Good day to all of you who stopped by.
Been lurking for a while now but decided to join in on the fun. Here is my story about how wet shaving became a daily part of my life..
About a year ago, I was in the Target shaving aisle looking for a new razor because my Mach3 was disgusting and needed to be replaced. I was about to deploy and needed something that was going to get me all the way through the deployment. At the time there was a really nice looking setup for a double edged razor made by Van der Hagen. Being a man who appreciates tools that appear well-made (and seeing how cheap the razorblades were instead of the cartriges) I put the last razor on the shelf in my cart.
Later that night I opened up the package to give it a whirl. With my Mach3 I usually just put water on my face and went to town as I shave every day and the stubble doesn't get too bad..you guys can probably guess where my first experience is going with that knowledge.. Wow. What the hell? This thing sucks. Super irritating shave as there was no lubrication other than water and I was pressing into my face like I would with the other razor. I was all cut up in about 8 different places and I didn't have anything soothing for my face. Ouch.
Disappointed with the shave and ready to give it up before ever really getting started, I was patient and hopped online to see if I was doing something wrong.."There's no way that they can sell something for this price and it be that uncomfortable." There were some reviews for the Van der Hagen razor that were good and some that were bad, but after clicking through some of the links I eventually landed on Badger & Blades forums.
Whoops. (haha)
I dove head first into a hobby and passion for other people that I had no idea ever existed. It really was information overload for a couple of hours before I went to bed that night. The rest is history! The next shave I started using the full can of Barbasol I had laying around and used a little more attention to detail and way less pressure to navigate the blade around my face. Much better, and my shaves got a lot better for another month before deciding that razor was pretty aggressive for me and while deployed I had my wife send me a milder, smoother Merkur 23C. She was also nice enough to send me an artisan soap, a cheap brush (Omega 49 and still my fave brush of the 4 I own) and aftershave!
I was hooked. I practiced and got better with the brush(boar break in and stench is real) and soap and decided I'd never go back to the canned cream that suddenly wasn't as slick as I remember..And the bliss lasted for another month or so until I dropped that razor head first on the deck and it came apart at the screw. Crap. "Honey, I need you to send me another razor and please do some research and find something more durable.."
She bought me one and sent it. It took about a month for the package to get to the ship. It was a surprise and she wouldn't tell me what she got. When I opened the package..Feather AS-D2 and a 100 pack of Astras.. Best. Wife. Ever! Fast forward 7 months to today and it's still my weapon of choice. It survived a couple of drops so I can say with confidence that she made a great choice!
What started with a can of Barbasol and the often hated Van der Hagen razor turned into a nice little collection of soap/aftershave combos by the likes of B&M, Stirling, and Sudsy Soapery. Four different bristle types of brushes (Boar, Badger, Synthetic, and Horse) And you guys know the itch to try new things won't stop there.. That same Van der Hagen razor was given to a friend and he's also joined us into the wet shaving scene which is great because now I can talk to him about the hobby rather than my mostly uninterested wife!
I'm very glad to have found this forum after making that fateful purchase, because otherwise I may still be shaving with that Mach3 on a wet face without lubrication..and that thought makes me shudder now!
Been lurking for a while now but decided to join in on the fun. Here is my story about how wet shaving became a daily part of my life..
About a year ago, I was in the Target shaving aisle looking for a new razor because my Mach3 was disgusting and needed to be replaced. I was about to deploy and needed something that was going to get me all the way through the deployment. At the time there was a really nice looking setup for a double edged razor made by Van der Hagen. Being a man who appreciates tools that appear well-made (and seeing how cheap the razorblades were instead of the cartriges) I put the last razor on the shelf in my cart.
Later that night I opened up the package to give it a whirl. With my Mach3 I usually just put water on my face and went to town as I shave every day and the stubble doesn't get too bad..you guys can probably guess where my first experience is going with that knowledge.. Wow. What the hell? This thing sucks. Super irritating shave as there was no lubrication other than water and I was pressing into my face like I would with the other razor. I was all cut up in about 8 different places and I didn't have anything soothing for my face. Ouch.
Disappointed with the shave and ready to give it up before ever really getting started, I was patient and hopped online to see if I was doing something wrong.."There's no way that they can sell something for this price and it be that uncomfortable." There were some reviews for the Van der Hagen razor that were good and some that were bad, but after clicking through some of the links I eventually landed on Badger & Blades forums.
Whoops. (haha)
I dove head first into a hobby and passion for other people that I had no idea ever existed. It really was information overload for a couple of hours before I went to bed that night. The rest is history! The next shave I started using the full can of Barbasol I had laying around and used a little more attention to detail and way less pressure to navigate the blade around my face. Much better, and my shaves got a lot better for another month before deciding that razor was pretty aggressive for me and while deployed I had my wife send me a milder, smoother Merkur 23C. She was also nice enough to send me an artisan soap, a cheap brush (Omega 49 and still my fave brush of the 4 I own) and aftershave!
I was hooked. I practiced and got better with the brush(boar break in and stench is real) and soap and decided I'd never go back to the canned cream that suddenly wasn't as slick as I remember..And the bliss lasted for another month or so until I dropped that razor head first on the deck and it came apart at the screw. Crap. "Honey, I need you to send me another razor and please do some research and find something more durable.."
She bought me one and sent it. It took about a month for the package to get to the ship. It was a surprise and she wouldn't tell me what she got. When I opened the package..Feather AS-D2 and a 100 pack of Astras.. Best. Wife. Ever! Fast forward 7 months to today and it's still my weapon of choice. It survived a couple of drops so I can say with confidence that she made a great choice!
What started with a can of Barbasol and the often hated Van der Hagen razor turned into a nice little collection of soap/aftershave combos by the likes of B&M, Stirling, and Sudsy Soapery. Four different bristle types of brushes (Boar, Badger, Synthetic, and Horse) And you guys know the itch to try new things won't stop there.. That same Van der Hagen razor was given to a friend and he's also joined us into the wet shaving scene which is great because now I can talk to him about the hobby rather than my mostly uninterested wife!
I'm very glad to have found this forum after making that fateful purchase, because otherwise I may still be shaving with that Mach3 on a wet face without lubrication..and that thought makes me shudder now!
