SMF

The gold razor is a new variation on a theme, its called the "semi slant". It's a braver man than me that shaves with that.

I think I've done okay with most of my purchases, but the one thing that I'm going to say, quite controversially I suspect is: Derby Extra blades When I first started DE shaving I used these, as they seemed to be a nice, forgiving, and generally widely used. As my technique improved, and I began tr...

Good call on the Pinaud Bay Rum Mike. I did buy a bottle and the cloves scent was totally overpowering. I binned it pretty quickly as I recall. Well, Tony, you were a bit hasty. If you'd hung on with it until the top notes burned off, you'd have discovered that Pinaud Bay Rum carries deep base note...

I had my second shave with an Iridium today and they definitely do give the same results as a Permasharp. There is minimal difference if any between these two. There is no doubt in my mind that the Swede is a touch smoother but in the absence of new Swede's I think these two brands will be my mainst...

Pauldog wrote:What are the prices for the Iridiums and the Perma Sharps, and whatever else is available that seems to be the same blade?

I've paid $24 for 100 Permasharp's and £18.95 for 100 Iridiums so the permasharp's are slightly cheaper for me.

Gordon, it would not surprise me at all if they were one and the same blade. They are extremely similar in feel and performance. Yes I believe Ercan sources these from Turkey. He has told me that they are regarded as the premier blade there and I can see why. I could stick with either the Iridiums o...

Good spot Pete, thanks for linking to that. I totally agree about the ingrowns and it was the first thing that I thought of when the Gillette geek was explaining the rationale behind several blades. I find it incredible that someone in this position didn't even consider that, or maybe just chose not...

A few things come to mind for me: Pinaud Bay Rum - A lot gents love this but I found it to smell like nothing but clove and the burn is so intense it's far from a pleasure to use. T&H Ultimate Comfort Cream - I love T&H traditional creams, but this one was a huge miss for me. It's slimy and...

Good post Tony! Balzano blades-these things are evil; damn near skinned me! Coral skin food-may work for some people, but doesn't work for me. Anything new put out by Gillette/Schick-the two giants ruined it for most wetshavers. Thanks David, I've never tried the Bolzano blades and I don't think I ...

Well having used an Irridium this morning and comparing it to a Permasharp I can say there is very little to call between them. My initial thoughts are that the Permasharp is marginally better but there is very little in it. They both get me as close as a Swede but are not quite as smooth. I will be...

Gordon, the permasharp's I have are made in Russia and sold in Turkey. Ercan (Melyus) corrected me on this as I thought they were still made in Turkey. He sent me a sampler of them. I had tried one before but at that time I was trying a number of things and it was not my normal routine. Unfortunatel...

I have a tough beard and sensitive skin, which I think is the problem. I've tried Feathers and they tear up my skin something fierce. Merkur blades I found were almost as bad on my skin as Feathers, but didn't shave as close. The best blade I've tried so far is Super-Max Platinum. It seems to be wo...

To clarify, my tongue was firmly planted in my cheek when I entitled the original post (as I often do when thinking of post headers). Of course no shaving product is truly "loathsome", well apart from Merkur blades and Coral skinfood :wink: . Broadly speaking I would split shaving products...

John, Yes, do let us know how it goes as you continue. I'm the other extreme from Marc and Squire. I can usually tell with the first few strokes whether a blade shows promise ( for me ) or not. I don't have the time, or the toughness of skin to continue using blades that are roughing up my face or ...

I'll start this thread by saying that there are always exceptions to the rule so there is no need to defend your products/choices. We always wax lyrical about the products we love but what about the products that we loathe, and I mean really don't get. I'm not referring to products that just didn't ...

It all depends on your beard type. If you have tough beard then a milder razor with a sharper blade is the way to go IME. If you have a softer beard then your existing razor with a blade like the Israeli Personna would be a better option. Beard type makes a huge difference to the type of blade that ...

I think sometimes the best decision to make is accepting that one particular product just can't be beaten and to give up trying to emulate or beat it. My gold Aristocrat being a point in case. I have tried many other razors but have come to the conclusion that its pointless looking elsewhere because...

It used to work. When I first got it and used it, I got a handle on it, but it seemed almost like it went "off", and even a lather that looked good and thick on the brush would just bubble an disappear once on my face. I tried both boar and badger brushes. I tried wet brushes, I tried dri...

Of all the soaps I've got/have had, MWF was the most difficult for me to get to lather properly. When it worked it was glorious, but that just made it even more frustrating :x That's is why I chucked it. Ian Have a word with yourself Ian, chucking it is the 8th deadly sin :shock: . It really is eas...

4th shave today and the blade was as sharp as day one. I think I have found my Swede replacement. I'm not quite decided yet but these could be even better than Swede's, they are that good. If you haven't tried them you are missing out.