re: Safety Razors are life changing

You cannot. I had some overzealous TSA agent take a unopened case of 20 razors out my toiletry bag. I was pissed. Had to go buy a new razor.

Love my safety razor. Have you discovered the proraso products yet? They’re amazing for pre, during and post shave.

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I made the switch a few months ago.

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Same here.

I agree it doesn't pull on your hair. I previously used a 3 blade cartridge razor. It was fine, but the safety razor (with a feather blade cuts more comfortably). I tried a 5 blade cartridge for a week...it was awful.

The downside is that it takes much more care and work than a cartridge razor. Meaning that if you try to go too fast you are going to end up with nicks. With my old 3 blade I might get one or two small nicks a month. With the safety razor, it's probably 2 or 3 a week. Nothing major or painful. Just annoying.

The prep to shave is also more labor intensive (for me at least). You want as shave cream/soap that creates a slick lather. There is no "lubricating strip" to help you out here. If your razor isn't easily gliding across your face, you are going to get nicks and razor burn.

As for the shave itself, I initally thought it was closer than a cartridge. But after further review, it really isn't. In fact, I'd say I may have gotten a slightly closer shave with the three blade. The difference is that I rarely, if ever, get an ingrown hair with the safety razor. And no razor burn.
Probably because it is not "lifting and cutting" below the skin line. The biggest Pro was that I was able to buy 50 Feather blades for about $15. Personally, that will last me almost 2 years.

IMO, if you are a guy who doesn't mind taking the time to lather up a brush, shave more deliberately, and use a balm and/or alum block after the shave, a safety razor is great. If you are someone who hates shaving, just wants to get it done as quickly as possible, with as few steps as possible, stick with the cartridge. Using a safety razor would just be a huge pain in the arse for those guys.

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try shaving your balls now.

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That's what electric clippers/trimmers are for, you troglodyte

What kind of soap/cream do y’all’s use?

Been using Taylor of Old Bond Street Sandalwood Shaving Cream for years, but wife complains about it making me taste like soap, so may try something different when this bowl is out.

I've been doing wet shaving with a DE safety for about 10 years, now. I still use a cartridge style to shave my head, but I can't imagine going back to that for my face. It was never comfortable even 1 time.

Yes, there is a learning curve with a DE, but once you get it, I believe 90% of men will prefer it. Much cheaper over the long-term, as well, once you recoup your initial investment. I progressed from Gillette 7 O'Clocks to GSBs and now Feather blades, and I think I'm about 28 or 29 cents a blade and I use a blade 2 to 3 times (I do not shave every day, if I did I would try to squeeze 5 shaves out of a blade.)

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What kind of soap/cream do y’all’s use?

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Proraso Sandalwood (red tube) is a great choice.

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I don't know how much they are now but a few years back I was able to get a couple hundred Gillete blades for around 10 bucks on ebay. I think they were indian but they work fine.

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You can get them from Amazon for about the same price. Well, it is only 100, but I want to say the last time I bought some it was about $12. But even then.. I don't think you can get 4 or 5 blades for one of those standard 3 blade razors. In fact, its cheaper to buy a new razor with 3 blades than it is to buy a pack of 5 blades so $12 for 100 is still a decent price considering I much rather a single blade.

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Anyone else have trouble shaving your upper lip where it meets your nose with a safety razor? I had trouble with frequent nicks under my nose.

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Been a long time since I actually shaved my face, but if I remember correctly, I made a face that stretched my upper lip down (not sure how else to describe it) and carefully started right under the nostril and shaved down at a diagonal towards the outside of my mustache. If you're getting nicks with a double edged safety, you're either going too high and catching your nose (just be more careful) or the tight space is causing you to commit the cardinal sin of straight edge shaving: letting the blade slide sideways.

As long as you take it slowly and pull the blade straight, you should be fine. Especially in tight areas like that, it's easier to use multiple short strokes (lulzy) than to do longer pulls. Long pulls make you subconsciously "correct", and that causes slides and cuts.

ETA: Also, *do not* press down when you're starting under the nostril. That's going to be your natural inclination, but that skin is very soft. Just rest the razor like normal. If you miss the first few hairs, just add a little cream and do it again. Don't try to force a perfect first pass.

ETA2: If you're still having trouble getting the first few hairs, I would try a diagonal pass starting just outside the nose and slanting in towards the middle of your lips. Which works better is going to depend heavily on nose/face shape.

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Are these good for head shaving too?

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not in my experience, you get too many nicks & cuts.

I only use a safety razor for my face & lining up my beard. Do the whole wet shave with a badger brush and shave soap.

For my head, I use harry's razor & cremo shave cream every night. The most days I can go between shaving my head is probably 3 before it gets tough to glide over it.