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New to Wet Shaving - Stick with King C. Gillette or Upgrade to Adjustable?

Been shaving since the 70s but just getting into "wet shaving". I bought the King C. Gillette from Amazon for $12 along with a 2-pack of Cremo Shave Cream. I didn't go into soaps, lathers, brushes, or bowls as I hadn't planned to turn my shaving into a religious experience - at least not yet.

I've used to KCG 3-4 times and am getting better with understanding how to use Cremo for what it is. At this point I'd say "I don't know what I don't know". After watching a lot of YT videos and reading this forum, I'm getting the itch to move to a Parker Variant, Merkur Progress, or Rockwell 6C. Or I could be patient and continue to learn on the KCG. At this point I think any of these razors "work" as there's nothing too unique about my skin or beard. I appreciate your input and experience.
 

EclipseRedRing

I smell like a Christmas pudding
For many, the fun of the hobby is trying lots of different things until you find what works for you so go for it. That said you have not used your current razor for long and I would stick with it for a while. An adjustable may be an upgrade for you, some people love them, and some, like me, do not. I much prefer a three piece open comb vintage razor. Welcome to the forum👍
 

CzechCzar

Use the Fat, Luke!
Been shaving since the 70s but just getting into "wet shaving". I bought the King C. Gillette from Amazon for $12 along with a 2-pack of Cremo Shave Cream. I didn't go into soaps, lathers, brushes, or bowls as I hadn't planned to turn my shaving into a religious experience - at least not yet.

I've used to KCG 3-4 times and am getting better with understanding how to use Cremo for what it is. At this point I'd say "I don't know what I don't know". After watching a lot of YT videos and reading this forum, I'm getting the itch to move to a Parker Variant, Merkur Progress, or Rockwell 6C. Or I could be patient and continue to learn on the KCG. At this point I think any of these razors "work" as there's nothing too unique about my skin or beard. I appreciate your input and experience.
I would ask this: how wiry is your beard hair? This will have the greatest impact, IMHO, on what razor you should target.

I have been at it for a looooong time. Perfectly respectable offerings, like the R89 / Rockwell, just can't get me a better shave than a DFS, because I have a pirate beard that grows in all different directions. Only within the past year or two did I recognize this fact, and stop buying everything but the very most efficient razors.

How smooth are you at the end of a shave? DFS? BBS? How long does the BBS last for?

Also, save your money at the front end by learning that price does not equal quality. People drop hundreds, even thousands, on boutique razors and soaps. (Myself included.)

I am thankfully, finally, at the end of my journey, and I have settled on cheap, effective, widely available products that work extremely well for me.

If I were you I would get good, reliable software, and learn to create a proper lather. Once you have that dialed in after a few months you can evaluate where you are.
 
I'd suggest staying the course with what equipment you have for around 30 shaves or so, or longer, until you feel your shaves are not improving. As long as your equipment is fairly decent, developing skills is more important. It's easier to practice and develop your skills if you keep the equipment constant.

Focus on getting a comfortable shave without irritation first, then work on the closeness. The Progress or Variant or Rockwell might be a good choice, but there are many possibilities. Maybe look around here, read some threads, see what interests you. No need to be in a rush.
 
my advice is to familiarize yourself with the razor you currently own, learn how to shave properly and which blade best suits your shaving style.
Learn how to shave according to the location of your beard growth.
Personally the adjustable ones I had, I ended up using them as fixed razors.
Currently I own 2 razors and I always use the same one.
Also like the ancestors, I use as few products as possible, the rest is superfluous.
 
Or, if you’re interested in an adjustable then buy one or two and try them out. You can learn the basics using more than one razor and a better quality razor may work better. You’ll never know until you try.
 
Two of my sons and I started out with the Merkur 34C and D/R89 clones like the KCG. I felt the urge to try other razors and began making purchases. You know, for the kids :) As we tried various razors and the dust settled, one son has permanent possession of the Merkur Progress and the other will not give up the Rockwell 6s. I can personally recommend both, but only you will know which works best for you. With patience you can acquire some great equipment on sale or on BST. My philosophy is life is short, so try 'em all.
 
Oh man why did you open that can of worms.

I too started to shave with the KCG, upgraded to a Merkur 34C quite fast as my shave with the KCG were terrible. I too was using Cremo at the time.

I upgraded my result with 3 factor, finding a blade that work for me, finding a good soap / cream and brush , and focusing on not changing everything all the time.

If you feel the itch to get another razor then get it, I did it was just something similar (I hated that KCG heavy handle). But you haven't say anything about blade, I would start there get a sample pack, if the KCG blade work for you then you are ok with sharper blade, If you nick yourself a lot downgrade the sharpness. You will be amaze how a blade can change your experience on the same razor

Enjoying shaving, coming to wet shaving as truly change my point of view on shaving from dang I need to shave to a is it time to have yet ...
 
Welcome to B&B.
Keep using the KCG razor for a few weeks till you have good technique but do try different blades as you will find that takes time. The razor is capable of delivering a good shave. The KCG blades are very good but very expensive. Gillette Silver Blue or Gillette Platinum blades are very similar but there are many blades to sample.
Good lather will help too so try a brush and soap to make your lather. Good preparation does help achieve a good shave.
 
Been shaving since the 70s but just getting into "wet shaving". I bought the King C. Gillette from Amazon for $12 along with a 2-pack of Cremo Shave Cream. I didn't go into soaps, lathers, brushes, or bowls as I hadn't planned to turn my shaving into a religious experience - at least not yet.

I've used to KCG 3-4 times and am getting better with understanding how to use Cremo for what it is. At this point I'd say "I don't know what I don't know". After watching a lot of YT videos and reading this forum, I'm getting the itch to move to a Parker Variant, Merkur Progress, or Rockwell 6C. Or I could be patient and continue to learn on the KCG. At this point I think any of these razors "work" as there's nothing too unique about my skin or beard. I appreciate your input and experience.
Hi, I’ve a Parker variant and would recommend this as an upgrade.
Regards, Ripitup
 
Stick to the KCG for a while, test some pre-shave (Proraso works great for me), buy a blade sample pack, try a soap or two. Later u can never go wrong with a Rockwell 6C or 6S, these give u a choice of aggressiveness.
Oh and i just did a 5th shave with a Yaqi Mellon head, wow, even more effective than my Rockwell 6C on plate R5, surprisingly good razor and u can use the KCG handle with it.
 
The fellow has used an inexpensive razor a few times and wants to upgrade to a higher quality razor that is potentially more effective/efficient and he’s being discouraged by some to do so. I honestly don’t understand that line of thinking. Try different razors until you find the one, or dozen, that works for you.

It’s just shaving, not some extremely difficult skill that takes months or years to master. Buy the razor you want, stick a blade in it and see what you think of it after using it a few times. He’s been shaving for 40 years so not exactly a teenager just starting out.
 
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The fellow has used an inexpensive razor a few times and wants to upgrade to a higher quality razor that is potentially more effective/efficient and he’s being discouraged by some to do so. I honestly don’t understand that line of thinking. Try different razors until you find the one, or dozen, that work for you.

It’s just shaving, not some extremely difficult skill that takes months or years to master. Buy the razor you want, stick a blade in it and see what you think of it after using it a few times.
The idea is pretty simple. Stick with the same thing for a short time to keep things consistent. Changing too many things is tempting for a new person but it won't be a silver bullet to make everything wonderful. There's not anything wrong with what he's got already. He can try other things later on.
 
The idea is pretty simple. Stick with the same thing for a short time to keep things consistent. Changing too many things is tempting for a new person but it won't be a silver bullet to make everything wonderful. There's not anything wrong with what he's got already. He can try other things later on.
I know what the idea is, but that doesn’t automatically mean it’s correct for everyone. I edited my response to add that he’s been shaving for 40 years so he already has a lot of experience to start with. If the first razor he is starting out with isn’t the right one for him then he’s wasting a lot of time and the only way to find the right razor, blade etc is to try different ones.
 
You might consider using it for a little while just to find out what you like or dislike about it. This way it is easier to know what to look for if you are still in the marked for a new one. I got the razor just to try it out.
The razor works just fine, but the handle is to heavy and slippery for my taste. The head works just fine, but it does have a narrow effective shave angle envelope. There are definitely better razor to choose from that does not brake the bank.
The Rockwell is a really good razor. So if the weight does not bother you this might be a really nice upgrade.
 
The kcg is a good medium to mild razor to learn and if you get a dfs to bbs without bloodshed or irritation then I would start te yourney on the soap brush side. And if it is not evolve your technique first or try a blade sampler pack.

The Parker is a nice razor (so are the others).
On a budget get a qshave adjustable or a snmirn
 
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