Quick pop in to introduce myslef

[Mel20]

Howdy all! Lurked for a little while and decided to register and say hi.

I'm giving a lot of thought to trying out wet shaving instead of electric razor trimming. I watched my Grandpa DE shave with a Schick injector and Gillette Slim with a puck of who knows what and a Old Spice mug until he was 90. Maybe its just nostalgia wanting to give this a try or that my wife failed to throw out the slim like she did his injector and brush and I've stared at his razor and mug for years now.

I have seen many say for beginners not to start with an adjustable, but if I already have a slim and no other DE razor, should I go out and buy a non adjustable? I would prefer to start this experience on a budget but with quality products.

I will have plenty of questions including a starter blade choice to pair with whatever razor I settle on and a soap/cream recommendation to pair with them. Something I can try for a while until I get a feel for DE shaving and hone my technique. I hope to lean on this community to lead me in the right direction.

 

[Eben Stone]

Welcome to B&B!

 

[Eric_75]

Hello and welcome to B & B!

 

[Dave himself]

Hi and welcome to B&B.

 

[Claudel Xerxes]

Welcome to B&B!

I have seen many say for beginners not to start with an adjustable, but if I already have a slim and no other DE razor, should I go out and buy a non adjustable? I would prefer to start this experience on a budget but with quality products.

You should be fine with what you have. Start at a mild setting, and don't deviate from that. The main thing when starting out is consistency and familiarity. Once you get things down and are able to get a consistent shave, then you can start to experiment with different settings to really figure out what your sweet spot is.

 

[Invicta]

Welcome to B&B.

I have seen many say for beginners not to start with an adjustable, but if I already have a slim and no other DE razor...

Stick with the slim adjustable and work on technique.

 

[musicman1951]

Welcome to B&B, we're glad you're here! You'll be fine with the adjustable. I agree with Claudel's advice about the setting. Use less pressure and then cut that in half and you'll be in the ballpark. Good luck on your new journey.

 

[Lightcs1776]

Welcome to B$B.

 

[Phoenixkh]

Welcome to the B&B community.

 

[Hms123]

Welcome aboard.

 

[NickCutlip]

Welcome to the forum !!

 

[abies]

Welcome!

A Slim is a great razor, it's a good razor to start out with (or continue with).

I'd take the advice about not starting with an adjustable with a big grain of salt. I think it's mainly anticipating fiddling and so forth with settings too much. But if you try a setting and it goes well, no problem.

I've always thought an adjustable might be a good place to start because it might prevent a bit of unnecessary razor experimentation early on as well. I think some people starting out just go out and buy additional razors instead of fiddling, so you end up in the same spot but with less money.

Either way, it's a classic great razor and if you have it, no reason to get a different razor to start with.

 

[Mel20]

The last time a razor has touched my face was 7 years ago when I got married and had my barber give me a shave with a straight razor. And before that it had been a few years since I used a cartridge. So I don't think I have any or many bad habits to break as far as pressure is concerned.

I know my barber complained that my neck hairs went in many directions even in small areas. He made it sound like more direction changes than he normally sees. I've read about mapping, so I understand what I'd need to do there. My question is if he was commenting on my hair growth directions and I have been away from a razor for so many years, could I be in for quite a painful (literally) learning curve as I try to learn to wet shave?

 

[Chef455]

Welcome to B&B! A Slim is a great razor to start off with. Especially if it was your grandfather's. As others have stated above, keep it simple and don't fudge around with too many variables. Don't agonize over blade pairing. Grab a sample pack and start shaving... slowly and keep that slim dialed in low for a week or four. You can start shaving as soon as you have some de blades. We love our brushes, creams and lather and pursue them by all means if you're interested but that dog will hunt just fine with some canned cream or gel. I look forward to reading more about your journey!

 

[Chef455]

The last time a razor has touched my face was 7 years ago when I got married and had my barber give me a shave with a straight razor. And before that it had been a few years since I used a cartridge. So I don't think I have any or many bad habits to break as far as pressure is concerned.

I know my barber complained that my neck hairs went in many directions even in small areas. He made it sound like more direction changes than he normally sees. I've read about mapping, so I understand what I'd need to do there. My question is if he was commenting on my hair growth directions and I have been away from a razor for so many years, could I be in for quite a painful (literally) learning curve as I try to learn to wet shave?

Keep it to a single pass for the time being. Listen to your face. If you're getting comfortable shaves with a single with the grain pass then you can move on to a second pass. Your neck may be a challenge, but a lot of folks have swirly crazy neck growth and have persevered.

 

[BigJ]

Welcome aboard! The Slim is a very fine razor. I suggest you start in the mid range.

 

[slimshavy]

I think you're fine with the equipment you have. The Slim is can be a bit testy (and I say this as someone named after one) but it will make you pay attention to your technique, like why am I getting weepers in this spot or why can't I get close on this spot. Plenty to play around with on any setting, plus you have the advantage of an adjustable to give you more variables.
Take your time and have fun!

 

[dmshaver]

Glad you've joined, welcome!

 

[cryhavoc]

Welcome to B&B!