Hello, fellow wetshavers! This is my DE shaving experience...

[Sharperthanany2edgedsword]

a big hello to everybody! So, late last year I bought my first ever DE safety razor. A 3 piece Parker razor- very heavy and aggressive! Not a good beginner choice! Live and learn! It fell in my shower and surprisingly it broke. Live and learn again. I usually don’t shave in the shower anymore, or I’m much more careful. Lots of cuts with that one, but I pushed forward.

Moving on, I did some better research this time[!] and decided to try a Merkur 23C. Ah, much better! Quite mild but also very lightweight, this worked very well for me. A better beginner choice! I could finally begin to enjoy wetshaving... Now things were getting interesting!

Shaving brushes?

My first shave brush I ordered through amazon was some generic Chinese junk that arrived to me with a broken handle. Fail, amazon... For a while after that I didn’t use a brush. Then, I discovered some reputable shave brush brands. I ordered a RazoRock barber handle brush! Wow! The difference was amazing! Like night and day! This was becoming fun! A good brush really makes a world of difference.

As for shaving soap, I make my own soap so I decided to go ahead and buy some tins and try my hand at making a homemade shave soap. Cured & turned out very well! Nothing beats fresh soap!! So that’s what I use. It’s a beef tallow based shaving soap... maybe one day I’ll go into bigger production and start selling it haha

So with these essential tools I began to greatly enjoy the process of shaving! Whereas before it was always a chore. I don’t know if there are any other ladies on this forum or if I will feel like the only woman in here.

I recently picked up a WCS classic razor! What a wonderful product! Really loving it so far. Oh and my new Yaqi brushes!

Thanks for reading my story! Hope to be able to share my experiences further on these boards.

 

[Gryffindor]

Welcome aboard, and thank you for sharing! I'm sorry to hear about the tragic end to your Parker. I started with a Merkur, and I believe you've made a great choice there.

Did you go with any particular scents for your soaps? If so, what guided your choice(s)? If you decide to go artisan, that's a pretty popular thing around here. =D

And yes, there are definitely ladies posting and lurking on Badger & Blade!

 

[NickCutlip]

Welcome to the forum !!

 

[BigJ]

Welcome aboard!

Thanks for sharing your story.

 

[ackvil]

Welcome to B&B.

 

[Sharperthanany2edgedsword]

Thanks guys!

Gryffindor: it was probably for the best, because I was not having a good experience with the Parker, but now that I have more shaving experience, I can appreciate that the Parker was probably not a bad razor at all, just not a good starter one. I might buy another Parker in the future, we will see.

I’m REALLY enjoying the WCS classic razor, it’s more aggressive than the Merkur but heavier and more enjoyable to shave with. Definitely not as aggressive as the Parker, IMO.


I usually prefer unscented soaps, especially trying a new recipe. I’d like to make another batch(even though I’ve got 6 more full tins and another full stick of my shave soap, and I just realized I’ve barely scratched the surface on my first tin! This will last me a long time!) with some essential oils for scent.

 

[CJB3]

Welcome aboard! Thanks for sharing your experience.

 

[xxvaleria]

Welcome to the club. Glad to have you aboard.

 

[Invicta]

Welcome to B&B.

 

[dmshaver]

Welcome, it's great to read your story. Sorry about the loss of your Parker, but it sounds like you've got a great replacement in the Merkur. Keep working on technique. Technique is key, not the latest & greatest brush, razor, soap, preshave, or anything else. Technique is essential. But what's great about our pastime, hair grows back so we get to practice every day shaving! Pretty cool! Anyways, this is a good place. Ask questions, read a lot, & use the search function. There are tons of articles & threads you can find. Good folks here. Enjoy!

 

[Rhody]

Hello very impressed that you jumped in making shave soaps! Cool.

 

[Sharperthanany2edgedsword]

Welcome, it's great to read your story. Sorry about the loss of your Parker, but it sounds like you've got a great replacement in the Merkur. Keep working on technique. Technique is key, not the latest & greatest brush, razor, soap, preshave, or anything else. Technique is essential. But what's great about our pastime, hair grows back so we get to practice every day shaving! Pretty cool! Anyways, this is a good place. Ask questions, read a lot, & use the search function. There are tons of articles & threads you can find. Good folks here. Enjoy!

Thanks, dmshaver!

The Merkur 23c is a really good beginner razor. Compared to the Parker, though, it seems like it weighs nothing. But, that’s makes it a better beginner razor, I believe.

I am enjoying my WCS razor the most now.

You’re definitely right on that. Technique is most important, I’m really getting the technique down, now that I have the right tools... a more beginner-friendly razor, and a nice shave brush that’s made for making a good lather(and that’s not broken!)

That’s one thing I’m really seeing the difference with, is the lathers I’m able to whip up! My lather was really weak in the beginning, but now I can work up a pretty good one. I found that really helps. And definitely adds to the overall enjoyment. I finally feel like shaving can be enjoyable and not just a chore, which is something I never really imagined.

I tried a package of various different blades selected as good ones for beginners. My favorite so far is the Astra superior platinum. Feather blades seem pretty nice too but not my go-to.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Very cool to have another female member. You're definitely not the only one, but it's a rather small group. One woman is actually a member of the Brotherhood of Shaving Crazies which is one of the many groups B&B members can join. The Brotherhood can't actually be joined; one has to be committed to that particular asylum. But, I digress.

Very cool that you're making your own shaving soap. It sounds like it might be a very cool soap, too. Sometimes members who get into soap making have other members beta test and critique their creations, but I don't actually mean that as a hint.

The WCS razor has a stainless steel handle, but it's head is zinc-alloy (pot metal) covered with chrome. Nothing wrong with that, but it will break if you drop it. Probably the 23 is much the same, but I don't actually know that for sure. In any case, if you're pleased with how the razor works for you it is a good razor for you. Only you matter there, right?

Most of us end up falling down a bunch of what we call rabbit holes which means we get very nutty about wake up to the beautiful hobby of acquiring soaps, brushes, razors, hones, strops, etc. This is always an optional endeavor. A few members (usually known as minimalists) resist.

Some of us - mentioning no names - acquire our way to minimalism. "The more brushes I have, the closer I am to minimalism," is a common point of view in certain circles.

Others are all about the science. Gotta have the goods to do the experiments, right?

In other words, this is a fun but somewhat crazy place.

Oh, we like photos.

So use your camera...

One final thing. All questions are encouraged. Nothing I ask, no matter how stupid it was, has ever been a question anybody made me feel ashamed of asking. This is a very helpful group.

Congratulations on the great start of it you've already made.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Sharperthanany2edgedsword]

Thanks, Jim! I appreciate your warm-welcome reply!

I never even thought of that, but that’s a great idea! If I make another batch, how do I locate these shavers who might want to test out the soap?

I posted a photo of my current setup in the safety razor acquisition thread.

I’m happy with my two brushes and two safety razors, so far... Now, I’m actually playing with the idea of trying out a shavette!

 

[Gryffindor]

Thanks, Jim! I appreciate your warm-welcome reply!

I never even thought of that, but that’s a great idea! If I make another batch, how do I locate these shavers who might want to test out the soap?

You could try posting a PIF for it in the Shaving Soap section when you’re ready. [emoji3]

 

[John Rose]

I posted a photo of my current setup in the safety razor acquisition thread.

Going there.
*tick*tick*tick*
Now I'm back.

That IS a gorgeous brush.

 

[DEPenguin]

Welcome, Sharper! Not much I can add other than to parrot what was said above. A good bunch of folks here. Never hesitate to pop in and ask a question.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

I never even thought of that, but that’s a great idea! If I make another batch, how do I locate these shavers who might want to test out the soap?

As you make a few friends discussing things here and there around the forum you might find a few people you'd want to use as testers. Then, you'd PM the ones you pick and ask them to help you test your soap and give you feedback.

You'll soon discover some people are way into soaps and try hundreds of them. Others buy one soap and use it for the rest of their days. The first group would have a number of people who'd probably like to help you.

Many of us develop little mutual interest and/or mutual obsession groups. Some are clubs or brotherhoods (you'll find them). Others are groups of friends who carry on a conversation outside of the general forum. See the thing at the top where it says inbox? It has a dropdown for conversations, and starting one. These are totally private conversations. We use them for all sorts of things, but I've been asked various questions via these PMs (private message) which are, well, private.

No rush on anything. It's just shaving as they say.

Happy shaves are the main thing,

Jim

 

[HatMagnet]

Welcome to B&B! That is a beautiful brush and a good razor choice. The Astra SP blades have become my favorites over the years.

Excellent choices!

 

[Sharperthanany2edgedsword]

Thanks for the great info!

I have a funny little story about what happened today at an Art of Shaving store I passed by... I need to find the right place to share the madness! Haha