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Advice for starting DE

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.
View attachment 1361484
love the brush handle, wherever did you get it?
 

Steve56

Ask me about shaving naked!
OK, curiosity on my part. There are mild and aggressive razors, and mild and aggressive blades.

So, does a mild razor with an aggressive blade shave like an aggressive razor with a milder blade in terms of closeness, comfort, etc? How are these two cases different?

Tks!

Steve
 
OK, curiosity on my part. There are mild and aggressive razors, and mild and aggressive blades.

So, does a mild razor with an aggressive blade shave like an aggressive razor with a milder blade in terms of closeness, comfort, etc? How are these two cases different?

Tks!

Steve

I find the razor makes more difference than the blade in general.
 

Steve56

Ask me about shaving naked!
Is that a can of worms I hear being opened?

Ha, not as far as I am concerned but I am anticipating questions. I do lurk on the DE/SE forums out of general interest though.

I have my father’s and my grandfather’s Gillettes, grandad had a brass open comb and dad used an adjustable slim, If I were to get into DE those would be first up, just because.
 
You know that there is no razor that all agree on, so it's your decision at the end!

I would say: if you start doing something, then do it properly; It doesn't mean he has to spend all his salary on wet shaving but has to avoid cheap razors.

The best, soft and problem free razor that I know is EJ DE89. It comes with different handles so he has the choice.
For the blade better start with something like Astra, but after mastering the technique, which takes time obviously, I would go for Feather.
 
For a starter if it needs to be new and mild/medium

Henson al13 razor alternative the Gillette kcg or a vintage tech
Gilette silver blue blade, platinum or a kcg which is overpriced.
Yaqi synthetic or stirling
Stirling shave soap preferably mutton tallow like varen.
Maybe a bowl, stirling has some easy lather ones.
 

Steve56

Ask me about shaving naked!
You know that there is no razor that all agree on, so it's your decision at the end!

I would say: if you start doing something, then do it properly; It doesn't mean he has to spend all his salary on wet shaving but has to avoid cheap razors.

The best, soft and problem free razor that I know is EJ DE89. It comes with different handles so he has the choice.
For the blade better start with something like Astra, but after mastering the technique, which takes time obviously, I would go for Feather.

Thank you @Miracle - he is an engineer like I was before I retired, so junk is not an option.

Thank you @Ivo4u2 - he does have a coarse black beard, do maybe possible to use a more aggressive than normal starter razor?

So far there seems to be a consensus around 3 new razors:

Merkur 34c/EJ 89
Rockwell 6c (the plates that it comes with seem like a good way to find the category of aggressiveness/comfort that you like)
Lupo - a Wolfman clone and attractively priced as most of Joe’s products are - however, if you got all the plates with the Lupo it would be more than the Rockwell?

I’d also like to thank everyone who has responded to my OP! I’m learning too.
 

Steve56

Ask me about shaving naked!
I have been impressed that experienced DE users that have gone ‘up the ladder’ still have a M34c or a EJ89 and have kind comments.
 
For a starter if it needs to be new and mild/medium

Henson al13 razor alternative the Gillette kcg or a vintage tech
Gilette silver blue blade, platinum or a kcg which is overpriced.
Yaqi synthetic or stirling
Stirling shave soap preferably mutton tallow like varen.
Maybe a bowl, stirling has some easy lather ones.
I'm from the other school of thought. I don't like recommending a mild razor for a new DE shaver. Neither do I think that there's any sort of "natural graduation" when one switches from using a milder to a more aggressive razor. (The end goal should be to get a perfect shave, not find the most aggressive razor one can abide.) Instead, I tend to believe that a medium aggression razor is a good starting (and final) razor for most new DE shavers.

I started out with a MicroTouch One and it was very mild. Too mild, in fact. Not only did I have to add pressure, but I had to make repeat every pass (WTG, XTG, and ATG) with every shave. This left me with a red and raw face. If anything, this argues against the idea that a "mild razors is better for new DE users" and suggests that mild razors are better left for experienced DE users whose skill and technique can compensate for the mildness of their razors.

Instead, I tend to recommend a heavy but medium aggression razor for new DE shavers. With a heavy (weight) medium-aggression, a new DE shaver can get a BBS with zero pressure. This is one reason to use OC razors, as they tend to have medium aggression. Also, with most OC razors, there tends not to be much of a gap between the blade and the baseplate. This leads to less chance of accidentally gouging oneself with a new DE. All in all, I'd recommend a good heavy OC razor to a new DE shaver.
 
he does have a coarse black beard
How did you know this about me! 😃
do maybe possible to use a more aggressive than normal starter razor?
Aggressive and efficient are not the same. A mild efficient razor like 34C / EJ89 would be a better option.
As said before (or actually as you said before) I have a coarse dark beard and learned through the years that instead of using a more aggressive razor it's better (for me) to shave daily with a milder efficient razor.
These days I'm mostly using my 37C or 39C slant bar, but I'm afraid it's not a good choice for a beginner!
 
For the razor, double tap on the Henson. Super easy coming off cartridges. Angle is perfect and the razor is made very precise. Blades are all together another matter and require testing to determine what works best for you.
 
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