I thought I'd share some observations of mine coming from a newbie in his first month of DE shaving.
Edwin Jagger DE89 - This, along with the Merkur HD 34C seem to be two of the most recommended razors for newbies. I was actually leaning toward the Merkur but ended up getting the EJ because I found a good deal on one. I have the lined handle version and it’s a thing of beauty. I’m also very happy with its performance and could easily see how this could be someone’s lifetime razor. The only downside I can see with this razor is that it does get a bit slippery when it’s wet. Rather than splashing it around in a sink of water, I changed my routine and started rinsing it with bursts of water from the faucet and found I have no issues with a wet or slippery handle. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone.
Badger brush: (What’s that smell?) - I had read about how badger brushes had a peculiar smell when you first used them and initially, I thought the complaints were exaggerations. I have a pure badger brush that came with a Van Der Hagen starter kit. I gave it a sniff right out of the box and while I got a slight animal smell from it, I didn’t think it was bad at all. Then I got it wet. This thing didn’t just kind of smell, it reeked! If the hair in this brush didn’t come directly from the badger’s backside, then it was certainly within farting distance. It had this strong and pungent stench that was a cross between butt and burnt rubber. I certainly wasn’t going to put this thing anywhere near my face. I raided my daughter’s hotel shampoo collection and picked out the most perfumed samples I could find. After about 6-8 thorough shampoos, the brush was at least tolerable enough to use. Shampoo that new brush before you use it!
All blades aren’t created equal - One of the best pieces of advice for newbies is to get a blade sampler with several different brands of blades. All blades are definitely not created equal. My findings so far:
-Sharp Hi Chromium Durablades: The worst blade I’ve tried so far. It tugged and pulled from the very first stroke out of the box. I gave it 2 shaves and pitched the blade. I won’t be revisiting this blade.
-Dorco ST-301: The 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] worst blade I’ve tried. This blade resulted in the most nicks and razor burn of all the blades I’ve tried. I gave it 2 shaves and tossed it. I won’t be revisiting this blade either.
-Treet Classic: This was a 2 shave blade as well. Not horrible, but not very good either. Another blade I’m not going to repeat.
-Derby Extras: My overall impression is that this is an unremarkable blade. It was the first I tried and I got 4 shaves out of it. I’ll give it another go when I’ve run through my blade sampler and my technique has improved. I’ll probably reserve this one for when I try a more aggressive razor like a slant.
-Super-Max Super Platinum: The best blade I’ve tried so far. It’s quite noticeably smoother than all the blades above and my 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] shave on the blade was as good as the first. I’d definitely come back to this blade.
On deck: Persona Reds, Astras and some IP Blues. I think the best is yet to come.
Lathering: I’ve been lathering with a VDH soap puck and was pretty successful from the start. Watching lathering videos, some guys like to pile snow drifts of lather on their face. It seems like a bit of overkill to me. The part that does the work is between the face and the blade so plowing through a thick volume of lather seems unnecessary. I like to paint it on relatively thin and it’s been working well for me.
This forum: It’s an excellent place for finding and soliciting information. This is a wonderful community and I really enjoy being a part of it.
Some of the most useful advice: Take things slow, use only enough pressure to hold the razor to your face when shaving, don't neglect pre and post shave treatment of your beard/face, seek advice on the forums, everyone's face/beard is different, what's best for others isn't necessarily what's best for you.
Edwin Jagger DE89 - This, along with the Merkur HD 34C seem to be two of the most recommended razors for newbies. I was actually leaning toward the Merkur but ended up getting the EJ because I found a good deal on one. I have the lined handle version and it’s a thing of beauty. I’m also very happy with its performance and could easily see how this could be someone’s lifetime razor. The only downside I can see with this razor is that it does get a bit slippery when it’s wet. Rather than splashing it around in a sink of water, I changed my routine and started rinsing it with bursts of water from the faucet and found I have no issues with a wet or slippery handle. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone.
Badger brush: (What’s that smell?) - I had read about how badger brushes had a peculiar smell when you first used them and initially, I thought the complaints were exaggerations. I have a pure badger brush that came with a Van Der Hagen starter kit. I gave it a sniff right out of the box and while I got a slight animal smell from it, I didn’t think it was bad at all. Then I got it wet. This thing didn’t just kind of smell, it reeked! If the hair in this brush didn’t come directly from the badger’s backside, then it was certainly within farting distance. It had this strong and pungent stench that was a cross between butt and burnt rubber. I certainly wasn’t going to put this thing anywhere near my face. I raided my daughter’s hotel shampoo collection and picked out the most perfumed samples I could find. After about 6-8 thorough shampoos, the brush was at least tolerable enough to use. Shampoo that new brush before you use it!
All blades aren’t created equal - One of the best pieces of advice for newbies is to get a blade sampler with several different brands of blades. All blades are definitely not created equal. My findings so far:
-Sharp Hi Chromium Durablades: The worst blade I’ve tried so far. It tugged and pulled from the very first stroke out of the box. I gave it 2 shaves and pitched the blade. I won’t be revisiting this blade.
-Dorco ST-301: The 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] worst blade I’ve tried. This blade resulted in the most nicks and razor burn of all the blades I’ve tried. I gave it 2 shaves and tossed it. I won’t be revisiting this blade either.
-Treet Classic: This was a 2 shave blade as well. Not horrible, but not very good either. Another blade I’m not going to repeat.
-Derby Extras: My overall impression is that this is an unremarkable blade. It was the first I tried and I got 4 shaves out of it. I’ll give it another go when I’ve run through my blade sampler and my technique has improved. I’ll probably reserve this one for when I try a more aggressive razor like a slant.
-Super-Max Super Platinum: The best blade I’ve tried so far. It’s quite noticeably smoother than all the blades above and my 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] shave on the blade was as good as the first. I’d definitely come back to this blade.
On deck: Persona Reds, Astras and some IP Blues. I think the best is yet to come.
Lathering: I’ve been lathering with a VDH soap puck and was pretty successful from the start. Watching lathering videos, some guys like to pile snow drifts of lather on their face. It seems like a bit of overkill to me. The part that does the work is between the face and the blade so plowing through a thick volume of lather seems unnecessary. I like to paint it on relatively thin and it’s been working well for me.
This forum: It’s an excellent place for finding and soliciting information. This is a wonderful community and I really enjoy being a part of it.
Some of the most useful advice: Take things slow, use only enough pressure to hold the razor to your face when shaving, don't neglect pre and post shave treatment of your beard/face, seek advice on the forums, everyone's face/beard is different, what's best for others isn't necessarily what's best for you.
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