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Budget-oriented new shaver checking in

I'm a new budget-oriented user from Norway too, have been DE-shaving and reading on this forum for years though.

Buy most my stuff from ebay. There are norwegian online barberstores, but they are pricey compared to ebay/aliexpress. Shipping to Norway from the other side of the world is most often cheaper than shipping within Norway too...

I would recomend a boar brush like Omega or Samogue. Can be a bit smelly and stiff in the beginning, but they are cheap and very good. I have a couple of badgers, but only use a Samogue boar as it feels less "flimsy" than badgers I have.
I normally use shaving creams as they are IMO easiest to use. I have a tub of Taylor of Old Bond Street that I like a lot and have lasted a very long time. It is also very affordable given the amount of shaves it lasts.
I use Astra SP and am very pleased with them.

Yeah, I've seen the Norwegian online stores (and I think one of them has a brick and mortar location in Oslo as well), but the prices are high, and the selection is fairly poor. It's also mildly amusing that shipping from other European countries is often cheaper than national shipping.

I quite like the Palmolive stick and face lathering with the Omega travel boar, but I may have to try some creams as well. Where do you order your soaps and creams from?

Seeing as the 350 NOK limit on tax free imports is going away next year, it probably makes sense to stock up on blades and soaps before then.
 
I have bought mostly from ebay, but I recomend that you check the english shaving company. Good prices and cheap shipping to Norway.

Razors, Brushes, Sets & More - The English Shaving Company

The only shaving cream I truly can recomend is Taylor of Old Bond Street Sandalwood, but I am not the most experienced in here. Have tried a couple of cheap tubes of shaving cream but none I would recomend after using TOBS
 
Hi, @Aquilus , welcome to B&B.

It seems that you have a good start, decent razors, nice blades and willingness to try new things. If you are interested I`m willing to send you a few blades and maybe some small testers. If you are interested please send me a message and we can continue from there.

For a few months I was even learning Norwegian as I wanted to move there but instead, I went to another part of Europe :).

Enjoy your shaves and good luck.
 
Since you indicate you have a pretty tough beard, you might find that the Weishi razor is too mild. At least your Q Shave is adjustable so you can vary the aggressiveness. One thing you might consider is an open comb razor. I have a tough beard and sensitive skin and find that I get nice shaves with an open comb razor. Yesterday, I shaved with a BIC chrome platinum blade in my Parker 24C open comb. The BIC blade is one of the sharpest blades available. The Parker razors are made in India, so they are not expensive. I paid $30 US, but I do not know what they might cost in Norway. The Parker razor is a very efficient shaver without being terribly aggressive. I got a wonderful shave, very close with no irritation. The Muhle R41 is also a very efficient razor, but it is significantly more aggressive and it may not be in your price range.
 
I have bought mostly from ebay, but I recomend that you check the english shaving company. Good prices and cheap shipping to Norway.

Razors, Brushes, Sets & More - The English Shaving Company

The only shaving cream I truly can recomend is Taylor of Old Bond Street Sandalwood, but I am not the most experienced in here. Have tried a couple of cheap tubes of shaving cream but none I would recomend after using TOBS

Thanks for the tip, those are very reasonable shipping rates indeed. Will definitely keep them in mind once I figure out what to order next.

Hi, welcome. Have you ever heard about Fitjar?

Yeah, I've seen it mentioned. One of my motivations is to save money though, and their products don't seem to fit that profile. My mention of availability was mainly to highlight that I haven't seen any shaving soaps or creams in any local shops at all.

Since you indicate you have a pretty tough beard, you might find that the Weishi razor is too mild. At least your Q Shave is adjustable so you can vary the aggressiveness. One thing you might consider is an open comb razor. I have a tough beard and sensitive skin and find that I get nice shaves with an open comb razor. Yesterday, I shaved with a BIC chrome platinum blade in my Parker 24C open comb. The BIC blade is one of the sharpest blades available. The Parker razors are made in India, so they are not expensive. I paid $30 US, but I do not know what they might cost in Norway. The Parker razor is a very efficient shaver without being terribly aggressive. I got a wonderful shave, very close with no irritation. The Muhle R41 is also a very efficient razor, but it is significantly more aggressive and it may not be in your price range.

This "too mild" vs "technique" discussion seems to be a bit of a hot topic on these boards, but one of my excuses for ordering the Weishi is to practice technique (and try a TTO). With the QShave adjustable it's tempting to ramp up the blade gap instead of getting the angle right, so I've recently turned it down a few notches. I will say that going from Dorco blades to Astra SP made a huge difference as well. I have Nacets and some other sharp blades to try out for comparison.
 
Thanks for the tip, those are very reasonable shipping rates indeed. Will definitely keep them in mind once I figure out what to order next.



Yeah, I've seen it mentioned. One of my motivations is to save money though, and their products don't seem to fit that profile. My mention of availability was mainly to highlight that I haven't seen any shaving soaps or creams in any local shops at all.



This "too mild" vs "technique" discussion seems to be a bit of a hot topic on these boards, but one of my excuses for ordering the Weishi is to practice technique (and try a TTO). With the QShave adjustable it's tempting to ramp up the blade gap instead of getting the angle right, so I've recently turned it down a few notches. I will say that going from Dorco blades to Astra SP made a huge difference as well. I have Nacets and some other sharp blades to try out for comparison.

I applaud your attempts to save money!

I have a Futur and it's a fun razor but when it comes to tough beard, a really great and reasonable razor is the Gillette New Short Comb which can be gotten for below $20 on the bay.
Gillette Short Comb (SC) admiration

Cheers,

Mawashi
 
....

This "too mild" vs "technique" discussion seems to be a bit of a hot topic on these boards, but one of my excuses for ordering the Weishi is to practice technique (and try a TTO). With the QShave adjustable it's tempting to ramp up the blade gap instead of getting the angle right, so I've recently turned it down a few notches. I will say that going from Dorco blades to Astra SP made a huge difference as well. I have Nacets and some other sharp blades to try out for comparison.


No matter what razor or blade you use, never try to add pressure or shave at something other than the proper angle. Let the razor do the job it was designed to do.


I have a Weishi and I find that it is a wonderful razor with a very sharp blade (Nacet, BIC, Feather) to use for a clean-up pass. It just is too mild for the first pass, especially if I have more than 24 hours growth. The Weishi is so mild, however, that it won't really help improve your technique. In fact, you might be tempted to add pressure to force the blade to cut more and that is not the technique you want to be learning.

I have never used Dorco blades, but the standard blades may not be sharp enough for your tough beard. I understand that there is a new Dorco blade called the Dorco Prime Platinum that is supposed to be a lot sharper.
 
I appreciate the suggestion, but the shipping cost to Norway is a whopping €31. I think that might be a new record for all the shops I've checked until now, actually :)

Holy Cats!!!!!
It would be cheaper to drive there and buy it.
 
Hi Friend,

Our timing is excellent and you are going to have fun. I have a den clearing sale on BST right now and you have a box of goodies coming your way. La Toja stick and Cream, and every good budget shaver needs to try a stick of Arko! It's amazingly good for the price.

I'll PM you for an address, JM
 
Hi Friend,

Our timing is excellent and you are going to have fun. I have a den clearing sale on BST right now and you have a box of goodies coming your way. La Toja stick and Cream, and every good budget shaver needs to try a stick of Arko! It's amazingly good for the price.

I'll PM you for an address, JM

Thanks a lot, I've just responded to your PM.



Status update: I've been successful in not ordering any more shaving equipment, other than a $2 alum stick. Post-shave is the only thing I'm lacking now, so I'm wondering if anyone is going with alum as their only "aftershave". I've also seen a lot of suggestions for witch hazel, but I'm still looking for a reasonably priced place to buy it. Would also appreciate any other input or suggestions.

Fun fact: I discovered that witch hazel is actually called "troll hazel" in Norwegian, which amused me more than it should have.
 
Straight witch hazel is pretty cheap, most pharmacies carry it as it is a first aid item..

If you have CeraVe over there that makes a fantastic post shave balm.. $15 Canadian at WalMart for a huge pump bottle that lasts me a year. Makes a fantastic skin conditioning pre shave while showering as well. JM
 
I would honestly suggest that you avoid the artisan soaps, if you wish to remain budget conscious. there are just so many varieties out there, and quality products to boot, that it really can become a money pit quite quickly. I have found a soap from one such artisan that my wife goes ga-ga for, so I will continue to purchase it for as long as it is available, and will stock up if I find out it is being cancelled.

But once my remaining tubs are used up (or traded away for other stuff) I will stick with simpler soaps/creams like Williams, Arko, or Nivea for Men . . . all of which work perfectly fine for me.
 
Straight witch hazel is pretty cheap, most pharmacies carry it as it is a first aid item..

If you have CeraVe over there that makes a fantastic post shave balm.. $15 Canadian at WalMart for a huge pump bottle that lasts me a year. Makes a fantastic skin conditioning pre shave while showering as well. JM

Do you remember the specific name of the CeraVe bottle? Seems like we get some of their products over here.

I'll probably have to go to a pharmacy in person and ask for witch hazel, as I'm not finding much online. It's probably sold under a different name.
 
Good news and bad news for me bad.

Bad news: Pharmacies in Norway don't carry witch hazel at all, for some reason. The quest for cost-efficient post-shave continues.

Good news: I received not one, but two packages from China today.

Item 1: A stand for my QShave. Fits like a glove.

Item 2: Weishi 9306-F. Looks and feels a lot better than the $6 shipped cost would suggest. It's supposed to be fully brass as well, from what I've heard, so it may last. Will be interesting to see if it shaves as well as it looks.
 
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Good news and bad news for me bad.

Bad news: Pharmacies in Norway don't carry witch hazel at all, for some reason. The quest for cost-efficient post-shave continues.

Good news: I received not one, but two packages from China today.

Item 1: A stand for my QShave. Fits like a glove.

Item 2: Weishi 9306-F. Looks and feels a lot better than the $6 shipped cost would suggest. It's supposed to be fully brass as well, from what I've heard, so it may last. Will be interesting to see if it shaves as well as it looks.
I had good luck with my VDH TTO, which is a re-branded Weishi 9306. The razors you got should serve you well.

You might try a witch hazel based splash, like Reuzel AS. It's made in Holland so might be available there. I have no idea the cost.

Alternatively, you might just use the alum after every shave, and use some balm if your skin is dry or had a rough shave. Nivea makes an inexpensive ASB here, again I don't know what the cost would be there.
 
Do you remember the specific name of the CeraVe bottle? Seems like we get some of their products over here.

I'll probably have to go to a pharmacy in person and ask for witch hazel, as I'm not finding much online. It's probably sold under a different name.
Cerave is called "Cerave Moisturizing Lotion, for Normal to Dry Skin" you can see a pic of it here

https://www.amazon.com/CeraVe-Moisturizing-Lotion-Hyaluronic-Ceramides/dp/B000YJ2SLG?th=1

Someone posted here that their dermatologist said it was the only cream under $100 with some specific skin repair stuff in it. And it's only $15 for a huge pump bottle. Works great for me. And that Nivea ASB is good stuff too (but more expensive as smaller bottle).
 
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