Moving to the dark side

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Ponks 123

Joined
Friday December 7, 2018
Been using straights for 5/6 years and have a lovely collection of about 12 razors. Really happy with the regime and closeness of the shave but.....

Realised that I don't have as much time to shave with a straight as i used to and I'm finding that i'm getting a bit of stubble mid week.

Anyhoo, thought I could get a quicker shave, during the week with a DE.

I used my Dad's when I started shaving so have no fear of using them.

I also use my straights as an heirloom/collection. With this in mind I wouldn't say money no object but something that is beautiful and will last at least another 2 generations.

My question is what one (maybe 2) and from where? Which blades?

Look forward to your responses.
 
I have had a few razors from Alpha shaving, all top quality. The Alpha Bandit is my current favourite DE. There is a passaround for it going at the moment, put your name down and give it a go.

I am sure you will receive lots more suggestions.

Also check out Yates Precision Manufacturing 921 DE razor. Better than the Blackland Blackbird in my opinion.
 
How much are you willing to spend and what kind of razor are you after? Do you want a razor suitable for daily shaving or something to mow down a few days of growth at a time?

Regarding blades, I'd recommend getting a sampler pack of a few classics, Astra SP, Perma Sharp, Shark, Personna to name a few.
 
donnie_arko said:
How much are you willing to spend and what kind of razor are you after? Do you want a razor suitable for daily shaving or something to mow down a few days of growth at a time?

Regarding blades, I'd recommend getting a sampler pack of a few classics, Astra SP, Perma Sharp, Shark, Personna to name a few.
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I generally use a straight on a Friday and Sunday but need something to fill in the gaps the rest of the week. Price range would be about £300. I know it sound a lot but its my only sin. OK, one of my few sins.
 
Shaveguru said:
I have had a few razors from Alpha shaving, all top quality. The Alpha Bandit is my current favourite DE. There is a passaround for it going at the moment, put your name down and give it a go.

I am sure you will receive lots more suggestions.

Also check out Yates Precision Manufacturing 921 DE razor. Better than the Blackland Blackbird in my opinion.
Click to expand...
loving the look of the Yates.
 
Ponks 123 said:
like the look of the copper as i have a few straights that have the same theme. OK so why Alpha? Can't see the Bandit, they all seem to be the Outlaw.
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The Bandit isn’t available at the moment and Alpha Shaving is looking at new prototypes at the moment possible in Copper & Stainless although i would need to double check.
The new prototypes will be expensive at around
$600 ish but won’t me made unless Steve at Alpha gets a minimum orders.
i can’t remember the numbers at this time again without double checking.

The Pass around as mentioned is when someone has a product and is willing to send it on for people to try,
The general consensus is you keep it for a week or so ( no time limit really ) and send it on to the next guy.

I’m in possession of it at the moment but there is no names currently on the list.

Another Razor to Consider is Timeless if you like good looks,
To me there’s not much better looking razors out these
 
Ponks 123 said:
I generally use a straight on a Friday and Sunday but need something to fill in the gaps the rest of the week. Price range would be about £300. I know it sound a lot but its my only sin. OK, one of my few sins.
Click to expand...

Again it depends on what you are after. Do you want something modern, vintage, something mild or aggressive, closed comb or open comb? Or even an adjustable? I presume you are after a safety razor (not just a DE right?), there are a lot of SE razors as well, ones that use Artist Club blades.

For £300, I myself would get a selection of various razors, variety makes this hobby all the more enjoyable!
 
donnie_arko said:
Again it depends on what you are after. Do you want something modern, vintage, something mild or aggressive, closed comb or open comb? Or even an adjustable? I presume you are after a safety razor (not just a DE right?), there are a lot of SE razors as well, ones that use Artist Club blades.

For £300, I myself would get a selection of various razors, variety makes this hobby all the more enjoyable!
Click to expand...
Oh no, you're sending me down another rabbit hole. I've just about got my head round straights after 6 years and i'm still thinking of getting a new stone for honing. Please don't tell me I'm going to be doing the same with DE's.
In partial answer to your question Modern, don't understand mild/agressive, combed????, Probably adjustable.
 
The rabbit hole is what you want it to be!

You could buy yourself a modern adjustable razor like the Rex Ambassador (there are others out there, I'm not really upto date with this field), a vintage Gillette Slim and call it a day.

There is also the Rockwell 6S which is quite a unique adjustable razor, it's not a one piece adjustable razor where the dial increases the blade gap, but a razor with 6 different plates with each progressively more aggressive. It's aesthetic seems a little utilitarian in contrast to some of the other razors mentioned above, but it is supposed to be an excellent razor nonetheless.
 
OK, going to kick off with a Timeless.
Help me design it please.
Titanium (sounds posh) expensive
Stainless (tried and tested)
Bronze (looks fancy) water damage?

Scalloped cap?
Gap 0.68 (mild) 0.95 (aggressive) absolutely no idea what these mean.
Going for the stand.
Matt finish.

Anything else to consider?
 
donnie_arko said:
The rabbit hole is what you want it to be!

You could buy yourself a modern adjustable razor like the Rex Ambassador (there are others out there, I'm not really upto date with this field), a vintage Gillette Slim and call it a day.

There is also the Rockwell 6S which is quite a unique adjustable razor, it's not a one piece adjustable razor where the dial increases the blade gap, but a razor with 6 different plates with each progressively more aggressive. It's aesthetic seems a little utilitarian in contrast to some of the other razors mentioned above, but it is supposed to be an excellent razor nonetheless.
Click to expand...
Actually, the Rockwell is appealing due to being able to adjust the gap. Nice looking and it comes in all sorts of colours. Looks like I may be going for a Rockwell and a Timeless. Then I'll definitely call it quits.
 
So far we have a Rockwell T2 and a Timeless that needs a bit of design input. I'm going to wait till the weekend and see if anyone else has better ideas.

Thanks for your input so far.
 
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