I just started DE shaving last October but I had been using a brush and tub soap for about 35 years. During that time I started heating water in the microwave. It seemed like the hotter the water the longer the cartridges would last. I could get about 30 shaves from a Mach III.
For some reason when I started DE shaving I stopped doing that, maybe having read about razor burn with hot water rinsing. Anyway, watching GeoFatboy videos I saw that he said his tap water came out at 120 degrees F. I used my microwave to replicate that temperature and now I'm getting a much better shave. My tap water isn't nearly that hot. I soak my brush in the 120 water for a minute or so while rubbing my face with the hot tap water. While shaving I rinse my razor in the running tap but then I dip it into the 120 water to warm it up after the rinse. It's been working really well.
When I first got into this I developed the Razor Acquisition Disorder and I bought a nice collection of vintage Gillettes. I'm very happy with them, but after six months the fever seems to have passed. So if you find yourself with RAD, it might be a temporary condition. My wife was a little concerned at first that I was becoming a hoarder of antique razors.
On the shimming, I actually went back to the first DE razor I purchased, a plastic Wilkinson Sword I got in Germany. Initially I thought it was a little too mild so I was using my adjustable slims, triangle pre-war Tech, or old style open combs because they were more aggressive. I heard about the shimming thing and tried it on the WS and it worked great. I was thinking about using it as a travel razor as it's pretty light and easily and cheaply replaceable if lost during a trip. I'm a bicycle tourer sometimes so weight, even a little, makes a difference. With the right temp water and a shim I can get a good shave with Cremo, which means I don't need to carry a brush. That makes for a very small, light shaving kit. I put the Cremo into a small refillable travel tube.
To get the water hot enough when traveling I use a portable immersion heater. They work great if you're somewhere with 220 volts. I bring a metal cup to heat the water and a smaller plastic cup for the shaving water. It's double purpose because I can heat up a tin cup full of water, use a little bit to make a small instant coffee and then let the rest cool off a bit and put it into the plastic cup for shaving water.
Sorry for the long post but I thought some of these thoughts might help others.
For some reason when I started DE shaving I stopped doing that, maybe having read about razor burn with hot water rinsing. Anyway, watching GeoFatboy videos I saw that he said his tap water came out at 120 degrees F. I used my microwave to replicate that temperature and now I'm getting a much better shave. My tap water isn't nearly that hot. I soak my brush in the 120 water for a minute or so while rubbing my face with the hot tap water. While shaving I rinse my razor in the running tap but then I dip it into the 120 water to warm it up after the rinse. It's been working really well.
When I first got into this I developed the Razor Acquisition Disorder and I bought a nice collection of vintage Gillettes. I'm very happy with them, but after six months the fever seems to have passed. So if you find yourself with RAD, it might be a temporary condition. My wife was a little concerned at first that I was becoming a hoarder of antique razors.
On the shimming, I actually went back to the first DE razor I purchased, a plastic Wilkinson Sword I got in Germany. Initially I thought it was a little too mild so I was using my adjustable slims, triangle pre-war Tech, or old style open combs because they were more aggressive. I heard about the shimming thing and tried it on the WS and it worked great. I was thinking about using it as a travel razor as it's pretty light and easily and cheaply replaceable if lost during a trip. I'm a bicycle tourer sometimes so weight, even a little, makes a difference. With the right temp water and a shim I can get a good shave with Cremo, which means I don't need to carry a brush. That makes for a very small, light shaving kit. I put the Cremo into a small refillable travel tube.
To get the water hot enough when traveling I use a portable immersion heater. They work great if you're somewhere with 220 volts. I bring a metal cup to heat the water and a smaller plastic cup for the shaving water. It's double purpose because I can heat up a tin cup full of water, use a little bit to make a small instant coffee and then let the rest cool off a bit and put it into the plastic cup for shaving water.
Sorry for the long post but I thought some of these thoughts might help others.
