Welcome to TSD !!! I also own the EJ 89L razor, it was my first one as well. I didn't thought much of it until I start increasing the angle at about 70-80 degree, then it started to cut right away and with no redness. However I would suggest you to try a shaving cream, it's a way lot easier to get good lather from a cream than from a soap. Like everybody said , hang in, be steady and it will get better with the time and practice, believe me. Buy some creams and try them, I would suggest TheShaveDen wheat cream, it's fantastic, but you have a great choice on the market today.
Welcome aboard Will! With patience and some trial and error you will learn to enjoy your shave time. Keep plugging away!
This morning I tried again, but I decided to change the soap. Instead of the one that came with the kit, I tried another one (also from VanderHagen), but a different formulation that I found at the local Target. Today I concentrated less on the angle, and more on the lather, and in making sure it was "wet" and more slippery, and sure enough, the shave was much better today, with a lot less redness, and my face feels better. Needless to say I will keep learning/trying with this new-to-me soap (I still have not tried the shaving sticks from Palmolive nor Arko), but perhaps, Yes, I should try the shaving creams as well Will
Quick report: It was the soap. After I changed the soap, I now have two back-to-back shaves that are smoother, and I have less irritation. I got the "confirmation" this morning when I went to shave my head in the shower - I used the "questionable" soap in the shower with my Panasonic, and sure enough, my scalp did not feel as good as it always does when using my shower shaving cheam. We have very hard water here where I live, so it must be a combination of soap/water that makes some work better than others. I also have a vintage Gillette New Open Comb (long comb) on its way to me so that I can try that as well. It is good to experiment Will
I have another question regarding blades - should I post here, or should create a new post under the Safety Razors sub-forum? Will
Be great to start a new thread so every one can follow it learn from your question and the responses you get.
So it has been a month now, and I am still enjoying wet shaving with a DE. I still shave my head with the Panasonic electric, but I have been exclusively "blades" to shave my face. I have very hard water, and after trying a couple of soaps, a couple of shaving sticks, and now shaving creams, the creams do better for me - more protection while shaving, as the razor glides better. Thanks much for the great advice Will
Will, where near Dallas are you? I was in Burleson, south of Fort Worth, in May and we still have soft water there.
I live close to Wylie, and we have fairly hard water over here. But now that I have tried the shaving creams, I am now enjoying a smoother shave. Specially the TOBS Avocado - whatever ingredients it has, it makes my razor glide great, even with a blade I have used 3 times already. Even on the 4th shave, it was still doing great, although I "retired" the blade after the 4th shave (don't want to push my luck with these Wally World Wilkinson blades!). Will
I have a cousin-in-law with a dentist practice in Wylie. Didn't realize the water was so hard there. Lived on Plano a year and don't remember it being hard. Creams do better with hard water, but one hint is if you soak the soap a couple of minutes before you make a lather, it works well.
Welcome to the den man! I know I'm kind of late jumping on the welcome wagon, sorry. It sounds like you're moving along just fine. When I started this last year, I didn't understand the concept of no pressure. Creams work best for me, but still like to use soaps too. Don't get discouraged, it took me almost 6 months to actually learn how to shave right.
Thanks for the tip. Experimentation has been one of the things that make wet shaving so much fun. I used to hate the thought of shaving in the mornings, now I look forward to what I am trying next Will
I was exactly the same. I hated shaving, so I had a rather unhappy beard on and off. Now I look forward to my morning routine.
Just wanted to report back to let you know that I am still enjoying wet shaving after 4-5 months. I got several blades to try (got a sampler), and found that (to me) the Derby blades were horrible, but most other blades worked OK. After trying various blades, I have settled on these ones: - Gillette Black (*) - PolSilver SI (*) - Lord Super Chrome (*) - Astra SP - Crystal/Israeli (*) means I got a pack of 50 or 100 of them I still have some Feather blades, I don't use the Feather blades often as they are still a little bit too unforgiving, and I generally get a little razor burn with them. Razor-wise, after trying several razors, including OC, I found I "really" prefer the adjustables and sold all of my "fixed" razors (37C being the only one exception). I love the adjustables since I can adjust the aggressiveness between passes - I can start with a more aggressive setting for the first two passes, and then use a lower setting for the ATG pass. So I have settled into these: - Merkur 37C - 1965 Slim - Merkur Progress The Progress is now with Eric getting converted to a Megress, but to me it was hands down the one razor that gave me the best shaves (out of those 3 above). For my b-day my wife is getting me a Futur, so I am definitely looking forward to trying that one next week. I think it will be a "battle" between the Mergress and the Futur. Like I have done with all other razors I don't like, I will simply sell the one that does not work as well. Lather-wise I strickly use a Silver-tip badger hair brush, I only face lather, and I always lather with both shaving cream and shaving soap (super lather, right?). It works great for me. So the adventure continues - thanks again for the help and advice Will
