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There had to be a better way

G'day - I'm nannanhill from TX. That's a long story in itself. But this is B&B not Lonely Planet. After using Gillette cartridge razors and their nasty blue gel I thought there had to be a better way. So I bought a shaving kit from Art of Shaving and had a shave there a couple of years ago. Was disappointed in the shave (not quite as smooth as a baby's arse as I would have preferred) but I stuck at it. The AoS pre-shave oil and shaving cream were good products. I'm still using their brush. Their balm is good too, still using that. Not long after that I bought a Merkur Futur razor and a sample pack of blades. Then came Trumpers shaving cream. The best shaving cream known to man. Favourite blade so far has to be the GBE's, closely followed by Merkurs and Derbys. It's a shame the GBE's aren't (as least from what I could or couldn't find as the case may be) available any more Stateside.

I look forward to the blade exchange. I was thinking what a great idea that would be, just to try a couple of blades rather than spend $10 (5 blades plus shipping) and find they cut your face like a Japanese samurai sword aka Feathers. Or to be fair more of a weepies issue.
 
Welcome to B&B! Are you using a shaving brush with that cream? You need to look into a good brush and some soap. :thumbup1:
 
Trumper's (coconut in my case) was a real eye-opener for me as to the quality of products that are available to wet shavers. Glad you've joined!
 
Vlad - yes, using an AoS brush. Until someone can convince me otherwise this brush works fine. I have no complaints with it. Please elaborate on soap. Presume you're not talking Dove?

Timo - I have some Proraso to try next.

Thanks all for the warm welcome.
 
Welcome to B&B. The AOS brush OK, some find it a bit scratchy. The Merkur Futur is a great razor. Here are my recommendations:

1. DE Blades: Personna Platinum (Reds), Astra SP. Generally Merkur blades are considered to be the worst, Derbies aren't far behind.
2. Shaving soaps: Tabac, AOS, Mitchells Wool Fat, Irisch Moos.
3. Creams: Proraso, AOS, Taylor of Old Bond Avocado
4. Brushes: Shavemac and Simpson in Best.
5. Thayer's Witch Hazel (Unscented & Alcohol Free)

Bullgooseshaving and westcoastshaving usually offer good deals on the above.
 
I think Straight Rasier User said it the best on blades - YMMV.

noahpictures:

For the Astras do you mean these:
http://www.amazon.com/Superior-Premium-Platinum-Double-Safety/dp/B001QY8QXM/ref=pd_sim_hpc_3

And for the Personna Reds do you mean these:
http://www.amazon.com/Personna-Plat...ef=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1335553807&sr=1-1

I presume the Personna Reds have the Personna brand with red packaging on them. Might be stating the merely obvious but with labelling like this you never know:
http://www.amazon.com/Crystal-Plati...ef=sr_1_2?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1335553807&sr=1-2

What's the shaving difference on using soap vs cream?
 
I think Straight Rasier User said it the best on blades - YMMV.

noahpictures:

For the Astras do you mean these:
http://www.amazon.com/Superior-Premium-Platinum-Double-Safety/dp/B001QY8QXM/ref=pd_sim_hpc_3

And for the Personna Reds do you mean these:
http://www.amazon.com/Personna-Plat...ef=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1335553807&sr=1-1

I presume the Personna Reds have the Personna brand with red packaging on them. Might be stating the merely obvious but with labelling like this you never know:
http://www.amazon.com/Crystal-Plati...ef=sr_1_2?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1335553807&sr=1-2

What's the shaving difference on using soap vs cream?

Yes, those are the Astra SPs.

No those aren't the Personna Reds.

If you receive the blades in the picture then those are Personna Reds. Also on eBay 100 of Personna Lab (blue box, "now 25% sharper") blades are sold for $12.99 with free shipping. Those are also excellent blades. If I had to pick one I'd pick the Personna Labs over the reds.
 
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