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- #21
Help for the rookie
- Thread starter VHdude
- Start date
Absolutely!
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- Thread starter
- #23
That should be fine to start. The biggest question is how are the blades? They might be so so and not really as good as some you can order online but it would work to start out. I started out with derby blades which now I’m not a big fan of but they were enough to learn the technique and get hooked on the DE. Definitely worth a try.
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If it comes with Wilkinson sword blades, those should be fine. Definitely worth a try to get your feet wet in DE shaving. If you decide you like the shaving experience, you can always branch out and buy a new razor later down the road. I shaved for 3 years or so with a cheap Chinese Weishi I got off amazon for like $10-15.
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Many good suggestions have been made. My addition: Get what you need to get started, and start. Know that you will need to experiment with blades, and likely razors, until you are satisfied. Don't start wet shaving only to save money-start wet shaving if you want to be a wet shaver. It took me several weeks to consistently get close, low irritation shaves, but I'm glad I stuck with it. One piece of advise concerning DE shaving that has stuck with me: Let it set the pace for your day. A good DE/straight razor shave is and deliberate, as a good day should be. Mantic59 of Sharpologist and Geofatboy of Shave Nation have good instructional videos on YouTube that helped me as a newbie. Take care!
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- #27
So the double blades, regardless of the brand, will fit any double razor regardless of the razor? Example: Derby blades will work in a Wilkinson razor?
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Yes, any DE blade will work in any DE razor (at least as far as I know). That’s one great thing about DE shaving is you can experiment with razors and blades to find what works best for you. Many online vendors sell sample bundles with a 5 pack of blades of several different brands and you can figure out which ones you like best for you. It’s very customizable. Some razors will have different characteristics that make them great for some people and not great for others but most entry level razors (like that one I imagine) should be more or less middle of the road and will work for almost anyone. Anything beyond that is personal preference and you’ll figure that out in time. As was said above, watch some tutorial videos. Mantic59 and Geofatboy’s YouTube videos taught me how to shave in college and I’ve never looked back.
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This is true for most vintage and all modern DE razors.
Welcome to B&B, Sir.
Your Wilkinson Sword razor is a good razor to start with. What I would recommend now is that you take your time to learn shaving again.
1. prepare your face before shaving, personally I wash my face with soap and take a little coconut oil afterwards. Some like warm (not hot!) towels on their face, so if you like to just try. All this is a start to make your stobbels weaker and easier to cut, to give you a enjoyable shave.
2. prepare your lather, to do first soak your brush in a mug with warm water, a synthetic may need one minute a boar at least ten. shake gently some water out. Then take your brush and load it in with the soap, just swirl your brush in the soap for at least thirty seconds, put this lather in a bowl and repeat this two additional times. Than ad one tea spoon of water and just mix the lather in the bowl, the lather should look smooth without hard edges - to dry - and not to bubbly - to wet.
3. wet your face and spread the lather with the brush on your face, massage the lather with circulating moves of your brush in your face
4. have a look in the mirror, does every part you want to shave like the snow in canadian winter? Well done Sir. Enjoy this look for a few moments to give the lather the time to weaken your stubbles.
5. Now it's time to start. Just put the razors head gently to your face, I prefer my cheek next to my ear, hold the razor with a loose grip, some kind of penholder grip, no pressure is needed. For me the easiest way to reach this goal is to hold the grip at the end as if my fingers and the grip are joint by a pivot. This will just the heads weight do the job. and now gently start to pull the lather out of your face. Try to get your comfort angle. You may tighten your skin but not to much as this will turn to irritation. Try to finish your first pass north to south on the cheeks, vice versa on the neck as this is normally a good technique to start. Later you will find out exactly how your facial hair is growing and your shave will become better. Be a little bit careful with mouth an chin region.
Congratulations - you got your first WTG done!
6. If you like wet your face again and do an Against The Growth pass and a Cross The Growth pass to get a very good shave.
7. Give your face a cold water rinse to close the pores and take some aftershave balm or some oil to moisturize your skin. Please to not use alcohol based after shave for that will dry out your skin and lead to irrtitations.
Enjoy your shave!
Your Wilkinson Sword razor is a good razor to start with. What I would recommend now is that you take your time to learn shaving again.
1. prepare your face before shaving, personally I wash my face with soap and take a little coconut oil afterwards. Some like warm (not hot!) towels on their face, so if you like to just try. All this is a start to make your stobbels weaker and easier to cut, to give you a enjoyable shave.
2. prepare your lather, to do first soak your brush in a mug with warm water, a synthetic may need one minute a boar at least ten. shake gently some water out. Then take your brush and load it in with the soap, just swirl your brush in the soap for at least thirty seconds, put this lather in a bowl and repeat this two additional times. Than ad one tea spoon of water and just mix the lather in the bowl, the lather should look smooth without hard edges - to dry - and not to bubbly - to wet.
3. wet your face and spread the lather with the brush on your face, massage the lather with circulating moves of your brush in your face
4. have a look in the mirror, does every part you want to shave like the snow in canadian winter? Well done Sir. Enjoy this look for a few moments to give the lather the time to weaken your stubbles.
5. Now it's time to start. Just put the razors head gently to your face, I prefer my cheek next to my ear, hold the razor with a loose grip, some kind of penholder grip, no pressure is needed. For me the easiest way to reach this goal is to hold the grip at the end as if my fingers and the grip are joint by a pivot. This will just the heads weight do the job. and now gently start to pull the lather out of your face. Try to get your comfort angle. You may tighten your skin but not to much as this will turn to irritation. Try to finish your first pass north to south on the cheeks, vice versa on the neck as this is normally a good technique to start. Later you will find out exactly how your facial hair is growing and your shave will become better. Be a little bit careful with mouth an chin region.
Congratulations - you got your first WTG done!
6. If you like wet your face again and do an Against The Growth pass and a Cross The Growth pass to get a very good shave.
7. Give your face a cold water rinse to close the pores and take some aftershave balm or some oil to moisturize your skin. Please to not use alcohol based after shave for that will dry out your skin and lead to irrtitations.
Enjoy your shave!
This looks interesting:
Gillette Heritage-Inspired Double Edge Safety Razor - Handle + 5 Platinum Blades + Storage Case LIMITED QUANTITY https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XPRRV9Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_KlVtEbVGT228Q
Gillette Heritage-Inspired Double Edge Safety Razor - Handle + 5 Platinum Blades + Storage Case LIMITED QUANTITY https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XPRRV9Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_KlVtEbVGT228Q
Often you will see YMMV. (Your mileage may vary, or what works for one person does not always work for someone else because skin and whiskers are different.) I bought a Merkur 23C. I believe it uses the same head as the Merkur 34C. In time I decided it is too mild. Many decades in the past people trimmed the sharp edges from old razor blades to make shims they placed between the bottom of the blade and the baseplate to make the razor more aggressive. My favorite shim for my 23C is plastic from the lid of a margarine container. Razor manufacturers noticed people were shimming their razors and developed adjustables as a response. The point is that you can shim a razor you later decide is too mild.
I wish I had known earlier about zamac. It is a zinc alloy used to make most razors under $100 US. When the chrome plating on a zamac razor cracks or breaks off, water meets the zinc alloy and a rotting process begins. I probably would have spent for an aluminum razor or a stainless steel razor, even if it were sintered rather than CNC machined. Many vintage razors are brass, but some have zamac parts.
It is very easy to think you need a new razor. But, spend a few more months learning day by day through practice. Improved technique makes almost any razor a much better performer. Two goals are finding the best angle and learning how to use as little pressure as possible.
Baili makes a razor that is a clone of a classic Gillette Tech. I have not used one, but people really like them and get great shaves from them. And, they cost around $10 US. They are zamac, but you will get your investment back many times.
I wish I had known earlier about zamac. It is a zinc alloy used to make most razors under $100 US. When the chrome plating on a zamac razor cracks or breaks off, water meets the zinc alloy and a rotting process begins. I probably would have spent for an aluminum razor or a stainless steel razor, even if it were sintered rather than CNC machined. Many vintage razors are brass, but some have zamac parts.
It is very easy to think you need a new razor. But, spend a few more months learning day by day through practice. Improved technique makes almost any razor a much better performer. Two goals are finding the best angle and learning how to use as little pressure as possible.
Baili makes a razor that is a clone of a classic Gillette Tech. I have not used one, but people really like them and get great shaves from them. And, they cost around $10 US. They are zamac, but you will get your investment back many times.
- Thread starter
- #33
So haven’t decided on the safety razor but decided to try the Proraso white that I got with a new regular cartridge razor Gillette Fusion.
All I can say is wow!
I’m hooked.
I can see why they call the other stuff goo in a can. Using the Proraso with a bottle of Pinaud Clubman powder for my neck is a great combo. I think I may not have mixed the soap as long as I should have but end result rocks!
Feel like a kid getting a new toy when I decide on the razor lol.
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All I can say is wow!
I’m hooked.
I can see why they call the other stuff goo in a can. Using the Proraso with a bottle of Pinaud Clubman powder for my neck is a great combo. I think I may not have mixed the soap as long as I should have but end result rocks!
Feel like a kid getting a new toy when I decide on the razor lol.
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Oh yeah for sure! The aerosolized can stuff is so far inferior IMO to even the cheapest of shave soaps. The soap should last longer than the canned stuff does too. Combine that with a safety razor and you’re in for quite a pleasant experience. You’ll start enjoying and looking forward to shaving for a change.
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I think you will find that it is hard to go back to the goo after you have tried the real thing!
- Thread starter
- #36
Yeah I think I’m giving the 2 goo bottles to my nephew.
I’ve seen the light lol!
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Gift him an unused razor once you find what works for you. Hook him, too!
- Thread starter
- #38
Picked up my first razor - didn’t want to break the bank so went with a Wilkinson Sword.
However, I was looking at a barber shop locally who sell the Merkur short handle razors & the owner said a lot of guys prefer them because the weight is more at the head and easier to handle because it’s short.
Haven’t tried my razor yet but should I return it and go with a short handle Merkur?
This is what I got:
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However, I was looking at a barber shop locally who sell the Merkur short handle razors & the owner said a lot of guys prefer them because the weight is more at the head and easier to handle because it’s short.
Haven’t tried my razor yet but should I return it and go with a short handle Merkur?
This is what I got:
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Handle size is a personal preference and you won't know yours until you get some experience. I open that Wilkie up and start shaving.
- Thread starter
- #40
How many shaves would I get on a blade?
The razor came with 5 blades but I also picked up a pack of blue Astra & green Astra. They guy where I got them said no to Derby for a rookie starting out.
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