Donn wrote:TMurphy wrote:It is much more well regarded than the Parker you (Dean) posted (which is considered an adequate "starter" razor, that will need to be replaced a few months down the road).
A
few months!? What part fails? Don't know anything about it, but looks similar in principle to the adjustable Gillette I used for roughly 30 years before it failed. I think the "ball end" Gillette I use now is kind of cool because it's 60 years old (I think), but it shaves no better or worse than the one it replaced - it's the blade that does the shaving, really.
I save more money on the "shaving cream" - bar of "Grandma's Lye Soap", which lathers up well and isn't perfumed. Similar to the home made soaps I've used. I buy it at a local hardware store. A bar lasts months and months. No aerosol cans to send off to the landfill, the bar is just wrapped in a scrap of cellophane.
I don't think it's a matter of failure, as much as the razor itself is fairly limited. Yes, the blade does the shaving, but the razor it's in makes a difference. The weight of the razor and the exposure of the blade can make the blade cut more aggressively, yielding a closer shave with less work (I have two razors, myself, the one I linked to above, and a 1950's Blue Tip SuperSpeed, which was Gillette's "mild razor at the time...there's a huge difference between the two, even with the exact same blade). Think of the Parker as a Bach 18. It's a fine mouthpiece, and will certainly get the job done. But, for most people, there comes a point when they "outgrow" the Bach. They're looking for something the Bach can't provide, so it's time to find something else. Same with the Parker...it works, and if you're just learning, is a god choice. But, for about $10 more, you can get the Merkur, which will last a lifetime (and isn't twist-to-open, so there's even less that *can* break).
Bloke, I understand the appeal of the Mach 3...I used one for years. I can't shave without some sort of lather on my face (my skin is fairly delicate, and even with a Mach 3, it burns like hell to try and shave without shaving cream of some kind). It's easy to do, and the risk of cutting yourself is practically nil. I switched to the double edge primarily for cost. I bought a pack of 100 blades, which cost me about $13 shipped. Since I don't shave every day, a blade lasts me about two weeks...not as long as a Mach 3 blade, for sure. At that rate, it will take me nearly 4 YEARS until I run out of blades. That's $13 for 4 years worth of shaving...I doubt you could do better with a Mach 3, even on eBay.
Since, as I said, I cannot shave without shaving cream or soap on my face without enduring some pain/bleeding, I've found that I get good results with a badger brush and some shaving soap, which I can get at walmart for around $3. Each bar of soap lasts a few months....longer than the canned stuff. I spend so much less money on keeping my face hairless than I ever did before, I only wish I'd done this sooner.
And....if you ever want to part ways with that old straight razor, let me know.
Real butter is sometimes three times as much, tastes wonderful 
, but (even though it costs geometrically more than margarine) it is still quite cheap (in the grand scheme of things) to buy.
