Starting to begin

[Toucan]

As my first post, I guess a bit of background is in order.

I will be attending University of Florida soon. I started shaving at age 15 or 16. I have sensitive skin and still only a bit of undeveloped facial hair around my mouth and under my sideburns, but shaving is so fun and intriguing with this modernized old style...That's all the bio I can think of.

So I've ooh-ed at images of straight razors on google images for a long time, and awed at reading through stuff in this forum. I decided I would buy a nice Dovo one (vintage means used as far as I'm concerned ) after which (when I have a job and a decent income) I'd move onto one custom made (http://customstraightrazors.com/wordpress/hurricane-irene-3/). It's like straight razor sims - how exciting!


But you know, at this young age, living at parents' home, etc., my budget has so far allowed me only to wield a Gillette Fusion Proglide and some Gillette clear gel (goo in a can as I know this community calls it).

BUT! Recently, I went to a mall (Mall at Millenia) to find an Art of Shaving store! Deciding I had nothing better to do with $115, I bought:

1. http://www.theartofshaving.com/Shav...ving-soap&navid=shaving-products-shaving-soap

2. http://www.theartofshaving.com/Blac...=1&cgid=shaving-brushes&navid=shaving-brushes

I've been rearing to get into that whole bowl-and-brush style shaving, and had the pleasure of doing so today (granted, with a Gillette cartridge razor, but still)



Enough background, time for the serious stuff:
After deciding I'd follow through and buy a razor to go along with it, I came across some trouble.

1. I've always wanted to get into SR shaving, but not only are the razors more expensive, they are also more difficult to attain. Not to mention, I always felt like I'd wait until I was old enough to meet up with some professionals and have them take me seriously when I would ask them for details on stropping and honing. Should I just go DE? Or dare I even offer the possibility of remaining with the cartridge, as it as served me decently for as long as I've used it.

With respect to that question^, which route provides for the BBSest shave?

2. Secondly, if I /do/ in fact go DE route, it comes to this question: Astra or Merkur?

Coupled with this question is another, probably a symbol of my own ignorance when it comes to this matter: Can I buy a Merkur long handled DE razor (http://www.theartofshaving.com/Chro...zors-safety-razors&navid=razors-safety-razors) and later use Astra blades on the Merkur razor if I find the Merkur blades don't quite suit me (I've read people grow to either love or hate Merkur, and don't want to take that $80 risk).

3. Why on earth do some people have 10, 20, up to 50 razors!? One for...every week in the year? haha I can't imagine ever needing more than one. But one of the threads on this forum made me wonder.

4. When did you start shaving 'classically'?

5. Crabree and Evylyn. Trumper. eShave. Art of Shaving. Trufitt and Hill. MUHLE. Taylor Old Bonds Street.

Given these brands, which works best for each of the following:
-pre shave oil
-shaving soap
-after shave balm/oil/splash

Thanks

 

[Saxman11290]

Welcome to the community!

You seem to have a lot of concerns at once, and I think a general rule you will find to answer most of your questions above, and perhaps in the future is YMMV (your milage may vary). A turn of phrase here, which at first, may seem uninformative and perhaps dismissive, but believe me, it has a lot of truth. It basically means that what works for some people just doesn't work for others. This may be due to preference, skin type, hair type, tap water conditions, and any other variety of factors. Now, with that in mind:

1) A good way to get into straight razors at a very reasonable price is to check out a website called whippeddog.com

A lot of members here have received their first straight from this website (including myself). It's a one man shop run by a very friendly and helpful gentleman who's only desire is to provide the tools people want to the people who want them at a very reasonable price. You will be buying a used straight if you go this route, but IMPORTANTLY, it will be "shave-ready", as in, the dealer will hone it for you before sending it out and it will be as sharp as you need it to be. These razors may have some cosmetic flaws, as they are previously owned, but hey, for just starting out and getting a decent razor for a very good price, there isn't much to complain about.

Mind you, straight razors may not be the way to go right off the bat! I started DE shaving and continued with it for a year and a half before I decided to get my first straight. I have had half a dozen or so shaves with my straight so far and have experienced a very difficult time with it compared to learning to shave with a DE. It's up to you, but I (and perhaps most members here) would recommend you start with a DE, learn the basics of building lather, face prep, aftershave stuff etc and THEN move over to straights once you get bored of DE or REALLY just can't wait to try a straight. I only say this because I would hate to see someone interested in this stuff have a lot of struggles with a straight razor right off the bat and get disenchanted and want to quit!

As per which provides a closer shave, I think the right DE and the right straight can probably provide comparable shaves. I personally haven't experienced a BBS from a straight yet, but that's because I'm still learning on it

2) Here's how it works. Most any DE razor is compatible with any DE blade! They are completely interchangeable. For instance, you can (and should) get one razor to start out with and purchase a variety of blades to see which one you like best (YMMV, see!) Different people have different preferences for which blade they like. To make things more complicated, certain blades perform better in certain razors than others, but don't worry about this just yet. You should look for a sampler pack of blades and try them out one by one and see if you notice any differences. One might feel "sharper" and less forgiving, and another might feel more "comfortable" and yet another may feel "rougher" and probably one you won't want to try again (these are the Derby's for me) The Merkur blade that will come with your razor, if you buy a merkur razor, is just one type of MANY types of DE blades that you should try and will work in your razor. Although I haven't used them as a vendor, I believe a decent sampler pack of blades is available at westcoastshaving.com

3) Why so many razors? Well, not EVERYONE has 50 razors . In fact, I only have 3 DE razors and one straight, and I'm pretty happy with that for now. I have a Merkur HD (34C model), which is a great beginner razor and my daily go-to, never lets me down. I also have an adjustable Gillette Fatboy, which is a nice second razor to get since it offers you the ability to adjust the blade exposure to make your shave more or less aggressive (also, maybe try different blades at different settings, as discussed above, YMMV!) The third razor is a vintage Gillette Goodwill that I wasn't even planning to acquire, but won in a giveaway! Haven't even tried that one out yet, in fact.

As per why some people like to have LOTS of razors, it's probably a combination of liking to collect things, liking to have options, wanting to experience all the different types of razors out there and see which one they REALLY like best. For most of us on a budget, this kind of collecting isn't practical or feasible, so we just stick with a few razors to have a little variety. At least, that's MY reasoning. Who knows, maybe you'll get really excited by new razors and wind up with 50+ razors yourself one day!

4) As I stated before, I started classic wet shaving about a year and a half ago. I did this because I noticed a recurring problem with ingrown hairs that I wanted to try to eliminate. My dermatologist recommended this type of shaving and I've been hooked ever since!

5) This one is a BIG YMMV!!! For now, you should probably just get one or two of each essential product. A soap, perhaps a cream and an aftershave splash or aftershave balm (or both). I say to get just one or two because at this stage in your learning experience you want to try to REDUCE as many variables as you can. The best way to learn this way of shaving is to go for consistency. Try to build a lather with the same soap, same brush, same technique, same razor, same blade type and see if you can get the same type of shave! THEN change one little thing at a time if your shave is sub-par. Perhaps your lather is a little dry, add a little water but keep everything else the same and see if it helps! Perhaps your lather is OK, but you are getting razor burn, maybe try a different blade type as the one you are using isn't agreeing with you. Or perhaps the blade is OK and it's your razor holding technique that needs work. Either way, experiment and only change one thing at a time to try to notice what is helping you improve and what is making things worse. There is no "formula" for wet shaving that will provide consistent success. This is a skill that everyone arrives to in their own time, given their own amount of practice and their own patience. Sure, some products are well respected and maintain a good reputation by most members here, but at the end of the day, it's still YMMV! The more you read on this forum, the more you will see that there is ALWAYS a spectrum of opinions on products / techniques etc. What's most important is that you do what works for YOU best!

Perhaps a good place to start is with a not as expensive cream that you know you can get a consistent lather out of. I recommend Proraso in the green tube. It won't set you back that much compared to a Taylor of Old Bond Street, Trumpers or Art of Shaving soap or cream, and it performs probably just as well as any of those, in my opinion. If you wind up not liking it, I will personally buy it off of you, since I know I like it that much!

I hope some of this information helps and is not too overwhelming at this time. I would suggest you do some more perusing around the forum, especially the Shave Wiki section which has a lot of great info summarized concisely. Another great resource are Mantic59's videos on youtube for tutorials on technique etc.

So again, welcome, and I hope you have as pleasant an experience with wet shaving as most of us here have daily!

 

[chado006]

Great information Charlie just gave. Welcome to B&B

 

[Invicta]

The straight razor will also depend on your ability to keep the edge in good condition i.e. stropping, but when you damage the edge by accident, you may be without a razor. When you are at university I would think the safe bet is a DE.

 

[Deadlyapollo]

Look into a model #180 merkur DE razor. They are cheap at around $30 and pick up a blade sample pack (feather, 7 o'clock blacks, and astra sp are quite popular) and give it a go. If you really enjoy that, move a step up to a disposable blade straight like a Parker sr1 or srw or Dovos shavette to learn how to hold it, and blade angle. Master that and i would say move on to a whippeddog straight. Yes you will have alot of razors (OK only two) but the experiance you get with each will allow you to attain the joy and knowledge of wet shaving and eliminate the frustration and ultimate giving up all together feeling.

 

[Toucan]

Thanks a lot for the information guys. One last thing; how smooth does DE and SR compare with cartridge?

Oh, and I prefer soap to cream, so I'm not going to switch to proraso. I find that AoS soap treats me well; I was able to get a lather all three times I tried it (it's not that difficult is it? I can't see why people have trouble when they start, it's just...brushing...right?). So from now on, I'll keep getting refills of that.

Also, I'm not going to do as you guys said - work my way up in stages - that won't be very cost effective, haha. If I were to get a Straight Razor (which I'm not going to yet) I'd just cash out and go for a nice one; because I know that nice one is something I'd get later and, no, I doubt I'd become "disenchanted" with it after a few imperfect shaves - I'm pretty determined/obsessive about some things haha.

With that said, that's how I'm treating the DE razor. I've decided to go Merkur. What now? What do you guys think?
The standard 34c one seems nice, but what turns me away is how "hefty" it is; I prefer to have a sleeker one (just out of stylistic preference).
I've heard good things about the Muhle R89, and am looking into that.
Merkur 180 - It's probably going to be this now that I am looking at it. Is it just the same thing as the 34c with a longer handle? Is it adjustable? I think I'm leaning toward this.

Thanks

 

[Tannhauser]

Oh, and I prefer soap to cream, so I'm not going to switch to proraso. I find that AoS soap treats me well; I was able to get a lather all three times I tried it (it's not that difficult is it? I can't see why people have trouble when they start, it's just...brushing...right?). So from now on, I'll keep getting refills of that.

A lot depends on the water you're using (hard vs. soft), how much water you're using, how much product you're using, and the brush you're using. That's why some people have problems getting a good lather. Of course, if you truly wish to be "one of us," then you won't be able to stop at just one soap.
Many of the top recommended soaps cost less than half of what the AoS soaps cost (Mitchell's Wool Fat, Tabac, Cella, etc.). Although I still intend to pick up an AoS soap eventually for my collection.

I can't comment on straight razors, though. I know the limits of my own hand/eye coordination, so I have no desire to accidentally slice open my throat while shaving.

 

[Niles]

Welcome to B&B.