Novice shaver seeking advice

[Dustin.]

Greetings everyone,

After watching Manic59's well-made videos on YouTube, I have decided to take the plunge into traditional shaving.

However, I do not know too much about the different types of razors and such, and although I have done a bit of research myself, I am hoping to get some advice from the shaving experts on this forum.

First, I am looking into buying this razor- Merkur Model 38 Hd Classic "Barber Pole" Long Safety Razor - would this be a good option for a beginner? I am interested in a quality razor that will last a lifetime, but at a reasonable price. Also, what about the comb vs. no-comb issue?

Second, regarding the shaving brush, I am considering the Tweezerman brush (currently retails for about $13 on Amazon). I know that badger hair is the way to go, so would this be a good starter brush?

Finally, is it generally recommended to use shaving soaps or creams? I am primarily interested in price, however, I do want a comfortable shave as well.

Thank you all for any advice you can me on this topic.

 

[media]

Greetings everyone,

After watching Manic59's well-made videos on YouTube, I have decided to take the plunge into traditional shaving.

However, I do not know too much about the different types of razors and such, and although I have done a bit of research myself, I am hoping to get some advice from the shaving experts on this forum.

First, I am looking into buying this razor- Merkur Model 38 Hd Classic "Barber Pole" Long Safety Razor - would this be a good option for a beginner? I am interested in a quality razor that will last a lifetime, but at a reasonable price. Also, what about the comb vs. no-comb issue?

Second, regarding the shaving brush, I am considering the Tweezerman brush (currently retails for about $13 on Amazon). I know that badger hair is the way to go, so would this be a good starter brush?

Finally, is it generally recommended to use shaving soaps or creams? I am primarily interested in price, however, I do want a comfortable shave as well.

Thank you all for any advice you can me on this topic.

Thats a great razor to start with. Merkurs are great. Open comb doesnt improve anythign really, more a preference. It's supposed to be better for thick bears but I could never tell the difference.

The tweezerman is good as well, that is what I started with. After a year, I decided to move up to a better brush. I am glad I learned with the tweezerman. Dont buy a super expensive brush right away. Just a normal badger brush like this will work fine.

The one cream you should start with is proraso or CO Bigelow (same thing rebranded). You can get it at Bath and Body Works for about $10. Once you get used to lathering that, move on to a soap. Van Der hagen is a good starting soap, you can find it at most CVS, RiteAid, etc for about $2. Proraso also makes a soap.

Good luck out there.

 

[Go West Young Man]

Let me solve all your problems in one quick link!

http://gentlemensbest.com/ShavingKits.aspx

 

[Dustin.]

The one cream you should start with is proraso or CO Bigelow (same thing rebranded). You can get it at Bath and Body Works for about $10. Once you get used to lathering that, move on to a soap. Van Der hagen is a good starting soap, you can find it at most CVS, RiteAid, etc for about $2. Proraso also makes a soap.

Good luck out there.

Thanks for the quick response.

Is there a reason why you recommend to start out with a cream and then move up to a soap? are the soaps considered to be better quality?

Also, I've seen the YouTube videos where Manic59 creates his lather using a bowl and he mentions that is his preferred method, but I haven't seen him create lather using a puck of soap. Do most people just create the lather on their face after applying the soap to their brush, or in a bowl on top of the puck?

Thanks again!

 

[media]

Thanks for the quick response.

Is there a reason why you recommend to start out with a cream and then move up to a soap? are the soaps considered to be better quality?

Also, I've seen the YouTube videos where Manic59 creates his lather using a bowl and he mentions that is his preferred method, but I haven't seen him create lather using a puck of soap. Do most people just create the lather on their face after applying the soap to their brush, or in a bowl on top of the puck?

Thanks again!

That's all preference. Soap isn't better than cream, or vice versa.Soaps are a little tough to lather if you havent done it before, I had some trouble my first tries at it. Cream is a lot easier to lather at first in my opinion.

Mantic does use a soap, but his video is kind of misleading. I went by his video when I was learning and found it it wasnt 100% right. He swirls the brush on the soap for like 2 seconds, you really need more like 15-20. You dont need mounds of lather, just a nice slick coat. You dont need to look like santa claus.

I prefer to lather on my face and forget the bowl. I did start out using a bowl though, which I admit helped the learning process. it's a little easier to experiment with water ratios, etc.

It's really up to you how you want to start. You'll get it eventually. Took me a solid month probably, before it became a normal routine and I didnt really have to think about each step while shaving. Stay away from Merkur blades btw. Try out a sampler pack from westcoastshaving.com or another vendor.

good luck!

 

[takeshi]

However, I do not know too much about the different types of razors and such, and although I have done a bit of research myself, I am hoping to get some advice from the shaving experts on this forum.

First, I am looking into buying this razor- Merkur Model 38 Hd Classic "Barber Pole" Long Safety Razor - would this be a good option for a beginner? I am interested in a quality razor that will last a lifetime, but at a reasonable price. Also, what about the comb vs. no-comb issue?

I know that badger hair is the way to go

Finally, is it generally recommended to use shaving soaps or creams?

This won't help you much but these are all matters of subjective preference really.

Merkurs aren't a bad beginner's razor since everyone is familiar with them but you'll have to figure out what you prefer. The EJ DE89L is also very popular.

Badger versus boar is your call to make. Badger's the "way to go" if you prefer it.

As for soaps versus creams, I think most find creams easier to start with but soaps aren't really that difficult to get the hang of in my experience. I also started out bowl lathering and found it easy to learn that way. I mostly face lather these days but hit the bowl every once in a while.

 

[Dustin.]

Media, thanks again for your response.

Now I can't wait to finally order all this stuff and throw my multi-blade razor in the trash!

However, I have one last question regarding shaving technique:

What would you recommend for proper shaving technique? I was looking at doing a three pass, with two passes going with the grain and the final pass going against the grain.

Do you think that would be sufficient? or do you think a "cross grain" pass is necessary?

 

[Elmfuzz]

It's again, all preference or what suits you. There's guides to what works for some people, but that's what works for them. Unfortunately, what works best for you is probably something you'll have to work out for yourself.

On the soaps thing, a 5 ounce puck of say Mitchells wool fat can last up to a year for me. So really, per shave, it's cheap.
I hope it goes well for you

 

[media]

Media, thanks again for your response.

Now I can't wait to finally order all this stuff and throw my multi-blade razor in the trash!

However, I have one last question regarding shaving technique:

What would you recommend for proper shaving technique? I was looking at doing a three pass, with two passes going with the grain and the final pass going against the grain.

Do you think that would be sufficient? or do you think a "cross grain" pass is necessary?

No problem man, happy to help.

I would do a 3 pass-with the grain, across, then against it. If you do the same type of pass more than once, you'll see you arent cutting much. The three passes I suggested will get you great results. I do it every morning and covers any direction the stubble is growing. Dont underestimate the xtg pass, it can really help.

And of course... remember to go slow and use absolutely NO pressure. Let the weight of the razor do the work, you just guide it where it needs to go.

The hardest thing for me was getting used to the pressure you need to use. You'll be applying pressure to the razor without even knowing it since that is all you've ever known. It's not going to be perfect right out of the gate, but you'll really know when you're getting better with your technique.

 

[Go West Young Man]

I was looking at doing a three pass, with two passes going with the grain and the final pass going against the grain.

So, we should expect a thread "Help, my face is on fire and bleeding!" from you soon?

No, seriously, for the first week, stick to 2 WTG passes. You won't be terribly happy with the results, but it's a necessary part of the learning curve. After a week or so, replace the 2nd WTG with an XTG pass and stick with that for a while. If you get comfortable, add another XTG in the opposite direction. Only when you get good at that should you consider ATG.

Now, based on everyone's experiences here, 2 things are likely to happen:

1. You're going to rush ATG, and pay the price. We all do, because we are men and don't like to follow the instructions.

2. About a month in, you'll realize that your facial hair grows in weird directions, and what you THOUGHT was WTG/XTG/ATG really isn't on a large portion of your face. How we lived our whole lives without realizing this is a mystery, but there you have it.

 

[GDCarrington]

Welcome Aboard!

 

[Luc]

Welcome to B&B!

I would recommend reading this page: http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index.php/Getting_started_wetshaving

The razor and brush are good choices to start. A razor blade sample pack is a must when you start, there's an example in the link above. Try to get a minimum of 4 brands.

The shaving soap vs. shaving cream. IMO, shaving soap give a better result but shaving cream is easier to work with. I would then recommend a shaving cream. Something like Proraso is a sure value. Omega shaving cream is pretty good too, very similar to proraso but less menthol.

 

[Mickey the Shoe]

Welcome to B&B!

I was in much the same place a few months ago! The Merkurs as everybody has pointed out are very good (I have the 34C). Proraso, seems to be the consensus and for good reason, i have the soap, which is more like a hard cream, so you get the best of both worlds, but you can't go wrong with any Proraso product. The blade sampler is a good call too, you never know what blade will be right for you, it varies by a lot person to person. Going back I'd try yo find one with with Astra Superior Platinums, Gillette 7 O'clock greens, Isreali Personnas, Feathers (save for a few weeks) and a bunch of others but those are the ones i have found to be reliable, you don't need all, just some... as always YMMV. All the best!

 

[franstjohn]

Welcome to B&B!