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Recently I made the decision to get back to DE shaving. I did use this method back in the 1990s with the Wilkinson Sword Classic razor, but before that I had been using the Gillette Contour twin blade system razor which I really liked. But the cartridges went up in price, and became harder to find. Perhaps they have seen a gradual resurgence in sales as they have become available again, but no Contour handles to be found anywhere as of 2011. This is apart from the still available Gillette Sensor Excel which I have never used. Having said that, I reckon the position of twin blade cartridges is pretty precarious anyway as manufacturers add more blades, so older cartridge models disappear.
I originally switched over to DE shaving around 1992, but the reason I stopped was that the handle occasionally loosened during shaving so beware of this. The Wilkinson Sword Classic razor has been around for years now, and Boots have their own DE razor out as well. After the WS Classic I then used a Lidl twin blade razor, then the WS Protector Diamond, which, like the older Gillette Contour, was a twin blade cartridge razor with quite a nice sleekly designed weighty handle. Again, this was one I liked, until the twin blade cartridges were upgraded to triple blades.
So, around this time last year it was either move up to 3 blades or try something else. This is where the King Of Shaves Azor came in, despite using a 4 blade cartridge. This razor works well with its own KOS shaving gels, which I occasionally used in the Protector Diamond days. But at the back of my mind was the thought of using 4 blades, and KOS have recently brought out a 5 blade cartridge, so back to the blade race again. This was also the first time I had ever put 4 blades to my cheeks, when up until last year it had either been one, but no more than two blades.
So having recently experienced some razor burn with the Azor despite careful use, I have now got the Edwin Jagger Chatsworth Barley razor. This may seem like a bit of a leap forward, especially when the various shaving forums recommend using particular Murker razors as a beginning to DE shaving. But I am not that completely new to it, so why not go straight for the EJ Chatsworth Barley? It may seem expensive at £70, the same price as its other variant the lined, but cheaper than the bulbous version. Edwin Jagger do make cheaper razors so these are worth checking out if you need something of quality without the high price. But in the long term it should pay for itself where razor blades are far cheaper than cartridges.
On first sight I was expecting the handle to be bigger and longer, and found it shorter than pictures depict. But this is because the handle only appears shorter due to its shape, as the eye naturally focuses on the rounded part, not the entire length. In fact, at 10.5cm it is the same length as the Long Handle Classic and Barberpole razors by Merkur, both notable for their lengths. The Chatsworth Barley is great to hold, quite heavy at 110g, but I know it is the one I will stick to. Placed beside one of my old Azor razors (I have 3 versions), the Azor seems huge and unbelievable in comparison, looking like some kind of water dowsing tool but far lighter at 27g, while the Azor M sensitive razor weighs 47g.
For my first shave with the Chatsworth I used Ingrams shaving cream which I had previously almost discarded as it had not always worked for me. I whipped up a good lather in a small ramekin pot, kept warm inside a larger ramekin partly filled with hot water, and a Men U shaving brush. The blade was a Derby, 5 free with this razor. The shave was smooth and pleasant, and I liked the weighty feel of the razor, as well as the barley textured handle. There was no tugging or feeling like being scraped.
Maybe I will keep the Ingrams in the end because the rash problems I had been experiencing could have been down to previous use with the Azor, which I do not think is designed for cream shaving anyway. I do have some Edwin Jagger cream, and free samples of pre shave, face scrub, and post shave balm; but I will save these for when I start using the EJ cream. I also have a small tube of Men U shave cream. In fact, the best creams I have used up to now are Body Shop Maca Root, and The Real Shaving Co. cocoa butter based cream. But these were with the Azor and they did deliver good shaves despite previously saying the Azor is not a cream razor. So maybe it was a pack of Friday afternoon cartridges that made me stop using it, but DE shaving was beckoning regardless of that.
As for the blades, Derby, they may not be my preferred choice because they did not feel quite right somehow, but they were not bad. But the good thing with DE shaving is being able to try out different blade brands. I do remember the older English made Wilkinson Sword blades that frequented most corner shops and newsagents over 20 years ago, and found these better than their Classic bright yellow packaged cousins from Germany when I first used their DE razor. You can still get the discontinued English ones in pillar packs of 100 blades, so there is stock around from mail order wholsalers; and the Classic blades have always been available. Supermarkets and other high street retailers do, thank goodness, stock razor blades but you have to search through the jungle of multi blade cartridges and razors to spot them.
My main priority with shaving is not baby smooth closeness, but comfort; not just during the shave but after as well: how does it feel after 3 to 4 hours? One blade is better than 4, but this may not be for everyone. The shave did of course take longer and needed more care, feeling the road as it were. But I am glad I have got the welcome mat back out again for DE shaving, and I prefer it so much more now, so I am willing to journey along its learning curve. The old Azors will probably be used to make a silent wind chime in the garden.
But it is not that I am saying do not use a cartridge razor; after all, if the Gillette Mach 3 and Fusion razors are so popular then they have to be good, and I did get many a good shave with the Contour Plus, and Protector Diamond twin blade razors. And certainly back in the early 1970s when cartridge razors first appeared, they did revolutionise shaving in the same way the safety razor did nearly 70 years before that. Used with the right care and respect cartridges do shave well, and problems could just as easily occur with a DE razor if used incorrectly. My main objections with cartridges are not just the expense, but uncertainty as to how long twin blades remain available. However, there is so much choice nowadays that users can experiment until they find what suits them, and that, I reckon, is the "future of shaving".
I originally switched over to DE shaving around 1992, but the reason I stopped was that the handle occasionally loosened during shaving so beware of this. The Wilkinson Sword Classic razor has been around for years now, and Boots have their own DE razor out as well. After the WS Classic I then used a Lidl twin blade razor, then the WS Protector Diamond, which, like the older Gillette Contour, was a twin blade cartridge razor with quite a nice sleekly designed weighty handle. Again, this was one I liked, until the twin blade cartridges were upgraded to triple blades.
So, around this time last year it was either move up to 3 blades or try something else. This is where the King Of Shaves Azor came in, despite using a 4 blade cartridge. This razor works well with its own KOS shaving gels, which I occasionally used in the Protector Diamond days. But at the back of my mind was the thought of using 4 blades, and KOS have recently brought out a 5 blade cartridge, so back to the blade race again. This was also the first time I had ever put 4 blades to my cheeks, when up until last year it had either been one, but no more than two blades.
So having recently experienced some razor burn with the Azor despite careful use, I have now got the Edwin Jagger Chatsworth Barley razor. This may seem like a bit of a leap forward, especially when the various shaving forums recommend using particular Murker razors as a beginning to DE shaving. But I am not that completely new to it, so why not go straight for the EJ Chatsworth Barley? It may seem expensive at £70, the same price as its other variant the lined, but cheaper than the bulbous version. Edwin Jagger do make cheaper razors so these are worth checking out if you need something of quality without the high price. But in the long term it should pay for itself where razor blades are far cheaper than cartridges.
On first sight I was expecting the handle to be bigger and longer, and found it shorter than pictures depict. But this is because the handle only appears shorter due to its shape, as the eye naturally focuses on the rounded part, not the entire length. In fact, at 10.5cm it is the same length as the Long Handle Classic and Barberpole razors by Merkur, both notable for their lengths. The Chatsworth Barley is great to hold, quite heavy at 110g, but I know it is the one I will stick to. Placed beside one of my old Azor razors (I have 3 versions), the Azor seems huge and unbelievable in comparison, looking like some kind of water dowsing tool but far lighter at 27g, while the Azor M sensitive razor weighs 47g.
For my first shave with the Chatsworth I used Ingrams shaving cream which I had previously almost discarded as it had not always worked for me. I whipped up a good lather in a small ramekin pot, kept warm inside a larger ramekin partly filled with hot water, and a Men U shaving brush. The blade was a Derby, 5 free with this razor. The shave was smooth and pleasant, and I liked the weighty feel of the razor, as well as the barley textured handle. There was no tugging or feeling like being scraped.
Maybe I will keep the Ingrams in the end because the rash problems I had been experiencing could have been down to previous use with the Azor, which I do not think is designed for cream shaving anyway. I do have some Edwin Jagger cream, and free samples of pre shave, face scrub, and post shave balm; but I will save these for when I start using the EJ cream. I also have a small tube of Men U shave cream. In fact, the best creams I have used up to now are Body Shop Maca Root, and The Real Shaving Co. cocoa butter based cream. But these were with the Azor and they did deliver good shaves despite previously saying the Azor is not a cream razor. So maybe it was a pack of Friday afternoon cartridges that made me stop using it, but DE shaving was beckoning regardless of that.
As for the blades, Derby, they may not be my preferred choice because they did not feel quite right somehow, but they were not bad. But the good thing with DE shaving is being able to try out different blade brands. I do remember the older English made Wilkinson Sword blades that frequented most corner shops and newsagents over 20 years ago, and found these better than their Classic bright yellow packaged cousins from Germany when I first used their DE razor. You can still get the discontinued English ones in pillar packs of 100 blades, so there is stock around from mail order wholsalers; and the Classic blades have always been available. Supermarkets and other high street retailers do, thank goodness, stock razor blades but you have to search through the jungle of multi blade cartridges and razors to spot them.
My main priority with shaving is not baby smooth closeness, but comfort; not just during the shave but after as well: how does it feel after 3 to 4 hours? One blade is better than 4, but this may not be for everyone. The shave did of course take longer and needed more care, feeling the road as it were. But I am glad I have got the welcome mat back out again for DE shaving, and I prefer it so much more now, so I am willing to journey along its learning curve. The old Azors will probably be used to make a silent wind chime in the garden.
But it is not that I am saying do not use a cartridge razor; after all, if the Gillette Mach 3 and Fusion razors are so popular then they have to be good, and I did get many a good shave with the Contour Plus, and Protector Diamond twin blade razors. And certainly back in the early 1970s when cartridge razors first appeared, they did revolutionise shaving in the same way the safety razor did nearly 70 years before that. Used with the right care and respect cartridges do shave well, and problems could just as easily occur with a DE razor if used incorrectly. My main objections with cartridges are not just the expense, but uncertainty as to how long twin blades remain available. However, there is so much choice nowadays that users can experiment until they find what suits them, and that, I reckon, is the "future of shaving".
:lol: :lol: :lol:
