Yet another Newbie Introduction

[Anonymous Turtle]

Good evening and happy new year to all. This is my first post though I have been lurking for a couple of weeks. I have recently gotten into wet shaving and my research OCD keeps leading back here to B&B. I have recently acquired a EJ DE89 with rubber handle, Prorasso white bowl soap, home made pre-shave oil and a blade sample pack. So far Gillette Silver Blues are leading the test results for comfort and closeness. I have been bitten by the bug and am awaiting a Weishi TTO arriving this Friday. I have been struggling with some irritation on the front edges of my neck. I think this it due to using the Feather blade that came with the razor. That was instant razor burn. I understand this is a process and it will take some time. I am good with that.

I do appreciate all the information and how readily it is shared freely. To all those doing reviews, putting together graphs, and compiling data thank you for you investment into your passion. It has helped me immensely before jumping in and during my sorting out some issue.

Take care and God bless,
Scott

 

[Ron R]

Welcome to B&B, the Feather blade for Newbie might not be a good one to start with because it is one of the sharpest until you get your technique dialed in and then revisit it.
A nice blade to use IMO would be a Gillette silver blue of 7 0clock Super platinum Sharp & smooth.

Have some great shaves!

 

[Invicta]

Welcome to B&B.

I have recently acquired a EJ DE89 with rubber handle, Prorasso white bowl soap, home made pre-shave oil and a blade sample pack. So far Gillette Silver Blues are leading the test results for comfort and closeness. I have been bitten by the bug and am awaiting a Weishi TTO arriving this Friday. I have been struggling with some irritation on the front edges of my neck. I think this it due to using the Feather blade that came with the razor. That was instant razor burn. I understand this is a process and it will take some time. I am good with that.

The EJ DE89 is a great combination with GSB blades. You are getting irritation because of poor technique and not the hardware. It is a learning curve but stay with one setup and your shaves will improve. The Shave Wiki has good information on technique and preparation; the link is at the top left of the page. Using the DE razor is about gradual stubble reduction over a number of passes.
The Weishi is also considered a mild razor but continually changing razors will not help you improve your technique. The TTO knob can cause the doors to open depending on your hold so be aware of that possibility. The 3 piece DE89 is a better razor to work with in that respect and Feather blades will punish poor technique.
The neck and chin areas can be tricky areas to shave so map your beard to establish grain direction and apply your passes accordingly.

 

[TexOkie Shaver]

As Invicta said, the Wiki has a lot of useful information. Start with this link.

Getting started wetshaving

Merkur HD and Derby Blades

www.badgerandblade.com

One bit of advice. Pick a setup and stick with it until you perfect your technique. Constantly changing gear only confuses the issue. You won’t be sure if it was technique or was it the part you changed. It took me 7 months before I had that aha moment. I’m a slow learner, so it will probably take you less time.

BTW, keep posting your questions and observations. B&B also has a journal section where you can document your shaves. Being able to go back and review my successes and failures would have been invaluable to me.

Journals and Diaries

A place to document your shaving progress.

www.badgerandblade.com

 

[Running With Scissors]

Welcome Turtle!. All good advice guys!.. My 2 cents on the Weishi ..they are mild, and light weight, I have one, and use it now and then. There's a tendency, if you're new to it, to put pressure on a light, mild razor , like a Weishi, especially if you're coming off using cartridges, it's probably best to go light, to avoid irritation, the shaves will get better as technique improves, with a light touch.

 

[ssultan]

Welcome Turtle. You've already got some great advice from the members! I will also encourage you to stick with the setup that you have and work on your technique - watch a few youtube videos and map your facial hair. Try not to aim for a BBS shave and stick with two passes till there is no irritiation. Change your blade after two shaves - they are cheap enough. Instead of trying different razors, stick with your setup and order a few sample packs of DE blades - the Gillettes are a good middle blade to work with before you move on to the Feathers. The Feather and KAI are my favourite blades but I would hesitate to start DE shaving with them right away! Work on your lather technique as well, good lather makes all the difference...and most importantly, have fun and enjoy the shaves!

 

[SgtCrppls]

You could also try Voskhods it is a very smooth razor blade, avoid going over the same area repeatedly, 2 to 3 pass shaves, keep your gear the same and work on technique.

Good luck and let us know how it is going.

 

[Steel2It]

Welcome, Scott. Very good advice above; I consult B&B daily and pick up tips that help me slide down the learning curve. This evening, I'm sitting here some 12 hours post shave and there's no hint of stubble (or irritation) where my whiskers end at my throat -- a historical trouble spot when I used cartridges. I'm only a little over two months into this; you'll get there.
Charlie

 

[ajkel64]

Welcome to the forum Scott and thanks for checking in with us.

 

[rbscebu]

@Anonymous Turtle as many have stated above, you need to improve your double edge (DE) shaving technique. I am not joking when I say that to develop the best DE shaving technique, you should learn to shave with a straight razor (either shavette or traditional). After about 30 SR shaves, return to DE shaving and you might be amazed at how good you will be.

SR shaving need not be expensive. You can purchase a good shavette with blades for under USD 5. Not many have tried to develop their DE shaving technique through SR shaving, but most who SR shave would agree with me.

 

[Anonymous Turtle]

Good morning and thank you all for advice and input. I appreciate you all taking the time to welcome me to the group.

 

[ackvil]

Welcome to B&B, Scott.

 

[emwolf]

Welcome! I learned to shave on DE's in the 1970s, but needed to relearn when I got back into it and this was the place! I'm sure you'll find all you need to know to make shaving a truly enjoyable experience for you.

 

[cryhavoc]

Welcome to B&B!

 

[dmshaver]

Welcome to B & B, enjoy!