Replace Lubricated Strip?

[Anonymous No.364319]

I shave with Gillette Mach 3 razors, which are frigging expensive.

I've been saving money by sharpening these things on a pair of blue jeans, like it describes here:
http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/home/disposable-razor-sharp-jeans.htm

It works great, however, when the lubricated strip wears away, it starts to cut my face. The strip actually holds the blade at a safe distance from the skin, and once it wears off, its not-so-safe anymore and I get cuts.

Can anyone suggest a way to replace just the lubricated-strip part of the blade? I tried a short length of masking tape, but it doesn't stay on when it gets wet. I need something that will stay on there better.

[Anonymous No.364321]

you could try waterproof adhesive tape found in first aid kits.

[Anonymous No.364323]

>>364321

Or just cut the sticky part off of waterbroof bandaids. That way you don't have to go out and spend money on special tape (since this is all about not-spending-money, right?)

[Anonymous No.364341]

I use the same razors, and I've never had that problem, weird. The blades tend to not last long though, I'm thinking of switching to a straight razor..

[Anonymous No.364343]

Switch to a double-edge razor and pay pennies for the blades, or a straight razor and never buy a blade again.

[Anonymous No.364348]

I have been using these since they launched. I have been thinking of going electric because it is only a one time expense.

Gotta try the jeans trick first though and see if it works.

[Anonymous No.364353]

>>364343
>double-edge razor
>straight razor

Had the same idea. Tried it. Cut my face all up. And I did it in a hot shower after conditioniong my beard hair, then using both pre-shave oil and some decent shaving cream. My beard hair is very stubborn and unforgiving. These pricey gillette razors are the only thing that work without cutting my face up, and even then I STILL have to go through the extra trouble of the shower and oil and crap. So if I gotta use really expensive shit to get it done, I'm gonna find a way to make it cheaper if I can.

>>364341
> The blades tend to not last long though
They stay plenty sharp for me if I resharpen them on blue jeans. Gotta swipe them a hundred times (takes about a minute). But the fact that the blade is so close to my face without that lubricated strip there leaves me cut up. Might as well be using a double-edged razor at that point (which also cuts me up - see above).

I just got done trying both adhesive tape and a cut-up waterproof bandage. The waterproof adhesive tape doesn't stick well enough to the plastic, so I had to use the bandaid. We'll see how this goes.

[Anonymous No.364356]

>>364348

I've done the electric thing myself already. I don't like that it leaves a dark shadow behind. Plus, common sense tells me that its gonna make your skin look old and wrinkly at an earlier age in life. The act of running a sharp blade across your skin is already doing damage. But with an electric, its doing that a whole lot more than with a razor blade. Plus when doing it, you tend to press it harder into your skin and bend your neck around to stretch the skin out, which again, ages it quicker. I'm trying to cut the hair with as little blade-activity as possible and lots of lubrication and moisturizer to minimize the damage done when shaving.

[Anonymous No.364359]

>>364356
I have used electric for 30 years. My face is still smooth.
Yes I am old.

[Anonymous No.364364]

>>364356
These Mach 3's are costing me too much on the razor blade head replacements + foam every month + all the time it takes to shave. Never thought there was anything bad with electric.

>>364359
How long does a good electric shaver last? These phillips/panasonic shavers.

[Anonymous No.364363]

>>364356
The upper layer of your skin is continually renewed. I don't think shaving will do any long term damage. I'm not a dermatologist though, so I don't know for sure.

>>364353
Double edged works quite well for me, but it took a while to get used to it. Did you take a look at one of the YouTube tutorials? Let the blade do all the work, don't push down on it as much as you would with safety razors.

I'd love to get my hands on of these antique double edged razor blade sharpeners.

[Anonymous No.364368]

>>364364
My Philips one lasted about 15 years or so. Needed new blades. Blades are expensive, so I bought a Braun. I have to replace the NiCd battery inside (soldering required) in about 10 years. Now into 13 years and it needs a new screen.

[Anonymous No.364369]

>>364368
I have been browsing for an electric shaver and most of the new models say water washable. Should I get one of those and wash it after every use? Wont that reduce the blade's life?

[Anonymous No.364372]

I shave with double edge, best fucking idea ever.
Yes, I get the occasional cut, but I could care less about it. The pros are brutally obvious to me specifically. My face is smooth, not irritated by mach 3, fusion, and other similar overpriced shit used. Also, if you go over one area 3 times with double edge and only once with fusion, you irritate your skin less, since fusion has 5 blades. ALso, blades are stupid cheap 100 pack astros is like 9 bucks. The sharpest are feathers from Japan, stupidly sharp, yet cheaper than mach 3.

[Anonymous No.364374]

>>364363

here is one that automatically flips the blade over once per revolution.

you could have it if you lived next door to me.

[Anonymous No.364375]

>>364369
Can't answer that question 'cause I don't use the Braun battery operated washable one - I used it for a bit when my AC one was sitting in pieces on my work bench until I finally gave up and fixed the transistor in the charger. I only use it for traveling now as the replacement transistor I have is only good for 120V and not 240V. Also it looks beaten up, so not going to carry that through the security checks. ;P

The one I have is inferior to the AC model ( I am using NiMH batteries) - it could use more power!

[Anonymous No.364379]

>>364375
Alright, will keep that in mind. Thanks for your replies man.

[Anonymous No.364383]

Protip. Cutting through your greasy neckbeards isn't what causes these razors to go dull. Its the water that stays there after you're done. Try blow drying them when your done and keeping them in a drawer with silica if you leave them in the bathroom. The moisture in teh air hurts too.

[Anonymous No.364384]

>>364383
who has the time to dry them

[Anonymous No.364385]

Just use Nair on your face where you don't want hair.

[Anonymous No.364386]

>>364384
ಠ_ಠ

>the same person who has time to sharpen them on blue jeans.

[Anonymous No.364387]

>>364385
what is Nair?

[Anonymous No.364388]

>>364386
lol, different guy here. I never sharpen them

[Anonymous No.364389]

>>364387
Ballcream

[Anonymous No.364390]

>>364389
how can ball cream be safe for face

[Anonymous No.364391]

>>364390
Which do you think is more sensitive?

[Anonymous No.364392]

>>364391
Face ofc. Wrap your face in underwear all day and see how you look like a zombie in a few weeks

[Anonymous No.364393]

>>364392
Drag steel wool across both and we'll talk again.

[Anonymous No.364394]

>>364393
Why are you using steel wool on your face?

[Anonymous No.364396]

>>364394
I'm not, I just want you to scrub your balls with it. And then cover them in Nair.

[Anonymous No.364402]

>>364389
>my ex squished when i'd make my pubes all super smooth.
> she suggests we nair my log n acorns.
> nairing in progress
>burns but not that bad.
>after we fuck like animals.
> put on spericidal condom.
>my dick burns with the fire of a thousand suns.
>nope.jpg
>chemical burns.
mfw

[Anonymous No.364404]

OP Here:

Just wanted to follow up. It worked great! Sorry if the photo looks gross with some of my whiskers still on the blades, but anyhow......

I got a small knife and cut away what was left of the old lubbricating strip on one of the mach 3 razors I have already used several times. I then tried to use thin strips of medical adhesive tape, but the tape just didn't stick very well, plus it was sticky on both sides, so that wasn't going to work.

The waterproof bandaid worked great though. I had one of those large ones for a scraped knee, so I cut many thin strips and layered them to make a new strip. The outward-facing side of the bandaid had a smooth plastic surface (not the flexible-fabric kind). Took about 4 layers to get it to the thickness of the original. Then I resharpened it on jeans again (yes, with the bandaid layers stuck to it. it stayed on just fine). Then I did my routine with preshave oil and shaving cream. Everything went smoothly....pun intended. No nics, no cuts. I'm gonna be doing this from now on.

[Anonymous No.364407]

>>364386

>the same person who has time to sharpen them on blue jeans.

It only takes maybe 60 seconds tops to get 100 swipes on blue jeans. And I only shave maybe once or twice a week. It aint like its the most unbearably time consuming thing on earth to get done.

[Anonymous No.364408]

grow a beard and save monies by not buying shaving cream either?

[Anonymous No.364414]

>>364408

No, I'm not growing a beard. I tried it once and I don't like it. Its itchy and just doesn't look good on my face. I have been told by many ladies that I look better when shaven, so thats what I stick to.

However, I've actually considered trying to save money by not buying shaving cream. You can actualy buy BARS of shaving soap, so I bought one not long ago, and it worked great. You just gotta lather it really good with a badger-hair brush. The thing is: whats to say you couldn't do the same thing with discount bars of soap from the dollar store? I suspect it could be done, but I wouldn't wanna do it with irish spring or some other shit-brand that is going to leave soap-scum behind.

[Anonymous No.364431]

>>364414
Shaving soap is different from normal soap, because its purpose is to lubricate and not clean. I think I've seen some recipes for basically making your own on some shaving site, you can probably find something useful via Google.

[Anonymous No.364434]

I know this is /diy/, but google dollar shave club
I stopped paying out the ass for expensive razors now that I have my own bills
I have the 5$ package and its been perfect for me
I recommend it

[Anonymous No.364437]

>>364319
>I've been saving money by sharpening these things on a pair of blue jeans
This is basically stropping like you do with straight razors. There are even strops that have canvas or linen on the other side of the leather.

[Anonymous No.364440]

>>364319
Agreed that disposable razorblades are a gigantic scam and waste of money.

Either:
o Get a straightedge razor and learn how to use it, or
o Get an electric razor, save the disposable bladed razors for special occasions.

Since shaving with any sort of blade burns the fuck out of my face, I changed to an electric razor back in 2007 when the economy went to shit and I lost the highest-paying job I'd ever had and needed to cut back on everything. Haven't gone back since. Takes a little getting used to, but your skin eventually adapts and then it's fine.

[Anonymous No.364442]

>>364434
With the frequency I change cartridges I can buy name brand ones from the store and still come out ahead. After six months it's not a brilliant shave but definitely good enough.

[Anonymous No.364446]

>>364440
A few years back I got an electric shaver but it used to give me pimples and all sort of weird shit so I gave it to a friend. Is that what you mean by 'skin adapting' to it? That I wont get those anymore?

[Anonymous No.364449]

>>364446
Yeah. If you've been using blades for a long time, your skin is used to that, you change to an electric, it takes some time for it to get used to that. Consider that shaving is not a natural thing anyway, "natural" being letting your beard grow how it will.

[Anonymous No.364451]

>>364434
Is it $6 with shipping?

[Anonymous No.364453]

>>364440

>Either:
>o Get a straightedge razor and learn how to use it, or
>o Get an electric razor, save the disposable bladed razors for special occasions.

Been there, tried both, not doing that again. I'm using my recycled Gillette blades and thats that.

[Anonymous No.364455]

>>364453
Well, then enjoy going to lots more trouble just to shave than is really necessary. Personally I have much more important things to do every day than futz around with trying to extend the life of something that was designed to be disposable in the first place. *shrug* whatever suits you, I guess.

[Anonymous No.364760]

>>364404
Retard mode

[Anonymous No.364784]

>>364449
How much do you guys possibly spend on Gillette triple blades per month.

Single blade master race here.

[Anonymous No.364812]

OT but I just bought a bunch of old straight razors and safetys off ebay and I was wondering the best way to try and sell them. Back on ebay or on a shaving forum I'm a member of?

[Anonymous No.364879]

>>364812
take them and buy other shaving related items like oil,brush soap etc.
sell them as a package and reap in money

[Anonymous No.364891]

Straight razor. make one out of scrap iron and sharpen it on the sidewalk, hone it on your jeans.

[Anonymous No.364960]

Personal experience here:

I had a Braun electric shaver. Fancy, automated cleaning, etc. I wound up spending about $10 every few months on their special cleaning solution cartridges. I would have sucked that up, but the breaking point was that I kept breaking the metal screen. Buying a replacement at the store meant purchasing the screen+cutting block package, which was $30. After breaking the screen a number of times, I had it.

Switched to a Norelco rotary electric. No major problems since. Water washable, never broke a screen, long battery life.

[Anonymous No.364983]

>>364960
>I had a Braun electric shaver. Fancy, automated cleaning, etc. I wound up spending about $10 every few months on their special cleaning solution cartridges. I would have sucked that up, but the breaking point was that I kept breaking the metal screen. ...
I just got one of the self-cleaning Brauns about a month ago. The cleaning cartridge can be washed out and refilled with Everclear or other straight alcohol, if you can get it. cost is about $4 for the booze vs. $7 for the new cartridges... the original one evaporated down in about 30 days like the instructions said. the Everclear seems to be a bit slower and might go longer than that. The auto-cleaning base DOES get the insides of the thing clean, amazingly (to me).

I really upgraded from an older Braun after the screen broke and I saw they wanted $40 for the older screens but only $25 for the new ones. And the older one was like 8 years old, I figured I got my money's worth out of it. I looked online once and there's no real consensus that either electric razor cutter style is better (the bar-type or the rotary-type cutters)

I bust a hole in a screen about once a year, not real often. you know right away cause it hurts like fuck to use suddenly.

[Anonymous No.364987]

I would think that honing a blade wouldn't be very effective if you only did it from one side (you had to hone it on both sides)....?

the Braun instructions say that the foil & cutter should be replaced every 18 months, but I break the damn foil thing about once a year and the foil & cutter are sold together anyway.

I shave with a cheapo disposable & lotion if I'm expecting to eat a chick out. other than that it's the electric, every day. you can shave TWICE a day with an electric, faster than you can shave once a day with lotion & a real blade.

[Anonymous No.365030]

>>364353
I shave my head and face. I tried electric, but it wasn't effective and took too long. And I used Mach 3s, but they were SO fucking expensive. I eventually tried using a double edge razor. After 2-3 months, I got used to it and now I hardly ever cut myself anymore. I also recommend buying a sample pack of blades with a variety of brands. I've found that Japanese blades cut the shit out of my head and face, while European blades are much more manageable. It depends on the person, though. I also use a rice cooker as a towel steamer. This really works wonders. This issue is that it takes 15-20 minutes to warm up, so I have to plan in advance. However, when I use it, my razor cuts through the hair like butter! Much better than a hot shower or oil.

[Anonymous No.366244]

>shaving at all

[Anonymous No.366246]

my experience with gillettes are good,here' a little "life-hack".
dont mind the strips they are put tthere just to make money.what i do,is run some steaming hot water and put you razor int there for like 10 min,if u have the one with battery works even better,the point is to heat up your blades in the water,and then they work smooth;i tell you i am still using my first blade like 8 months or something;another tip,electrick shaving helps save the blade

[Anonymous No.366272]

>>364389
A friends missus conned him into the full body nair, we didn't see him for over a week,
reckons his memories of kidney stones & anal cyst were enjoyable by comparison.

Even for the following week he walked funny and didn't wear a shirt, judging by the redness of his nipples I can only shudder at the thought of what he looked & felt like under his shorts.

Personally, I shave head and beard only once a year for summer, 44 C today (111 F), so that shave will be tomorrow, first with the clipper & then with a blade.

I read over a decade ago that 98% of women hated beards on men, when I looked for that study in recent years, I found it was commissioned by Gillette...

[Anonymous No.366276]

>>364414
The "itchy" only lasts for a short time, 2-6 weeks, depending on how fast your beard grows.

[Anonymous No.366288]

>>366272
>when I looked for that study in recent years, I found it was commissioned by Gillette...
The current theory in anthropology is that men still have beards because women like them.

[Anonymous No.366309]

>>366288
I've been hit on more than twice as often since being bearded & I'm not even in the hunt anymore.

[Anonymous No.366310]

>>I'm not even in the hunt anymore

Thats why you're being hit on.

[Anonymous No.366324]

>>366310
Yup, seconding this assessment!

[Anonymous No.366342]

>>366310
Same way it works for cats. They'll come to you if you are not staring at them.

[Anonymous No.366441]

Shave in the shower with conditioner on your face and you wont notice the aloe vera strip is gone
Also buy razors in bulk, i got 42 weeks of shaving plus a mach 3 razor for £20

[Anonymous No.367345]

How often do you replace your razors? I only use water (pic related), shave everyday, and only replace them once every 3-6 months, maybe longer. Haven't bought a new pack in years; still on the same 12 pack I bought about 4 years ago.

[Anonymous No.367347]

>>367345
>>364364
Oh forget it. Yea, it's all the shit you're using. Your skin's too sensitive.

[Anonymous No.367743]

>>367345
been doing this for years as well. Didnt know I could keep using the same disposibles though...
And I dont use any oils. Just hot water and a sharp blade.

[fllaw No.367808]

>>364319
straight edge razors are great, but more expensive, harder to learn to use, etc. dont get me wrong i love them but on a daily basis...well...ill just leave this here

[Anonymous No.367811]

>>365030
Why dont you just steam your towels in the microwave? Place a towel over a bowl of water of even dampen the towel and heat.

[Anonymous No.367823]

Why does shaving matter so much again? I just bought a 10-pack of bargain blades and I don't give a shit about lubricant, foam or after-shave. I shave just fine with a blade and water. The lubricant is halfway off, but it cuts well enough.

[Anonymous No.367826]

>>367808
they're only more expessive at the start it's cheap overal i thought but i use a double edge getting a straight in the next two weaks. also ye proper shaving is way better in every way

[Anonymous No.367832]

>>367345
Well, I searched for "shiving cream racket" instead. Gentle creamy murder in prison up in here bitches!

[Anonymous No.367952]

>>364760
Shitpost mode