disabilities or other issues that make it difficult to use a straight razor. I'd love to use one but have tremors if I hold my hands/arms in certain positions, rendering it unfeasable. We're definitely a small minority though, for most I'd recommend the straight razor.
different people have vastly different shaving needs, you can't put everybody in the same box like that. learn to be curious about other people's experiences, and their reasons, you can choose to too!
Deleted Comment
It really does seem more like a personal choice, social norm dependent topic, like fashion or makeup.
Is there someone who need to shave fully for non cosmetic reasons?
Only if you're a software engineer at a company with no dress code. Many professions you simply MUST shave every day (ex. military, firefighter). Even the first company I worked as a software engineer for in 2005 required men to be clean shaven for work. In 2024 the New York Yankees STILL require their players to be clean shaven on the field.[1]
Beyond that, facial hair growth rate is highly variable.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Yankees_appearance_po...
Deleted Comment
Is it worth £8 per year to save the hassle of dealing with a classic double-edged razor? Yes, of course it is. This is a very strange thing to get upset about.
Also, yes, you probably do not have to shave everyday these days. I can get by with 2-3 a week if that and still not look messy. Even if I did I feel the Dorco with the double edge is not that expensive.
I'm not sure they are selling anything, just hunting for clicks on the affiliate link at the bottom of the article maybe?
I suspect that it's more also difficult to travel with exposed blades than with modern cartridges; both due to the ease of packing and due to security hassles.
Personally I started shaving using an electric razor, switched to a double edged razor, and then eventually switched to a modern razor.
You do not need to travel with exposed blades, you can remove the blades, and probably buy new blades for a few cents at the destination.
Making things superficially safer at the cost of wasting resources the future generations will need greatly to save 5 minutes of training and practice is the typical problem of our age. As the author pointed out, this trend applies to many parts of our lives with slight differences.
The biggest safety benefit for cartridge razors is that they prevent you from cutting yourself when side-slipping, whereas a DE razor will gash your face open if you side-slip. But it is a tradeoff.
Which, funny enough, was one of the complaints about Gillette's disposable safety razor blades long before we had totally disposable razors which are much more wasteful.
[1] https://hensonshaving.com/
Modern electric razors give me the best shave I've ever gotten. The shave is as close as it needs to be for all practical purposes, but it's much gentler with essentially no risk of cuts, bumps, or irritation. I use a Braun Series 9 on my head and face (Panasonic Arc is supposedly great too) and a Philips OneBlade on my neck (the less close shave avoids causing bumps), in a hot shower with whatever oil I have on hand for pre-shave (MCT) and either Cremo, eos UltraProtect, or Amazon Basics shaving cream (these three all do about the same job, but I had to experiment with a bunch of others that were awful).
The Braun 9 is a bit of an up front investment, but beyond that the ongoing costs are fairly low as long as you maintain it properly. Factoring in cleaning/lubrication supplies, replacement heads, and shaving cream, I'd ballpark it at around $10/mo.
I've actually found it to be the opposite in my case, after having used a double-edge safety razor for almost 7 years. When I use the DE razor, I know exactly where the blade is and it gives me greater control if I need to go over a spot again that I missed. With the disposable razor, I've always found it difficult to tell where the blades are on my skin, which makes me prone to errors. The multiple blades in sequence also make it much more nick-prone when going against the grain for a closer shave, or as in the missed-spot scenario I just mentioned.
But yes, you're right - it's basically impossible to travel with a DE razor without a checked bag. Even just carrying the handle without the blade in your carry-on is a risk. I have an acquaintance who lost his DE handle to a TSA agent that wasn't interested in understanding that the handle by itself poses no more risk than a toothbrush. So, if I'm flying, I'll suffer with the disposable razor and never shave against the grain.
The pivoting head on these is a game changer after using the traditional double edge razor. I do cut myself on occasion (Feathers are SHARP) but usually when I'm trying to rush things, and not as much as with the traditional razor.
So are the blades in double edged razors, which is why they're also called ... safety razors. The cap at the top and the bottom basically fix the blade at a particular angle, when you angle it wrong it just won't really cut. They were literally designed so people could shave at home instead of going to the barber.
For my use case, I find the multiple blades get clogged more easily and make it way harder to get a clean line, so a simple safety razor works best by a big margin.
Cartridge shaving is just easier, faster, and more convenient. Multiple blades and pivoting heads let you absentmindedly drag the razor over your face and get a very good shave.
It takes me probably 25 - 50% longer to shave with a DE blade because I need to make more passes and shave more carefully to avoid cuts. Even so, I cut myself more often than I do with a cartridge. I do it anyway, though, because it's just more mindful and engaging than a cartridge razor, and cheaper. The spent blades can even be recycled in the right container.
Plus, shaving with hot water causes the metal body of the razor head to heat up, so you can get a hot shave, too. Try that with your plastic handle!
A R89 is much less agressieve and will be more comfortable to shave with if you have sensitive skin or are prone to nicks and cuts.
Lots of people talk about how to achieve the greatest smoothness, don’t go for that if you regularly have razor burn. Just go with the grain and that’s it, no across or against the grain.
Also make sure to clean that razor (Of course I did so for the electric one I had, a pretty advanced Phillips one with great reviews), and use sharp blades. Typically changing blades after 5 shaves is a good practice, though a bit of a luxury. Razors themselves and blades both have different level of agressiveness, you might not find the best fit for the first attempt.
I have good experience with Feather, some Lord and Voskhod Teflon blades. Some others didn't work well, but settled on these as soon as I found one readily available and of a good fit for my skin.
I also have a Müle R89 razor that is said to be not agressive, and indeed it did work out well for me! Had some others before, cheaper ones (actualy the Mühle one is not expensive, just not dirt cheap, it will easily serve you your whole life), some were hard on my skin, with the exception of some very basic Lord one was pretty ok. Cannot name the model, bought it while travelling and was sold for a few bucks in a bazaar.
Also shave after shower, or use other techniques to soften your facial hair. (though most are really cumbersome, like using steamed towels) Shaving soap of cream alone is barely adequate in my opinion.
Also I’d say the razor burn and nicks are all down to technique, and perhaps skin/hair type. For me, even from the get go, the old school safety razors did not cause razor burn while the 3 to 5 bladed monstrosities always did because they results in a far to close shave.
Alternatively, you simply develop better technique without noticing. They are much closer so they are very sensitive to grain direction. I’ve found that I need to go with the grain, then sideways, and lastly against the grain in sensitive areas like the neck. And beard can grow in swirls, so grain is not always the direction you’d think. Secondly, warm clean skin and foam helps a lot to soften the hairs. Best would probably be in the shower but a hot towel before works too.
An electric razor is a good complement, and to be fair I use it more often. But that’s because I usually don’t care about the close shave. When I need make myself presentable I definitely prefer a proper razor, even when irregular.
I dont think John quite realizes the quality of the coffee at the average office before such machines were a thing. It was much worse than capsule espresso, and I dislike Nestle as much as anyone else. The same for most people at home, really. And those who already made better coffee have kept doing so anyway. No, while capsule coffee is absurdly wasteful and there's plenty to criticize about it, the one positive thing is that it produces better coffee than what used to be the average.
It's an environmental disaster, and I never use Nespresso for that reason, but one ought to at least engage with the true reasons people use it.
They do seem to be popular in places like coworking spaces and other shared facilities. But then they seem to buy the absolute cheapest bottom barrel beans, probably rarely clean the machines and so on, meaning it still just ends up worse than capsule coffee, or similar at best.
Edit:
Some of the other examples given are less strong (tea is still pennies a serving when buying in bag form). However electronic bike shifting systems always seem absurd to me. You mean I have to charge my bicycle!?
> Well understood mechanical bike shifting transitions to electronic shifting which requires you to pay more and charge your pedal bike
This has been on my mind lately. I own a bike with mechanical cable shifters and derailleurs. I've talked to friends who had to maintain these parts over the years, and even seen one maintenance session personally. Namely, you have to change the steel cable every so often because water and dirt enter through the ends and contaminate the cable. And after every few cable changes, you need to change the housing as well. Ask anyone who has ridden over 10 000 km, and they will tell you that they've changed the cable and/or housing during that operational period. Also, cables stretch and shift over time, and even without changing the cable or housing, you have to constantly re-tune the cable tension to ensure crisp shifting and not get stuck between gears - you probably have to do this every 1000 km.
Electronic (wireless) shifters/derailleurs don't have this particular failure mode because there is no mechanical cable. Sure, the derailleur needs lubrication and occasional maintenance, and you need to charge/change the batteries, and of course you need to make sure you don't destroy any electrical cables. But I believe the maintenance of as electronic shifting system requires far less labor. Electronic shifting isn't just a cash-cow gimmick; it offers real advantages. Another point is that some cargo bikes with a long distance between the rider and the derailleur(s) use electronic shifting instead of running a long cable, which again reduces maintenance and failure modes.
However on a MTB it's more challenging, more forces (sideways, skidding, jumps, rock gardens, etc), larger temperature changes, more variable torque (large gear ranges and suspension travel induced torque), and more need for shifting under full torque. For example when climbing a steep technical climb strewn with rocks and roots.
All cassettes in the last few decades have on/off ramps to help shifting, however it's pretty much the luck of the draw when you shift, doubly so when shifting multiple gears at once.
SRAM has managed quite the evolution and got the bike industry on board. First they replaced the weakest part of the frame (I've personally lost a frame to this), the derailleur hanger. Now the derailleur is effectively attacked to the rear hub and is perfectly aligned, there's all kinds of silly demos showing them being hit by hammers or standing on them when the bike is on it's side. I saw a study showing that on 5 year old bikes something approximately 50% of bikes has a misaligned hanger, enough to make shifting worse.
Now with that crazy big improvement in strength, durability, alignment, and best of all the bike industry now doesn't require a custom hanger for every bike with variable derailleur positioning, it can now just design in the bike axle.
Now they have a electronic shifter that gets rid of temp variability, cable issues, and can tuck in to avoid hits. It also knows where the ramps are, so it can shift exactly when needed, which allows full torque shifting seemlessly. In fact people complain it doesn't work particularly well when on a bike stand, but does extremely well when actually ridden on the trail.
Is it worth the cost, complexity, and charging once a month? That's up to the end user, but it is a pretty noticeable improvement. Some ebikes can supply the derailleur from the main battery.
I'm pretty late to the game with most bike developments, but I'm considering this one, perfect shifting under load is pretty attractive. My current bike is pretty finicky shifting wise. I replace the cable, casing, and clean/lubricate my derailleur and it gets better, not great though or at least not for long.
The first seems like a non-problem - I already buy everything but groceries on the Internet.
The second is a publicity issue, if safety razor companies really wanted to, they could advertise the shit out of their products and “cheaper and generates less waste” is going to be a huge selling point tbh.
I only use a disposable razor when travelling (hard to get razor blades through airports security!) and at home I alternate between safety razor and electric razor depending on how much time I have. My first electric razor lasted 20 years, so that’s also a much better investment than tons of stupid expensive Gillette razors/cartridges.