Hello!

[douglargent]

Hi I'm new to the forum.

My grandfather taught me how to shave at age 3 or 4 by giving me a razor with no blade, and having me scrape the shaving cream off my face. I thought it was super cool that he let me 'shave'!

I got a Merkur 38c in 2007 along with a variety pack of blades. I settled on Feather blades, with a detour into Sharks.

Maybe three years ago, I bought a Parker 99r. It's similar to the Merkur, but with a butterfly head and a little different feel. It came with a pack of Parker blades, which I fell in love with.

Now I randomly choose the Merkur or Parker each day. I bought a 100 pack of the Feathers, and also the Parker blades, and that should last me for a while.

I'm vegan, so I like to use animal-free products. I've used my Men-U plastic brush since the beginning. I alternate between different aftershaves - Skin Bracer Original being my 'standby'.

I've used Michael Jordan cologne since it was first introduced. It used to be widely available at drug stores, now I have to search Amazon.

I have a wife and kid. I'm a jazz organist in NC. I'm exiting my job as a music director to be an Appian consultant in a few months.

Thanks for having me here.

 

[dmshaver]

Glad you’ve joined, welcome to B & B!

 

[Invicta]

Welcome to B&B.
The Merkur 34C/38C head is a good razor so you chose well. I prefer the shorter handled 34C.

 

[TheBurgh]

Great self introduction.

Welcome!

 

[NickCutlip]

Welcome to the forum !!

 

[BigJ]

Welcome aboard!

 

[cryhavoc]

Welcome to B&B!

 

[douglargent]

Welcome to B&B.
The Merkur 34C/38C head is a good razor so you chose well. I prefer the shorter handled 34C.

Yes! After using the 38C, it's difficult for me to imagine finding a better razor for me. It works so great. I did have to replace the cap once when it started to erode. After the chrome chipped off, the cap quickly became unusable because it scraped across my face so badly.

Eventually, I'd like to purchase the stainless steel equivalent of a 38C- do you have any recommendations?

 

[hairless wonder]

You're in luck! You're living in a time when most of the major soap manufacturers are switching/have switched to non-tallow recipes. You'll have a wide variety of vegetable-based soaps from which to choose. Among my favorites are Haslinger, TOBS, and Captain's Choice (the latter is an artisan soapmaker and a well-loved member of this forum).

 

[Invicta]

Eventually, I'd like to purchase the stainless steel equivalent of a 38C- do you have any recommendations?

Merkur don't do one in stanless steel but a Razorock Game Changer .68 would be very similar in blade gap but less blade exposure. Perhaps the Game Changer .84 may be worth considering.

 

[DEgeezer]

Welcome to B&B!

 

[Hms123]

Welcome to the best place on the internet.

 

[douglargent]

You're in luck! You're living in a time when most of the major soap manufacturers are switching/have switched to non-tallow recipes. You'll have a wide variety of vegetable-based soaps from which to choose. Among my favorites are Haslinger, TOBS, and Captain's Choice (the latter is an artisan soapmaker and a well-loved member of this forum).

Thanks for the recommendations. I'm currently using 'Henry Cavendish SEXXY' which I like a lot. I'll put those others on my Amazon wish list!

 

[Eric_75]

Welcome to B & B!

 

[hairless wonder]

Thanks for the recommendations. I'm currently using 'Henry Cavendish SEXXY' which I like a lot. I'll put those others on my Amazon wish list!

I've got to warn you, I'm probably one of the few who likes TOBS hard soaps, but pretty much everyone who's tried TOBS creams have liked them.

 

[douglargent]

I've got to warn you, I'm probably one of the few who likes TOBS hard soaps, but pretty much everyone who's tried TOBS creams have liked them.

I did notice on Amazon that there are tons of TOBS creams, but really hard to find hard soaps.

 

[hairless wonder]

I did notice on Amazon that there are tons of TOBS creams, but really hard to find hard soaps.

You can find probably the hard soaps on shaving vendor sites, (e.g., Pasteur Shaving, Maggard's). If you do get a TOBS soap, I'd advise you bloom it each time before use.

 

[ajkel64]

Welcome to the forum from Australia, thanks for taking the time to check in with us and to share some of your story.