Author:
Taxonomy upgrade extras:
Having resorted to shaving my arms and legs, and face, with disposable shavers, and suffering innumerable cuts and so forth, I tried a new little shaver that works VERY well. It's called The Microforce and it's only ten dollars at Wal-Mart. To my pleased amazement, it works VERY well indeed, and not only on my appendages, but my face as well. It's battery operated, no recharging, and works dry or wet. I debated with myself about whether to buy a more expensive shaver, but I thought I'd try this little one first.
I'm very pleased with it and I recommend it to anyone not fortunate enough, or rich enough to be able to afford hair removal processes like laser or electrolysis. As an aside, since I am a victim of PMB, pattern male baldness, I shave my head so that wearing wigs is much more comfortable and less sweaty. To my amazement, this little shaver does a very good job there as well! It's easy to use, easy to clean, and small enough to keep in a purse if one travels a lot. I will say that I have a very light beard, so I don't know how it will work with tougher male whiskers than mine.
Huggles 'n stuff,
Cathy
Comments
Nifty, but.
You know someone's going to reply to this, as shaving is a subject that causes all kinds of controversy amongst persons of every gender type, so I'll just get this out of the way.
Firstly, no electric shaver in the world - unless it's based on a Dremel, ouch! - is ever going to give you as close a shave as a wet razor will. This is because there is a foil between the blade and your skin and the foil has to be of a minimum thickness such that it won't disintegrate when it is used.
Secondly, dispose of the disposable razors and get yourself a proper modern one. I did, reluctantly, and the difference is orders of magnitude. Like you, I used to cut myself to ribbons shaving what little there is on my legs, till one day I used an old blade in my new Gillette Super Turbo Stealth razor (Ugh, marketing crap. Other blade "systems" are available). One of the four or five bladed ones. Whatever. There are feminine versions of these.
I was astonished. Not only was I not hacking my knees - I have childhood scar tissue all over them so the skin is thinner - but it was easier and the end result was much smoother. So, now I use a blade on my face for a month and then change it, reserving the old one for the rest of my body. I shave my body once a week or so, so it only gets four more uses before it gets discarded.
The only way I cut myself with these multi-blade things is with the single blade on the back. I have nicked my earlobe trying to do the jawline, and I have a couple of cuts across the backs of fingernails that got in the way. Beware.
It is expensive to start with, but the difference in end result was so great I don't begrudge the extra pennies. I think the blades are supposed to last three weeks or so but I stretch mine out to a month by the simple expedient of not shaving (my face) once or twice a week. I find this allows the skin to recover and the shave the following day is much closer. Of course, I'm not perpetually out in public so I can get away with this.
I also go over my face with an electric razor afterwards, to catch anything I've missed - the first rule of shaving is that you always miss some - and to clean up a raised mole I have under the jawline. I got fed up with hacking the top off it every time I shaved.
Hope this helps.
Penny
Back in the day..
Back in the track-2 days - before my wife knew - I used to shave two or three times with a track-2 blade, which dulled it enough for her to use on her legs/underarms... So, that's another approach that might work... Find someone with a heavy beard, ask them to dull the blades, and then go for it.
I don't shave at all ...
... and haven't since my early twenties when I grew a beard to make dressing impossible (long story) so I'm no expert on wet shaving. However I do use cutting tools a lot for other jobs and in my experience the sharper the better. As my old dad used to say "You don't cut yourself on a sharp knife but you often do on a blunt one." Doesn't the same apply to safety razors? Why would anyone want to use a less than a 'razor' sharp blade for any shaving exercise?
Just curious.
Robi
btw just remembered - I used to shave my legs when I was bike racing and used an old electric shaver for that LOL
Lucky you...
I still have to shave (but not every day!!!). Yeah, I grew a beard (well, goatee anyway) for a similar reason at one time, and kept a mustache for several years for that reason... *sighs*
As to sharpness? I'd have thought you were right. On my face, it certainly was the case. Apparently the legs are different. (The skin is, anyway.) Or, maybe it's how you use the blade.
I don't like using electric razors, so much. Why? Because I have to shave that much sooner...
Anne