First, let me apologize if I'm posting this in the wrong forum.
I joined this forum a few weeks back, and a gentleman who goes by the moniker of Mistervee123 cracked a joke in my "Hey, I'm new here!" post in the newbie forum about selling his vintage 1956 SuperSpeed for an "exorbitant price" (I'd mentioned that I was interested in DE shaving and was looking at them). A few IMs later after I misinterpreted the joke, and I was given an offer that I couldn't refuse... Mistervee offered to loan me his SS so I could try DE!
I was blown away by his generosity, and eagerly accepted. He suggested that I post my thoughts in this forum, so... here I am!
Once I knew that I was getting the razor, I sweet-talked my loving wife into letting me buy a sampler pack (I went for the Beginner DE Blade Sampler pack from Razor Blades and More Co. ... can't beat the price and the pack didn't include Feathers, which still have me a bit spooked after hearing that they were roughly sharp enough to split individual atoms). I already had started using a traditional wetshaving prep after a trip to my local AOS store.
I got the razor and blades last weekend. The first thing that shocked me was just how small the SS is! I had never actually seen a traditional DE razor before in person, and even the pictures on B&B weren't enough to prepare me. The second was just how thin DE blades were (and that they have a slight amount of flex to them).
I made sure to re-watch the Mantic59 videos and mentally prepare myself. I loaded a Derby Extra, soaked my brush, showered, put on some AOS Preshave Oil (but not too much), and made what I can proudly say is the best lather I've made (it's amazing what adding a little bit more water + using a bowl can do for you).
The experience was definitely interesting. Feeling the blade on my skin was really weird at first, but after a few minutes I didn't notice it too much. I did have problems keeping a consistent angle on my face... on more than one occasion I'd make a pass and then realize that I hadn't accomplished anything but wiping lather off of my face with the bar. The short handle size was also a pain at times (but nice when I was doing detail work). I'd have added pictures, but my shave den is not photo-ready at the moment.
I only shaved two passes (and touch-up) NS this time, but I think that after another shave or two I'll try doing a true WTG/XTG... and maybe if I get REALLY bold I'll try ATG. The first shave wasn't BBS by any means (and I wasn't expecting it to be) but I got a pretty decent shave out of it this first time, and next time I'm sure I'll get better still.
Again, I want to thank Mistervee... he's made a DE convert of me.
I joined this forum a few weeks back, and a gentleman who goes by the moniker of Mistervee123 cracked a joke in my "Hey, I'm new here!" post in the newbie forum about selling his vintage 1956 SuperSpeed for an "exorbitant price" (I'd mentioned that I was interested in DE shaving and was looking at them). A few IMs later after I misinterpreted the joke, and I was given an offer that I couldn't refuse... Mistervee offered to loan me his SS so I could try DE!
I was blown away by his generosity, and eagerly accepted. He suggested that I post my thoughts in this forum, so... here I am!
Once I knew that I was getting the razor, I sweet-talked my loving wife into letting me buy a sampler pack (I went for the Beginner DE Blade Sampler pack from Razor Blades and More Co. ... can't beat the price and the pack didn't include Feathers, which still have me a bit spooked after hearing that they were roughly sharp enough to split individual atoms). I already had started using a traditional wetshaving prep after a trip to my local AOS store.
I got the razor and blades last weekend. The first thing that shocked me was just how small the SS is! I had never actually seen a traditional DE razor before in person, and even the pictures on B&B weren't enough to prepare me. The second was just how thin DE blades were (and that they have a slight amount of flex to them).
I made sure to re-watch the Mantic59 videos and mentally prepare myself. I loaded a Derby Extra, soaked my brush, showered, put on some AOS Preshave Oil (but not too much), and made what I can proudly say is the best lather I've made (it's amazing what adding a little bit more water + using a bowl can do for you).
The experience was definitely interesting. Feeling the blade on my skin was really weird at first, but after a few minutes I didn't notice it too much. I did have problems keeping a consistent angle on my face... on more than one occasion I'd make a pass and then realize that I hadn't accomplished anything but wiping lather off of my face with the bar. The short handle size was also a pain at times (but nice when I was doing detail work). I'd have added pictures, but my shave den is not photo-ready at the moment.
I only shaved two passes (and touch-up) NS this time, but I think that after another shave or two I'll try doing a true WTG/XTG... and maybe if I get REALLY bold I'll try ATG. The first shave wasn't BBS by any means (and I wasn't expecting it to be) but I got a pretty decent shave out of it this first time, and next time I'm sure I'll get better still.
Again, I want to thank Mistervee... he's made a DE convert of me.
