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Electric shavers

Loomis

08:29 / 15.01.03

Okay, here's the deal. I'm sick of wet shaving. I'm too lazy to do it every day but I have to unless I want to grow a beard, which I don't. Back when I started shaving I had a few tries with an electric shaver and it was rubbish, so I've been doing the wet shave ever since, but now I'm wondering if perhaps I was a little hasty?

I want to be able to have a quick vroom with the electric while eating breakfast and be on my way. Is that too much to ask?

My low-powered lifestyle doesn't require the greatest shave ever seen on the planet, but I don't want to fork out fifty quid for a glorified lint remover.

So:

1. Do you use them? Are they any good?
2. Is it important to get a top range one or can you go for a mid-price one?

The Strobe

09:02 / 15.01.03

I used to use an electric. I now wet shave and haven't looked back, really. Yes, it's a pain, but I only do it every other day or so. And go with ginger-stubble on the others. (Pros for wet-shaving: it's very satisfying. It's clean. Electrics never seemed to go that close for me.)

The thing with electrics is you cannot let stuff get long with them. Once your stubble stops being stubble, they're just useless. So you really do have to do the once-over without fail every day.

Other than that... I'd really recommend two things: a) a rechargable one and b) a Phillishave. Those Phillips ones with rotatey-heads? They're really good. They work far better than any other I've tried. You don't need to spend too much, certainly there's no need for that one that ejaculates Nivea everywhere... but a decent electric is money well spent. A ten quid battery one will just get through batteries and maybe, if you're lucky, give you a good shave.

My point of view, anyhow.

Our Lady of The Two Towers

09:11 / 15.01.03

Get one of the ones that shoot out white gel in front of the heads, they caused lots of amusement in the cinema when they showed the advert.

Loomis

09:26 / 15.01.03

Hmm, so it's like a vibrator which ejaculates? Well it's made me redundant ...

The one I tried when I was a wee lad was one of those ones with the 3 heads but they're so far from each other that when one's touching your chin one is half way up your cheek and one's not touching anything. I figured maybe one of the rectangular ones would be better.

And I don't need the greatest shave, so a once over will do. In fact, I'm so lazy that I shave at night so I won't have to do it in the morning, so the fact that I have a little bit of re-growth the next day doesn't bother me. By the afternoon I just look like I have some serious 5 o'clock shadow action. So I figured the electric would at least be better than that.

mixmage

09:56 / 15.01.03

Shave? Not since they took my razor off me...

Wetshave. Always has been... but even then, if you leave it too long, you might find yourself needing to give it the once-over with a set of clippers/hair trimmers before clogging your deluxe triple-bladed-how-much-for-the-handle? razor with beard. Twinblade suits me fine. Nice and Smooth!

Linus Dunce

11:46 / 15.01.03

My housemate has one of those Phillishave battery things, it's rechargeable, and it suits him very well for shaving on the hoof.

I used to use an electric, then I used the throwaway Bics, now I use one of those Mach3 gizmos. Marvellous. It disconcertingly feels like you're using a Tinguely machine at first, but after a while you realise you're not going to accidentally cut off a body part. And there's clear space between the blades, so it's hard to clog it up even on five days' growth. And I get commission for every one sold. :-)

The Strobe

12:23 / 15.01.03

I use a Mach 3 too, mainly because when I decided to start wetshaving, I remembered I had one kicking around.

The first thing to come through the postbox on my eighteenth birthday wasn't stuff I wanted, or letters from people I knew. It was a Gilette Mach 3. "Because you're old enough to start wetshaving, you young scamp you!" Really? I didn't need to before. Cocksuckers.

Still, they saved me two quid.

Sax

14:47 / 15.01.03

I can't stand electric razors. It just feels wrong.

And there's something about having a wet-shave that makes me feel... like a hero! Like I could rescue a puppy from a blazing warehouse, or go to space, or something.

Loomis

14:58 / 15.01.03

Well the ads certainly make me feel like I can do that. The stirring music, the planes flying overhead, water splashing randomly like a boy band video, proud dads playing with their perfect sons who'd never let their dad down by courting (gasp!) an electric shaver.

But who needs these perfect guys frolicking in the daylight, flaunting their beautiful chins and airforce jets when you can spend 5 minutes longer in bed dreaming about those things?

Why fly a kite when you can pop a pill?

Mourne Kransky

17:25 / 15.01.03

Would never feel clean with one of those dirty electric things Ganesh uses. I make sure to have an enjoyable and effective gel or foam and use a triple blade system. Heaven, ready to march off into this irredeemably foul world for another day.

I've always fancied getting a barber to do me a cutthroat job but it would seem such an indulgence. One day...

Sax

18:09 / 15.01.03

Ah, a man after my own chin.

Ethan Hawke

18:24 / 15.01.03

If I ever become obscenely wealthy, I will definitely lavish upon myself a personal barber, whose only duty will be to shave my face every morning with a straight razor and hot lather. Gents, if you haven't had this done, you're missing one of the only pleasures offered by an uncontrollable growth of facial hair. It really feels that good.

And, I suppose if you are obscenely wealthy, and happen not to fully trust your personal barber, the experience will offer the delightful frisson of "will I die this morning" while you experience the heavenly pleasure of an extra sharp razor on lubed skin.

Lurid Archive

18:27 / 15.01.03

Dude, you only need to go a little bit farther to find enlightenment. You need a beard, dude. I've seen you with stubble and you look gorgeous. Renounce shaving and all that is unholy.

I know that you'll do the right thing.

The Return Of Rothkoid

21:28 / 15.01.03

Oh, no, ze doesn't. I've seen hir with Jesus hair and beard. It ain't pretty. Much like me and my Second Year University Facial Hair - much was said against it.

Loomis, keep wet. The chin and upper neck never get done properly with electric thingoes.

In fact, get a cutthroat. And a shaving brush. They work much better...

Lurid Archive

21:48 / 15.01.03

Loomis. Understand that the poster above is not the lovable Rothkypoos of sweetness and light, but rather an evil demonic impersonator. You should listen to your heart and the forces of righteousness, sanity and salvation ie me.

The Return Of Rothkoid

22:04 / 15.01.03

Lurid, I've always been a demonic wetshaver. Fact.

Don't go electric, Loomis. You'd be a stubble Dylan, maaan.

Lurid Archive

22:14 / 15.01.03

The Beast is seductive, but the path of light is clear.

The Return Of Rothkoid

22:17 / 15.01.03

But y'know, there ain't no devil - there's just God when he's drunk...

Brigade du jour

01:51 / 16.01.03

I much much much prefer a wet shave, but I cheat - I only do it twice a week, if that. My beard comes out thinly and kind of blond so it's almost invisible. Or do I mean transparent?

Loomis

07:38 / 16.01.03

Ah, the days of Jesus hair and beard. I used to look like a pasty version of you Lurid, so one might say I partook of the form of sexiness, while not being sexiness itself.

I had that for about 5 years, then (as the hair gradually got cut shorter) I shaved it off, and I just used to shave twice a week, and my ideal state is to be like that, with a revolving 1, 2, 3 day growth. I'd be tattooed with the George Michael permanent stubble if I could.

Unfortunately now that I'm an office monkey (oh how fate, and indeed all my friends, does laugh at how things turned out) I can't skip a day.

I have however, like everyone, always dreamed of the barber shave. I think I'll go and do it soon. And all my non-materialistic beliefs just went out the window at the thought of being rich enough to have a personal barber. Or conversely, being rich enough to not need to go to work and hence not need to shave. Either way, I finally have a reason to be ambitious.

mixmage

08:25 / 16.01.03

Well, get a first-hand recommendation. My one and only barbershave wasn't in a barber's at all, and it was rather uncomfortable afterward. Don't trust an amateur. Not with a straight razor on one hand and the other round your throat!

The Return Of Rothkoid

21:13 / 16.01.03

That sounds like my idea of a top night out, really.

rexpop

22:08 / 16.01.03

While electric isn't as close as blade, its more convienient and less fuss. I recently picked up one of those Braun ones with the cleaning system. Best shave I've ever had. Nice and Smooth

.

The ones with the goo are pretty good as well, although are a bitch to keep clean.

BTW whatever happened to the good old fashioned barbershop ?. Has "Something for the weekend, sir ?", been lost forever ?.

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