well as of 20 minutes ago I am now wet shaving unless I have absolutely no other choice. My first go was with my Vikings blade "godfather" de and a blade that came with it that I was told by Vikings blade is neutral for beginners. Lathered with my gentleman Jon badger brush from the sample of chiseled face "midnight stag" and used sandalwood preshave oil. Overall the experience was extremely pleasant and calming but the razor is either not aggressive enough or I need different blades in that razor because I could not seem to get even close to a good shave without 3 passes. May try my Gentleman Jon razor and a Wilkenson Sword blade or the blade I used tonight tomorrow just for kicks.
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- Thread starter DocHoliday0831
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Welcome aboard! Suggest you read through the wiki and look at some videos! Best of luck!
Congratulations, TJ. You will always remember your first time.
Welcome to B&B. Wilkies are great blades, but make sure they are German made (black tuck/white insert.
Another couple of blades to consider are Gillette Silver Blue and Gillette 7 o"Clock SS (Green, made in Russia)
Check out the site Try-A-Blade. You can buy as few as one or as many blades as you like. Great way to sample different blades without committing to getting more than you want of a blade you don't like.
Mikey
Another couple of blades to consider are Gillette Silver Blue and Gillette 7 o"Clock SS (Green, made in Russia)
Check out the site Try-A-Blade. You can buy as few as one or as many blades as you like. Great way to sample different blades without committing to getting more than you want of a blade you don't like.
Mikey
I've not used the Viking blades, but I'd venture to say you could probably get a very decent shave out of them once you've got your technique worked out a bit. When I started DE shaving I, like many others, swapped around between blades looking for "the one", but I now find I can get a good shave out of most of them. Having said that, there are one of two real duds around, and I suppose the Viking could be one of those.
Well done, TJ. You're over the hump. The shaves only get better.
+1
Please don't take it the wrong way but if you are finding that you need to do 3 passes to get all the hair it is most likely technique. My 2 cents is try all your razors for the fun of it if you like but then settle into one for a little bit and work on your technique. Even after doing this for a while I don't get quite as good shaves initially when hopping between razors as when I got one dialed in so to speak. Play with you angle a little and go slow. You should get some audible feedback from the blade when you got it just right.
Most importantly though good luck and enjoy!!!
Welcome TJ, glad you decided to join us. Half the fun is finding the razors that make your morning shave enjoyable.
Welcome to B&B and the new great obsession. It's amazing how it really changes your perspective on grooming when you get a good shave. Also if you have any questions ask away!
- Thread starter
- #10
Technique could very well be the issue. I noticed audible differences when the angle changed as well as if I tried to take too long of a stroke. There also is noticeable difference in stubble in places on my face by feel and my neck is way smoother than my cheeks. My thought is I will try this razor for a week and then change to the other for a week and then back to see if I can tell which I like better. Weight wise I like the Viking better than the gentleman Jon and there is visibly more blade showing on the gentleman Jon than the Vikings so my thought was the gentleman Jon is more aggressive. I did notice that as I lathered for each pass the second and third were progressively smoother lather than the first. Seems that this is a learn something new each time I practice it situation and I will enjoy it more with each session. All in all cartridge saves me nothing time wise as it didn't take any longer really to shave this way and my wife said this morning that my face is noticeably softer (not sure what that means)
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- Thread starter
- #11
Shave #2 after shower day 1 was pre shower.
Same exact blade and Vikings razor with chiseled face soap (different scent) same brush technique and pre-shave oil. Shave was every bit as pleasant but the results are much better tonight than last night. Maybe shaving after shower for me is the key.
Same exact blade and Vikings razor with chiseled face soap (different scent) same brush technique and pre-shave oil. Shave was every bit as pleasant but the results are much better tonight than last night. Maybe shaving after shower for me is the key.
Glad to hear. There is a learning curve and I found it pretty steep. You will get better fast. Stick with it.
Sounds like you're off to a good start. An enjoyable shave is the most important part. Closer longer lasting shaves will come with time.
Good work! Keep it up!
- Thread starter
- #15
I got a message from Vikings Blade via email that said that the blades that come with it were designed so that beginners would learn proper technique through having to make multiple passes. Not sure how exactly that happens. The message also said that once comfortable with the mechanics of de shaving then switch to a different blade and the full use of the razor would be noticeable.
Welcome aboard! The main thing is to focus on technique as noted by OP. I suggest you also read through the wiki.
There is a mantra here in the community: "reduction, not removal". Consecutive passes are not that uncommon, as the goal is to reduce the length of the whisker progressively, as opposed to obliterating them.
Most of us were used to cartridges. "Carts" peel away everything in one pass (including skin!). That "super close" shave can later turn into bumps, as it happened with me nearly every time. The single blade requires more passes, but the skin will not suffer nearly as much.
Also, my beard grows in all different directions all over my face. When I committed these patterns to memory, stuff got a lot better, as I learned to work, first with the grain (WTG), then across (XTG) and against the grain (ATG) for that final polish...
About 70% of DE shavers use 3-passes. It is about progressive beard reduction with successive passes in different directions; usually with the last pass being against the grain. It is different from the multi blade cartridge shave so technique is different.
Avoid changes in the first few weeks till you establish good technique and preparation. Not familiar with those razors so cannot advise you on them.
Welcome
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