You could try West Coast Shaving or similar places:
https://www.westcoastshaving.com/collections/razor-blades
Grooming Lounge:
https://www.groominglounge.com/collections/blades-accessories/Razor-Blades
Gotta say your biggest upgrade might be moving away from Barbasol and to something like Edge Gel.
There are other options, like Jack Black,
that make a nice shave cream.
Thanks - I have tried a lot of things over the years - as an 80s teen I was using a brush and Williams shaving soap ... so I've been experimenting a long time (or old before my time) - but am not done yet.
Plain soap and water works OK if you are shaving with the grain. It'll get you by.
I am not a fan of Edge, but not so much for efficacy (it does give a close shave) ... but I find it very hard to rinse out between twin blades. I tried something of Jack Black brand, maybe aftershave lotion that my son left behind one year, didn't like that either. Barbasol (original) actually works really well for me. Short of very expensive shave creams, it's the best if I do my part ... which includes washing my face first with warm water (or shaving right out of the shower), and shaking the can long enough first.
I'll keep an eye out for Bump Patrol, that sounds worth trying. And cold water rinse.
One thing I really miss is the straight razor neck shave at barbershops. In my early days out of college I had an Italian barber who ran a shop near where I worked, and he worked with his son, and was always busting his chops. After a nice haircut, you'd get the shave lather on your neck and a straight razor shave. It felt so incredibly smooth and clean! But few shops anymore do that, and I don't know of any that I would trust to really be adequately sanitized or sterilized. Last place I went just wiped their blades and stuck them under a UV light (laid on one side). I bet their combs (stored submerged in "Barbicide") were probably cleaner!
But, not sure I trust myself to go straight razor. I like the no plastic at all and idea of using an Altoids tin for recycling, but I suspect it would be greatly diminished returns at greatly higher risk. At some point baby-butt smooth from doing a second pass, against the grain, is close enough.
You must be really old. Anyway I got this. I guess I must be really old too.
In days of yore when safety razors were in wide use, some places (homes, hotels) had a slot in the bathroom cabinet fixture where you could deposit your used razor blades. I have sometimes wondered what happened when the space behind the slot filled up, but then I supposed that it would take a century's worth of blades to do that. Perhaps the slot is like the door of the Tardis.
Count me as a double edged safety razor convert. After the initial investment, the costs are minimal unless you want to treat yourself, which I tend to do.
I invested in a "beginner" Edwin Jagger razor (love the feel and weight), eventually moved up to a silver tip badger brush (expensive but has lasted a few years and is expected to last about 10), I choose to use fairly expensive creams from England such as Taylor of Bond Street and Truefitt & Hill (from Amazon or a local barber who sells them), and after much experimentation settled on Polsilver blades (although it looks like they may have been discontinued).
After the initial investment, you're just paying for the tub creams (which last a lot longer than the canned stuff) and the blades (which I use one per week but they cost about 20 cents per blade).
Most importantly, I enjoy the experience much more than the 3-4-5 blade cartridges, but admittedly there is a learning curve and it is a longer routine and requires at least two passes to get a decent shave.
Last edited by Rich; 01-01-2021 at 10:05 AM. Reason: Polsilver is now Wizamet Super Iridium
Rich
"Failure is Not a Destination"
Coach K on the Dan Patrick Show, December 22, 2016
I have tried every method of shaving there is and I believe that straight razor shaving is actually the gentlest way to shave, and the best for your skin.
It's not for everybody. I say that it is both more difficult than you think it is and easier than you think it is. The learning curve is rough. At about 25 shaves I almost gave up. I feel like I really got good at it maybe at about the 150th shave or so (straight razor guys always say that you get it by 100,but for me it took a little longer). But lnce you get it, it really is quite simple.
Using a DE is almost as good and almost as satisfying, and it is a lot easier. You can use a DE blade anywhere from 3 to about 12 shaves, depending on a lot of variables, and you can likewise stick them in an Altoids Smalls tin and recycle the whole thing. It will hold a lot of blades. Also you can get DE blades for about 15 cents each. I can see why for most people it has more appeal.
I don't think I will go back from straights to DE unless something forces me to, though. I han an amazing shave this morning with my Feather SS loaded up with a Schick Proline blade.
I agree that the Polsilver is one of the best DE blades. Too bad they are no longer making them.
Man I feel pretty basic after reading some of this. I just use Gillette Proglide Power Razor with a shaving gel. Have used these for years. Started when I discovered the single blade on the top to get under my nose. The Power part just vibrates the razor and it doesn't give you a closer shave but its does reduce discomfort, however. The blades aren't cheap but they last a while. I shave 3-4 days a week and keep a blade around until I realize it's catching a bit. I probably switch it out every 6-8 weeks or so. I prefer to shave in the shower so my razor and shaving gel live in there (which means that they need to be cleaned up every now and then).
The most difficult part of straight razor shaving is a steep initial entry point- seems like the recommended blades hover around $250 and up.
Combine cost with at least perceived higher risk and developing skill in both shaving and maintaining the blade, makes straight razor shaving seem unapproachable.
I’ve had 2 barber straight razor shaves in my life, and both times they were not what I hoped they would be. I believe both barbers were experts.
Most barbers nowadays don't really know what they are doing when it comes to straight razor shaving. Short of a few old timers and/or Turkish barbers who give straight shaves all day every day, there are almost no barbers out there who can give you a better straight razor shave than you can give yourself. Nobody knows your face as well as you do. When you are a skilled straight shaver, you are constantly and essentially almost automatically adjusting the pressure, angle, direction, skin stretching, etc with each and every shave, tailoring it to exactly what you need at that particular moment. A barber can't do that.
Costs can look prohibitive, but really don't have to be. I started with a vintage straight that I bought for $40 and a paddle strop that was, I think, $35. That was my total investment. If you stick with it, there are no more blade expenses either, since you use the same blade over and over again.
Again, after using traditional straights for about a year, I gave them up and now use the closest thing I could find that doesn't require honing and stropping. I am still straight razor shaving, but without the hassle. A person could try this much more cheaply. There is a clone razor called a Mythus, available from CBLsoaps for $21. A pack of AC blades is about $25. That $46 bucks would shave me for two and a half years. And zero plastic waste.
The AC blades, for me, are superior in almost every way. The blade itself is much thicker but shorter, which provides much better structural integrity (it would be hard to bend it in any way that would allow blade chatter). The blades are also sharper and yet somehow generally smoother. They last a lot longer, at least twice as many shaves if not more.
If you want to try an AC razor without going to an open blade, there are a lot of razors that are designed to take AC blades. Take a look at the Colonial General, for one. They originally made it in aluminum; that one was pretty cheap and was an amazing shaver. Then they made it in brass, and later in stainless steel. I tried the brass version but preferred the aluminum one. If I still had it, I would send it to you to try out, but I sold it. Above the Tie makes a razor called the SE1 that is also really nice, but it is not cheap. Probably the cheapest of the "non-open-blade AC razors" is the Razorock Hawk. You can find it at Italianbarber.com.
These don't have a real learning curve. If you can shave with a Bic disposable, you should be able to learn to shave with one of these razors without too much trouble. They are more expensive than the open-blade Mythus, mentioned above, which is a clone of a Japanese razor called the Kai Luffy (no longer being produced).
But AC blades are amazing. There isn't as much variety, but the blades themselves are so good it doesn't matter. My two favorites are the Schick Proline and the Kai Mild PINK. Both outstanding blades. Feather gets all the press, but the two I just mentioned are better than anything Feather makes, in my opinion.
Edited to add that AC blades are wider, meaning that you cut more stubble with each stroke. If you are used to shaving with a DE blade, this requires a tiny bit of adjustment, but in general is a plus.
"We are not provided with wisdom, we must discover it for ourselves, after a journey through the wilderness which no one else can take for us, an effort which no one can spare us, for our wisdom is the point of view from which we come at last to regard the world." --M. Proust
The Colonial General looks beautiful.
Its a testament to their quality that they appear all sold out. $185 for the handle and head.
Thanks for the tip on the oneblade; they are having a sale and you can get a starter kit for $20. Figured at that price point might have been worth a try.
I just hope I can find a 5- or 10-pack of safety razors to try ... locally just so I don't get crushed (% wise, not absolute $ wise) on shipping. I've seen one can buy 100 for $25 or so shipped, but dang, I think it would take me almost 4 years to use 100 razors (assuming I could get 10 shaves out of each, which apparently is on the optimistic side?!). They might rust before I got through them! Or I might not even like shaving with them after short while. [how long is the learning curve for safety razor?]
The razor handed (up) to me by cspanjr is a Harry's, I think. The handle unscrews from the two top pieces, which just are layered and come apart.
I remember when young my dad had one that opened on the top like double doors. This one doesn't do that.
I don't mind if the safety razor blades costs a bit more than disposables (which I can get around 25 cents per and they really do last 2 weeks easily). I do have a bit of plastic throwaway guilt. Though probably vastly more plastic goes out with toothbrushes, as they're solid handles. And I can think of a lot of other examples worse than razors (1-use plastic bottles for beverages ... that's the low-hanging fruit in plastic pollution). But I want to do what I can, and I like the retro angle (ha ha) of the safety razor. (how does one travel with it though? Take your time in answering, it won't matter for awhile!)
You can’t travel with safety razors.
I don’t travel a ton, I keep a Gillette or Harrys in my dopp kit.
Not limited to just Amazon, you can find places that will ship you blade sample packs for 5 bucks so you can try a few types before finding what you like.
I took the path of the Bics to learn with because they were reputedly cheap and sharp without being aggressive. Moved to Feathers once I was technique confident- they are ****sharp**** and I was not comfortable starting with them.