May
26
2009

A student at Virginia's Woodberry Forest School, shaving with a safety razor in his dorm room in 1944. (LIFE)

106m

The number of American men who shave regularly.

Blade Runner

Putting the Best Shaving Supplies
(At Any Budget) to the Test

By Hunter R. Slaton for Valet.

According to shaving giant Gillette, 70 percent of the men in America who shave do so with a razor, an average of four and a half times a week. (The other 30 percent? Electric shavers, which, in this writer's opinion, are an abomination and are simply unworthy of discussion.) Just do the math: four and a half times a week, 52 weeks a year for, what, 60 years? The average American male will shave his face more than 14,000 times in his life.

But shaving needn't be drudgery. All it takes is a little mindfulness about the task—as well as an assist from the full month Valet spent risking razor burn by testing some of the countless blade and cream combinations from which a modern man has to choose. What follows are in-depth reviews of four different razor and shave cream pairings, ranging from a rather humble disposable to an intimidating "cut-throat" blade.

 
 

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Ask Valet.

The Expertly Packed Carry-On

Question

What should I pack for my first business trip?

- Matt, OH

Answer

With nearly every airline imposing a baggage fee nowadays, if you can get away with flying with just a carry-on, do it.

» The solution

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