Nobrainer’s Think Tank

It’s been a few weeks since I last updated with what was a broad status report.

For the most part, I’ve been sticking with the Shave Secret oil. Combined with a decent razor it is just superb. Since I’ve been holding that variable constant, I have been using many of the razors I purchased. And in the process, my opinion has changed.

The double edged safety razor, while functional, is quickly losing my favor. I need to change the blades and use it some more, but it didn’t seem that the blades lasted all that long, and the odds of me cutting myself are extremely high.

I have also remembered why I didn’t like the Sensor. Using either the regular Sensor or Sensor3 cartridges, debris got stuck in between the blades. Removing it is a pain. Since the Sensor3 has basically the same contact surface as the Mach3, it fails.

I’ve also used the Fusion a bit more. I don’t hate it as much now as I did. I still think it’s too bulky though.

Until I put together a numeric ranking system, I’ll rank the razors this way: if I were going to a job interview or on a big date, I wouldn’t even consider using the Sensor or the DESR.

It’s been nearly a month since I began my quest for the perfect shave.

I have been boring you all to tears with the same generic post of “I used this and that and it was ok.” My work remains incomplete. Expect continued boring shaving posts because it’s just the easiest way for me to keep a record of all the tests. However, per Tom’s request, I’ll give my status update for where I’m at.

Razors: My goal was to get the closest shave possible. I’ve found that none of the blades I’ve tried have given me an acceptable shave with the grain, with all models performing more or less the same. In shaving against the grain, they again all performed equally.

So while I don’t feel I’ve given adequate time to the Sensor, I’ll still summarize my feelings.

• The Fusion is just too big for its own good.
• The Mach3 is probably the best combo of idiot-proofing and good shaving. The Mach3 seems a lot less likely to create nicks and cuts.
• The Sensor is a little less comfortable, although the SensorXL may be better.
• The double-edge safety razor requires much more attention but shaves as well. I don’t like getting that thing near my neck, but I did like it against the grain.

The tradeoff is between comfort and price. If comfort isn’t an issue, I’d suggest the DESR. Because of this testing, I have enough blades to last for a solid year. Right now I’m not sure which type I’ll buy when I finally run out. The Fusion is right out. The Sensor probably isn’t in play either as it’s not as cheap as the DESR and not as comfortable as the Mach3.

Shaving creams:
Again, I don’t feel I’ve done adequate testing here. Nonetheless here’s my rundown.

• Edge Advanced Gel – Extra Protection: The gel is a pretty decent product, though I haven’t tested it with the cheaper blades.
• Edge ActiveCare Deep Cleansing Shave Cream: I’ve used it twice, I’ve hated it twice. I don’t want to use it anymore even though I probably will.
• Gillette Fusion HydraGel – Ultra Sensitive: I took this on my last trip to Atlanta. After a few brutal days I was fairly impressed.
• Nivea for Men Sensitive Shaving Gel: I haven’t used it a lot. The last time I did use it, I didn’t like it. I’m still willing to give it another few shots.
• Williams Mug Soap (and a cheap shaving brush): I haven’t really used this one enough to know.
• Shave Secret Shaving Oil: This is the one I’m most enthused about. It’s not messy. You don’t have to re-apply it if you want to make a second pass. And it’s great for traveling. Maybe it’s just because it is a novel product and maybe I’ll tire of it eventually, but I really believe that it helps deliver a comfortable shave.

Here I’ve got to recommend the Shave Secret. Pony up a few bucks the next time you get a chance and buy a little bottle. If you don’t like it, you can send the remainder to me.

I’ll also note, that I like the Nivea for Men After Shave Cooling Balm. However, it doesn’t cool too much if you used a crappy shave cream to start with.

For all the following days, I stuck with the double-edge safety razor.

Day 24 (Sunday): I used the Edge ActiveCare Deep Cleansing Shave Cream. This is the 2nd time I’ve used it and I fucking hate it. Here’s my official 2-trial review. Edge ActiveCare Shave Cream sucks donkey nuts. It takes forever to wash off my hands once I got it on my beard, and I felt the effects of razor burn for the next two days. Save your money. Instead buy a bottle of sulfuric acid to eat away your whiskers and skin; I expect the result will be similar.

Day 25 (Monday): No shaving this day. All day my face and neck felt like I’d shaved way too wrecklessly that morning. I hate the Edge ActiveCare.

Day 26 (Tuesday): I went back to the Shave Secret Shaving Oil–pretty standard shave, about like what I was getting before I started going through this whole testing ordeal.

Day 27 (Wednesday): Same as Tuesday.

This is day 4 with the DESR. Like yesterday, I used the shave secret shaving oil. Unlike yesterday, I decided to go for the against-the-grain shave. All things considered, everything went pretty well. The with-the-grain phase was unremarkable; it’s probably comparing to the original Sensor. I’ve found that short quick strokes work better than longer ones. Same thing goes when shaving against the grain. Today I ended up with a pretty good shave, equal to what I expect from the Sensor. Actually it probably compares pretty well with the shaves I had last weekend when I used the Mach3.

It appears that one blade when shaving is plenty. Of course, much more caution and thought must be used when using the DESR. It still intimidates me.

The testing will continue.

(note, I needed not include the “hatred” tag with this post)

Continuing with my wet-shaving experimentation, this is day 3 with the double-edge safety razor. Maybe the third time is the charm, but today really wasn’t all that bad. Instead of the Nivea for Men Sensitive Shaving Gel, I employed the Shave Secret shaving oil. Today’s shave was still not what I’m looking for, but it seems pretty much on par with what was the status quo. Even the burn factor was much less than the last two days.

Maybe it’s the increasing familiarity with the razor, the fact that the blades are now a bit “broken in” or that the shave oil is really that much better than the Nivea.

Perhaps in the next couple days I shall be so daring as to go against the grain with the DESR.

The experimentation, shall continue.

I used the adjustable DESR again today. It still performed no better than any other razor with the grain, but it definitely cut and burned as well as any of the others after shaving against the grain.

Here’s a note about my new razor. It’s adjustable. You already knew that if you paid attention to the first paragraph. In fact, it even has little number settings from 1 through 5. The system is definitely adjustable, but the numbers must surely be there for mere decoration. They must be; the start position is actually somewhere around 3. Though it can be adjusted past 5 back to 1.

This and future shaving posts about the DESR will henceforth be also tagged with “hatred.”