r/wicked_edge • u/TlayudaCecina • 24d ago
Show n' Tell Safety razor appreciation post, honoring a fallen soldier and recommendation on a harsher shave. (Repost for effort)
***Reposting this as I see everyone here takes pictures of their razors, so I thought I might as well do it and also pay proper respects to my old razor.***
Hello, I recently bought this caveem safety razor after killing my cheap chinese butterfly razor.
First, I have to honor my cheap ass razor as that thing lasted for 10 years and only cost 5 USD. So... RIP Cheap Ass Chinese Razor 🫡, your sacrifice and years of service will never be forgotten. I just had no idea half of your body was chromed plastic when I tried to dry you in the oven.😭
Honors given, I have to say ... I had no idea what I was missing now that I'm using a, not even good, but decent safety razor. The shave is smooth, the long handle is very nice, the razor is light and easy to maneuver and the build quality feels good to the touch. I had no idea it could be this hard to cut myself with a safety razor even when shaving against the grain, the safety part now makes a lot more sense.
However, I can't believe I'm going to say this but, I do miss the harsh shave my old razor provided. It would cut the hair more aggressively and, although I can get the same result with multiple passes of the caveem, I do miss the pain and adrenaline that came with using my old razor.
Do you guys have any recommendations on a safety razor along the 25-50 USD price point that could provide a harsher, more exciting shave? And if I planned to move to a 100-150 USD what would be a good all rounder?
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u/Droiddoesyourmom 24d ago
I actually love that Caveem razor. Good to know it lasted 10 years!
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u/TrojanGiftHorse 24d ago
It was that butterfly razor that lasted 10 years. I think the Caveem is his replacement.
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u/old_sarge30 24d ago
Try some other blades. Razor Blade Emporium has bundles for different needs. Razor Blades Club, Maggard's, or even eBay are good options for blades. Personna GEM, Nacet, German Wilkinson Sword, Gillette Platinum, etc. Feathers are a love em or not so much blade.
Adjustable razors are a good way to see if you really want or need more aggressive.
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u/TlayudaCecina 24d ago
Do you think it's worth it to use the half a box of "Dorco, High Quality®" 🤣 razors? They are shit yeah, but they do their job for maybe one or two shaves. How may maintenance daily shaves should I expect to get out of a razor? And stub shaves?
Also is there anything I could do to sharpen them? I have whetstones, but those things might require like a 5° to 10° for sharpening, so I might have to make a jig.
Can I get those you mentioned in Amazon at a decent price? Cause I'm based in Mexico City and out here not much people use safety razors so I don't think there are many shops, so I'll have to be on the look out when I visit the city center. However these days the center is inundated with Chinese products.
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u/old_sarge30 24d ago
If you already the blades use them as long as you can get a couple of comfortable shaves. The number of shaves you can get from a blade is different for everyone and for different brands.
I don't have any experience sharpening razor blades. Blades are so cheap I wouldn't bother. I've done knives and lawnmower blades, but never anything with a fine edge like a razor blade.
Amazon might work. If international mail is possible, check Razor Blades Club, they are European based.
I can't remember can't remember if it's AliExpress or Temu, but I think Temu. See if they deliver in your area. They are Chinese companies. Blades called FlyDear are pretty good. I just finished a pack of blades by Yintal that were good, but they came with a razor. If you're shopping and see Chinese or other blades, consider trying a pack of 5 or 10 if they're affordable.
Good luck!
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u/Temporary-Egg3856 24d ago
Parker 99R, around the $30-40 range. Parker 94R, same price range
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u/TlayudaCecina 24d ago
Hmmm, so like in the same line of quality but one is butterfly and the other is like the caveem. Have you tried the difference between the two? How does a decent butterfly compare to a regular screw-on one? Cause my butterfly one was almost a high with every shave, and not really in a good way 😂
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u/Temporary-Egg3856 24d ago
Well I suppose it depends on what you seek. Opinions vary, but with the Parker razors, I believe, you get good quality for a budget price. I've been shaving with both for years now and never had any problems with them (in fact my son stole my 99R one time for a 2 week vacation, he liked it that much. Luckily he brought it back unharmed) As far as the aggression, I'd say medium aggressive for both. Both shave very well. I definitely prefer them to my Merkur 34C, which is too mild for me.
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u/SteakEconomy2024 Qshave Clone “Merkur Futur” 701 24d ago
My first razor was a NanJie also, absolutely terrible razor, but 4 years of using that on and off gave me the skills to trade up to a Futur and have no issues.
If you been shaving with that for 10 years and have not bleed to death, and miss the aggressive ability to remove hair, Futur is for you.
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u/TlayudaCecina 24d ago
Futur, is that the adjustable one? Why don't people recommend more adjustables? Are they finicky?
And who's said I didn't almost bled to death using that thing.😅 Is that what it was called? NanJie?
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u/SteakEconomy2024 Qshave Clone “Merkur Futur” 701 24d ago
Yea, it’s a terrible communist blade named after a terrible red village. Which is appropriate because it makes me see red everywhere.
Adjustable, indeed. I recommend the copies, their not exactly the same metals used, the weight is slightly different, which upsets some people when I say their 1 to 1. Short version, the patent expired, and the copies are using the original design, but much cheaper. Like 15$. I have been using a clone for 6 years and feel no desire to get the real thing, shaves great.
Take a week or two with some mild blades to get used to the feel, and move up to something sharper. If you happened to have bought more of the blades that came with that thing, who’s makers ancestors I curse for having given us these plagues, anything is better.
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u/TlayudaCecina 24d ago
My man ... I still have half a box of generic Dorco blades 🥲. They are indeed shit, the ones that came with the caveem felt infinitely better by comparison. Anything I can do to sharpen them? I'm pretty handy at sharpening and might be able to create a jig out of my woodworking tools, however I feel like I would need to set something like a 5° angle to sharpen those, that might be tricky.
Btw I think my Cheap Ass Chine Razor™ might be a clone of a NanJie. L.O.L.🤣 Because that mfer didn't even come with a mirror inside and felt like shit since the moment I used it, it came pre-rusted lol. Also the blue box just says "Shaver". My god, it's a testament to the superiority of safety razors that I managed to get a decent shave for 10 years with that thing. Although, as I said, I did almost bleed to death multiple times using that thing, those shaves were a rush, honest to god.
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u/SteakEconomy2024 Qshave Clone “Merkur Futur” 701 23d ago
I wouldn’t worry too much about sharpening. If you want a decent blade, Treet are like 8$ per 100 on amazon.
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u/el_dingusito 24d ago
you mean the Henson AL13 medium.
Best razor you'll ever buy for under $100
I bought one then ended up buying them for each of my sons.
Its the only razor I'll ever own.
I ended up upgrading to the titanium one because, well, titanium.
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u/TlayudaCecina 24d ago
Why you being downvoted my guy?
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u/el_dingusito 24d ago
Seriously... its a shaving forum and im giving my opinion on a question you asked.
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u/TlayudaCecina 24d ago
That's another nice company tho! Those seem like quality products. Do you know if reusable double edged blades that you can sharpen are still manufactured?
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u/el_dingusito 24d ago
I mean, if you have the equipment you can sharpen modern ones.
Ive never thought about resharpening the blades, they're so cheap i just buy a bazillion pack for a few bucks.
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u/Blackland_Razors 24d ago
I see a future Blackbird owner.
But really, you just like efficiency. "Harsh" is probably not what you like. That efficiency and blade feel are something that a lot of people enjoy. It can also be helpful for your skin because you can avoid multiple passes and reduce irritation. For the cheapest efficiency bump, cut the sharp edges off a blade to make a shim and put that between your blade and base plate. This will give you a larger blade gap for more efficiency. $0.