Been a member for a while, but lost touch. Just wanted to re-introduce myself and astonish you with tales of what I've done since falling off the map.
Been staying strong with my EJ DE86bl. Love it. Recently transferred from using mainly Derby to mainly Feather. Used a slew of different ones in between, though. Astra(not for me), Crystal(not for me),Wilkinson Sword(hated at first, then got to really like), Merkur(not for me), Persona...Blue, I think(not for me), Shark(not for me) and KAI(not for me). I went back to Derby with all of these, as it afforded me a decently close, but more importantly for me, a fairly rash/burn free shave. Started using Feather recently, and while the first shave on a blade can be rough, I really like them. Few more nicks than the Derby, but I haven't used them nearly as long, so I still am acclimating to them. Smooth finish, though, and with less effort and pulling than the Derby.
Been through several types of soap as well. Honey Bee gave me a very intense, uncomfortable tingle when I was shaving. Good performance, but I'd have to rinse off before a single pass could be completed. I'm unhappy, as the soap works well, and they have such an incredible selection of scents. Of course I tried Col. Conk. Had a really hard time getting a good lather, but I'll attribute that more to my poor technique than the soap. VDH soap has worked very well for me. Good slickness, no tingle, okay scent. I've also tried out several creams. Neutrogena Sensitive worked well, but I found that it dried out quickly for me. Kind of an odd sensation as well. Slightly numbing. Super slick while it stayed hydrated. Pacific Shaving Company Caffeinated works okay. Not great. Smells like chewing gum, hahaha. Shave Secret Shave Oil worked okay, but really clogged up the razor, and left a gummy film on the head and blade. I tried VDH Shave Butter, the stuff in the bright orange tube. Did not provide me with a great shave. Lots of tug, no real slickness or cushion. Just recently dove into the tallow arena with some Chiseled Face. Got the samples for Sherlock and Cedar & Spice. I'm still working on getting the lather right(which is always an issue for me, for some reason it just eludes me for everything but the VDH right off the bat). Still, I am liking it. Looking forward to trying out the BDS soap that Whipped Dog sells, as well as some Sterling.
Been sticking with my B&B Omega brush from West Coast Shaving. Had a silvertip badger from Whipped Dog, but it shed quite a bit(never stopped) and I like the B&B better.
Lastly, I finally made the leap from DE to straight razor. I got a sight-unseen from Whipped Dog quite a while ago, and never really used it after a time or two. First shave, didn't get a lot of hair off, but no nicks. Second shave, got more hair off, and massacred my face, hahaha. Put it off for about a year, then picked it back up on a whim about a week or so ago. I gotta say, I'm really liking it. I can't really use my left hand(missing fingers on both hands, but the combination of the missing fingers and a bad break some years ago left it...untrustworthy, hahaha). So I'm learning how to do both sides with just the right, and getting better. Best of all, while I do get some nicks around the area under the left side of my chin, overall I cut myself less than with the DE razor, and there is almost no real irritation. Really kicking myself for putting it off so long. If I can get a good grip on the lather it'll be even better. Hopefully I won't ruin the edge too bad with poor stropping, but Larry can always fix it if I do(I really like doing business with Larry at Whipped Dog).
Thanks for reading, and sorry if I bored you to tears with my rambling, hahaha.
Been staying strong with my EJ DE86bl. Love it. Recently transferred from using mainly Derby to mainly Feather. Used a slew of different ones in between, though. Astra(not for me), Crystal(not for me),Wilkinson Sword(hated at first, then got to really like), Merkur(not for me), Persona...Blue, I think(not for me), Shark(not for me) and KAI(not for me). I went back to Derby with all of these, as it afforded me a decently close, but more importantly for me, a fairly rash/burn free shave. Started using Feather recently, and while the first shave on a blade can be rough, I really like them. Few more nicks than the Derby, but I haven't used them nearly as long, so I still am acclimating to them. Smooth finish, though, and with less effort and pulling than the Derby.
Been through several types of soap as well. Honey Bee gave me a very intense, uncomfortable tingle when I was shaving. Good performance, but I'd have to rinse off before a single pass could be completed. I'm unhappy, as the soap works well, and they have such an incredible selection of scents. Of course I tried Col. Conk. Had a really hard time getting a good lather, but I'll attribute that more to my poor technique than the soap. VDH soap has worked very well for me. Good slickness, no tingle, okay scent. I've also tried out several creams. Neutrogena Sensitive worked well, but I found that it dried out quickly for me. Kind of an odd sensation as well. Slightly numbing. Super slick while it stayed hydrated. Pacific Shaving Company Caffeinated works okay. Not great. Smells like chewing gum, hahaha. Shave Secret Shave Oil worked okay, but really clogged up the razor, and left a gummy film on the head and blade. I tried VDH Shave Butter, the stuff in the bright orange tube. Did not provide me with a great shave. Lots of tug, no real slickness or cushion. Just recently dove into the tallow arena with some Chiseled Face. Got the samples for Sherlock and Cedar & Spice. I'm still working on getting the lather right(which is always an issue for me, for some reason it just eludes me for everything but the VDH right off the bat). Still, I am liking it. Looking forward to trying out the BDS soap that Whipped Dog sells, as well as some Sterling.
Been sticking with my B&B Omega brush from West Coast Shaving. Had a silvertip badger from Whipped Dog, but it shed quite a bit(never stopped) and I like the B&B better.
Lastly, I finally made the leap from DE to straight razor. I got a sight-unseen from Whipped Dog quite a while ago, and never really used it after a time or two. First shave, didn't get a lot of hair off, but no nicks. Second shave, got more hair off, and massacred my face, hahaha. Put it off for about a year, then picked it back up on a whim about a week or so ago. I gotta say, I'm really liking it. I can't really use my left hand(missing fingers on both hands, but the combination of the missing fingers and a bad break some years ago left it...untrustworthy, hahaha). So I'm learning how to do both sides with just the right, and getting better. Best of all, while I do get some nicks around the area under the left side of my chin, overall I cut myself less than with the DE razor, and there is almost no real irritation. Really kicking myself for putting it off so long. If I can get a good grip on the lather it'll be even better. Hopefully I won't ruin the edge too bad with poor stropping, but Larry can always fix it if I do(I really like doing business with Larry at Whipped Dog).
Thanks for reading, and sorry if I bored you to tears with my rambling, hahaha.
