Advice for starting DE

[COdiak]

Here is my two cents, knowing what I know now, I would recommend he get a gillette tech off the bay or BST here. Next 100pk of gillette nacets, he can't go wrong. I do recommend he get a sampler pack of blades from a quality vendor, there's plenty to choose from and he should look under vendors here on b&b if unsure were to go. Now for the soap I would say keep it simple. Grab a shave shave stick and a cream. I personally LOVE the speick cream, heck even grab a Palmolive stick/cream and while hes at it have himself do himselfa favor and grab a stick of ARKO. As for a brush honestly there's too many options ino which is not a bad thing. I have come to enjoy synthetics so much so I have givin all my other brushes away. I recommend synthetic as they are cheap, easy to use and require no soaking. They are across the board cheaper than many of its counter parts. He can easily find a suitable brush for cheap. Bowls are optional. For AS (aftershave) he should go with some samples until he finds what you like or you be stuck with a lot of products to give or throw away. I've come to love and mainly use two presominatly out of the 4 I have in rotation. Those two are Aqua Velva Musk and Blue ice. Whew that was a lot and I hope it helps happy shaving.

 

[Cocoliso]

Another ¢2:

1. Razor: Baili BD176 (upgrade). Mild, no blade overhang, good quality, very inexpensive. He can buy more expensive and more aggressive razors when he decides to continue.
2. Blades: Astra super Platinum 100 pack. Good quality, consistent, good balance between smoothness/sharpness, inexpensive. Once he gets his technique down he can try blade samplers and find his Goldilocks blades.
3. Brush: Yaqi synthetic 24mm tuxedo knot. Any handle. Great quality, inexpensive.
4. Soap: Arko stick. Inexpensive, does the job.

All the above will put him back USD$40 or under.

 

[lancre]

Another ¢2:

1. Razor: Baili BD176 (upgrade). Mild, no blade overhang, good quality, very inexpensive. He can buy more expensive and more aggressive razors when he decides to continue.
2. Blades: Astra super Platinum 100 pack. Good quality, consistent, good balance between smoothness/sharpness, inexpensive. Once he gets his technique down he can try blade samplers and find his Goldilocks blades.
3. Brush: Yaqi synthetic 24mm tuxedo knot. Any handle. Great quality, inexpensive.
4. Soap: Arko stick. Inexpensive, does the job.

All the above will put him back USD$40 or under.

Way under $40 if you're not fussy about Yaqi, since a Maggard kit with a Baili TTO, a syn. brush, a stick of Arko & a couple of blade tucks is under $20. Leaves you a lot of room for blade samplers, etc.

 

[RookieGuy]

I would get him a good vintage SuperSpeed, a sample pack of blades, Chiseled Face sampler pack, and a decent synthetic brush. It's so YMMV, and his SO has to like it too, that I'd try to give him a good amount of variety. Not too much but enough that he can start dialing in on his shaves.

 

[Bill_G]

Another ¢2:

1. Razor: Baili BD176 (upgrade). Mild, no blade overhang, good quality, very inexpensive. He can buy more expensive and more aggressive razors when he decides to continue.
2. Blades: Astra super Platinum 100 pack. Good quality, consistent, good balance between smoothness/sharpness, inexpensive. Once he gets his technique down he can try blade samplers and find his Goldilocks blades.
3. Brush: Yaqi synthetic 24mm tuxedo knot. Any handle. Great quality, inexpensive.
4. Soap: Arko stick. Inexpensive, does the job.

All the above will put him back USD$40 or under.

I used to own a Baili BD176 but I seem to have lost it. I used to like that razor but didn't really love it. Wanted to replace it but couldn't find one & didn't want the RazoRock version which cost more. Wound up buying from Maggard the Baili BR179 TTO which I love using when paired with sharp blades. In fact I used my Baili BR179 today with a Nacet. Razor cost me $6.45.

 

[VerbaVolant]

...He has a family of 4 sharing one bathroom...

Plenty of good suggestions posted here. While I imagine your friend has children in his family, sharing a bathroom, and that the age of his children might be young, a word of added caution would be my advice.
Please consider that shaving with a DE safety razor will bring sharp edges into that bathroom. Children are resourceful and curiosity is always desirable and should be encouraged, but... when it comes to handling sharp objects, it might come with a heavy price. Even for some of us, adults.

 

[slimshavy]

I'll go against the grain (NPI) with my advice here: Don't get him a "starter" razor, because he'll be dissatisfied once he gets the hang of it. If this is someone who has tried your straight razors, he doesn't need to start from zero regarding angle and pressure. Get him a Gillette red tip Super Speed. It's small, bulletproof and gives a close shave but he won't cut himself. It's forgiving without being frustrating like some super-mild starter razors can be.
If you don't care about the red paint condition, you can get one for $15. (If he has a softer beard, you can get a regular Super Speed for even less; online auction sites are swamped with them.)

 

[Steve56]

Plenty of good suggestions posted here. While I imagine your friend has children in his family, sharing a bathroom, and that the age of his children might be young, a word of added caution would be my advice.
Please consider that shaving with a DE safety razor will bring sharp edges into that bathroom. Children are resourceful and curiosity is always desirable and should be encouraged, but... when it comes to handling sharp objects, it might come with a heavy price. Even for some of us, adults.

He understands that and I’ve told him not to leave a DE out if he wants an undamaged DE, he knows that boys and sharp objects mean a few cuts but he says that they have to learn, and he’s right. And he’s teaching them to hone knives and tools! 18 months ago he didn’t have a hone, I honed his wife’s kitchen knives for him. So I gave him a 1k/6k combo hone from CKTG, it got good reviews. Now he has a hone collection, a DMT or two, a JNat from me, a couple of cotis, and a couple of Arks. I corrupted him, he’s one of us now, lol.

Interesting comment @slimshavy - he has a heavy black beard so your advice sounds appropriate. What do the A1/B3/B4 designations mean? If he wanted to go SR I’d tell him a Henckels Friodur to minimize maintenance. I’ll get him there, resistance is futile!

 

[Steve56]

Ah, I figured it out looking at listings, year/quarter designation!

 

[njpaddy]

I started with a Merkur 34C, which worked great for me right away. Then RAD kicked in, and I don’t get back to it much. But it definitely started me off right, and I’m sure I’d still be happy with it if I weren’t busy trying half the things I hear about on this board….

I hate to admit that my son-in-law, who is 35 years younger than I am, began wetshaving before I did. A 34C is the only DE he has ever purchased and used. I, on the other hand, have tried many over the past 12 years, yet I still keep coming back to my 34G, which was the second DE I ever purchased. Sometimes all that's needed is a blade change.

 

[MatH]

Does your friend live in a hard water area? If so I would be careful about buying a butterfly style razor, as soap scum buildup can be an issue.

I have used the Merkur 34c and Muhle r89 and would recommend either - well made, simple razors with not much to go wrong with them. Both are very forgiving but can deliver an excellent shave in my experience.

 

[Steve56]

TY @MatH - moderate water hardness, same as mine.

 

[Snowflake 12]

Hello Gentlemen,

A friend of mine is getting tired of cheap plastic dispoasables, mostly because I have corrupted him with my nice vintage straight razors. But he is too busy to take up straights right now and wants an easier solution. I suggested DE, but do not have the DE knowledge or experience to advise him about specific razors or blades suitable for someone with no experience.

I’m thinking a mild razor so he can learn to use a DE razor and explore blade options without too much blood, lol. Maybe a Merkur?

Anyway, suggestions for a starting razor and blade combination that will allow him to explore DE shaving would be greatly appreciated. I will forward him this link and encourage him to sign up!

Many thanks my friends!

Steve

Okay for starters let's go with the mild razor. How about a Schick Krona. A badger brush in the $50 range, an extro brand shaving soap, and a blade sampler pack. Shop for a 20 to *30% off sale which are very common. Should be around $100. Shave slow, no pressure. Best regards Ron Eastman Lynn Massachusetts

 

[samasourus]

I vote for the Edwin Jagger due to the nice price and a nice shave!

 

[Dov Shaves]

If I would start with DE shaving right now I'd pick up a Rockwell 6C a good synthetic brush some Nacet blades and a nice soap/cream & aftershave

+1. I started with a 34C and loved it until I bought a 6C. Much smoother and the switchable plates was a game changer.

 

[wksimple]

I find that if I want a really mild shave, I use a Feather Popular with a Wilkinson Sword blade (Germany). Many soaps would be good to start out, such as Arko, VDH, or Colonel Conk. These are not expensive, and would be beneficial for one not sure if they will stay on the DE path. Just my thoughts.....

 

[Gamagrass]

Another ¢2:

1. Razor: Baili BD176 (upgrade). Mild, no blade overhang, good quality, very inexpensive. He can buy more expensive and more aggressive razors when he decides to continue.
2. Blades: Astra super Platinum 100 pack. Good quality, consistent, good balance between smoothness/sharpness, inexpensive. Once he gets his technique down he can try blade samplers and find his Goldilocks blades.
3. Brush: Yaqi synthetic 24mm tuxedo knot. Any handle. Great quality, inexpensive.
4. Soap: Arko stick. Inexpensive, does the job.

All the above will put him back USD$40 or under.

yes, this is close to what I would say as well - the Baili 171 would work as well. Both are under $10 if you just buy the razor without any case (from places like groomatorium, West Coast Shaving ... not sure who has what but the price should be under 10 from someone). I might go with a blade sampler pack, or just get two packs, one Astra SP and one, say Gillette Silver Blue ... just to try instead of going with 100 Astra SP from the start. Some people find some of the soaps so strongly scented that they are offensive ... I am unfamiliar with the one noted above, but indeed, the soap won't matter much unless it just stinks too much for him, so get something inexpensive and if it sucks, try a different one.

 

[cpcohen1945]

FWIW --

Any "mild-to-moderate" DE should work. A vintage Gillette Tech, EJ DE89 (Amazon's "Kelvin" variant may be the least expensive), RazoRock Lupo aluminum are on my shelf, and they all work. The Lupo Al is new for me, and I like it -- very close machining tolerances, very light weight. I've used the EJ DE89 for years, along with a Merkur Progress.

I use Feather blades. Once I figured out that when people wrote "no pressure", they really meant "no pressure at all", I stopped cutting myself and getting razor burn. Astra blades might be better for a beginner. I wouldn't advise anything less sharp than that.

I've been using a synthetic brush -- RazoRock 24mm, barrel handle -- and it works well. Not as nice as an old Plisson badger brush, but way, way less expensive.

I've been using a puck of Tabac shaving soap for about a year. When I use it up, I'll switch to either MWF (I've used that before), or TOBS soap.

Add a styptic pencil, just in case . . .

No pre-shave, no after-shave, no balm.

It's a low-budget kit (compared to some other recommendations), but everything works well.

. Charles

 

[guitarslinger]

Lupo stainless 95.

 

[AjaxLepinski]

There is absolutely NO better razor for a beginner (or an old-timer) than the RazoRock Lupo. $29.99 at Italian Barber.
Of course, it's a clone of a Wolfman, but a Wolfman will set you back $500.

RazoRock Lupo DE Safety Razor – ItalianBarber

RazoRock Lupo DE Safety RazorThe RazoRock Lupo safety razor has an interesting story. Many of our clients were frustrated because there is a very popula...

www.italianbarber.com