I checked in a month ago. Being a "Newbie" I was a little intimidated by the wealth of experienced DE shavers here. I decided to be a 'lurker" as I made my mistakes in learning. And yes, I made quite a few of them. Every mistake was covered by a topic in the forums. Of course I made many of them BEFORE I read the forum about them. Hindsight is 20/20.
As a newbie I developed a serious case of RAD. Amazing how a few dollars here and there can add up. At least I have something to show for the money spent.
I started with an old '76 Long Handled Black Beauty. It had severe alignment problems that I neglected to observe. Good lesson to learn early. I check every razor for blade alignment as a result. Razor Emporium made it look brand new. I still can't shave with it for some reason.
Switched to a Merkur 34. Couldn't seem to get the hang of it.
Parker 24C works well for me.
Rockwell 6S seems to be a sweet spot for me. Couple of weeks in and it still works well.
I can't seem to get the hang of TTO razors. I think the head is too big for me at the moment. Kind of crazy considering the size of the Rockwell head.
I played with blades. I have a machinist friend who thinks the talk about blades is crazy. He thinks a blade is a blade. He shaves with an 1950's Gillette fat handle with generic blades. I gave him a 7 O'clock yellow to use. After several nicks he is now a believer that blades have differences. I find Polsilver and Nacet blades work great for me. Not sure about Astra SP's or GSB's. Both are kind of rough for me. Maybe later on my technique will improve and they will be fine. A lesson on blade and razor matching learned as well.
I bowl lather. I got decent results with Omega Boar brush. I switched to a Badger brush and was amazed by the difference. My water is very hard so I use distilled water (thanks to the forums!).
I look forward to this new hobby/adventure I am on.
I will try to be an active participant from now on. Maybe another newbie can realize mistakes will be made and to hang in there.
Thank you to everyone on Badger and Blade!
As a newbie I developed a serious case of RAD. Amazing how a few dollars here and there can add up. At least I have something to show for the money spent.
I started with an old '76 Long Handled Black Beauty. It had severe alignment problems that I neglected to observe. Good lesson to learn early. I check every razor for blade alignment as a result. Razor Emporium made it look brand new. I still can't shave with it for some reason.
Switched to a Merkur 34. Couldn't seem to get the hang of it.
Parker 24C works well for me.
Rockwell 6S seems to be a sweet spot for me. Couple of weeks in and it still works well.
I can't seem to get the hang of TTO razors. I think the head is too big for me at the moment. Kind of crazy considering the size of the Rockwell head.
I played with blades. I have a machinist friend who thinks the talk about blades is crazy. He thinks a blade is a blade. He shaves with an 1950's Gillette fat handle with generic blades. I gave him a 7 O'clock yellow to use. After several nicks he is now a believer that blades have differences. I find Polsilver and Nacet blades work great for me. Not sure about Astra SP's or GSB's. Both are kind of rough for me. Maybe later on my technique will improve and they will be fine. A lesson on blade and razor matching learned as well.
I bowl lather. I got decent results with Omega Boar brush. I switched to a Badger brush and was amazed by the difference. My water is very hard so I use distilled water (thanks to the forums!).
I look forward to this new hobby/adventure I am on.
I will try to be an active participant from now on. Maybe another newbie can realize mistakes will be made and to hang in there.
Thank you to everyone on Badger and Blade!