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The New Guy, Again

Hey everyone,

Obviously, I am brand new to the wild, wonderful world of wet shaving. I'm so new that I'm completely stumped on what equipment I should even get for my first wet shave! I started doing research about a week and a half ago, and I just can't figure out which razor, brush, soap/lather, etc. to get. I currently work for a valet company in downtown Indianapolis and in February, I leave for Navy boot camp, which means this is a very valuable skill that I want to pick up for my clean-shaven jobs. So, without further ado, here are all of my most pressing questions.

First of all, which/what kind of razor should I get for my first experience? I'm the kind of fella that likes new stuff that has a classic taste to it, but I also have a deep appreciation for vintage items that were made the right way and are still exceptional over 50 years later. I feel like I have it almost narrowed down purely based on review and recommendations. I think I want to get either a new Merkur HD or a 1953 Gillette SS online OR a very pristine random DE razor from an antique store around here. Am I close? Show me the way!

Now, let's move on to the brush. From what I can tell, basically all I need to get is either a high end boar brush or an entry-level badger brush and stay away from synthetics. I'd like to possibly get a new, low-cost badger brush. Notice I didn't say cheap, just low cost. What kind of recommendations do you guys have for a good starter brush? I have a fairly limited budget (only being 20 with a decent job and no bills), so I won't be able to go get a new silver-tip offline and just bask in its glory.

Soap or cream? I need to know which is better (or at least pros and cons), and what a good entry-level one of either of those is.

Pre-Aftershaves? I'm coming from disposables/electric, and I am completely ignorant for what I should be using/doing for a great shaving experience.

What kind of blades should I start on? I really want to try a bunch of different ones and compare results. If a sample pack is in my future, which blades should I be sure it includes?

In addition, I am really eaten up in this whole aspect of the part of my morning routine that I've despised so long actually being enjoyable and effective. I love the idea of having a consistent, comfortable shave every time. Please help me out men! :001_smile
 
First, welcome to B&B. It is difficult to answer all your questions. I will start with razor blades. Check out West Coast Shaving. They have a great selection of 5 pack blades. Look around. Pick out maybe a half dozen and try them. Most members would recommend Derby, then maybe Pol Silver, a. 7 o'clock from gillette or two that are made in st.pete russia. Then a german like Wilkerson Sword black box and whatever looks interesting. Feathers are super sharp and not very forgiving for a starter, ger some experience. I personally have tried them all over the years and each is different. The nice thing about WCS is very reasinable shipping. Like $4 for a nice selection.

Unfortunately my creams and soaps and brushes are above what you wantto start with so hopefully the other members will chime in. Good luck.
 
Most members would recommend Derby
The strange thing is that I have seen more negative comments about Derby than positive. Maybe it is because each one is seeing what he wants to see.
I begun shaving with Derbys and I have used many packages, thinking all brands of blades are about the same. That was a big mistake for me. While Derbys are not feeling particular rough against the skin, they are on the duller side. If you have coarse beard, like me, they rather want to pull out the whiskers than cutting them.
 
Welcome! You will get as many different recommendations as there are responses. Personally, I would go with the Merkur HD (I assume you are referring to the HD version of the 38). It is consistently the best performer of the 10 razors that I use. I find the SS too insubstantial, but I do have large hands and like heavy razors.

Regarding the brush, I would start with the B&B Essential boar brush from West Coast Shaving. You can't go wrong with it.

For soap, I would start with Cella or Tabac. I started with the small container of Cella, quickly bought the 1 kg brick and just love the stuff to death.

For aftershave, I personally like Mennen Afta. For pre-shave, I don't use any, but I shampoo and condition my beard in the shower before shaving. I also rub my face with loofah gloves to exfoliate.

My go-to blades are Astras, but I also like Personna Blue Labs and Feathers, depending on the razor I am using.

Remember, at least half of the fun of wet shaving is playing around with different products and combinations. Enjoy the ride, Check out Mantic 59's videos on YouTube, and ask lots of questions.
 
Welcome! You ask a lot of tough questions to answers because each of our beards and faces responds differently to different hardware and software (creams, lotions, splashes, etc.). While there are products many will recommend for a newcomer to traditional wet shaving, I actually do not have any particular recommendations. I will say just find a razor you are interested in, buy it and try it out. It'll take some time to get used to and to get a good, solid techinque down. Also, buy a soap and perhaps a cream. Alternate between the two. Have a favorite after shave already? Why change? Just find something you like and work with it. And then start branching out to other products (only if you wish) later. That's my two cents.
 
BTW, remember that if you buy a razor and don't like it, you can always sell it here on the Buy/Sell/Trade page.
 
Greetings and welcome to the forum. A blade sampler is always a great starting point, a Gillette Superspeed is a great first razor.
 
I agree, that a blade sampler is the way to go. I would also suggest a nice SuperSpeed as a first razor. Great shaves and easy to use. As far as creams go, I really like Proraso in a tube. Very easy to face lather.
 

musicman1951

three-tu-tu, three-tu-tu
Yes to the blade sampler. Yes to including Astra SP.

Proraso is inexpensive and very popular. It would be an excellent cream to start with.

B&B Essential is also an excellent value for your money.

You are going to have to try some of this stuff to find out what works for your face/beard.

My favorites:
Mergress razor w/Med Prep blades
Castle Forbes cream
SOC brush

The razor is expensive, the brush is $39 and so is the cream. It's not what I started with.

Will you face lather or bowl lather? Do you like a lot of backbone or an exceedingly soft brush feel? We can make some pretty specific recommendations if you can answer those questions.

The blades you just have to try.

There are really very few poor creams. Some choices come down to scent, some to cushion and some to face feel for the rest of the day. There are not many differences between soaps and creams - so go either way (or both). Creams are a little easier to lather at first.
 
Welcome to B&B ! As far as razors go I would go with either a fairly mild razor or an adjustable for a first razor, I'm not too much help there seeing as I only have one a feather popular. It gets the job done but I am currently searching for my next razor. I would also recommend a blade sampler so you can try a few different ones. Creams and soaps I would recommend try one of each and see which you like best, my first cream has been proraso and think it's fairly easy to build a good lather with. Pre/Post there's plenty of options, Proraso makes a cream that I have and like that does both if want to kill two birds with one stone. Brushes I can't speak on as well, my first and only brush is a omega synthetic that was recommended as a good starter brush. I like it and it has served me well but I am now wanting to try a better brush of some sort. Hope that helps a bit.
 
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Welcome to the club. The answers to the questions you ask are all subjective. There are so many razors, blades, brushes soaps, creams, shave sticks, aftershave products,etc. that you will get no really definitive answers--all have their passionate proponents, and you must judge for yourself. Check out the reviews in the SHAVEWIKI, then you pays your money and takes your chances. Over time, you will answer your own questions.

Good luck and good hunting.
 
First, welcome to B&B. It is difficult to answer all your questions. I will start with razor blades. Check out West Coast Shaving. They have a great selection of 5 pack blades. Look around. Pick out maybe a half dozen and try them. Most members would recommend Derby, then maybe Pol Silver, a. 7 o'clock from gillette or two that are made in st.pete russia. Then a german like Wilkerson Sword black box and whatever looks interesting. Feathers are super sharp and not very forgiving for a starter, ger some experience. I personally have tried them all over the years and each is different. The nice thing about WCS is very reasinable shipping. Like $4 for a nice selection.

Unfortunately my creams and soaps and brushes are above what you wantto start with so hopefully the other members will chime in. Good luck.

The strange thing is that I have seen more negative comments about Derby than positive. Maybe it is because each one is seeing what he wants to see.
I begun shaving with Derbys and I have used many packages, thinking all brands of blades are about the same. That was a big mistake for me. While Derbys are not feeling particular rough against the skin, they are on the duller side. If you have coarse beard, like me, they rather want to pull out the whiskers than cutting them.

The Derbies blades have been proven to be an inferior low quality blade on B&B and in general.
 
Welcome to Traditional Wet Shaving boot camp at Ft. B&B :tank::shaving:

I want to thank for getting prepared to join the Navy and serve for us and the USA. I will now recommend a newbies kit from our very own Gary, he will send all that you need for 33 bucks. http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...s-Floid-Black-amp-Suave-Creed-Aventus-amp-GIT

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$33.00 Shipped CONUS - please PM for International Shipping Quote.

Contents of the Starter Kit:

Razor - 1 User Grade (or better) Vintage Gillette Safety Razor. The razor will be cleaned, sanitized and ready to shave when you get it. User grade razors may not be collectors items in the looks department but are guaranteed to be shave ready with no issues.

Blades - 10 DE Blades (brands will vary). The blades will be well known brands so you can easily buy more if you like them.

Brush - 1 Brand New Omega Boar Brush (model will vary but it will be Omega brand). These are brand new brushes from one of the top boar brush makers.

Shave Soap - 1 Arko Shaving Soap Stick or 1oz of Cella Shaving Soap (your choice). If you don't indicate your choice, I will gladly pick for you. Arko may just be one of the easiest shaving soaps to lather on the market today. It's low priced and soft enough to mold into the mug or container of your choice if you don't want to use it as a soap stick. Cella Shaving soap is the classic Italian soap to which you can compare any other soap on the market and it holds it's own. Cella is highly recommended for anyone who doesn't think they will like the industrial citronella scent of the Arko soap.

Aftershave - 1/2oz Aftershave Splash (brands will vary). I will select 2 splashes 1/4oz each based on current available stock. There are some negative associations with alcohol based splashes but I would like to ask you to not believe the hype...yet. An alcohol based splash may be just what you need to revive and heal your sensitive or oily skin and you won't know until you try.

Extra Benefit - I wanted to give every new guy a little extra reason to come back and do business with me again so I will also include 1 Trade Certificate entitling you to return the razor at any time in the same usable condition and in return I will send you a different model Vintage Gillette razor or $10.00 worth of samples (your choice). We would each pay our own shipping and the original certificate must be returned with the razor. All I ask is that you email or PM me before mailing your razor so I can keep track of everything.
 
Thanks a lot for all of the suggestions and welcomes guys! A lot of information to take in for sure, but I'm definitely motivated!

alex2363, a special thanks to you. Without that post I probably would have bumbled along like a fool wondering which items to get instead of jumping right in to decide whether or not I'll actually me changing my shaving habits!
 
Newbie with using DE razors. I have a Gillette Milord that was my grandfather's. I bought a cheap VDH boar brush just to get the feel of things. 5 bucks. Also some soap they had there for 1.79. This way I can decide how much I want to put into this as I go on. Good luck.
 
Thanks a lot for all of the suggestions and welcomes guys! A lot of information to take in for sure, but I'm definitely motivated!

alex2363, a special thanks to you. Without that post I probably would have bumbled along like a fool wondering which items to get instead of jumping right in to decide whether or not I'll actually me changing my shaving habits!
And a special thanks to you sir, keep us posted all the time.
 
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