What's new

n00b Check in... Where do I start?

TOVT

TOVT

Greetings Doug, welcome!

Where to start:
Razor:Henson AL13+ or Blackland Blackbird Lite in Stainless Steel
Blades:100 pack of Personna Comfort Coated razor blades, blue box, $15-$17 on that big website.
Cream: Jack Black Triple Cushion Shave Cream, tube, from the same sight.
Advice I wish I had been given: Shave with either one of the razors for month or three. Read here, a lot. Maybe watch some Youtubes from shavers. Lock down your payment systems and try not to buy anything else.
 
Alex Jr

Alex Jr

Welcome Doug!

There’s a wide range of options that you can choose from when starting.

DE/muhle 89 series or merkur 34c are both well reviewed over here for starters. A merkur progress would be a nice adjustable if that’s your thing.

You can choose the vintage path and pick up a tech on eBay. Wonderful razor. Cheap too.

An omega boar or a Razorock synthetic would be my recommendation for a brush.

An arko stick, a proraso or Palmolive and you’re set for the soap/cream.

Pick up a blade sample and enjoy the ride.

Oh, don’t forget the aftershave. I’d start with the classics. Clubman, aqua velva, skin bracer.
 
Dave himself

Dave himself

Wee Words of Wisdom
Hi and welcome to B&B Doug. My advice would be not to go spending large amounts of money, at the start. The razors @Alex Jr mentioned are a good starting point, they won't cost you much but are still good razors.

Soaps are the same. I can get wonderful lathers with Proraso, Speick and Arko!. There's a reason why these soaps have been around for so long they work.

For a brush I would go with a synthetic. You can pick up a good for around £20. There's no break in period and will work well straight away.

As for blades I wouldn't go buying 100 of any of them. Have a read on here and see which ones are the most popular with people. Make yourself a list and go to The Razor Blade Club and order a sample pack. You can make your own choices for what ever ones you decide. Don't buy a single blade of each but rather buy a tuck of each blade you choose. The tucks usually have 5 to 10 blades in them, it's better to use the same blade a few times to see if they are OK for your face.

Read the threads on here about prep and technic. You'll learn far more on here than you ever will on YouTube.

And lastly. Have fun and enjoy the journey 😊.
 
Guido75

Guido75

Hi and welcome to B&B!

Where to start (and others have already given you great pointers as well)...
  • Go online and get yourself a vintage Gillette Tech (they should be relatively cheap to get)
  • Get some sample blades (or get on board @dmshaver 's monthly blade PIF for new joiners)
  • Get a synthetic brush like @Dave himself said - requires no break in time. You can always venture out later
  • Get a simple soap. Proraso, Arko, Tabac - lots of great names around that don't break the bank
  • Visit the shaving discussion forums and check out our wiki's. Especially Al's (@AimlessWanderer) tutorials are a must read.
  • The journal's section also contains lots of useful information
  • Let your beard grow out a little bit so you can detect your growth directions
  • Practice, practice, practice - lathering up, applying no pressure
  • Stay away from the acquisition threads!!
And most importantly - have fun during the process!!

Enjoy!

Guido.
 
Big_T

Big_T

Welcome! My best advice is the first thing to decide is if you want to go with double edge razors or with artist club razors.

The artist club blades are more expensive and you can not buy an artist club blade sampler but they last much longer, some people including myself say they provide a superior shave, and they are available in a variety which includes guarded blades that are great for beginners.

Deciding this first may save a lot of time and money down the rabbit hole chasing the perfect shave.
 
BradWorld

BradWorld

Dances with Wolfs
As mentioned above, start with either a vintage Gillette Tech, or an Edwin Jagger DE89. That choice will depend on whether you are the nostalgic historical type. Or the type that is not comfortable with a preowned razor.

Get yourself a synthetic brush from Razorock, Maggards, PAA, etc. Don’t spend over $20. Unless you want to. I would skip the natural brushes for now. Synths are so much easier to learn on.

Skip the shave sticks for now as well. Learn how to bowl lather first. It will help to see and feel your lather as you make it. Get a shave bowl, or a cereal bowl from your kitchen. Or a large mug. Get a soap that smells good and is known performer, but nothing too fancy. Something in a tub so it’s easy to load onto your brush. Any of the inexpensive soaps from Razorock or PAA are a great place to start. Or you can do like a thousand other guys on here and get a tub of Taylor of a Old Bond Street “Sandalwood”. Which is a cream, but not too much softer than the softer soaps around these days.

Aftershave is a personal choice. Clubman or Old Spice would be a great start.

Read a lot on here. Watch some videos. Practice a little without a blade. Get the feel of the razor. Maybe whip up a test lather or two. And most of all, have fun.
 
blethenstrom

blethenstrom

Welcome to B&B Doug and the enablers paradise as you have already seen. We are full of opinions and recommendations here, but we are all here to help you get going. Some has already mentioned it and I would like to reiterate it. I would stay pretty simple in the beginning until you have determined if this is for you or not. From my opinion wet shaving is the best way to go for a number of reasons.

I recommend that you spend some time in the wiki area of this forum. There are shaving guides, lathering guides etc in there and they will be a great help for you to get started. Some of the things you will need:

Razor: Merkur 34C, Edwin Jagger DE89, vintage Gillette Tech (ebay), King Charles Gillette (find at local store depending on where you are located) many others as well
Blades: Sample pack of blades or you can just get a few 5-packs (tucks) of Astra SP, Nacets, Gillette Platinum or similar.
Brush: Get a synthetic affordable shave brush. No need to spend more than 15 dollars.
Soap: Creams might be easier to learn on, but you can go to regular shave soaps if you want. Proraso shave Cream, Proraso Green/Red shave soap or similar
Lather bowl: Grab a larger mug or a cereal bowl from the kitchen. This will work well.

Follow the guides here on the forum and you will be well on your way to smoothness heaven.
 
Mike M

Mike M

...but this one IS cracked.
Where to start...

1) Pick a popular starter razor, something by Muhle, Edwin Jagger or Merkur will be just fine
2) Pick a popular soap, Proraso, RazoRock, Arko any of the popular ones will do
3) Buy a cheap brush, synthetics are good, easy to dry and take care of try a popular make
4) Get a sampler of blade 5 packs, again the most popular ones. Why do I keep saying the popular ones, well because they got popular for a reason, they are what most people find best to use
5) if you have completed the first four steps spend no more money until you have spent a few months mapping your beard growth and perfecting your technique, that is the most important thing in shaving gear can only take you so far but you'll get nowhere if you don't have good technique.
6) you don't need to buy every razor, blade, brush or soap ever made, it still won't make up for bad technique
7) use a soap to the end and just see how long it lasts you, you'll be surprised and you can thank me when you don't have to have a section of your will devoted to disbursement of your shaving soap collection.
8) it's about enjoyment you'll fall down enough rabbit holes now you're here so try to enjoy yourself there are plenty of things to do whilst you're here and any time you need advice we'll all be falling over ourselves to give it because this is the only place anyone listens to us when we talk about shaving. It's nice to talk about it without watching someone's eyes glaze over.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

E
Still getting neck redness/irritation
2
Replies
36
Views
3K
tejolot3
tejolot3
Old Hippie
Creative Cussing Was Involved
Replies
10
Views
517
luvmysuper
luvmysuper
A
Where do you buy blades?
2
Replies
31
Views
3K
Bosh Hog
Bosh Hog
tejolot3
My son's first shaving kit - a couple of questions
Replies
7
Views
816
H Brad Boonshaft
H
C
Another newbie post - I broke a rule...oh wow!
2 3
Replies
47
Views
3K
blethenstrom
blethenstrom
Top Bottom