Hi everyone, I found B&B years ago through my love of fountain pens and good ink, never thinking I'd have much to do with the 'big' side of the forum.
Let's cut to the chase, I'm English, an ex soldier, and 70 years of age (hence the thread title).
I have only ever wet shaved, but over the years have drifted into cheapo supermarket gels and creams, with cartridge based razors of nondescript origin.
I don't have a beard like Desperate Dan, with bristles the thickness of pencils like some of my friends, but if I go out in the evening I have sufficient regrowth that I have to shave again. Sick of having to shell out silly money for cartridges that clog, wear out quickly and offer very very poor VFM, I started to lurk here, and made a decision to move back to DE shaving, going back to where I first started. I've done my due diligence, and have now have, as of Fridays post delivery, my first set of purchases.
I've set myself up with the following as my first tentative steps into the world of quality shaving...
1. A Qshave adjustable and stand in black....more of that in a moment.
2. NM menthol shaving oil left over from my Aldi years.
3. Arko shaving sticks (I already have a brush which is next on my list for replacement)- absolutely love the barbershop smell and the creaminess of the lather, a real bargain!
4. A collection of blades - GSB, Polsilver, Wilkinson sword (only because my razor arrived before my choice of blades and they were the only ones in my local chemist), plus some Voshkods on the way from Lithuania due to arrive Tuesday.
5. A bottle of 15 year old American Crew facial toner that I'd stashed away in the bathroom cupboard (their original Witch Hazel blend) with about a weeks worth of fluid left.
I'm struggling to explain just how gratifying I'm finding shaving with a DE is. Maybe it's nostalgia, maybe it's the absolute sense it makes both monetarily and from a waste perspective, but I find that my morning has far more to it now than a quick slurp and scrape, it's actually very very... satisfying, to take the time to shave well.
The Qshave? for the money a revelation from an ex butterfly guy. My first shave (at 3.5) was a disaster...I'd popped the blade in but not checked the alignment, leaving one side of the razor higher than the other, and, after shaving, leaving one side of my face with less skin than the other. Second shave was spot on, letting the weight of the razor do the work made for a far better experience.
I used a Wilkinson blade firstly, but it felt really harsh for some reason, so much so that I changed it after a day for one of the GSB's and I really can't tell it's in the razor it is so smooth to use, chalk and cheese really. I hope the Polsilvers and Voshkods are as good.
Rather than keep rattling on, could I ask for some advice and guidance please?
The Qshave as you all know is bulky, and I'm having great issue with the area under my nostrils, the Q just can't get in there...has anyone got a suggestion for a not too expensive razor that would be slim enough to do the job? I plan to use it after my main shave just to trim up. I know a cheap Bic one blader would do it, but I'd rather shave with a traditional razor from now on.
Secondly, is the use of shaving oil first and then lathering up with Arko 'over the top' or will the lather only give an equally smooth shave?
And last but by no means least I need your guidance about post shave.
I have only just read up on alum blocks; if I'm going for the best shaving experience, do they seriously add to the quality of a shave? I currently just use what's left of my AC facial toner, which calms down my face quite nicely, but I've read so many forum posts where finishing with alum appears to be the de facto way to go for experienced shavers.
Any advice here would be really appreciated.
Sorry to have banged on so much, but it's nice to be here and to be able to ask experienced forum members for the benefit of their many years of wet shaving.
Thanks for reading, it's greatly appreciated, and I look forward to taking whatever advice is proffered.
Let's cut to the chase, I'm English, an ex soldier, and 70 years of age (hence the thread title).
I have only ever wet shaved, but over the years have drifted into cheapo supermarket gels and creams, with cartridge based razors of nondescript origin.
I don't have a beard like Desperate Dan, with bristles the thickness of pencils like some of my friends, but if I go out in the evening I have sufficient regrowth that I have to shave again. Sick of having to shell out silly money for cartridges that clog, wear out quickly and offer very very poor VFM, I started to lurk here, and made a decision to move back to DE shaving, going back to where I first started. I've done my due diligence, and have now have, as of Fridays post delivery, my first set of purchases.
I've set myself up with the following as my first tentative steps into the world of quality shaving...
1. A Qshave adjustable and stand in black....more of that in a moment.
2. NM menthol shaving oil left over from my Aldi years.
3. Arko shaving sticks (I already have a brush which is next on my list for replacement)- absolutely love the barbershop smell and the creaminess of the lather, a real bargain!
4. A collection of blades - GSB, Polsilver, Wilkinson sword (only because my razor arrived before my choice of blades and they were the only ones in my local chemist), plus some Voshkods on the way from Lithuania due to arrive Tuesday.
5. A bottle of 15 year old American Crew facial toner that I'd stashed away in the bathroom cupboard (their original Witch Hazel blend) with about a weeks worth of fluid left.
I'm struggling to explain just how gratifying I'm finding shaving with a DE is. Maybe it's nostalgia, maybe it's the absolute sense it makes both monetarily and from a waste perspective, but I find that my morning has far more to it now than a quick slurp and scrape, it's actually very very... satisfying, to take the time to shave well.
The Qshave? for the money a revelation from an ex butterfly guy. My first shave (at 3.5) was a disaster...I'd popped the blade in but not checked the alignment, leaving one side of the razor higher than the other, and, after shaving, leaving one side of my face with less skin than the other. Second shave was spot on, letting the weight of the razor do the work made for a far better experience.
I used a Wilkinson blade firstly, but it felt really harsh for some reason, so much so that I changed it after a day for one of the GSB's and I really can't tell it's in the razor it is so smooth to use, chalk and cheese really. I hope the Polsilvers and Voshkods are as good.
Rather than keep rattling on, could I ask for some advice and guidance please?
The Qshave as you all know is bulky, and I'm having great issue with the area under my nostrils, the Q just can't get in there...has anyone got a suggestion for a not too expensive razor that would be slim enough to do the job? I plan to use it after my main shave just to trim up. I know a cheap Bic one blader would do it, but I'd rather shave with a traditional razor from now on.
Secondly, is the use of shaving oil first and then lathering up with Arko 'over the top' or will the lather only give an equally smooth shave?
And last but by no means least I need your guidance about post shave.
I have only just read up on alum blocks; if I'm going for the best shaving experience, do they seriously add to the quality of a shave? I currently just use what's left of my AC facial toner, which calms down my face quite nicely, but I've read so many forum posts where finishing with alum appears to be the de facto way to go for experienced shavers.
Any advice here would be really appreciated.
Sorry to have banged on so much, but it's nice to be here and to be able to ask experienced forum members for the benefit of their many years of wet shaving.
Thanks for reading, it's greatly appreciated, and I look forward to taking whatever advice is proffered.
