Help a newb out with a setup

[TheNuge]

I'm new to shaving the right way and I've been doing some research. For years I just shaved with crap gel or foam and a Gillette fusion or something. I recently picked up a cheap brush and soap from Target and having been using that with a cartridge and some witch hazel after shaving. This already has helped considerably and I get much less irritation and bumps.

I now want to really step it up and make an investment into shaving properly. I was thinking of getting an Art of Shaving kit that comes with pre-shave oil, shaving cream, a brush, and after shave balm. There are three different kinds of brushes. Pure badger is the cheapest, fine badger is the middle ground, and silvertip badger is the high end. What differentiates the three types of brushes and what makes the high end one worth $95 more then the low end?

I also want to switch to a safety razor. There seems to be a ton out there but I was looking at this Merkur model 180 long-handled. http://www.amazon.com/Merkur-Model-180-Handled-Safety/dp/B000NL0T1G/ref=cm_lmf_tit_1
Is this a good one to start with or are there better options?

Finally, what about blades? I've heard a lot of people talk about Feather blades but I've also heard that blades are personal and it depends on the user which is best. I see several blade sample packs on Amazon. Should I give one of those a try to find which blade works best for me?

 

[Krona Kruiser]

Good luck on your journey. The Merkur you mentioned isn't a bad choice and I'd recommend a sample blade pack from Westcoastshaving.com to get a feel for the blades that you like.

 

[deruitem]

Just me but I would save some cash and not get the AOS kit. I would get a good low cost razor like the Merkur 1904 closed comb and a sample pack of blades. You could get something like CO Bigelow cream from bath and body works or get something when you pick up the razor from one of our vendors or any other site. AOS is nice but not worth the cost. I dont find the pre shave oil all that helpful. For prep just take a shower and wash your face. Good soaps or cream will take care of the rest.

other great creams at low cost
LaToja - great smell and performs wonderfully
Proraso - any of them

Arko soap stick for the cost can not be beat. The smell is just ok for me some dont like it at all but it performs great

Hope this helps

 

[Elder Scrolls]

Welcome to B&B, you're good with Merkur or you can try EJ89.......definitely go for a sampler blade pack, good luck!

 

[Fishin Phil]

I received a Merkur 180 for Christmas, and it has been very good to me so far. Of course, this is my first DE so I have nothing to compare to yet. I can tell you it beats the stuffing out of any cartridge I ever used. In any event, Welcome and enjoy the journey!

 

[celestino]

Welcome to the forum!
If you like the look of the Merkur, then go for it. With regards to blades, you could just get one brand, such as the Astra SPs and just use it to improve your technique, or get yourself a sampler pack and see which one works best for you, then stick to that one, only, for a few months to help with technique. Good luck.

 

[BlackBear]

I agree you could probably put together your own 'starter kit' from somewhere like westcoastshaving.com and get much better value for money. The Edwin Jagger DE89 is a superb razor and great value for a stunning razor, the Merkur 23c is also superb. A pure badger brush can be had for a reasonable price, boar bristle for even less and many people swear by boar brushes. Can't beat proraso creams for value and performance. The blade sample packs from a dedicated shaving vendor will be better than those off amazon, some good value blades that perform well are Astra's and Sharks (IMO).

To try and answer your question about the different badger brushes, basically it comes down to where on the animal the hair is taken, the cheaper black badger is from the rear and back and is generally stiffer and more 'scritchy', but is favored by some for that reason. Silvertip is generally found around the neck of the badger and the hairs are finer and softer meaning more can be packed into a 'knot' and will hold water better than say the pure badger.
'best' badger is the middle ground and there are many fine brushes made with this hair.

Welcome to B&B! Good luck with the shaving!!

 

[NickCutlip]

Welcome to the forum !!

 

[TheNuge]

I agree you could probably put together your own 'starter kit' from somewhere like westcoastshaving.com and get much better value for money. The Edwin Jagger DE89 is a superb razor and great value for a stunning razor, the Merkur 23c is also superb. A pure badger brush can be had for a reasonable price, boar bristle for even less and many people swear by boar brushes. Can't beat proraso creams for value and performance. The blade sample packs from a dedicated shaving vendor will be better than those off amazon, some good value blades that perform well are Astra's and Sharks (IMO).

To try and answer your question about the different badger brushes, basically it comes down to where on the animal the hair is taken, the cheaper black badger is from the rear and back and is generally stiffer and more 'scritchy', but is favored by some for that reason. Silvertip is generally found around the neck of the badger and the hairs are finer and softer meaning more can be packed into a 'knot' and will hold water better than say the pure badger.
'best' badger is the middle ground and there are many fine brushes made with this hair.

Welcome to B&B! Good luck with the shaving!!

Thanks for everyone's help so far! You're right. I did some looking around on westcoastshaving.com and that seems like a much better route to go. I'm liking the 23c a lot and I'll probably go with that and a sample pack of blades. The proraso creams look great and I'll give that a try. I'm still trying to figure out what brush to go with and a pre-shave oil. How's this Simpson Colonel X2L Best? It seems to have a lot of positive reviews. It seems tailored to soaps though and I'll probably go with a cream.
http://westcoastshaving.com/Simpson-Colonel-X2L-Best-Badger-Shaving-Brush-X2L_p_390.html

 

[TheNuge]

O and probably a stupid question but there are so many different models of Merkur, let alone all the models from other brands. What separates the different models of Merkurs? Is it just appearance and materials or do they provide unique shaves?

 

[oldtrout]

Thanks for everyone's help so far! You're right. I did some looking around on westcoastshaving.com and that seems like a much better route to go. I'm liking the 23c a lot and I'll probably go with that and a sample pack of blades. The proraso creams look great and I'll give that a try. I'm still trying to figure out what brush to go with and a pre-shave oil. How's this Simpson Colonel X2L Best? It seems to have a lot of positive reviews. It seems tailored to soaps though and I'll probably go with a cream.
http://westcoastshaving.com/Simpson-Colonel-X2L-Best-Badger-Shaving-Brush-X2L_p_390.html

The Simpson is a fine brush and matched with the 23c would make an outstanding kit.

I would suggest holding off on the preshave oil for a month or two, until you have more experience.
A beginner can become overwhelmed with all the variables, at least I was.

 

[konijntjesbroek]

O and probably a stupid question but there are so many different models of Merkur, let alone all the models from other brands. What separates the different models of Merkurs? Is it just appearance and materials or do they provide unique shaves?

The numbers are different styles (could be handle/head) and the g denotes gold, c denotes chrome.

 

[Marco]

Already many great advice above. Welcome aboard Sir and, of course, keep us updated!

 

[TheNuge]

I ended up with a completely different setup from what I mentioned in the OP thanks to everyone's help. I got a Merkur 23C, Proraso cream and soap to see what I like better, Simpson Commodore X2, and some Feather and Astra blades. Held off from pre-shave oil because of people's comments and from doing research on here. I'll be using Witch-hazel after the shave with a good face moisturizer after that because that's what I'm doing now and it works great. May want to try out some after shave balms though for after the witch-hazel.

 

[Demaskee]

Sounds like a great set-up! Good luck to you.

 

[Helzerr]

Sounds awesome, let us know how you like the Commodore X2. I was torn between that and the Simpson Berkeley in Best. I love my Berkeley, but I'm always looking... welcome to some quality AD!! Check the B/S/T for some vintage razors to give them a shot too. You can usually pick up a nice user grade superspeed for under $20.

 

[TheNuge]

Sounds awesome, let us know how you like the Commodore X2. I was torn between that and the Simpson Berkeley in Best. I love my Berkeley, but I'm always looking... welcome to some quality AD!! Check the B/S/T for some vintage razors to give them a shot too. You can usually pick up a nice user grade superspeed for under $20.

I'll let you know how I like the X2. I'm sure I'll love it though because I have nothing else to compare it to except for the Van Der Hagen brush/soap kit I'm using now from Target.