Newbie but I had a great shave with a Merkur 23c, Shark Blade and CO Bigelow cream. My 2nd shave out of about 5 or 6 now was my best so far, but haven't been able to duplicate it just the same.
New to this nice little world of DE but loving the shave I am getting with my Muhle R89 sporting some wilkinson sword blades. Cutting through some "Kiss my face" shave cream and some home made pre shave oil, my only downers are my styptic pencil cause nowhere local sells alum (amazon hasnt let it arrive just yet) and mybeginners sin, a boar hair brush. Here's to hoping
Last night was maybe my best shave ever! Started with a heavy coat of Proraso Pre/post shave. Lathered up with my own custom "Best Badger" brush with "Mama Bears" spice soap and shaved with my new Merkur 500 Progress. What luxury and BBS!
Lovin my shave with my birth year fatboy and an Astra SP blade! Lathered up with my Klar Classic and my Semogue OC boar. Finished off with the alum block and a serious splash of Pinaud Clubman and it was game on for the day!
Smooth as silk, smellin good! Can't wait to shave tomorrow!
Today I used my Merkur 39C "Sledgehammer" slant with a new Astra SP blade and Pacific Shaving pre-shave oil. Whipped up a lather with my Colonel Conk apothecary mug, Semogue Owners Club boar brush and Razorock R-160 sweet almond cream followed by the R-160 ASB, results BBS
Just got a black beauty on ebay, used a shark sc, Omega brush and some awesome smelling Tobs Mr Taylor. Finished with Old Spice. My Fatboy might have a run for it's money, I kind of like the skinnier handle.
Here's a review of my inaugural shave with my Cadet TS44 OC on February 5, 2013:
Shaved off my open comb cherry this evening, and BOY was that FUN!
WOW, ShaveABuck's Cadet PT-44 Open Comb razor is gorgeous and what a shave! I just brought it home from the post office and had one of my best shaves yet! The razor itself is a work of art, the head curves flowing, elegant and beautiful to behold, the chrome finish like glass. The long, weighty handle feels great in the hand, with the octagonal blazing glinting nicely and providing a secure, dexterous grip. My Personna Red blade zinged sweet and high as it seemed it alone skimmed through the beard, while the razor head barely touched my face. A real difference from safety-bar shaving, it was a pleasant if slightly surreal sensation, and now I see why some compare the open comb to a straight edge. I used less pressure than with my Merkur 180, a feather-lite touch really, and got a closer, more comfortable shave. I wonder if that's because with the open comb you feel the blade edge more clearly and distinctly, and that heightened awareness provides greater control? Whatever it is, I'm lovin it! It's now officially my favorite razor.
Kudos to Joe at ShaveABuck! Thanks and congratulations on designing and bringing to market such a high quality razor at such an affordable price. Another delight from the Jersey Shore -- and not long after it was virtually blown away by Hurricane Sandy, no less.
I'd describe Proraso as the most cost effective of the premium shaving soaps I've yet encountered. Many people (such as on BadgerAndBlade) cite Proraso as the best and/or their favorite shave soap, for good reason. The soaps lather up fast, rich, slick, have classic and very appealing aromas, and are among the very top performers on the market -- these days generally for about $10/tub, or one of the best values in the shaving world. Proraso Green (eucalyptus & menthol) is probably the best known, most widely loved, among the most popular of the premiums shave soaps in the world. For good reason.
Wonderful shave this morning with my Azuma kamisori with a jnat edge. Lathered up with the Omega mixed Mighty Midget and C&E Sienna. Post-shave was an alum block followed by the classic AS that is Clubman.
I just shaved today using my new Semogue 620. I'm still breaking it in but it still gave me a good lather using Van Der Hagen soap. Would love to try the 1305.
My favorite setup is a stick of Arko, a fresh Feather in either a Slim Adjustable or 40's Superspeed finished with a healthy dose of Aqua Velva Musk. Awesome contest!