Welcome @iBloke.V1 How many shaves have you made so far with the HB4s? What did you shave with before? How long do you go between shaves?
G’day Tyler
Firstly once again thanks for all the friendly welcomes
Edit: the following mentioned prices are in Australian $ just FYI
First HB4 lasted only one shave before being dulled beyond further use. I was Very disappointed about this at the time.
One shave/one blade = $4 AUS which I thought was pathetic!
This was the blade that came with my HB Moto starter kit.
The kit also included a pack of four HB4 blades.
I’m now using my second HB4 blade, which is the first from the supplied pack of four.
I’ve had my third shave with this blade now and it still has just enough “cut” or “edge” left for one more shave.. at a guess.
This is more acceptable than the 1 shave I got from the first HB4 blade attached to my new, and very expensive HB Moto.
Your next question Tyler: I shaved for decades using Schick extreme 3 which has a flexible head that I originally thought would work well on my bony noggin due to the flexibility of the blades...and it did! For decades!
But only up until about 6 months ago when the blades would go dull after one shave instead of the 3-4 ish I’d experienced prior.
(0.75 cents AU per blade)
My guess is schick changed the blade metallurgy because I went from 3-4 “nice-ish” shaves per blade, to the next purchased pack that each blade barely lasted one full shave..and even then it wasn’t as “close or smooth” as it had been in past decades..
Exact same shave gel. Exact same shave interval (2-3 times a week).
Researching a decent replacement regularly brought Headblade up in my search results.
HB Moto was the one I found the most consistently reviewed positive..so I bought one.
Edit: I have found my Moto to be incredibly easy to use on both my head, And face.
It’s also easy to use behind my ears which was always a tricky area to shave without nicks. (Zero nicks so far)
Contrary to several reviews I’ve personally had Zero problems with learning curve, and from my very first shaving stroke of the Moto it’s been a close to perfect head shaving product. Common sense finger placement. The ability to “feel” as I stroke with my thumb and pinky. Being able to apply perfect downwards pressure on the blade. Swapping from right to left hand quickly and fuss free (Although to be fair I’m ambidextrous).. And being able to simply use it on my face like a normal razor is a bonus extra.
Unfortunately in my relatively new experience whoever makes their HB4 blades have very lax manufacturing techniques proven by the original blade going uselessly blunt after one full shave, compared to the 3, hopefully 4 from my second HB4.
So jumping from paying 0.75 cents per blade to $4 per blade has been an incredibly big, and expensive, situation to swallow.
Third question from Tyler: 2-4 days between shaves depending on both my weekly situation, And how bad my shave rash/irritation is.
HB HeadSlick has been the first new shave lubricant I’ve used for decades. And it’s a mixed bag so far.
Seems to lubricate well. Feels great during shave. Smells wonderful. It’s great to allow me to see where I’ve shaved without all the froth and foam of my previous gel.
But appears to also be an irritant to my sensitive neck skin as my horribly red, spotty, and painful shaving rash is coming back after years of finally having reasonably clear skin.
The HB Headlube moisturiser in my kit is useless for me and I’d Never waste money on it in the future.
My skin feels tight, and a bit “burny” after applying it to shaved areas.
It soaks in Way more quickly than my previous moisturiser (Aloe Vera gel + pure vitamin E oil)
And leaves my facial skin dry and almost red even after 3 applications a day (I’ve exclusively used Only HB Headlube moisturiser since I got it to see what would happen, for research purposes).
And the red, dry, flaky skin on my cheeks and around my nose (non shaving areas but still require moisturiser) are ridiculously bad again.
So Headlube absolutely Doesn’t work as a general moisturiser for my skin at all.
In summary, I signed up here to research shaving, both face and head, and have read through a mountain of information which I’m Very grateful for.
Slybaldguys is a fantastic resource! THANK YOU!
But the end result has been it simply comes down to what works for a particular individual.
I’ve found some products of the Headblade company work for me, and some absolutely Don’t!
You mileage may vary.
I spent a lot of money I can’t afford as a crippled/disabled bloke.
I needed to try at the very least.
I may be crippled but I at least want to take some kind of pride in my personal appearance...it’s all I have left.
So really the only thing I can say is, Suck it and see...if you can afford the trial and error.
I can’t afford it.
But I spent my $$ trying.
I learnt a lesson...a couple.
Good luck All in your pursuit of the perfect shave.
I haven’t found mine yet..but I’m sure it’s out there.
Cheers n beers