Greetings and salutations B&B members! As you can see from my join date and post count, I am a new member on the forums. Aside from that, I am also a relatively new wet shaver. In fact, today is the start of my 7th full week of using a DE safety razor!
Now, having come of age in the mid-1990s, I had always been a disposable cartridge guy. I initially cut my teeth (among other things) with those multi-pack single use disposables, then progressed to the Mach 3 (quite the substantial upgrade actually) and finally on to the Fusion/ProGlide razors which remained my status quo for quite a while. Eventually (by the time I was 39), things came to a head when I was once again confronted with buying an expensive pack of cartridge refills. That, combined with my folding knife acquisition disorder, lead me to look into the world of DE safety razors... and so it began.
After researching for the better part of a week, I finally hopped on Amazon and ordered up a Merkur 34C and some Feather blades. My first shave with that kit went well enough, I must admit. I ended up using the Merkur blade that came with my SR, along with my on-hand go to shaving cream (Kiehl's Ultimate Brushless Shaving Cream). 2 passes, 1 weeper, and some minor irritation on my neck later and I had a decent/relatively drama free shave! Great success! My next shave was pretty much identical, so I decided it was time to use the Feathers. This also went well until I decided to do a 3 pass on my 2nd Feather shave (4th DE shave ever) with the 3rd pass being against the grain.
This was a mistake.
After letting my face heal (and removing an inordinate amount of ingrown hair), I went back to my 2 pass technique (with the second being across the grain) and got more than acceptable results. Fast forward about a week and I decided this was going to be a thing for me, so I went all in.
After about 2 cumulative weeks worth of wet shaves, I went on an online shopping spree. I ended up ordering a Semogue SOC brush (tri-band badger hair), DR Harris Windsor shaving soap/bowl, Lucky Tiger aftershave, Osma alum block, lather bowl, 100 blade sampler pack, and a Timeless Razor Ti95 with the scalloped bar and smooth head... with that last bit of kit taking me much longer to mull over as I wanted to "buy once, cry once".
Now, after using this setup for about a month, I am quite comfortable with my razor/brush/soap combination. The angle I hold the razor at, the amount of pressure I use, getting a proper lather, and adequately applying said lather to my face are all becoming second nature. I honestly feel that, at the moment, my main challenge is finding the right blade. I've only managed to work through about half the brands in my sampler pack, and out of those I feel that the Crystals, Dorco Titans, Astra Platinums and (oddly) Derby Extras have given me the best shaves so far... however I am very well aware that this can and will change as I further refine my technique and try new soaps, etc.
All that being said, have I already found the "one razor to rule them all"? Could it be that I've stumbled upon the Holy Grail this early in my quest?...Or is this just a grail shaped beacon that's leading me astray from fully realizing my SR acquisition disorder? I suppose only time will tell about the Timeless, but I can honestly say that I currently have no desire to pick up a different razor. Brushes, soaps, DE blades, aftershaves, and lotions/balms on the other hand, are a different story altogether! Im sure my wife and my bank account will love that.
In any regard, thanks for sticking around if you made it this far through my pointless and rambling post. Cheers!
-Joe
Now, having come of age in the mid-1990s, I had always been a disposable cartridge guy. I initially cut my teeth (among other things) with those multi-pack single use disposables, then progressed to the Mach 3 (quite the substantial upgrade actually) and finally on to the Fusion/ProGlide razors which remained my status quo for quite a while. Eventually (by the time I was 39), things came to a head when I was once again confronted with buying an expensive pack of cartridge refills. That, combined with my folding knife acquisition disorder, lead me to look into the world of DE safety razors... and so it began.
After researching for the better part of a week, I finally hopped on Amazon and ordered up a Merkur 34C and some Feather blades. My first shave with that kit went well enough, I must admit. I ended up using the Merkur blade that came with my SR, along with my on-hand go to shaving cream (Kiehl's Ultimate Brushless Shaving Cream). 2 passes, 1 weeper, and some minor irritation on my neck later and I had a decent/relatively drama free shave! Great success! My next shave was pretty much identical, so I decided it was time to use the Feathers. This also went well until I decided to do a 3 pass on my 2nd Feather shave (4th DE shave ever) with the 3rd pass being against the grain.
This was a mistake.
After letting my face heal (and removing an inordinate amount of ingrown hair), I went back to my 2 pass technique (with the second being across the grain) and got more than acceptable results. Fast forward about a week and I decided this was going to be a thing for me, so I went all in.
After about 2 cumulative weeks worth of wet shaves, I went on an online shopping spree. I ended up ordering a Semogue SOC brush (tri-band badger hair), DR Harris Windsor shaving soap/bowl, Lucky Tiger aftershave, Osma alum block, lather bowl, 100 blade sampler pack, and a Timeless Razor Ti95 with the scalloped bar and smooth head... with that last bit of kit taking me much longer to mull over as I wanted to "buy once, cry once".
Now, after using this setup for about a month, I am quite comfortable with my razor/brush/soap combination. The angle I hold the razor at, the amount of pressure I use, getting a proper lather, and adequately applying said lather to my face are all becoming second nature. I honestly feel that, at the moment, my main challenge is finding the right blade. I've only managed to work through about half the brands in my sampler pack, and out of those I feel that the Crystals, Dorco Titans, Astra Platinums and (oddly) Derby Extras have given me the best shaves so far... however I am very well aware that this can and will change as I further refine my technique and try new soaps, etc.
All that being said, have I already found the "one razor to rule them all"? Could it be that I've stumbled upon the Holy Grail this early in my quest?...Or is this just a grail shaped beacon that's leading me astray from fully realizing my SR acquisition disorder? I suppose only time will tell about the Timeless, but I can honestly say that I currently have no desire to pick up a different razor. Brushes, soaps, DE blades, aftershaves, and lotions/balms on the other hand, are a different story altogether! Im sure my wife and my bank account will love that.
In any regard, thanks for sticking around if you made it this far through my pointless and rambling post. Cheers!
-Joe
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