Month: February 2015

DadGear review: Merkur Heavy Duty Double Edge Razor

I recently acquired a Merkur Heavy Duty Double Edge Razor. Made in Germany, it was a gift I got for myself via Amazon ($38.41). In the same order, I also got some blades (10 of them for $7.38 – take that, Mach 3, with your 8 blades for $24.99) and some fancy shaving soap from Taylor of Old Bond Street ($14.98). Total cost: $60.77

I’ve always wanted to try a safety razor for three main reasons. (1) I dislike the amount of waste that comes with disposable razors. (2) I tend to get skin irritation on my neck from disposables and have heard that using a safety razor can help alleviate that. (3) Fezzes Safety razors are cool.

I’ve now been using the razor for over a month, and I’m loving it. The skin irritation I got when I used disposable razors is totally gone. I’ve used more blades than I thought I would – I think I’ve used 6 – but I’m still creating less trash than I did with disposable blades/razors. With the new soap and the brush and the heavy blade, shaving is now a very soothing experience. Seriously, add some music and some candles, and it would be really luxurious.

I had thought that it would be difficult to find shaving supplies once I started using a safety razor, but this doesn’t appear to be the case. I’ve seen double-edged blades at CVS and at Walmart, and discovered that there is a shaving supply shop in a nearby mall. Also, the internet. Probably just going to stick to the internet.

One thing I didn’t anticipate was the number of blades I’ve used up. In the past month, I think I’ve used 6 blades. I had hoped to use 1 per week. I don’t have the thickest face fuzz, so I tend to shave only a few times per week, letting my stubble get fairly noticeable between shaves. In order to preserve my blades, I think I need to shave more regularly. Now that my skin is happy and my shaving supplies are so fancy, I might be willing to do that.