Should you build your own back shaver? For 99.99% of you out there, the quick answer is NO!!! No, you should not!
Just immediately kill those DIY ideas of building your homegrown back hair defoliator.
Before the easy availability of back shavers in the early days of the internet, I too often tried to build my own back shaver. Luckily and thankfully, the number of good back shavers for sale makes building your own back shaver not really a thing anymore. I will be going over details highlighting my experience and knowledge to finally put this question to bed.
Keep reading to find out why I say no to building your own back shaver.
Table of Contents
My Experience Building My Own Back Shaver
Believe it or not, years ago, back shavers were not a thing. You couldn’t buy a back shaver online and surely couldn’t buy one in any store. This often led men to contrive and build janky back shavers of their own out of sheer desperation to rid themselves of back hair.
Nowadays, back shavers can be purchased online and even at major retail stores. They are everywhere! So, there is no real good reason to build your back shaver. It is just not a good idea anymore.
Yes, I have tried making about four different back shavers in the long past with limited success. These often did eventually get the job done, but with much frustration, some blood, and extreme wanting of a better way to rid oneself of back hair.
Would I even consider it nowadays to be building a back shaver? F**k no!
I own and have reviewed about 99% of the back shavers available and unavailable. I have around 60 back shavers. Some are just horrible, and some work great. Most of them sit in my basement in a tote, except for a few, which I keep in my bathroom for weekly use.
Believe it or not, there are a lot of horrible back shavers being sold. I’ve written a post here, Back Shaver’s You Should Avoid Buying.
The Back Shavers That I Do Recommend – Top Two Back Shavers
BakBlade 2.0 Elite Plus
My favorite back shaver is the Bakblade 2.0 Elite Plus. This is Bakblade’s newest back shaver and is currently my favorite. Bakblade has made three different versions of a back shaver. They have all been great. Their build quality and design are the best!
To read more information on why this is the king of the back shaving world here is the Bakblade 2.0 Elite Plus Back Shaver Review.
The Bro Shaver
The Bro Shaver is my second choice, and it is the most economical, best-performing back shaver there is. This uses standard cheap safety razors instead of more costly razor cartridges. They currently have three different models in which to purchase. They all work great.
The Best of List
If you want to see my list of the best back shavers available, head over to my post on the 5 Best Back Shavers
The Things I Did
Oh, the memories…
Embarrassed but willing to laugh at myself now, looking back, I would duct tape beard razors to various types of sticks or handles or duct tape electric shears to different types of handles and then struggle to get the correct angle. All to rid me of unwanted back hair. I guess I was fed up with the itchiness and just desperate to be hairless on my back.
I often contorted my poor arms at the strangest angles to get the correct angle for shaving or trimming back hair.
These self-made contraptions would never work well, no matter how well conceived. Sure, one could do it, but it will take time, patience, and resources.
Cost VS DIY
I get the DIY attitude about doing it yourself. But in actuality, you are just better off spending the money (around $60.00 for the top-of-the-line back shaver) and avoiding the effort and frustration. It takes a lot of work to design a back shaver properly, to have the right angle to shave, handle design, and practicality.
I feel the cost of a back shaver is insignificant, and it is easier to buy one than to scab one together.
Effectiveness
It is just not practical! Most people initially aim to attach a standard beard razor to some sort of stick. This is a losing battle. A standard beard razor blade does not handle or cut back hair efficiently and will quickly lead to frustration. This will quickly clog with hair.
There is a multitude of reasons why this doesn’t work.
- The razor quickly clogs up with hair.
- The small size of the razor for the large area of the back is impractical.
- The time it takes to shave with such a small razor.
I have written a small article on this found here, Why Any Back Shaver That Uses A Standard Beard Shaver Just Isn’t Good Enough.
When compared to the design of most modern quality back shavers that use a wider cutting swath with up to two to three razor blades stacked side by side, there is no comparison. It’s just easier!
Who Should Build Their Own Back Shaver
For the very few, it is an option, and for those people (inventors) with an innovative idea, they could topple the world of back shaving with a better design. If you are not one of those people, I would just say buy a back shaver and save your time and effort for more fruitful endeavors.
If you are one of those people…then go for it. I would love to use and write about it here on my website to help other people looking for a quality back shaver.
Pros & Cons Of Building Your Own Back Shaver
Pros
- Potentially saving you a few bucks.
- Pride in designing and building something.
Cons
- It probably and most likely will not work on your first several tries if at all.
- Frustration and high amounts of said frustration!
- There is a high potential of cutting yourself.
- Constant hair clogging up the razor.
- Time. It will take a lot longer.
- Most likely, you will be using a beard razor. This is small and not designed to cut back hair properly.
The Final Shave: Should You Build Your Own Back Shaver
I hope I have laid out good reasons as to why you should just skip the whole DIY of building your own back shaver. It is just far easier to purchase a quality back shaver and avoid the whole mess of making your own.
At least, that is my informed opinion.
If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to do so below.