What I have learned- If I was starting over what would I do differently?

[Buttercup]

As for bowls, I still have regrets as I did not find one which really ticks all my criteria's. I am thinking to ask a customer maker to make the one I have in mind, even if I have to pay a few hundreds (or a thousand) bucks for it.

I'm very interested in what your criteria is for your perfect shaving bowl!

If I were to buy a new bowl today, it would either be one of the copper bowls from Captain's Choice or this ceramic bowl by Hwayeon Soap Co.

I currently use a ~$4 cat bowl from Walmart, mostly to load soft soaps for face lathering.

 

[Phoenixkh]

Another one to give a look would be a CaYuen bowl... I have large in a custom color. Rich is a very nice fellow. You can look at past sales to all the standard colors he uses. I bought it because I had a brush with a very large knot on the way.

He sells through Etsy: TheCaYuenWorkshopLLC - Etsy - https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheCaYuenWorkshopLLC?ref=usf_2020

 

[Buttercup]

Another one to give a look would be a CaYuen bowl... I have large in a custom color. Rich is a very nice fellow. You can look at past sales to all the standard colors he uses. I bought it because I had a brush with a very large knot on the way.

He sells through Etsy: TheCaYuenWorkshopLLC - Etsy - https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheCaYuenWorkshopLLC?ref=usf_2020

View attachment 1678090

That's a big honkin' bowl, my friend! It looks too large to be hand held, but once I looked at the link you provided I see there is a smaller base. How is it in the hand? He sure has some lovely designs and glazing!

 

[DesertIguana]

Quality v/s Quantity, shop prices, and VINTAGE Works. Do you need a Super Expensive Razor to shave, NO. It is a want thing, v/s need thing, do you need keep up with next fellow?

 

[Quaznoid]

To acquire a Schick injector, type E or G, and shave with it for life.

 

[Phoenixkh]

That's a big honkin' bowl, my friend! It looks too large to be hand held, but once I looked at the link you provided I see there is a smaller base. How is it in the hand? He sure has some lovely designs and glazing!

I don't have any problems holding it... I hand hold it when making the lather... but set in on the counter when lathering the second and third pass.

 

[DesertIguana]

We learn from experience, some ignore information rig in front of eyes.

 

[Tillerman]

I wouldn't play around with a lot of blades until about six or 8 months in. Pick two or three well regarded blades and go with those for awhile
This is true if soaps too. Work on creating the lather you like and maybe work between bowl and face lathering . You don't need an expensive brush. I would start with a synthetic or boar brush. Get the basics down first, then work from there.

 

[ZeelandsRoem]

I'm very interested in what your criteria is for your perfect shaving bowl!

If I were to buy a new bowl today, it would either be one of the copper bowls from Captain's Choice or this ceramic bowl by Hwayeon Soap Co.

I currently use a ~$4 cat bowl from Walmart, mostly to load soft soaps for face lathering.

Thank you for the recommendations. I was tempted to buy the HWAYEON or CaYuen bowl a couple of times.

The bowl I use most of the time is a ~5 EUR ceramic bowl from the local supermarket. It is not near close to what I have in mind but it ticks three boxes: the diameter is large enough, I believe it is 17cm and the height is 10cm, while the base is pretty flat and the walls are almost perpendicular with the base. I find that with this bowl it is easy to lather, I don't have to do small circles which cause some pain in my joints. Also, because the walls are higher, the lather does overflow.

Now, what I am going to say below may not make sense to some, but that's what I want and I totally understand their wishes and needs are different.

So, my ideal lathering bowl would have these "features": large diameter (15cm or a tiny bit more), higher height than most bowls on the market, flat base, glazed ceramic construction, pedestal, ridges on the inner side (similar to CaYuen bowls), a lid and a matching ceramic tray large enough to fit the bowl, razor and brush. The paint work should be similar to the old British tea sets or Japanese ceramics (ideally in white, black and gold).

I did a quick search and I attached some pictures with different bowls which do have some elements which I am interested in, but none of them tick most boxes.

 

[Gentleman in Japan]

Brush wise, I only regret using synthetic for about 7 years before buying badgers. It's good to have a selection of knots, each one having different characteristics which will better when paired with certain soaps.

I agree and would say that it is defo good to have a variety of brushes. 1. Because it will prolong the life of the brush by rotating as this means the brush can sit for more than 24hrs and dry properly, 2. I found that different brushes perform differently, my Kent blk12 synthetic is great with soaps but not so great with cream whereas my Kent bk8 silvertip badger is the other way round (though it's ok on the soaps just better on creams), my TOBs superbadger is so dense that's it's now my Monday morning brush (great with more stubble) and a great all-rounder. 3. Variety is the spice of life so we "need" more brushes I say.

bowls - I like my bowl but it's too deep for bowl lathering alone as I don't swirl heavily. But it's ok with a puck of soap in it, which is how I use it ATM. Once I've loaded a brush with soap I then move to palm lathering and here I can really get a great lather. Until I find a potter who can make me what I think might work I'm gonna stick to palm lathering.

 

[ZeelandsRoem]

I agree and would say that it is defo good to have a variety of brushes. 1. Because it will prolong the life of the brush by rotating as this means the brush can sit for more than 24hrs and dry properly, 2. I found that different brushes perform differently, my Kent blk12 synthetic is great with soaps but not so great with cream whereas my Kent bk8 silvertip badger is the other way round (though it's ok on the soaps just better on creams), my TOBs superbadger is so dense that's it's now my Monday morning brush (great with more stubble) and a great all-rounder. 3. Variety is the spice of life so we "need" more brushes I say.

Very good points. Right now, I try to alternate brushes every few days and those brushes are mostly paired with certain soaps. As you, I use a soft and dense Muhle brush if I skipped shaving for a day (rarely happens though) and with soaps which lather super easily. Then, I have a Shavemac silvertip D01 2 band for hard soaps which require more effort for a good lather. During weekends, I have a premium Muhle brush with hairs which are not corrected/trimmed and they are so soft (and they lack backbone) that even with an easy to lather soap it takes a bit more effort to get good results. But this brush is the only one which allows me to face lather, so I love using it when time allows it. When I travel, I take with me some cream and a synthetic brush since drying between cycles is not always possible.

I know this isn't much of a variety (comparing to other members of the forum) but I have a hard time finding other brushes which I like, so this chapter is currently "under construction" . On the other side, this whole thing is also a journey and I don't have to hurry up and get things done as soon as possible.

Until I find a potter who can make me what I think might work I'm gonna stick to palm lathering.

I did try palm lathering, although I rarely do it nowadays because I don't like the tickly sensation in my palm. And with some brushes, my palm is just not that big to accommodate all the lather.

 

[Goblin]

I agree and would say that it is defo good to have a variety of brushes. 1. Because it will prolong the life of the brush by rotating as this means the brush can sit for more than 24hrs and dry properly.

It has taken me more than a decade to realise that a nice big boar needs a good 48hrs to dry out properly. Back when I was a one-brush-guy I would kill a boar in 2 to 3 years due to rough treatment, and quite often they would start to develop mould near the base of the knot. I now realise that was because they were hardly ever getting the chance to fully dry out. Now I have a rotation and never use the same brush twice in a row, my brushes are much happier.

The moral of the story - if you want to use natural hair brushes and shave every 48 hrs or less, you need at least two brushes to rotate if you want to prolong their lives and avoid problems.

 

[Gentleman in Japan]

The moral of the story - if you want to use natural hair brushes and shave every 48 hrs or less, you need at least two brushes to rotate if you want to prolong their lives and avoid problems.

I agree with you @Goblin I think not letting a brush dry thoroughly is the main issue for prolonging brush life. I always wipe my brush on a towel and also try to flick as much water off before setting on stand too.

. On the other side, this whole thing is also a journey and I don't have to hurry up and get things done as soon as possible

Defo....so many brushes I want now too.

 

[Buttercup]

Thank you for the recommendations. I was tempted to buy the HWAYEON or CaYuen bowl a couple of times.

The bowl I use most of the time is a ~5 EUR ceramic bowl from the local supermarket. It is not near close to what I have in mind but it ticks three boxes: the diameter is large enough, I believe it is 17cm and the height is 10cm, while the base is pretty flat and the walls are almost perpendicular with the base. I find that with this bowl it is easy to lather, I don't have to do small circles which cause some pain in my joints. Also, because the walls are higher, the lather does overflow.

Now, what I am going to say below may not make sense to some, but that's what I want and I totally understand their wishes and needs are different.

So, my ideal lathering bowl would have these "features": large diameter (15cm or a tiny bit more), higher height than most bowls on the market, flat base, glazed ceramic construction, pedestal, ridges on the inner side (similar to CaYuen bowls), a lid and a matching ceramic tray large enough to fit the bowl, razor and brush. The paint work should be similar to the old British tea sets or Japanese ceramics (ideally in white, black and gold).

I did a quick search and I attached some pictures with different bowls which do have some elements which I am interested in, but none of them tick most boxes.

View attachment 1678418View attachment 1678417
View attachment 1678420View attachment 1678414

Thank you for the detailed response, which gives me some food for thought. Sounds like you will either need to luck across something that ticks the boxes at an antique store or have one custom made. I wish you luck on your search!

I went all bowl lathering for a while in order to focus on slowly building my lather by adding small amounts of water at a time using a syringe. This allowed me to build a well hydrated lather that was not too airy. I've lately flipped to nearly all face/head lathering, but still use the bowl to load the brush as many of today's soaps are so soft.

 

[Obetron Rex]

The large cayuen bowl is awesome. It has a smaller hand grip on the bottom. I use my Timeless bowl just for preshave soap with dedicated brush now.

The biggest thing I've learned is vintage razors are just as good and usually better than modern razors for me. Some vintage get expensive too but they're worth it. I've got some beautiful modern razors I use that are great, Wolfman, Timeless, etc but to me none really outperform my Fatboy, Slim, or any of my vintage razors. And the vintage razors have lots of history attached and most can be replated. So if I had it all to do over I'd go straight to the vintage gillettes. I used just a Merkur 23C or 38hd for over a decade until I started buying better razors, I missed out on buying up vintage razors when they were cheaper thinking they weren't as good as modern. There's a place for both but my current most wanted list are all vintage but 1. YMMV

 

[pellidon]

Knowing what I have learned in the past 15 years, the following is what I'd do over or suggest to learners.

Razor: one razor for a few months. Of all my razors, I'd go with the Merkur 34c.

Blades: sample packs. Use two of each in a pair or rounds. Learn them then review them.

Brush: synthetic. I started with boar but synthetic are good now.

Cream or soft soap: learn to lather with an easier media. I learned with glycerin soaps first before trying hard soaps. I still find creams lather easier for me.

Alum block: feedback on technique with this.

 

[Bugin]

I'm going into it assuming the person is inexperienced and might be on a budget

Brushes: go synthetic to start (Yaqi or Razorock). They don't require a presoak, tend to be less finicky, are inexpensive and tend to use less soap.
In the future maybe a boar then badger. Zenith is a good option for both.

Razor: I love my Razorock Lupo. It's not very inexpensive but I wouldn't desire any other. A great inexpensive alternative is a used Gellette Tech off Ebay.

Blades: My personal favorite is Rapira Super Lux, but honestly most blades are servicable. I'd stay away from Kai or Feather for the first year though.

Soap: start with a cream. Proraso blue or green would work. After that go with a hard soap. Maybe D.R. Harris. And skip the shave bowl. Face lathering is easy and saves time.

Aftershave: la Toja is a great alcohol based aftershave and Lucky tiger is a great witch hazel based one. Either would work great. Pluss there are many more options.

One last note: Amazon is usually not the best option for purchases. I just recently purchases a D.R. Harris soap (actually 5) from connaght shaving and a single puck plus shipping from over seas would cost 2/3 that of buying from amazon, and that is a recurring theme with amazon. There are a lot of good shave supply vendors out there but three I tend to use more are Connaught, Maggards and West Coast Shaving.

Hope this helps someone.

 

[Buflow]

The biggest thing I've learned is vintage razors are just as good and usually better than modern razors for me. Some vintage get expensive too but they're worth it. I've got some beautiful modern razors I use that are great, Wolfman, Timeless, etc but to me none really outperform my Fatboy, Slim, or any of my vintage razors. And the vintage razors have lots of history attached and most can be replated. So if I had it all to do over I'd go straight to the vintage gillettes. I used just a Merkur 23C or 38hd for over a decade until I started buying better razors, I missed out on buying up vintage razors when they were cheaper thinking they weren't as good as modern. There's a place for both but my current most wanted list are all vintage but 1. YMMV

100% agree!
It wasn't until I started shaving with my grandfather's Fatboy that I found shaving a joyful experience.
After many years of shaving with a 34C I started to get quite depressed about the thought of shaving again today but that all changed. I now find that the Fatboy, Slim and a 1950s Super speed are the most joyful razors in my bunch.

That being said, the RazoRock SLOC is the easiest and least frustrating razor I have. And it's low cost. The learning curve is very low and it's my "no brainer" razor. If I have an important function to go to or I just want a shave that is guaranteed not to give me any difficulties, this is the razor I grab.

Had I started with the SLOC my entire shaving journey would've been quite different, more peaceful and enjoyable.

 

[clango]

Not to do!

Never use a poor shavette to try to shave with razor blades.

The good news is that thanks to this terrible first experience I searched for and discovered the shaving encyclopedia: this site!

 

[Trollky]

The most valuable lesson I have learnt is that technique is FAR more important than equipment. If I had learnt that sooner I could have saved myself a good deal of money and enjoyed better shaves sooner...