How Harry's Bought a German Razor Factory (opens in new tab)

As a frequent flyer, here's my 2 cents:

- transport it bladeless, put it at the top of your bag. In Asia and Europe it gets asked about 1 out of 5 times. You can then take it out, and apart in 10 seconds.

- stock up blades at your frequent destinations (in my case, both in-laws and family have 3 packs of Feathers in a closet).

- if all else fails, buy blades locally - a 5-pack is still cheaper ($2-5) than a Gillette ($10) and can be found in most decent sized supermarkets all over the world. Won't be feathers, but enough for a week.

- if you are somewhere with no blades, which is rare, then there's always the throwaway option. In many countries (e.g. Japan) even the cheaper hotels include a throwaway razor. Otherwise you can buy it at the 7/11 with the toothpaste that you also couldn't carry-on. Some prefer the electric option.

- buy soap rather than cream so you can carry-on. E.g. Tabac Original screw soap. One will last you for years.

I shaved for at least two weeks each with Timor, Astra, Derby, Feather & Merkur blades. Everybody has a different experience, but I wasn't happy with Timor or Astra. Derby does the job, but I settled on Merkur and Feather (they're much, much better).

They're also a bit more expensive but since I can get so much use out of them and they're so, so much cheaper than the Mach 3's I used to use, I'm cool with that. :)

Yes, you always have to dry your razor after use. Disposable or not, the hour or so it needs to dry is actually enough for razor blades to noticeably loose their edge. This is part of what makes razor blade manufacture hard - you have to use very hard steel that can hold an edge, but the harder the steel the more prone it is to oxidation aka rust.

If you can use a disposable razor, you can use a double-edged safety razor. You absolutely don't need "extensive training" to shave with one of these.

This is called a "submarine" piece.

I've tried probably a dozen brands. Counter-intuitively, I found that the sharpest were the ones least likely to cut, because you apply so little pressure (and maybe because they notch the hair immediately, instead of sliding down to the skin). Feathers are easily the best at least in my experience, beating even the "premium" offerings from Gillette and Wilkinson and making it easily worth the (rather large) premium; not only are they sharp but they stay sharp almost forever - I've occasionally had several weeks' use on a single Feather.

I cut myself all the time with the cheap no-name Israeli blades (rebranded Personna?), so called it a false economy. Not impressed with Astra either. YMMV - softer hair doesn't require as much cutting.

Take a look at http://reddit.com/r/wickededge

Many believe that shaving technology reached its peak quite some time ago.

These are the ones I use:

http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B001QY8QXM

They are quite well-reviewed, so I'm not the only person who likes them. I have a no-name butterfly-style handle, for which I think I also paid about $10. I splurge a little to get the gel-style rather than the white-foam shaving cream, although I always get store brand so I don't splurge too much. b^)

Check out https://getbevel.com, another modern startup with a polished brand and service that focuses on double-edge razors instead.

I shave those areas with a safety razor! (I'm a dude)

I suggest using hair conditioner as a lather to prevent nicks.

dude here, no problem shaving everything with a safety razor.

It is hard for something to be of lower quality than Gillette.

Disposable razors just don't shave well.

Warby Parker.