I'd have skipped the complicated prep routines; when I started out I tried some rigamarole with hot damp towels and leaving the lather on my face for two or three minutes before I started shaving. Lordy. Must have spent ten minutes a day on that. Waste-o-time. Now my prep consists of a splash of warm water on my face, and my entire shave is finished in less time than my prep took when I started.
If you could start wet shaving all over again...
- Thread starter Rusty Blade
- Start date
Not much! I appreciate that I started with a slim in the old days then went to the dark side. Now I appreciate the joys of tradiational shaving!
I would start traditional wet shaving 20 years earlier!
If I could start all over again, I wouldn't buy any cheaply-made Chinese razors.
I'm pretty early into the full thing, but here are a few:
-I bought dozens of pucks of a nice shave soap years ago (company long out of business), but since I kept a beard or goatee I figured I didn't need a brush and I'd just lather it in my hands (I wanted a brush but thought it wouldn't be worth the cost for how little facial real estate would need it). I should have bought at least a brush, if not a shave bowl, and got a good lather early on.
-I was interested in a DE razor for over a decade, but again, with the beard and goatee I just figured it wouldn't be worth it. I figured if I ever did a full face shave again that was going to be somewhat permanent I might do it, but not for just shaping my beard or goatee. You know, this would have done a much better job than clippers or a cartridge razor of shaping the beard, it would be more precise. Oh well.
OK, other than starting earlier...
-I looked at several shaving websites and blogs and figured I'd go with the "standard" advice of a mild or mild to medium razor with a mild blade like Derby. I have a thick beard but sensitive skin and figured that would work. So far, every time that I stepped up the aggressiveness of the blade and/or razor has been an improvement in comfort. Within reason, I'd tell myself to try a bit more aggressive. I do like my Edwin Jagger with the right blade, but I like the shave from my Parker 76r much more. I really hate Derby blades so far (though I'm keeping some to try later once I have my technique down to see how I like them once I know what I'm doing and with some more aggressive razors), and I really love the relatively sharp (but quite smooth) Personna Reds and Astra SP blades.
-I knew from the start that I'm a collector type and I'd own several razors quite quickly (for instance, I have over 60 pipes from my over 20 years of pipe smoking). I did want to start with something nice (but affordable) and I started with my Edwin Jagger de86. Given my style of collecting, I probably should have got on the forums looking for razor brands more generally (instead of looking for specific razor brands previous research had directed me to) in order to find good inexpensive razors so I could start by buying 2 or 3 and getting a feel for other head types and aggressiveness levels. I ended up doing that pretty quickly anyway (I got my Parker about a week and a half in, and just under a month in I'm awaiting delivery on a Merkur 38C, a RazoRock DE1, and a RazoRock OLD Type OC), but if I started out with maybe two or three different style Maggard or RazoRock razors I'd have a good selection for less money.
-I bought dozens of pucks of a nice shave soap years ago (company long out of business), but since I kept a beard or goatee I figured I didn't need a brush and I'd just lather it in my hands (I wanted a brush but thought it wouldn't be worth the cost for how little facial real estate would need it). I should have bought at least a brush, if not a shave bowl, and got a good lather early on.
-I was interested in a DE razor for over a decade, but again, with the beard and goatee I just figured it wouldn't be worth it. I figured if I ever did a full face shave again that was going to be somewhat permanent I might do it, but not for just shaping my beard or goatee. You know, this would have done a much better job than clippers or a cartridge razor of shaping the beard, it would be more precise. Oh well.
OK, other than starting earlier...
-I looked at several shaving websites and blogs and figured I'd go with the "standard" advice of a mild or mild to medium razor with a mild blade like Derby. I have a thick beard but sensitive skin and figured that would work. So far, every time that I stepped up the aggressiveness of the blade and/or razor has been an improvement in comfort. Within reason, I'd tell myself to try a bit more aggressive. I do like my Edwin Jagger with the right blade, but I like the shave from my Parker 76r much more. I really hate Derby blades so far (though I'm keeping some to try later once I have my technique down to see how I like them once I know what I'm doing and with some more aggressive razors), and I really love the relatively sharp (but quite smooth) Personna Reds and Astra SP blades.
-I knew from the start that I'm a collector type and I'd own several razors quite quickly (for instance, I have over 60 pipes from my over 20 years of pipe smoking). I did want to start with something nice (but affordable) and I started with my Edwin Jagger de86. Given my style of collecting, I probably should have got on the forums looking for razor brands more generally (instead of looking for specific razor brands previous research had directed me to) in order to find good inexpensive razors so I could start by buying 2 or 3 and getting a feel for other head types and aggressiveness levels. I ended up doing that pretty quickly anyway (I got my Parker about a week and a half in, and just under a month in I'm awaiting delivery on a Merkur 38C, a RazoRock DE1, and a RazoRock OLD Type OC), but if I started out with maybe two or three different style Maggard or RazoRock razors I'd have a good selection for less money.
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I would immediately skip the notion that the best razors are 1) Modern production 2) Have to be heavy, and 3) Have to have a long handle...
...and immediately jump straight to a ~3" handle length, all brass, vintage three piece open comb. Because that's where I am today. But I would have never have found the best for me without the above experimentation.
...and immediately jump straight to a ~3" handle length, all brass, vintage three piece open comb. Because that's where I am today. But I would have never have found the best for me without the above experimentation.
Like Big Jim, above, I started shaving more than 60 years ago. The first razors I bought were the FB followed by a Slim. Instead of keeping the Tech my father gave me, I threw it away. If a brush wore out, you would throw it away rather than trying to find a knot to replace it. Knowing what I know now, I would have bought some additional FB and Slim razors, a dozen Toggles and Aristocrats!
Same here. I've been using an electric foil razor for years and I feel as though it's always been a chore to shave. I wish I could have started DE shaving right from the start. I find it much more enjoyable even though I'm just starting out.
I have wet shaved for 50+ years and was very happy. I'm not a fancy shaver no specialty soaps, creams, fnt picky about blades etc. Everything went south after I found the B&B and I wouldn't change a thing.....
If I could start over I would have bought 100 weber razors, the mark-up on them is insane on the on-line markets. Seriously though I would purchase 3 webers (I own 18 razors and weber is my favorite) and forego the others. Same with the soaps, Cello brick is the one the others can go. I like all of my brushes, I like all my blades. All my after shaves could go except for Pinaud Clubman. I could have saved a lot of money but where would the fun be in that?
I would have :
1. Started at 16
2. Started using SE's much earlier
1. Started at 16
2. Started using SE's much earlier
Only thing different would be if I would have known ahead of time my plans to save money would end up turning into a hobby that has actually cost me money lol
I'm in the, probably, wouldn't change a thing group. I've had fun learning and experiencing different gear. For better or for worse.
It would have been nice to have just stuck with the old type and not wasted a lot of money experimenting with other razors. But, then again, that's like saying "based on my experience, I wouldn't need my experience" which is ridiculous, so nevermind. (!!)
For real, though, I wish I had figured out earlier that products with shae butter give me an allergic rash.
For real, though, I wish I had figured out earlier that products with shae butter give me an allergic rash.
1. Start earlier.
2. Not buy so many brushes to restore.
3. Try to control other AD as well.
2. Not buy so many brushes to restore.
3. Try to control other AD as well.
Do pretty much everything the same except would try to go less crazy with the buying
Go directly to boar brushes and TTO razors.
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