I saw this section of the forum and figured now, at the beginning of my wet shaving adventure, would be a great time to start a journal to track what I've been trying.
18 months of shaving with a gifted cheapy Van Der Hagen kit and have been loving it in comparison to the cheap disposables I'd been using. It included a butterfly razor, a sample size of soap, a bowl and some synthetic brush I can't identify. It's been fun to learn the basics of wet shaving with that kit and I found I'd been bitten by the bug. I finally ran that soap low, which forced me to go out an look at the wet shaving market and figure out how to take the next step.
Then I found B&B, learned a bunch and met some friends. A local member has lent me a RR Lupo DC and a nice selection of blades. I have a container of RR Mudder Focker soap and a puck of Mike's Natural Barbershop that I received recently from family - My niece liked the label of the RR soap and my sister (a soapologist herself) knew of Mike from the local Soap scene here in Portland.
I've made an order with P.A.A for some unscented CK6 and a Peregrino synthetic brush, hopefully next week I'll be able to shave with a whole new level of gear.
My first impressions shaving with the Lupo DC, a Gillette Platinum, this no-name brush and the Mike's Natural was....relief! lol. I was worried I was going to kill myself with the Lupo and was surprised to discover it wasn't that much different than using the cheap butterfly from the kit. Well, it was different but no more difficult. Easily the best (closest, most effective) shave of my life. Although it wasn't until recently I've been using a slick soap, the correct blade angle, doing WTG and ATG passes, etc.
Other than the inital closeness of the shave, what has really surprised me was how not stubbly I was on day two. More than good enough to go to work without shaving again. That's unheard of in my experience and I'm starting to feel like that's the biggest net gain I'm seeing with the current upgrades in soap and razor so far. Well worth the effort.
Looking forward to my next shave tomorrow!
18 months of shaving with a gifted cheapy Van Der Hagen kit and have been loving it in comparison to the cheap disposables I'd been using. It included a butterfly razor, a sample size of soap, a bowl and some synthetic brush I can't identify. It's been fun to learn the basics of wet shaving with that kit and I found I'd been bitten by the bug. I finally ran that soap low, which forced me to go out an look at the wet shaving market and figure out how to take the next step.
Then I found B&B, learned a bunch and met some friends. A local member has lent me a RR Lupo DC and a nice selection of blades. I have a container of RR Mudder Focker soap and a puck of Mike's Natural Barbershop that I received recently from family - My niece liked the label of the RR soap and my sister (a soapologist herself) knew of Mike from the local Soap scene here in Portland.
I've made an order with P.A.A for some unscented CK6 and a Peregrino synthetic brush, hopefully next week I'll be able to shave with a whole new level of gear.
My first impressions shaving with the Lupo DC, a Gillette Platinum, this no-name brush and the Mike's Natural was....relief! lol. I was worried I was going to kill myself with the Lupo and was surprised to discover it wasn't that much different than using the cheap butterfly from the kit. Well, it was different but no more difficult. Easily the best (closest, most effective) shave of my life. Although it wasn't until recently I've been using a slick soap, the correct blade angle, doing WTG and ATG passes, etc.
Other than the inital closeness of the shave, what has really surprised me was how not stubbly I was on day two. More than good enough to go to work without shaving again. That's unheard of in my experience and I'm starting to feel like that's the biggest net gain I'm seeing with the current upgrades in soap and razor so far. Well worth the effort.
Looking forward to my next shave tomorrow!