site banner
PaperclipPerfector  1mo ago (text post)   2469 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for October 3, 2025

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

2
Top Bottom Old Controversial Comments
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

What razor do you use? And what is the process for shaving that you use to cut yourself the least?

I used to shave every 2 or 3 days in high school. I didn't use any shaving cream, I just got in a hot shower and then either shaved afterwards, splashing hot water on my face, or shaved while I was in the shower. These days, I just use hair clippers to clip my face. It works okay, but I should do it more often. But I think I should probably start getting close shaves again.

Sometimes straight razor, but most of the time Leafshaver. Think of it as Mach 3 with replacable blades for which you use safety razor blades broken in 2. It is brilliant for head, armpits and other stuff and nice on the face (do disinfect if you use only one)

Safety razors. The original ones.

use to cut yourself the least?

Just don't make a cutting motion. Superficial cuts that close in 5mins are unavoidable.

I use Gillette three blade (safety?) razors. Probably a Mach 3 Turbo or something, not that I notice the difference between them. I don't use shaving foam, I just rawdog it with water. I don't have sensitive skin, so it's not an issue, and I haven't gotten a cut in more than a decade.

Also Mach3 (or whatever other identical 3-blade I can find). I always use cream. I vary between cheap-as-chips shaving foam and more expensive lather with brush etc. I don’t think either gives me a better shave, but I feel better after the brush and lather exercise. It just takes a bit longer, so I don’t do it all the time. I rarely, if ever, cut. Can’t remember the last time I had one of any significance.

I don't. Have completely given up just about when the "pandemic" came and the world ended. Told myself I'd start shaving again when things get back to normal, but they never did. Not to that normal anyways. Thus caveman.

Have you at least joined the Ostbayerischer Bart- und Schnauzerclub?

I use a Norelco battery-powered shaver I found lying in my driveway one day when I was getting fed up with my older Norelco corded shaver. The battery ran for two weeks, long enough for the new charger to arrive from Amazon.

God provides.

Same. I used to shave myself every week with a Gilette Mach 3 (Fusion is a gimmick, and Schick Quattro is worse than a gimmick, its blade guards kept snagging on my stubble). Hated the unshaven look but was too lazy to keep my cheeks smooth. Then one summer I got some severe bronchitis and spent a month on sick leave. My wife was away at the cabin; she saw me with a beard and declared I was now complete.

My hair isn't exactly my source of pride, facial hair included, so I can't really style it into anything fancy. Just a scraggly-ish chinstrap (that I keep trimmed to avoid sporting a full-on neckbeard) and a mustache. The cheeks and the neck have sparse enough growth that a few passes with a bare trimmer keep them presentable.

Hey, I use the Fusion ones, probably out of a lack of familiarity with other options. So good to have this thread.

The best thing about Fusion is the prescient Onion article.

Mach 3 Gillette razor. Shave in the shower usually about once a week. 2-4 full shaves per razor. Only go about an inch at a time, by then the razor is clogged with hair and I need to wash it out. If I've waited longer than a week I'll use a trimmer to shorten the hair and make the shave easier. I use to do this at the sink instead of in the shower. Shower made cleanup easier and faster. I've been shaving for 20 years this way. Cuts are rare.

This is actually my identical routine. Trimmer if too long, then Mach 3 in the hot shower, blowing on or tapping the blade to get the clog out as needed. Can't remember the last time I cut myself.

Can I mention - I used to switch blades once every couple of uses. When I told my Dad he was mortified. Manufacturers recommend a couple more uses than that though it's personal. I find the first 2 shaves uncomfortable and go up to around 10.

Back when dollar shave club started online ads, I did some research into them and found out their razors were made by doroco and bought a box of refills from them. I still have 2 retail packs left.

Back when I shaved my face I used a straight razor; now I use an electric to trim it how I want it, and keep it relatively close to my face with scissors.

Double-edge razor, brush/soap; cheap stuff (found a brand of blades I like and bought a hundred pack; no fancy scents). I used to do it very regularly, but the wife likes a beard, so now I just do my neck less often. I follow the standard with-the-grain/across-the-grain/against-the-grain pattern for three passes. I almost never cut myself anymore since I got the hang of it.

I've played around with a lot of shaving stuff, but have not done straight razors because I'm a scared pussy.

For the safety-razor cartridge hardware, I used Gilette like everyone else. Then I used Dorco (DSC supplier) to save money for a bit. Even bought women's razors because pink plastic is cheaper than blue. Quality dropped off for some reason, though, and I knew I couldn't buy Gilette products again after they told my gender to go fuck themselves forever on national television. I ended up buying Harry's razors and recylcing a couple of promo codes to get essentially 3 years worth of razors for $35. I use them on my face till they wear out then put them on a different handle for my body.

For shaving creams, I dabbled in the boar-bristle brush + soap part of straight razor shaves. I wanted to sort of pamper myself a bit, and tried to relax and take my time with shaving. Over time, soap pucks ended up lasting for so long that the scents were no longer enticing and I just have too busy of a life. I tried other fancy creams, and none of them were able to compete with the convenience, price, and nostalgia of Barbasol. So now I just alternate between OG and + Aloe variants of that.

One thing that is is worth splurging on is a nice aftershave. A lot of irritation I end up getting is removed by using the right one. Harry's is OK and what I travel with. The best I've tried is Art of Shaving's (available cheaper elsewhere). For $40/$50 you might be correctly thinking "Holy shit" but I only just killed my first bottle after a decade.

"Safety razor" is the double-sided type that Harry's uses. The other stuff is just cartridge razors. I got a Merkur safety razor a while back after getting fed up with the cartridge ripoff pricing and inherited a couple of vintage Gillette butterfly safety razors from my grandfather. I use the Derby blades which are cheap and good. Shortly after I switched to the Commander Riker beard with shaved cheeks and sides below mouth. I then got a Weller trimmer to keep the length at about half to 3/4 inch.

I don't use soap, and have found that just soaking my face in hot water for 30 seconds provides a good shave with minimal irritation.

TY for the correction

Commander Riker beard

I call it the circle beard myself. I also call it a Van Dyck, but now I realize that's where the goatee is separate from the moustache.

It's not a circle beard, because you keep the sideburns (but trimmed, to keep the cheeks clean shaven). It's closer I think to a normal full beard, but with clean cheeks, shorter length, and shaving the left and right spots under the mouth but leaving the middle to create an "anchor" shape.

Great advice. I also don't want to screw around with straight razors, both because I'm a wuss, and also because it sounds like a big fuckin' waste of time learning how to sharpen it and shit. But the irritation was something I also struggled with. If you put on cologne or something, it would sting like hell. I think I have a boar bristle brush, too... Thanks.

Back when I used to shave, I used a straight razor. It was amazing. Some days I used shaving cream, most days I just did it straight out of the shower with a room full of steam. When I'd freshly sharpened it, it was like a magic eraser for hair.

It does take some practice for getting into the nooks and crannies around your jaw line. But there are really only two things you need to do in order to not cut yourself. Never, ever, no matter what pull along the blade. You will instantly slice yourself. Probably not deep if it's just sloppiness, but you're getting cut. Second rule of thumb is to go with the grain at least once, and then do another pass against the grain if you want it extra smooth, but I rarely found it necessary. If you are having trouble, ease off on the angle.

The other nice thing about is over disposable razors was I got a lot less skin irritation. Since it lifts the cut hair off and away, instead of gumming up the 3-5 blades and grinding it against your face, it felt a lot better. You can also keep it sharp, so you use a lot less pressure, meaning your doing a lot less damage to your skin attempting to scrape the hair off your face.

pull along the blade

What does this mean?

A slicing motion as opposed to a scraping motion.

What is this place?

This website is a place for people who want to move past shady thinking and test their ideas in a court of people who don't all share the same biases. Our goal is to optimize for light, not heat; this is a group effort, and all commentators are asked to do their part.

The weekly Culture War threads host the most controversial topics and are the most visible aspect of The Motte. However, many other topics are appropriate here. We encourage people to post anything related to science, politics, or philosophy; if in doubt, post!

Check out The Vault for an archive of old quality posts. You are encouraged to crosspost these elsewhere.


Why are you called The Motte?

A motte is a stone keep on a raised earthwork common in early medieval fortifications. More pertinently, it's an element in a rhetorical move called a "Motte-and-Bailey", originally identified by philosopher Nicholas Shackel. It describes the tendency in discourse for people to move from a controversial but high value claim to a defensible but less exciting one upon any resistance to the former. He likens this to the medieval fortification, where a desirable land (the bailey) is abandoned when in danger for the more easily defended motte. In Shackel's words, "The Motte represents the defensible but undesired propositions to which one retreats when hard pressed."

On The Motte, always attempt to remain inside your defensible territory, even if you are not being pressed.


New post guidelines

If you're posting something that isn't related to the culture war, we encourage you to post a thread for it. A submission statement is highly appreciated, but isn't necessary for text posts or links to largely-text posts such as blogs or news articles; if we're unsure of the value of your post, we might remove it until you add a submission statement. A submission statement is required for non-text sources (videos, podcasts, images).

Culture war posts go in the culture war thread; all links must either include a submission statement or significant commentary. Bare links without those will be removed.

If in doubt, please post it!


Rules


Recommended Posts And Communities

Recommended Realtime Chats