Hi, my name is Doug and I just wanted to check in and make my first posting.
At the beginning of the year I decided that instead of replacing my Norelco rotary head razor, I would look into wet shaving.
I first started shaving early 1970's with a very light beard, I think I used my dad's old brass Gillette DE a few times, a butterfly style is all I can remember. The Gillette Trak II was getting popular and I used one for many years, but the styptic pencil got used every day also. I have since used only electric razors for probably 30 years but have never been satisfied with the results. They always irritate my neck and do a poor job there also. And at $75-$150 every 3-4 years plus new heads that only last a couple of weeks, expensive and won't touch my 3-4 day old growth, necessitating a daily shave.
Now to my shaving rig, I only did a little research mainly on amazon and got The Amazon Choice which was the Viking Blades Chieftain at just under $40. They also sent me a tin of pre-shave at no cost.
1. My first shave 3 weeks ago I used the supplied mild blades and Barbasol in the can. I had watched a few video's and got through the first shave with only a few nicks, but it was far from comfortable.
2. The second week I got some Cremo, and Feather, Astra, and Derby blades to try.
I used the Astra and Cremo with better results.
3. The third week I tried the Derby blades once, got a very clean shave on my face and butchered my neck.
By now I had noticed the lack of reviews of my Chieftain on many of the forums, including this one, and ordered a Feather Popular with blades for $16. I tried it once nervously, and it felt the same way as with my Chieftain with Derby's----scary and lots of nicks.
4. End of week 3 using my Chieftain with Viking blades and rarely getting a good comfortable shave every 2 days, I saw a Geofatboy video on how to shave ATG with NO irritation. The technique involved holding the razor straight out at 90 degrees and tipping it slightly till the blade just thinly slices off the top of the hair without touching your face.
I grabbed my Feather and tried it DRY on a small patch of my face and chin and was very surprised the hair was gone and NO irritation.
By now I also have a Viking White Knight synthetic brush and a tub of Taylor Old Bond cream to try out.
5. I tried the Feather with the Hi Stainless blades supplied with the razor, the Viking brush and Taylor Old Bond lather holding the razor with my fingertips almost against the head with light pressure tipping it till the blade just barely touched my face, the comb no where near my face at all, listening for audible feedback( a new term to me). I gently rocked it under my neck re-lathered a few times and got a DFS with no nicks or cuts at all!!!
MY FIRST DFS!!! Even a few of my buddies at work noticed my clean shave.
6. Yesterday I tried the Chieftain using the same technique and have put it back in it's very nice suede leather case. It is after all, a very beautiful razor and looks very well crafted.
7. OK, so by now I have determined my face is sensitive, my beard is not heavy but my hair is coarse. I measured it with a micrometer .003-.004" thick, hey, I am a machinist!
Good quality shaving products such as Cremo, Taylor Old Bond really do help.
Also a brush is a must for wet shaving.
Pre-shave creams, undecided.
Aftershave balm, any recommendations?
8. I feel a bout of RAD coming over me and I am on the fence here and completely open to suggestions, please keep in mind that I plan on using Feather Hi Stainless and Astra blades for my coarse hair. These are in the running for a mild newbie razor.
A. Gillette Ball End Tech 1955-1970, the 57-59's look nice to me.
B. Rockwell 6C
C. EJ89
D. Merkur 34c
E. ??????
F. Feather AS-D2
Thanks for being here
My dad passed a long time ago so I can't ask him for shaving advise.
I also have my grandpa's Joseph Rodger's & Sons SE razor and Raven honing stone.
Rosseforp
At the beginning of the year I decided that instead of replacing my Norelco rotary head razor, I would look into wet shaving.
I first started shaving early 1970's with a very light beard, I think I used my dad's old brass Gillette DE a few times, a butterfly style is all I can remember. The Gillette Trak II was getting popular and I used one for many years, but the styptic pencil got used every day also. I have since used only electric razors for probably 30 years but have never been satisfied with the results. They always irritate my neck and do a poor job there also. And at $75-$150 every 3-4 years plus new heads that only last a couple of weeks, expensive and won't touch my 3-4 day old growth, necessitating a daily shave.
Now to my shaving rig, I only did a little research mainly on amazon and got The Amazon Choice which was the Viking Blades Chieftain at just under $40. They also sent me a tin of pre-shave at no cost.
1. My first shave 3 weeks ago I used the supplied mild blades and Barbasol in the can. I had watched a few video's and got through the first shave with only a few nicks, but it was far from comfortable.
2. The second week I got some Cremo, and Feather, Astra, and Derby blades to try.
I used the Astra and Cremo with better results.
3. The third week I tried the Derby blades once, got a very clean shave on my face and butchered my neck.
By now I had noticed the lack of reviews of my Chieftain on many of the forums, including this one, and ordered a Feather Popular with blades for $16. I tried it once nervously, and it felt the same way as with my Chieftain with Derby's----scary and lots of nicks.
4. End of week 3 using my Chieftain with Viking blades and rarely getting a good comfortable shave every 2 days, I saw a Geofatboy video on how to shave ATG with NO irritation. The technique involved holding the razor straight out at 90 degrees and tipping it slightly till the blade just thinly slices off the top of the hair without touching your face.
I grabbed my Feather and tried it DRY on a small patch of my face and chin and was very surprised the hair was gone and NO irritation.
By now I also have a Viking White Knight synthetic brush and a tub of Taylor Old Bond cream to try out.
5. I tried the Feather with the Hi Stainless blades supplied with the razor, the Viking brush and Taylor Old Bond lather holding the razor with my fingertips almost against the head with light pressure tipping it till the blade just barely touched my face, the comb no where near my face at all, listening for audible feedback( a new term to me). I gently rocked it under my neck re-lathered a few times and got a DFS with no nicks or cuts at all!!!
MY FIRST DFS!!! Even a few of my buddies at work noticed my clean shave.
6. Yesterday I tried the Chieftain using the same technique and have put it back in it's very nice suede leather case. It is after all, a very beautiful razor and looks very well crafted.
7. OK, so by now I have determined my face is sensitive, my beard is not heavy but my hair is coarse. I measured it with a micrometer .003-.004" thick, hey, I am a machinist!
Good quality shaving products such as Cremo, Taylor Old Bond really do help.
Also a brush is a must for wet shaving.
Pre-shave creams, undecided.
Aftershave balm, any recommendations?
8. I feel a bout of RAD coming over me and I am on the fence here and completely open to suggestions, please keep in mind that I plan on using Feather Hi Stainless and Astra blades for my coarse hair. These are in the running for a mild newbie razor.
A. Gillette Ball End Tech 1955-1970, the 57-59's look nice to me.
B. Rockwell 6C
C. EJ89
D. Merkur 34c
E. ??????
F. Feather AS-D2
Thanks for being here
My dad passed a long time ago so I can't ask him for shaving advise.
I also have my grandpa's Joseph Rodger's & Sons SE razor and Raven honing stone.
Rosseforp
