My name's Chris, and first off, I'd like to offer my compliments on this excellent forum. I just found this site a few days ago and I've already increased my shaving knowledge tenfold (at least!). Yes!
My shaving history:
I got an Norelco electric for Christmas during high school and I liked it for the convenience. Frankly, I wasn't very hairy then, and I was hesitant about putting a blade directly on my face. So, I remained electric for some years, later upgrading to a high-end Braun.
Some years later, a friend of mine was dating an Englishman, and when I extolled the virtues of a quick convenient buzz in the morning, he gave me warm, slightly patronizing smile and said, "Yeah, but there's nothing like a hot, wet shave with a sharp blade."
This bounced around in my mind for awhile, and memories surfaced of my Dad taking me into the bathroom and giving me a toy plastic DE so I could "shave" along with him. When my Braun's foil needed replacing, I decided to try wet shaving. Double edged razors seemed a relic of the past (and the drugstore didn't carry them anyway), so I picked up a Mach3 and some canned goo and loved it. My first shave left my face much smoother than my electrics ever did, and (not for the first time), I couldn't keep my hands off my face all day!
Of course, the next shave wasn't quite as good, and the third and fourth left me red and spotty, but I figured it was just my lack of experience. I tried most of the regular drugstore products but the results were consistent - each fresh cartridge would give a good shave, followed one or two mediocre shaves, and a bad, sometimes nightmarish slashing.
For about a year, I knew my cartridge razor experience was like a lingering, withering relationship - occasional moments of brightness amidst drudgery, punctuated with pain - it was time for a change, but I held out in the hopes of recapturing that first sweet moment.
My real education began when the Fusion came out last month. I looked around the net for reviews of this new, glorious product, and discovered that people actually still use those shaving brushes I've seen in old movies. I was too curious about the Fusion not to try it, but I also ordered an Art of Shaving starter kit, complete with badger brush, and lo! I had another epiphany. Using pre-shave oil, lather whipped by a brush, and balm gave me the best shave of my life.
Nevertheless, the Fusion blades continued the "proud" tradition of the Mach3 - good, OK, not so good, bloody. I couldn't see throwing out a $3 cartridge after only one use, but how else could I get a consistently good shave?
Fortunately, I found this forum, and began my indoctrination, and I come before you now, a neophyte convert.
So... I suppose this has been a bit long-winded for an introductory post, but what can I say? It's been a sort of cathartic release for me.
I'm looking for a good DE razor. I am entranced by the Merkur Vision, but if I'm going to spend $100, it'll be for a silvertip brush first. Some members here recommend the Merkur HD for newbies, but I like the idea of an adjustable head and TTO, so I'm grabbing a Gillette adjustable off ebay. Any thoughts on this?
Anyway, hello again, and happy shaving!
My shaving history:
I got an Norelco electric for Christmas during high school and I liked it for the convenience. Frankly, I wasn't very hairy then, and I was hesitant about putting a blade directly on my face. So, I remained electric for some years, later upgrading to a high-end Braun.
Some years later, a friend of mine was dating an Englishman, and when I extolled the virtues of a quick convenient buzz in the morning, he gave me warm, slightly patronizing smile and said, "Yeah, but there's nothing like a hot, wet shave with a sharp blade."
This bounced around in my mind for awhile, and memories surfaced of my Dad taking me into the bathroom and giving me a toy plastic DE so I could "shave" along with him. When my Braun's foil needed replacing, I decided to try wet shaving. Double edged razors seemed a relic of the past (and the drugstore didn't carry them anyway), so I picked up a Mach3 and some canned goo and loved it. My first shave left my face much smoother than my electrics ever did, and (not for the first time), I couldn't keep my hands off my face all day!
Of course, the next shave wasn't quite as good, and the third and fourth left me red and spotty, but I figured it was just my lack of experience. I tried most of the regular drugstore products but the results were consistent - each fresh cartridge would give a good shave, followed one or two mediocre shaves, and a bad, sometimes nightmarish slashing.
For about a year, I knew my cartridge razor experience was like a lingering, withering relationship - occasional moments of brightness amidst drudgery, punctuated with pain - it was time for a change, but I held out in the hopes of recapturing that first sweet moment.
My real education began when the Fusion came out last month. I looked around the net for reviews of this new, glorious product, and discovered that people actually still use those shaving brushes I've seen in old movies. I was too curious about the Fusion not to try it, but I also ordered an Art of Shaving starter kit, complete with badger brush, and lo! I had another epiphany. Using pre-shave oil, lather whipped by a brush, and balm gave me the best shave of my life.
Nevertheless, the Fusion blades continued the "proud" tradition of the Mach3 - good, OK, not so good, bloody. I couldn't see throwing out a $3 cartridge after only one use, but how else could I get a consistently good shave?
Fortunately, I found this forum, and began my indoctrination, and I come before you now, a neophyte convert.
So... I suppose this has been a bit long-winded for an introductory post, but what can I say? It's been a sort of cathartic release for me.
I'm looking for a good DE razor. I am entranced by the Merkur Vision, but if I'm going to spend $100, it'll be for a silvertip brush first. Some members here recommend the Merkur HD for newbies, but I like the idea of an adjustable head and TTO, so I'm grabbing a Gillette adjustable off ebay. Any thoughts on this?
Anyway, hello again, and happy shaving!
