Newbie says Hi!

[Handy]

Just thought I would say hi to everyone here and introduce myself. I'm Andrew and I have to say you have one great site! Just stumbled over here tonight looking for info on brushes.

A little history about myself, thick beard, hate shaving, sensitive skin, and have always looked for a better way at doing it. I've used the Gillette sensor excels since it came out. I've used all the Mach 3, 4, 5, and whatever there at now but hated them. The two blades of the excel was just enough for me. I also wanted to try a good electric razor but never went that route because you just can't get a close enough shave having a thick beard.

I'm a bit of a product whore when it comes to moisturizers and after-shave balms. I've tried alot and spent alot also...LOL
I'll be able to add to some of the reviews in this area in the days ahead. The best after-shave balm that I have tried and currently been using for the past two years is the Kiehl's "The Ultimate Men's After-Shave Balm and Moisturizer".
This stuff is white gold and anyone who hasn't tried it I highly recommend it. Yes, it's a bit pricey but well worth it. I also use the Kiehl's Ultra Facial Moisturizer daily, very good and light.

Well I needed change when it came to shaving. It just seems like a chore some days and I hate the irritated and razor burn skin. I just get lazy sometimes so that doesn't help either. I know I have stumbled on the best way to get the best possible shave for my beard here. It will take a bit longer to shave but when I master the art I think I'll be looking forward to the next shave.

So I went out today and bought The Art Of Shaving Lavender shaving cream and some of their pre-shave lavender oil. From what I read the pre-shave oil is a waste and a probably agree now. I was only planning to change shaving creams but the guy at the store got me thinking I should invest in a brush. I decided too a little while ago after reading through this forum. With all the good reviews and decent price, Crabtree & Evelyn $35 brush seems to fit the bill. I do not feel like dropping $300 bucks on a brush right now. You guys can chime in at any point here but hurry up because I'm heading out tomorrow to buy one.

So this leads me to a DE safety razor and blades. The Merkur "Hefty Classic" or heavy duty seems to be popular here. It's out of stock at classicshaving.com so anyone knows where I could find one or is this even the razor I would want? The older Gillette’s with the adjustable settings seem nice also. Need your advice in the razor area please. There also seems to be some pretty good deals on e-Bay for packs of a 100 blades. Are this crap or what?
I guess I'll have alot to learn in the weeks ahead on how to shave again but I'm looking forward to it. I'm also looking forward to never buying a can of Gillette gel shaving cream! So many other options now...
Cheers

 

[joel]

Hello and welcome!
As far as the shaving brush goes - for your first brush the $35 C&E should work PERFECT for ya! No real need to spend any more on your first brush than $35. As far as finding a Merkur HD - I highly recommend Charles at QED USA - he has the HD and at an outstanding price. For more info on diff DE's might want to check out the DE Buyers Guide.

Once again - Welcome!

 

[rtaylor61]

Andrew,

Welcome to the madness we call shaving. Based on your post, it sounds like you'll fit right in!

I'll second everything Joel said...good sage advice. I have the C&E best brush, and it's one of my cheapest, and one of my favorites. There is a lot you can learn from the brush. Once you've used it, you'll be able to decide it you want a larger brush, a softer or more firm brush, a bigger handle, or you may decide that the C&E brush is the "mama bear" brush...just right!

When you pick up the C&E brush, be sure to get samples of their shaving creams! I use the Almond, Sienna and Nomad. Most here also like the Sandalwood (I'm just not a big sandalwood fan, regardless of brand).

The good news, with just a couple of adjustments, you'll find that you no longer hate shaving, but look forward to it. Just remember, you won't achieve perfect shaves in the beginning, and your face will have to adjust to your new tools as you perfect your technique. But in the long run, you'll find that this is definitely worth the effort!

Randy

 

[roughrider]

Well, the guys pointed you in the right direction. The Merkur HD and C&E brush will serve you well. If you want to try a variety of blades then check out the link below.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=2379

 

[Austin]

Another good place for DEs is www.leesrazors.com . Welcome aboard.

 

[Kyle]

Andrew,

Welcome to B&B. It looks as though you've been given some excellent advice on gear. Be sure to keep us posted on your progress.

 

[DoubleE]

Welcome Andrew! There's always room for another "product whore"! (Not that there are any here mind you)

 

[Handy]

Thanks everyone for all the great advice. I will follow through and purchase the C&E brush today and get samples of shaving cream...
I'll will certainly be stopping by Truefitt & Hill on next few days to have a smell.
So many choices for a DE... For my full beard the Merkur "Slant Bar" seems to fit the bill but I'm scared...LOL
Seriously, this would be the best fit but should I bother for a first razor?
Also, what a great idea by letterk on the blades. I hope he has some packages left because this would be the best way to try blades out.

There is also this huge antique store with many different vendors I'll be walking by today. They surely should have some safety razors around. I'll have to stop by. At this point I think I would only buy an adjustable Gillette from there.

Happy shaving.

 

[joel]

Thanks everyone for all the great advice. I will follow through and purchase the C&E brush today and get samples of shaving cream...
I'll will certainly be stopping by Truefitt & Hill on next few days to have a smell.
So many choices for a DE... For my full beard the Merkur "Slant Bar" seems to fit the bill but I'm scared...LOL
Seriously, this would be the best fit but should I bother for a first razor?
Also, what a great idea by letterk on the blades. I hope he has some packages left because this would be the best way to try blades out.

There is also this huge antique store with many different vendors I'll be walking by today. They surely should have some safety razors around. I'll have to stop by. At this point I think I would only buy an adjustable Gillette from there.

Happy shaving.

Well - many seasoned wetshavers have a hard time with the slant bar because it requires a different angle than a standard DE - so I suppose if you start WITH the slant bar and chant "ABSOLUTLY ZERO pressure" the entire time - you'd probably be ok. It would be the most effective razor for you - without question - but you would REALLY have to stick with it for a few weeks to get the hang of it, and at first you might receive awful shaves with a lot of irritation. It is an amazing tool but it is NOT as user friendly as a merkur HD. Most guys who "think" they have tough beards when it comes to Mach III's, sensors, etc - are amazed at how efortlessly a DE glides through their beard growth. The Slant bar is for literally wolfs - guys who should probably shave 2-3X a day - but for normal to tough beards - it delivers literally - a baby face.

Basically the learning curve/difference between the HD and slant is like the difference between learning how to drive a car with an automatic transmission - versus learning how to ride a motorcycle with a manual transmission.... the auto you can for the most part jump in and drive and get the hang of very quickly. The motorcycle - there is a lot more going on, there is more attention/balance required, and mistakes are punished much worse if you screw up.

Not to say you couldn't learn the slant and do so in a week or two - but keep in mind, on the same token as your FIRST DE - you may hack yourself up so bad you quit all together.... just be of the mindset - "In for a penny in for a pound" and if you go for it - keep at it until you get it right.

Still -I would recommend an HD - as you could use it, get the hang of it, enjoy it, take the time and master it, and THEN if you decide you need a more aggressive razor - you can tackle the slant knowing you like DE's, they work for you, the basic technique/feel, and have a general idea of how to use the slant. Also - merkur HD's don't sit around too long in the for sale/trade forum - so if you purchased one, used it and decided you needed a more aggressive razor - you are probably only looking at around a $10 loss on the thing, and then you can put the $ received from the sale towards a slant (which is th esame cost) then you are only out of pocket another $10 or so.... so when you consider you could basically try an HD and upgrade to a slant for only $20 more than the cost of the slant, that is the route i'd recommend.

As far as Gillette DE's.... I am sorry but I can never endorse them. I have had more than 2 dozen of them and not a single one shaved me nearly as well as a merkur - if you have a tough beard - I don't think you'll find the gillette to be suitable. Also - I would recommend you NOT get an adjustable (if you do buy a gillette) as it will just over complicate things and make it harder for you to learn.

Hope this helps

 

[Handy]

I Bought my first brush today. The lady working at C&E wasn't very helpfull (she was new). I originally bought the natural bristle one ($25) and realized when I got home it was the wrong one. Walked back to the store and traded it for best badger brush (so I thought). I ended getting the ivory travel shaving brush. I'm not going back a third time. Is this brush the same as the best badger brush but smaller?

They also didn't have any samples of shaving cream.
She said they don't have them in Canada. I find that hard to believe.

I also stopped by a Precision Edge store and they had a couple of Merkurs. The "classic" I believe and either the "Futur" or Vision". The classic I think was 50 CDN. I asked if she could order other models in but she didn't know if she could. She had to ask her manager and they would call me back during the week. Kinda tired of sales people not knowing anything today, I told her I would just stop back at another time.

So is there a big difference with the C&E "Ivory Travel Shaving Brush" and the "Best Badger Shaving Brush" ?

 

[rtaylor61]

Andrew,

I have both the travel brush and the $35 best brush. They are very different. The travel brush is a pure badger, the other is best badger. You definitely want the best badger brush. There is nothing wrong with the travel brush, but it is a bit small for daily use.

Randy

 

[roughrider]

They also didn't have any samples of shaving cream.
She said they don't have them in Canada. I find that hard to believe.

Maybe this lady didn't know. They usually have the product displayed on the counter with a tester label. When you request a sample, they fill a tiny white tub for you from the tester.