I got to the point recently where I just wasn’t shaving a lot.  It’s not like I was walking the path to indie-coffee barista town, and wasn’t planning on playing a didgeridoo at any point.  Nope, just the daily “meh” associated with shaving.  I’d clean up the neck and leave the face pretty undone for 3-5 days.  My wife wasn’t a fan, mostly of the prickliness, and sometimes because it made me act like a prick thinking I was all beardy and lumberjacky.  Honestly though, every bearded guy under the age of 50 just makes me think “bassist in shitty animal-named band.”

But I had to do something about it.  I tried a lot of razors, and after about the 4th one that I finally LOOOOOOOOOVED, the root cause was simple:

I didn’t shave because every razor I was using didn’t “do it” for me.  So here’s my take on the 4 razors I was using, and why I settled on one.

My skin type:  Fair, average (not oily, not dry), no acne, not prone to ingrown hairs.  Not a tough beard, either.
Cream/Gel:  Edge Shave Gel. I use the orange/sensitive skin type.

Razor #1: Old Spice High Endurance Razor (couldn’t find the link on the Old Spice site)
Blades: 3
Rating: 6/10  – Wouldn’t buy again, but no cuts, scarring, or danger.
Review:  Picked up a 4-bagger on sale because I’m on a budget.  $4.99 for 4 was fine by my wallet.
The handle has a weird grip to it.  Like it could flip vertical at any moment, rather unsettling when dragging a razor down the face.
After the 2nd use, I was resigned to using these razors on my back instead of my face.  At least a rock tee would hide the skin irritation.  The cut wasn’t very smooth nor complete.  After hitting a 2-day growth I felt like I was about 3pm of a 5 O’clock Shadow.  I’d use these in a pinch and threw one in my travel kit.  Still have 1 left for an emergency back shave.

Razor #2: Schick Quattro Titanium Disposables
Blades: 4
Rating: 7/10  – Would buy again but not if others are available and similar price.
Review:  More isn’t always better.  In comparison, this was a pretty good razor on a budget.  I don’t invest a lot of dough into razors because I don’t live a life of needing to be super-slick all the time.  But this was a good bag o’ cutters.  Got the hair handled, but a slight afterburn.  Skin felt tight, neck wasn’t real clean.  Didn’t do it for this fair-skinned fella.

Razor #3: Gillette Custom Plus 3 Disposable
Blades: 3
Rating: 9/10  – Good on the face and the wallet.  
Review:  Price varies on this from store to store.  BUT, this has been my go-to for a long time.  For some reason, the 2 places I had purchased it in the past weren’t stocking it for 3 months, and that’s just too long to go without.  When I can get these, I get these.  On sale, great.  If not, hey, not a bank-breaker at about $7/4.  Each one lasts about a week if you shave every day.  I don’t, so they last me about 2 weeks.
Great cut, good grip.  Neck was good, trim head got under the schnozz.  Highly recommended!

Razor #4:  Schick Hydro 5
Blades: 5 (coincidence?)
Rating: 9.5/10  – The Private Jet of store-bought razor cartridges
Review:  Having forgotten my razor on a family trip, one of these was available at the concierge desk as a sample/gift.  I love this razor.  The handle is balanced with a good grip and look.  The cartidges have a good skin gel that doesn’t go goopy after 3 shaves.  This ain’t a cheap cutter, nor are the carts, but damn if this isn’t worth it.  If you have to shave often, this is the one to go with.  Don’t ruin your face.  Do the right thing and get this razor.  Even the 3-blade version is a treat.
Only down-side is the cart is a bit too large to really clean-up under the nose.  Other than that, this thing’s the luxury car of razors.
And yes, I’ve used the Mach everythings.

So there ya go.  Enjoy trimming that beard up to a status of either “First Day on the New Job” or “Puerto Rican 3rd-Base Outline.”