What's a good shaving mirror?

May 1, 2011 1:22 PM

I would like to buy my boyfriend a great, fogless shaving mirror. Has anyone had any positive experiences with any?

My boyfriend shaves with a straight razor in the shower and I know a shaving mirror would help a lot. We have a small, cramped shower so I imagine it would have to be something that can be turned and adjusted. I am hoping for a high-quality (though not crazy expensive) one...

Thanks!

posted by Clotilde to Shopping (13 answers total)

We have this in our shower. I was a little concerned that it would feel cheap, but it doesn't really. The mirror contains a reservoir behind it that you fill with hot water at the beginning of the shower, and this keeps it from fogging. It seems to work perfectly and my husband loves it for shaving. It's adjustable up and down but not side-to-side.
posted by wyzewoman at 1:33 PM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

Best answer: There is no such thing as a fogless mirror. I know this from years of experience as a devoted wet shaver that takes his time in the shower. I've probably gone through every single brand of fogless, and they all eventually go sour. That was until I found a normal mirror that solves this problem using SCIENCE! This is one of the best purchases I ever made. I never have to worry about it not working. My only suggestion is to hang it off something instead of using the suction cups. The cups are pretty decent as far as those things go, but as with "fogless" glass/mirrors, suction cups have a short lifetime. Do yourself a favor: avoid coated mirrors and go with a product with a hot water reservoir. The one wyzewoman recommended seems to work the same as mine. The one I recommend doesn't have a base that turns or angles, but I find that it's generally easier for my face to be the item that is rotating and not the mirror.
posted by drpynchon at 1:43 PM on May 1, 2011 [4 favorites]

I have had ones in the past where the mirror was just coated with something that made it "fogless." It didn't work real well. I would definitely recommend one that has some sort of mechanism like the one wyzewoman linked.
posted by dixiecupdrinking at 1:44 PM on May 1, 2011

Response by poster: Thanks, everyone! I did a bunch of research into both of these online... they both look great. wyzewoman: do you think there's distortion in the mirror? That's been one of the complaints... I'm leaning toward that one because the suction business seems more precarious.
posted by Clotilde at 2:36 PM on May 1, 2011

I haven't noticed any distortion per say. But since the mirror is plastic, it's not quite as good of an image as you'd get from a glass mirror; maybe it's just a tiny distortion that my eye isn't quite registering. In any case, zero complaints from the one who uses the mirror for the shaving. :-)
posted by wyzewoman at 2:41 PM on May 1, 2011

Response by poster: That's good... it strikes me as smart not to have glass in the shower, anyway!
posted by Clotilde at 2:51 PM on May 1, 2011

I'm on my second fogless mirror. Both went on to fogging up pretty quickly. Wiping it with some excess shaving cream keeps it as clear as I need it though.
posted by theichibun at 2:53 PM on May 1, 2011

Response by poster: And thanks, drpynchon: I think the Ace one is more aesthetically appealing of the two... it's definitely one or the other. Really appreciate the advice.
posted by Clotilde at 2:54 PM on May 1, 2011

Last comment: the squeegee in our version turns out to be suprisingly useful for removing the droplets that get on the front while you are filling the mirror.
posted by wyzewoman at 3:18 PM on May 1, 2011

I just use a cheap double sided mirror that I picked up for $5 at the drugstore. If I run both sides of the mirror under the water immediately prior to shaving it stays clear long enough to shave. It's attached with an industrial strength suction cup that I picked up at Home Depot for a couple of bucks. I don't have $10 invested in the set up and I've been using it for about 7 years.
posted by COD at 4:23 PM on May 1, 2011

My partner and I have the Ace fogless mirror to which drpynchon links. It works just as advertised and lasts for about 15 minutes with a full reservoir. The mirror is plastic, which is good because I've dropped it on the shower floor at least once and nothing broke. We've only had it for about four months now but haven't had any issues with the suction cups, though I imagine it helps that we have a hard, flat surface from which it hangs. The one in the link drpynchon provides does let you adjust the bottom end of the mirror to tilt it up a bit. It doesn't feel fancy or expensive or anything, but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it, especially for the price.
posted by jroybal at 4:55 PM on May 1, 2011

I've had good luck with this mirror. It uses, taps into, the water flowing to the showerhead to heat the mirror.
posted by bz at 5:24 PM on May 1, 2011

I tried a few and was never fully satisfied. Then I discovered I didn't need a mirror. Can't speak to a straight razor, but it's easy to shave blind with a safety razor.
posted by LonnieK at 2:09 PM on May 2, 2011