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

Advise I wish I'd gotten is skip the regular suggested razors like the EJ DE89 and just buy a Rockwell 6s (6c if on a tighter budget). Also, tubs of soap last a long time so don't be afraid to do multiple practice lathers. Seriously, do them for different lengths of time with different amounts of water. my lathers have gotten A LOT better and my shaves are much better because of it.

Also, Proraso was decent to start with but my advise is to go with Sterling soaps. You can get 3-5 very generous sample pucks with several different scents for the price of 1 tub of soap.
 
I have to say that if I were to do it all over again, I'd do exactly as I have done and wouldn't change a thing. First, it would be impossible for me to know what I know now without trying out lots of different things. I didn't buy lots of expensive things. But I did buy lots of things and by doing so I was able to find what worked and what didn't. At some point I'll probably start selling some razors that are either duplicates or that I don't really use. But the software will get used. I'm fine with how I approached my learning curve and huge thanks to the fine members of B&B.
 

Ridpath

FIGHTER!
i would’ve:

Skipped the Rockwell 6S and gone for the 6C instead. Ended up giving my 6S away anyway.

I would’ve skipped getting a silvertip brush too, if I had known what they were like.

Lastly, I would’ve started experimenting with blades a lot earlier.

The first two are classic hindsight improvements, but I think the third came from me not really knowing how many types of blades there were out there!
 
In hindsight, I would have stopped chasing the perfect DE and SE razor in vintage and new and worked more on my technique. I also wish I had started with soaps instead of creams as I find I get a better shave with soaps and enjoy them more.

Since my technique has improved and continues to improve I now can shave with almost any razor or blade and get a DFS or BBS shave. My collection is up to over 35 razors and now I should thin the den to only the ones I use often. I have 10 razors that I truly enjoy shaving with. Am I becoming a minimalist? Oh no!! :rolleyes:
 
I have to say that if I were to do it all over again, I'd do exactly as I have done and wouldn't change a thing. First, it would be impossible for me to know what I know now without trying out lots of different things. I didn't buy lots of expensive things. But I did buy lots of things and by doing so I was able to find what worked and what didn't. At some point I'll probably start selling some razors that are either duplicates or that I don't really use. But the software will get used. I'm fine with how I approached my learning curve and huge thanks to the fine members of B&B.


Well said. This to an extent for me too. I branched out and tried a lot in the early days, then I stuck to a few razors and soaps/creams for years. Found what worked for me and what didn't within a variety. All the while built up my technique. Now I'm branching out again. But it certainly isn't starting over. That variety over the years has helped me nail down what I want. Not sure I'd change a thing. Except maybe that first shave I had with a Micromatic. Whoa boy! I can weild it now, but I still don't like it much lol.
 
Well said. This to an extent for me too. I branched out and tried a lot in the early days, then I stuck to a few razors and soaps/creams for years. Found what worked for me and what didn't within a variety. All the while built up my technique. Now I'm branching out again. But it certainly isn't starting over. That variety over the years has helped me nail down what I want. Not sure I'd change a thing. Except maybe that first shave I had with a Micromatic. Whoa boy! I can weild it now, but I still don't like it much lol.

I hear you. I've only recently settled down to a small rotation after buying over 30 razors. I primarily go back and forth between two and then every so often will use one of three others, but my primary rotation is two razors. I can definitely see my technique improving and can also see myself going back to some of those razors stashed in a bin just for the fun of it. They may never become my daily drivers but I bet the shave I get from them would be far different than the last time I used them. And that's what it's all about. Variety.
 
I think the biggest takeaway from this we can all agree on is technique is the most important. There's a learning curve with every razor. Focus on one or two, get it down. Each subsequent razor and shave becomes easier than it would have been without that practice. But trying lots of stuff is the only way to know what works best for you. Imho
 

JCarr

More Deep Thoughts than Jack Handy
One of the best things that a few folks put me on to was tryablade.com. If you pick out 5 to 8 different kinds of razor blades you think you might be interested in and buy two of each off of tryablade.com and then test them, then you will be able to buy the 50+ pack of those blades with confidence and not clutter your medicine cabinet with a ton of razor blades.
 
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This is no pity party rant but it is something that I reminisce and have to shrug off because of the bad experiences.

First razor : I wouldn't have bothered with my first no name razor.

I keep it like someone keeps the bullet they survived being shot with.

I would have liked to skip the close comb razors and plastic Gillette 7 O'clock razors.
The plastic razors give me skin irritation.

Soap/ cream : All the cheap creams which at first seem inexpensive but performance wise trash and causes all sorts of reactions due to iffy materials, but later on gets collected and you know that they'll never be used.

Blades : Vidyut Supermax Stainless Steel. Oh, I hate these blades with a passion and also the shopkeeper who sold me these.

All the other items in my shave set-up are working fine and I only abhor the above mentioned products because they neither justified the money, efforts and blood spent on them, nor have they in any way helped me to improve my technique.

The very best starting out set-up without going international or over the budget :

Razor : Parker Variant Adjustable ($45)
Brush : Any 20 mm Synthetic brush ($2)
Soap/ cream : Old Spice/ Godrej tube ($0,80)
Blade : Gillette Wilkinson Sword ($ 7,80/100)
Aftershave : Nivea Aftershave Balm ($ 3)

That's the most reasonable ~ $58 set-up that'll not get outdated very soon.
 
I got a little carried away with some of the AD’s but don’t have many regrets. If I could do it over again I would recommend myself the below setup.

Timeless 0.68 OC
Simpson Duke 3 Best
Tabac
Feather Blades
Thayers WH
Nivea Sensitive Balm

Learn to shave with this and then jump onto the straights with

Ralf Aust 6/8” Roundpoint
Tony Miller 3” Horsehide Strop
Method Honing Setup
Dan’s 8x3x1” Black Ark finisher

My best advise to my former self would be to not get too hung up on the brushes. They are fun but they all do the same thing.
 
I wouldn't change much because the mistakes I made (thinking that new hardware is the answer) are part of my learning curve. Furthermore, the journey has been fun 🙂
 
Razors : same road ( 3 right now, main is FOCS )
Brush : less : something like 2 badgers, 1 synth ( right now 5 badgers, 5 synth, 1 boar)
Soaps : lot less, bought a lot and sold a lot. Would jump straight to these : MDC, SV, Tabac
AS : same road, would try to match soaps
Blades : same road, experiment to see what works for you
 

musicman1951

three-tu-tu, three-tu-tu
I don't think there is any way to find out what works for you (and what you might like) outside of trying a bunch of stuff.

I would do two things differently:

1. I would read a bunch of "favorite soap/brush/etc." posts before any purchase. They don't eliminate the need to do your own research, but there are products that tend to appear with some consistency over many people's lists. I would start with those. I do that now. No new soap finds itself in my den without many positive B&B recommendations.

2. I would outlaw the touch-up pass earlier in my shaving life. In my search for the daily BBS I would inevitably miss a spot here and there. After the 3rd pass I would do a touch-up that expanded into virtually a 4th pass for much of my face. My skin doesn't need a 4th pass. It took me quite a few months to fine tune my technique so I could eliminate those not-quite BBS spots with just 3 passes. And it was (mentally) painful to find them with my post shave application of balm, but worth it in the long run.

I use a Wolfman with a PolSilver SI every day I'm home. I occasionally use a different blade. SOC badger for face lathering, SOC boar or Kent BK8 for the scuttle. But I don't believe that information is useful to anyone else looking for their perfect tools. Buy a bunch of stuff - the journey is fun.
 
I would start with a few Stirling samples. They are inexpensive and can be used up and changed or repurchased in a reasonable amount of time.
Start with a sample pack of high-end razor blades, Even high-end blades are very inexpensive.
Start with a Rockwell 6c , Merkur 34c, Leaf,or Henson razor depending on your budget.
 
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