Help/Advise wanted

[JL Richardson]

Hello Gents,

I am new, that is to say I have no experience with safety razors other than reading reviews.

A little background, when I turned 18 Gillette sent me a free razor, and the rest is history. I spent four years in the U.S. Marine Corps, and of course they too issued nothing but Gillette. Needless to say I am sick of the 2,3,4, and 5 bladed garbage being shoved down our throats by all the manufacturers. I know there is a much better shave out there, and I need your help finding it.

After reading many reviews I have narrowed my search however, I would like to see what you have to say before I say what I have narrowed it down to, because I am open to your advise.

So, my question is what would you reccommend in terms of both razor and brush for a new user?

Respectfully,
JL

 

[richmondesi]

There are a lot of factors that will determine what is right to you.

Skin type? Sensitive?
Beard? Light, heavy, average?
Budget?
Brush criteria? Soft, big, small, cheap?
Razor? New, vintage, aggressive, mild, adjustable, , etc.?

Also, what types of soaps or creams are you interested in? That would potentially influence the decision of the brush as well.

Welcome to B&B!

 

[JL Richardson]

richmondesi,

Thank you for the response. I realize that I left many factors out. I have fairly sensitive skin, and a heavy beard. I typically go all out when I do something however, after reading many reviews, and my lack of experience, I would rather get what is best for an inexperienced wetshaver. As far as soaps and creams I litterally have no idea. I have focused so much on razors and brushes that I have neglected my search of soaps and creams. I am open to any advise or suggestions.

JL

 

[gone down south]

It really doesn't matter at this point, I wouldn't overthink things. Other than staying away from adjustables and slants at the beginning, you really can't go wrong with most any razor and brush. Technique is far more important than tools at this stage of your development.

Pick up a cheap brush online or at Crabtree & Evelyn, buy a couple or 4 razors off the B/S/T section here, settle on one or two of them and resell the balance.

 

[michiganlover]

If you are ok, with having a vintage, used, but very well built razor, look into a Gillette Superspeed, or a Gillette Tech. Both are fairly mild, and thus forgiving of the less than perfect technique of a newbie.

If you want to go the new route instead, there are several great models by Merkur such as the Merkur HD (34C), The Barberpole long handled HD (Merkur 38C), along with the Merkur Classic, and the Merkur 1904.

I also really like the look of the Edwin Jagger DE86, 87, and 89:

Buy Edwin Jagger DE at Shaving Essentials

 

[Tom Ford]

Hi JL,

Welcome to B&B. As for assisting you with equipment choices, I think you can't beat starting off with what is largely recommended to most newbies.

For a razor, the workhorse and trusty Merkur HD is a great razor to start with and is not overly expensive. Deciding which blades is important, getting a 'sample pack' of the different blades from a vendor like WCS will assist you a LOT before spending cash on a full 100 or 200.

As for a brush the C&E (Crabtree and Evelyn) is a favourite that is highly recommended around here. The brush is a good performer with both soaps and creams. I'm unsure of the availability, I recently heard they were difficult to come by??

As for soaps and creams, if you have sensitive skin, there are infinite choices. But that may not help starting out to be overwhelmed with products and their respective performance. The three 'T's' (three english brands - Trumpers, Truefitt & Hill and Taylors of Old Bond Street) are good choices to begin with. I would reccommend a cream as IMO it is easier to generate a good lather for a a beginner as opposed to soap. The Trumpers Coconut cream, its a great performing cream for sensitive skin and is easy to generate lather because of its quality. The scent is pleasing to the ladies too. As with the razor blades, you can try a sample pack of creams from a vendor (WCS) before purchasing a tub.

I hope that helps in some way. If you want instructions on wet shaving, in all aspects, head to YouTube and search Mantic59, he's got it covered. And secondly if you have any questions, queries post them here, and guys will be happy to help and share their knowledge and experience.

 

[Torcams]

My first (and only, yet) DE is a vintage Gillette Fatboy. I'm very happy with it.

 

[skiddyrow]

Welcome aboard! When I first joined the forum, I spent a considerable amount of time searching for the same answer, and one name I noticed consistently popping up in almost every thread was the Merkur HD. So I went ahead and picked up one and have not been disappointed! As for brushes, depends on how much you are willing to spend - I started off with a Body Shop synthetic, and it worked fine for a couple of months until I got a good Best Badger brush which made a huge difference.

 

[Mr.Max]

Hello and welcome! For a newbie razor (or really for anyone for that matter) I would recommend a late 1940's Gillette Superspeed. I have sensitive skin myself and I find that razor to be comfortable, easy to use, and gives a great close shave. The blade angle is easy to find with the SS and you will have great shaves dispite less than perfect technique. It has a twist-to-open top for easy blade loading, which is also a plus for me. When Gillette made DE razors years ago, they were bulit to last. It is easy to find vintage Gillettes in great condition dispite being 50 to 60 years old, and they are easy to sterilize if you are worried about germs. Many of us have multiples of vintage Gillette razors so check the BST forum for a deal on a SS or post a WTB (want to buy) and you will easily come up with what you are looking for at a much better price than the 'bay.
The late 40's SS was the first vintage razor that I bought and since then I have aquired a Fatboy, a Slim, a Red tip, and a Merkur Vision and after trying each of the razors for a period of time, I have come full circle and I shave with the Superspeed every day. The SS is not the most handsome razor that I own, but for me, it does best what it's designed to to: shave
Good luck in your search and always ask questions!

 

[dpm802]

It really doesn't matter at this point, I wouldn't overthink things. Other than staying away from adjustables and slants at the beginning, you really can't go wrong with most any razor and brush. Technique is far more important than tools at this stage of your development.

Pick up a cheap brush online or at Crabtree & Evelyn, buy a couple or 4 razors off the B/S/T section here, settle on one or two of them and resell the balance.

+1

A common Newbie mistake (that I, and many others made) is to do too much research before starting to wet-shave.

Nobody hits the perfect combination right off the bat. Besides, you need to try out a few Good products before you can appreciate the really GREAT ones.

Having ANY brand of razor / blade / brush / soap / etc. is better than having none at all. Just buy the first ones you can find, jump in and start shaving.

You can read the forums and ask questions for a year, but that won't teach you as much about shaving as actually putting a blade to your face for a week.