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New shaving enthusiast from the Upper Midwest

Welcome! I'm a new joiner from the upper Midwest as well. I started on the 34C and took some notes on how different blades treated me in it, if you have questions.

Thanks, that might be helpful. At recommendation from several, I have been sticking with Astra SPs to start with and getting a good feel for them with my razor, but I have acquired a couple of blade samplers and have a lot to dive into. I have had a hard time finding a chart or guide to how some of these blades differ in comfort/sharpness - just mixed comments. Then again, that's such an effort that what I'm after may not exist.
 
Welcome to B&B... It sounds like most of us you have found a few rabbit holes to fall down on occasion... The soaps can be quite intoxicating in The amount of choices there are out there. Followed closely by the variety of brushes and razors.
Enjoy the adventure and beware of falling beyond budget into the rabbit holes🐇🕳... As I keep needing to remind myself as well 😆
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Good afternoon gentles,

I have been an occasional cartridge shaver since my teens - which in my case was only a couple of decades ago - and while cleaning out my tobacco cellar recently (I'm also a pipe/small cigar smoker), I decided to put funds into trying a safety razor by way of a starter kit from Stirling Soaps, which was recommended by friends on my favorite pipe forum (PSD).

Fast forward a few weeks, and I find myself absolutely enamored of the hobby. I had no idea what I was missing out on - especially with a brush and soaps! I am gifting my Stirling razor to a friend today after obtaining a Merkur 34C (and not looking back after a half dozen shaves with it), and am steadily growing a number of open soaps and aftershaves, though still mostly samples. I am a bit obsessed with variety.

My favorite scent to date is Stirling's Deep Blue Sea, but I have a lot to be working through, and I haven't jumped into the deep end with hard-to-find or obscure artisan soaps yet. The feel of tallow really makes the experience for me.

I just ordered a couple of classic Gillettes from an Etsy storefront and am keen to give some of the classics a try. I thought creating an account would be the ticket here for following certain threads and getting targeted recommendations/advice.

Thanks and Godspeed!
Welcome.

Sent from my SM-A102U using Tapatalk
 
Welcome to the world o wetshaving friend you started off ona good foot with stirling its the best bang for the buck its almost impossible to find almost 6 oz (5.8) of soap for only 12-13 USD its cheap as chips
I recommend you try their edt colognes they last all day (for me atleast I can still catch some whiffs 8-9 hours later) and at 25 bucks for a 50ml its a nice price plus they have tons of scents
 
Thanks, that might be helpful. At recommendation from several, I have been sticking with Astra SPs to start with and getting a good feel for them with my razor, but I have acquired a couple of blade samplers and have a lot to dive into.
I did the same route with a sampler, and had a lot of people recommend the Astra SPs, but I couldn't get good results with them despite repeated attempts. Now, Astra SS, on the other hand, has been a revelation. Paired with either the Slim or the Red Tip, I get the best shaves. I generally go for BBS, which I understand can really dull a razor quickly, so most razors don't give me more than two good shaves. With the SS, I can go four. It took some learning, as it felt very rough the first couple times I used it, but now it's a dream.
 
Thanks for the input @slimshavy. I am almost finished with my third pack of Astra SPs - so that's probably something to the tune of 40-50 shaves at the rate I have been using them.

They are fine, and since I'm used to them, I loaded them into the two new (to me) razors I received recently. Nicked myself a bit with that blade in a Gillette Tech, which didn't surprise me, as I know every razor is going to require some acclimation.

I don't know if it's the blade or my own newness to DE shaving, but I definitely have to do three passes to get a uniformly DFS (haven't achieved BBS as yet) shave. I have been holding off on trying any other blades - taking my cue from learning to smoke a pipe (sticking with one blend in different pipes for a while until one gets the method down) - but now I'm wondering if I should take a familiar razor and pop a new blade in it.
 
Wow, @djmillard , that's some serious research on that blade type! The different razors definitely have their own magic with certain blades. For me, the 34C really liked LOI Titanium blades (these absolutely dirt cheap blades that come in some sampler packs). Super smooth and lasting, with no irritation. But that same blade in a Slim just doesn't cut it.
 
Thanks, that might be helpful. At recommendation from several, I have been sticking with Astra SPs to start with and getting a good feel for them with my razor, but I have acquired a couple of blade samplers and have a lot to dive into. I have had a hard time finding a chart or guide to how some of these blades differ in comfort/sharpness - just mixed comments. Then again, that's such an effort that what I'm after may not exist.
Welcome from another Midwesterner! The thing about blades is that everyone has a different experience with the same blade. That is why you will find many comments ending in YMMV. For instance, I find Astra SPs to be rough feeling on my skin contributing to irritation, but it is probably the most popular blade among shavers. Blade samplers are the way to go so you can discover which blades work well for you and which do not.
 
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