What's new

Looking to jump into DE

Phoenixkh

I shaved a fortune
Our youngest son wears an N95 mask every day as well. He just loves his Merkur 38C barber pole razor... a bit longer handle, which he likes. I like my Executive Shaving Company Claymore Evolution... we all have our favorite razors.
 

Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker

Likes a fat handle in his hand
Indeed kind sir….”may the force be with you” young whippersnapper👍😊

And you have no idea how right you are! You know what I was doing yesterday, and will be doing again today? I was using my whipper snipper weed eater to take down an entire yard, that grew a foot tall, because were getting far too much rain lately.

I could easily be coined the whipper snipper, considering I go through an entire tank of gas in a weed eater, to whip that yard back into shape. Then I ran the mower over it to mulch up the large clippings, mulch them into the lawn.

Star Treker, the whipper snipper! (Place jingle here)
 
Welcome to B&B @Curbside!

Can you please tell us about your previous wet shaving experience, and what you are shaving with now? I tore my face up with electric razors for many decades, then started wet shaving because it is actually gentler on my skin.

There are tons and tons of DE razors to look at and use, some on the mild side, some on the wild side. Probably best to start with a mild razor, like a vintage Gillette Tech, but there are many mild modern DE razors out there, just ask!

Happy shaves

~doug~
About 10 years ago I got tired of the constant irritation I was having after shaving and read about using a brush and the benefits it could bring. As a poor college student I couldn’t afford much so I did some basic searching and ended up picking up a relatively cheap Edwin Jagger best badger brush and TOBS cream. I really enjoyed how much better the shave felt and had a significant decrease in irritation even though I was still using a cartridge.

Over the course of the next 9 years I rotated through different TOBS scents and never strayed from their creams as I believed them to be a good product and didn’t have the extra money to spend on fancier ones (I now had a wife and kids). I did however end up upgrading to a silver tip badger from Edwin Jagger and noticed a significantly nicer face lather experience. About a year ago I decided it was time to branch out and try other creams and to T&H cream and really enjoyed a nicer shave. It got me thinking that maybe I should try Castle Forbes as it was even more expensive and seemed highly regarded.

Picking up samples of Castle Forbes was, I believe, the beginning of the rabbit hole. I tried them all and while I enjoyed the shave, the scents just didn’t wow me. So about 4 months ago I decided to try soaps. I picked up some samples of A&E, Mammoth, B&M, and Wholly Kaw. I found this forum and picked scents that I saw repeated in SOTD or favorite threads as I figured that would be a good way to start. At this point I have already bought 4 tubs of soap and plan to buy a few more as I am thoroughly enjoying the shaves and the options of different scents each day. The one thing always in the back of my head was maybe it’s time to ditch the cartridge, and that’s where we are now.
 
I suggest the Merkur 34C as your first DE razor. Many a man has found this to be the perfect razor to learn the intricacies of DE shaving. It is mild enough and medium enough with just the right amount of blade feel to quickly reinforce the irrefutable laws of zero pressure and proper angle.

All the best as you start your DE shaving adventures. It won’t be long before that old cartridge razor never sees the light of day again!
 

Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker

Likes a fat handle in his hand
I suggest the Merkur 34C as your first DE razor. Many a man has found this to be the perfect razor to learn the intricacies of DE shaving. It is mild enough and medium enough with just the right amount of blade feel to quickly reinforce the irrefutable laws of zero pressure and proper angle.

All the best as you start your DE shaving adventures. It won’t be long before that old cartridge razor never sees the light of day again!
I 2nd the recommendation for the Merkur 34C. Its a very affordable starter razor. And if you end up loving DE shaving, and loving a mild razor, you can then upgrade to the Feather AS-D2 in the future, for a high end stainless steel razor. Or, you might decide that you want a more aggressive razor in the future, in which case, you'd be looking for a Edwin Jagger DE89 razor.

Good luck to you!
 

Rosseforp

I think this fits, Gents
I suggest the Merkur 34C as your first DE razor. Many a man has found this to be the perfect razor to learn the intricacies of DE shaving. It is mild enough and medium enough with just the right amount of blade feel to quickly reinforce the irrefutable laws of zero pressure and proper angle.

All the best as you start your DE shaving adventures. It won’t be long before that old cartridge razor never sees the light of day again!
+1

~doug~
 

Chef455

Head Cheese Head Chef
I worked in Healthcare for several years and my hat is off to you for working in the industry. I imagine that your days off likely don't fall on the weekend but you have an occasional "Friday" night here and there. Have your first shave then. I'll echo what others are saying- as long as your going "middle of the road" (is Merkur 34c, EJ de89 etc.) unless you are trying to harm yourself you'll be just fine. Shaves will be much improved and your mask won't be an issue at all.
 
As someone who started with a Merkur 34C and really enjoys using it, i would also recommend considering a Rockwell 6C or possibly 6S, depending on the budget. To me the Rockwell 6 is an ideal razor to start off with since it offers a total of 6 different plate settings that range from "virtually impossible to cut yourself" in the 1+2 plates to "medium aggressive shaving" in the 5+6 plates. The #3/#4 plates are a good starting point with low risk of getting nicks and cuts, if little to no pressure is used while shaving.
With the options the Rockwell 6 provides, it is a safe and enjoyable pathway into DE shaving. It will also help you figure out what you like more, mild razors with little blade feel and smaller blade gap or, more blade gap and a little more blade feel.
Several of my friends switched over to the Rockwell 6C/6S from cartridge razors and absolutely love it.
The 6C is just as good as the 6S (just cast instead of stainless steel) and costs just a little more than the Merkur 34C.
 

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
Welcome aboard.

Hopefully this will help...

 

Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
Welcome to B&B, have some great shaves!

Oh there is a learning curve for newbies and we all went through it and there is a few things I will suggest for a happy out come.
I would map your beard regardless what razor system you use(2-3 days grow will give you your grain direction growth). It will lessen irritation and have a more enjoyable experience.
The razor a person wants is a 3pc easy to install & replace blades + easy cleaning , something like a Merkur 34c, DE89 or a Henson mild razor(latest craze razor with built in angle).
I would just buy a 24mm synthetic brush that are easy to maintain and will give excellent performance with any soap or cream and are not pricey. They dry quicker than natural hair brushes and are very common in most shave dens. When you get comfortable you will more than likely add a brush or 2 down the road. Nothing wrong with natural hair brushes if they are maintained properly and I enjoy my synthetic and natural hair brushes.
Keep it simple shaving (K.I.S.S)works the best when starting traditional wet shaving IMO!
There is a fountain of knowledge here and everyone will give advice to help most folks.
 
I'd highly recommend a Henson mild to start. Do not go for a great shave at first. Go for something that feels like a 5 o'clock shadow. Do not apply any pressure. Do a 2-pass shave - one with the grain pass and one across the grain. Don't do an against the grain pass until later. Starting this way will let you develop technique and grow towards a better shave, rather than what I did is go at it hard from the start and suffer through it.
 

Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker

Likes a fat handle in his hand
I'd highly recommend a Henson mild to start. Do not go for a great shave at first. Go for something that feels like a 5 o'clock shadow. Do not apply any pressure. Do a 2-pass shave - one with the grain pass and one across the grain. Don't do an against the grain pass until later. Starting this way will let you develop technique and grow towards a better shave, rather than what I did is go at it hard from the start and suffer through it.

You listen to spacemonkey42, he's got great advice, trust me, he knows what he's talking about, he's got the bloody blade to prove it, from his past mistakes lol. And I can totally agree with him, blade angle is as important, as using NO pressure is as well. We know that you will get there, it just takes experience.
 
You should not expect to tear your face up! Don’t get me wrong, you can accomplish this task easily, if that’s what you want. But if you want to have a nice smooth shave with no blood, redness, or irritation, a little research and practice will get you there in no time at all!

Don’t get caught up with aggressive razors, they are not for everyone and will actively make your life miserable if they’re not for you. Start mild and work your way up. A little stubble left over is better than missing chunks of skin and road rash.
 

Whisky

ATF. I use all three.
Staff member
Welcome to B&B. There are quite a few of us here that are either current or retired a health care workers. Nobody, to my knowledge, has any issues with wet shaving and mask usage. When you get a chance head over to the Hall of Fame and tell us a little about yourself.
 
Top Bottom