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when did you start 'wet shaving' and what did you use?

Started with my dads trac 2 when I was 14 and then through the years went through every evolution of Gillette cartridges. Researched de shaving during Covid lockdown and bought a Henson. I now have the Henson (which I use the most), a Yates a Merica and a Rockwell all in the rotation. I only use the Gillette fusion when I travel now.
 
Started with disposable bics in the 80's, then went to "upscale" multiblade carts until this year. Did my first DE shave around Dec 30 2022..... :) Now I'm hooked and chasing "perfection" and loving the way better shave.
 
Started with disposable bics in the 80's, then went to "upscale" multiblade carts until this year. Did my first DE shave around Dec 30 2022..... :) Now I'm hooked and chasing "perfection" and loving the way better shave.
Funny how the one blade gives a closer shave than the multiples. Plus I like the soaps and brushes better than the cans of foam or gel.
 
Started shaving in my mid-teens with a disposable plastic twin blade razor (Trac II, I think it was and they were a dark gray/green color).
Started shaving with my grandfather's 1961 Gillette Fat Boy razor when I was nineteen years old and have been shaving with it ever since. I'm Sixty-four years old now.
 
Would you say that the slim is your favorite razor still after all these years?
I do love my Slim but in recent years I've gotten to like my Father's Fatboy that my brother and I gave him a bit more due mostly to the fatter handle, sometimes it's hard to decide which one I like better, the Stainless Weber PH with Classic handle is my third choice
 
I do love my Slim but in recent years I've gotten to like my Father's Fatboy that my brother and I gave him a bit more due mostly to the fatter handle, sometimes it's hard to decide which one I like better, the Stainless Weber PH with Classic handle is my third choice
Thank you sir for your response, I have been going back and forth with a merkur 34c and a 1958 red tip because of the handle being thicker than my 1940’s super speed and my old types.
 
hey so i'll get the ball rolling, i used a shavette when i was about 17 and it ended in a blood bath so went back to carts lool
i actually remember using the supermax blades in the shavette

started using safety razors since 2016 and the first safety razor was the black plastic wilkison sword de razor from boots, used the wilkinson swords de blades tuck that came with it

i used the palmolive shaving stick and i think i had a boar brush mustve grabbed whatever was cheap and cheerful, without any real thought or understanding like whats what...
how about you guys?
I started wet shaving later in life, but have been doing it for 13 or so years. How I found wet shaving is a funny story. Like many, I had been using multi-blade razors and HATED shaving all together. So one day, I literally typed " I F#*%#!G hate shaving and I swear a portal opened up to the world of WS. That lead me to the Mantic59 series and the rest was history.

To answer your question, my first shaving rig was a Merkur 34C HD, the blade was a Shark or Derby (which I did not care for) but the shave was way better than anything I had tried prior. The shave cream was Proraso green, and the Proraso Green preshave. My bush was cheap and from a "set" which I soon tossed for a Badger brush. Eventually, I landed on the RazoRock Game Change .84 for and just last evening changed the plate to the .68 with a Wilkinson Sword blade. Was a fantastic shave....
 
Started off shaving as a teenager in the 80's with the usual suspects. Twin-blade disposables and canned foam.

Discovered the Sensor at some point in the 90's and used that up til about 2005 or so when I started using a DE for the first time.

First gear included a Merkur 23C, IP Reds, Proraso Green and some random brush I found at the drug store. Good times. 😅
 
I started wet shaving in 1988 after purchasing the beautiful travertine marble brush and twin cartridge set shown below. I got it half price from Nieman Marcus for about $100. I thought that was too expensive so I didn't buy it at first. I went home but kept thinking about it; actually wanting it despite the price. So finally three days later I went back and bought it. As you might expect the brush handle is very heavy and the knot quite large; the largest I have in my collection. Nevertheless it lathers beautifully. Used a lot over the past 35 years, I have had it re-knotted twice by Shave Mac in Germany. There is no manufacturers name on it so I assume it is an artisan piece.
 

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I saw my dad “traditional wet shave“ all my childhood but when it was my turn, cartridges were “the thing”. About 10 years ago I was over at a friend’s house and noticed a brush in the restroom. I asked and was told that the “traditional” wet shaving had made a comeback. The following week bought an EJ89 and the rest is history.
 
about this time last year. I was sick of spending money on the cartridges. I was sick of the ingrown hairs. What a fool I was. just like how I got into reloading to "save money." sure...

anyways a 34C I think is what I have. I got feather blades. some cheap-o badger brush from amazon. and started with a sandalwood soap from amazon as well. It's been an interesting year. I actually know what the hell I am doing now. There was a definite learning curve.
 
I think around 8 years ago? Bought the Van Der Hagen TTO, bowl, brush and shave soap off Amazon. How far down the rabbit hole I have fallen since then. I'm finally in a stable place, have a razor and blades and brush that I am very comfortable with. Soaps and Aftershaves are really my only vice these days.
 
I started wet shaving 7 months ago. I used a Muhele R89 with a feather blade, it was ok but thats how it started, I say ok because I was like "meh" but then I thought, keep going and here I am.
 
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I started with a Slim adjustable back in the 60s. I'm pretty sure I used Williams soap with a boar brush because that's what they had in the drug store. I tried a lot of blades including the Gillette and Wilkinson Sword stainless, plus the Gillette Super Blue blades and even the Thins. I think I got one shave from the Thin, three from the Blues and could go a week on the stainless blades.

At some point I switched to the Trac II. Then I grew a beard so was mostly out of the shaving game for a while. I used disposable twin-blade razors for many years after that. I went back to DE razors late in 2015 and haven't looked back.
 
I stared with Gillette Sensor cartridge razor, but switched to an electric which I've used for most of my shaving. It wasn't until last year that I got into wet shaving, and started with a Merkur 34C, after reading recommendations on this website. Then I bought a few vintage Gillettes, and I've been wet shaving ever since.
 
Sure I answer one of these posts a while back.

Mach 3 / Bic Sensitive and various cans of Gillette foam I guess … remember the king of all shaves and some oil being rubbish. Everything poor

Phillips Electric razors annoyed skin …

20+ years shaving head and face with Wahl salon clippers on grade Zero once./twice week or fortnight
BIC sensitive one or two times in a decade for an occasion

DE c18 months ago - not looked back
 
Sure I answer one of these posts a while back.
Felt like I spent a lot on stuff back in the day and all rubbish … always enduring a shave no matter what fancy shaver/blade/cream etc

Phillips Electric/battery razors annoyed skin …

20+ years shaving head and face with Wahl salon clippers on grade Zero once./twice week or fortnight
BIC sensitive one or two times a decade for an occasion

DE c18 months ago - not looked back
 
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