My first wet shave gear/ a couple questions

[Kailand09]

Hey all, I ordered a few brushes from Star Shaving with a strop, as well as came across some nice old shave gear in an antique shop trying to find a DE so I can try that in addition to the straights I have. With inspiration from B&B here I made a double brush stand from a hangar as you can see. The left brush is a Boar, and the right one is the Frank Shaving finest 24mm.

The DE I found I think is a travel sized tech? It is literally brand new, in that golden little case. Still had the cardboard between the cap and guard. The straight razor is a Shapleigh from St. Louis, in pretty darn good condition. The DE+Shapleigh with Durex and Gillette Platinum Plus razors all came in to ~$25. Decent?

My questions are as follows- 1) are durex or platinum plus good? Which would be better to start with? 2) you may be able to see in the picture, but many of the boar hairs are kind of bowing out from the middle on the sides, is that normal? 3) I have some mike's soap, but after getting a lather off of it, do I rinse it? Or just leave residual lather to dry for next time?

Thanks! Now picture time!

 

[Infernal2]

Not bad, not bad at all. You are certainly far better stocked than I was when I started. The lather left on the brush isn't necessarily a bad thing for a first break in but its not something I'd get in the habit of doing anymore than I would get in the habit of leaving soap in my own hair. Rinse it, let it dry, and remember you can leave your brushes pointed upward to dry. As to the razor, well, that depends on you really. Close your eyes, pick one, and go for it. Next day, try another one. Razor choice is kind of like underwear choice that way.

 

[Kailand09]

I meant on the soap itself, does all that lather need to come off? Also, my brother advised not using those old razor blades (I'm guessing they are old) since over time oxidation means they won't be sharp. Is this correct, can I just got get DE blades from jewel or target or something?

Thanks again. Yeah I tried to keep it low budget, and the strop/brushes were quite reasonable as well. In fact, don't know where I could have gotten much cheaper brushes. The DE was quite cheap itself, coming in at a whopping $8.

 

[Kailand09]

So I guess my biggest question is, is it necessary to buy brand new DE blades, or are these OK to use if they are sealed even though they are old?

 

[oldbluelight]

So I guess my biggest question is, is it necessary to buy brand new DE blades, or are these OK to use if they are sealed even though they are old?

I would certainly want to go with new blades. The new ones are cheap enough. A year's supply of the best would cost you less than a month's worth of carts. Even if the old ones are fine you won't be able to easily obtain more. If you just can't wait to use your new toys your best bet would be to pick up a pack of Wilkenson blades at WalMart. They'll tide you over until blades ordered online arrive.

 

[bemiller]

Buy new blades. Go on the razor review section of B&B and see what's highly regarded so you don't have to buy a bunch of different types. Or buy a sample pack (I personally find them overwhelming). I recommend Personna Med Preps which are on the expensive end of blades.

 

[BIGFURM]

Nice find with the new Tech. I have a Tech and get good shaves from it. I'm going to use mine for travel. I think it's fine to begin with, but you might want to get a longer handle or another DE with a longer handle for daily use. Looks like your razor blades are NOS. Maybe pick up some Astra SP's from Amazon. They are selling really cheap right now. Maybe check out some sampler packs also. As far as soap goes, I don't think you have to rinse the residual lather off, but I don't like extra moisture on my soap when I store it, so I wipe it off with a tissue. That's just me.

 

[ThePatrician]

Obviously rinse the soap from your brush, first in hot water, then in cold water. From your soaps, it's up to you. Obviously you don't want soap gunking up the outside of your tub, but rinsing the actual soap is a personal choice. I rinse mine, but there are plenty of others here who don't.

And that is a sweet find on that Travel Tech. Was that an antique store find? Every now and then one turns up completely unused, still with the paper "blade" in the head. Logistically it would be better to go with new blades, but not for your brother's reason. If you try them and love them, you would be hard pressed to find more, so you would be right back where you started: testing out blades to see what you like. Set them aside as curios, and pick up a sampler pack.

As for your question about the boar hairs bowing out, it's normal. As you use it more, more of the bristles will bow out. That's called the boar's "bloom". It isn't as pronounced as it is with boar, but it also happens with badger.