My New Obsession? Help me, I'm completely ignorant! Cheers.

Hello,

So, I made the mistake of walking into an "Art of Shaving" store at the mall today, and now I am very intrigued, but completely ignorant.

However, I am totally excited about the prospect of a "premium shave" routine. I start new obsessions easily, so here I am. LOL.

I did not purchase anything today, as I wanted to do a bit more research. And, after reading a very few forum posts, etc., it seems like there are plenty of other better and or less expensive products out there to consider besides the ~$300 I was quoted at the Art of Shaving for their complete shaving kit, chrome handled brush, chrome safety razor, and razor/brush stand.

However, what I'm finding on this forum and others is that many of you are already so far obsessed with the details of your favourite products, etc., that I'm having trouble parsing it down to "where to start".

What I want is this: a complete premium shaving experience. I'm willing to pay a reasonable premium for good products. So, is there a general consensus or popular direction to look for:

- New Safety Razor, Brush, & Stand
- Prep, Shave (cream/soap), and After Products

Until now, I've used a combination of electric razor and cartridges...i.e., typical consumer stuff from Walmart, etc.

So, I know there's probably the same newbie like me on this forum every day asking the same questions, but I would appreciate any help to get me started.

Cheers.

 

Welcome,

You can get a great set up for much less than $300 and really get great shaves.

Here is a suggestion. Take a look at this ...

http://www.bullgooseshaving.net/budestset.html

Phil (owner of Bullgoose) is an excellent vendor.

In addition get a good set of sampler blades.

http://www.bullgooseshaving.net/butodeblsapa.html

Now, the most important thing about traditional shaving is not the hardware, but technique.

This is some advice that was given to me when I started traditional shaving and it worked for me and others and I will pass it on to you.

THE 30 DAY RULE. Find a razor, then a blade that will not cause issues with your face (that may take a few different blades in a sampler pack to find a suitable choice or it maybe the first out of the gate) and select a soap or cream that is easy to generate good lather. Once you find those, and it may take a couple of weeks to find this combination, order a quantity of that blade enough for 30 days, and then spend 30 days using nothing else until you build up your technique. (Note that only one brand blade is used for 30 days after each blade in the sampler pack is tested to make the decision on the blade brand to use for 30 days.) The 30 day clock starts when you have the right blade for you.

After 30 days, change one and only one variable and work for another week then change another after another week. At that point you should be able to make better decisions because your technique is now in place.

This will help you to avoid buying too much gear and stuff too soon without having the technique down to enjoy it all.

Oh, and one more thing ...


Welcome to the Den.

We know you'll fit right in.

So grab yourself a comfy chair,

and give our threads a spin!

Burma Shave

 

Well, I would recommend a little research and reading, starting with this
http://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/shave-school-master-sticky.16034/

and also Google "shaving 101", which has some useful info by Mike Sandoval.

There's also a good book out there by Michael Ham "Leisureguy's Guide to Gourmet Shaving" that is a good read.

These guys are smarter and more knowledgable than I am.

I went into an Art of Shaving store recently, and I thought their merchandise was grossly overhyped and overpriced. You can get better advice from some of the guru's on this forum.

 

The Bullgoose deal is outstanding. The DE89 is probably the premiere starter razor, and one that even us grizzled old veterans keep around because it's always a solid performer. The Semogue Boar is stiff at first but will break in to be soft as badger at a fraction of the price. Palmolive menthol is probably my favourite cream, lathers easy and offers great skin protection. Definitely go with a sampler pack of blades so you have a number of them to go by as was said above.

Welcome to the Den! Glad you stopped in here first before overpaying at AoS!

 

Welcome to TSD!

Define "premium." You can get everything you need for a good shave for under $50. You can spend more if you want. It would help to know what you're looking for.

 

Welcome man, nice to have you here. I agree, you don't need to spend a fortune on good stuff to shave with. Look on Razor Blades and More, Bullgoose, West Coast Shaving for stuff to buy.

 

Art of Shaving sells razors and such made by other companies and they add their name and a good bump up in price.

 

http://www.shoeboxshavehop.com is good place to shop. Also, http://www.italianbarber.com, classicshaving,royalshave, and many others. If you get interested in straight razors there are more yet. Bullgoose and Westcoastshave are excellent.

 

Welcome to The Shave Den!!

It sounds like your not looking to get a budget setup, but a very nice setup, just not with a $300 price tag. One thing you'll find is that if you ask 10 wet shavers for their opinions on what you should buy, you'll probably get 12 different answers. It's not that any of them are giving you bad advice, it's just that in this hobby, Your Mileage May Vary for just about everything. What works for one person may not work for another. What one person loves, another hates.

Here's what I'd suggest. Get yourself a cheap, but solid, setup to start. Then as you work on technique with it, you can continue to read this forum, ask questions, and come to understand what the options are, and from there, what you're looking for. To just say, "Tell me what I should buy", will open up a world of advice that will probably confuse you even more.

With time you'll find out why people like certain brushes, certain razors, and certain soaps. As you read their opinions, you'll connect with some of it and you'll figure out what you should buy. If you just open it up as you have, you'll probably end up with a great setup, but it may not be great for you.

The important thing is to just get started.

One question for you. When you were at AoS, I imagine you smelled their soaps and creams. Did any of their scents appeal to you? That might be one place to start buying. I've only used the unscented AoS cream, but all of their soaps and creams are widely regarded to be top notch stuff, even if a little expensive.

Good luck on your journey into wet shaving!

 

You hit the nail on the head. I'm not a fan of buying "cheap" and then turning it into a waste because I want quality later. I want quality from the start. If I'm going to do it, I want to "do it right", so to speak.

I really liked the aesthetic of what they had at AoS. They had one safety razor that I really enjoyed "holding" due to the weight and also liked the way it looked. They had a matching chrome badger brush and razor/brush stand that created a nice looking set, but they wanted $85 for the stand alone. LOL.

I think this was the one:
http://tinyurl.com/cgb9oqr

I also really liked the smell of their lavender shave products, as I believe it would pair well with the Thierry Mugler Angel Men cologne that I use:
http://tinyurl.com/c46e37f

So to try to clarify what I mean by "premium", I'm looking for a quality razor that's good all-around quality. Not a cheapie, but one I can use both as a beginner and as I "develop my skills". And, I'm willing to pay for quality products. I just got the sense that AoS was overpriced for what they were selling, and it seems there is a consensus on that. My question is what's similar to better quality without the huge markup? I thought maybe I might be able to get started for more like $100-200, rather than $300+. I just want real value for my money...not hyped up merchandising, which is what $100 Gillette razors in a glass display case at AoS looked like to me.

Thanks everyone, for the welcome!!

Cheers.

 

Just checked out the AoS website. Highway robbers! Stick around SoundMessage, there's plenty of info here to get you what you want at half the price and twice the quality!

 

OK...based on the advice and reviews I'm seeing, it looks like a DE89 is the way to go. Question: there are several variants of the DE89...octagonal...lined...etc. Any difference between these apart from aesthetics? I'm thinking of trying to put together a matching set of Edwin Jagger DE89 with a brush and stand that matches whichever razor I get.

 

So far, this is what I have on my shopping list:

http://www.westcoastshaving.com/Edw...e-Edge-Safety-Razor-Barley-Chrome_p_1030.html
http://www.westcoastshaving.com/Edwin-Jagger-Double-Edge-Safety-Razor-Stand_p_855.html
http://www.westcoastshaving.com/Edw...ger-Shaving-Brush-Imitation-Ebony_p_1738.html
http://www.westcoastshaving.com/Edwin-Jagger-Imitation-Ebony-Drip-Stand-Large_p_759.html
http://www.westcoastshaving.com/Edwin-Jagger-Nickel-Plated-Shaving-Bowl_p_796.html
http://www.westcoastshaving.com/DE-Blade-Sampler-Pack-Extended_p_11.html

So, that's my hardware. What do you think??

Now...what products to try...

This is already starting to add up again...LOL.

 

The DE89BA11 Barley is a very good choice. The difference between models of Edwin Jagger DE89 is about the handle grip, it should not slip from your wet hand in the bathroom.
I don't know about their best badger brushes but I think they are good.

In my opinion these items are not necessarily and you should wait with them :

http://www.westcoastshaving.com/Edwin-Jagger-Imitation-Ebony-Drip-Stand-Large_p_759.html
http://www.westcoastshaving.com/Edwin-Jagger-Nickel-Plated-Shaving-Bowl_p_796.html
http://www.westcoastshaving.com/Edwin-Jagger-Double-Edge-Safety-Razor-Stand_p_855.html

Also, don't forget to buy shaving cream :
http://www.westcoastshaving.com/Shaving-Cream_c_15-1-3.html

 

Hi! Welcome to the Den.
Be sure to check in with the November Newbie Give-Away for a chance to win some free goodies.

 

You left an "s" out. I clicked on it an wondered why it didn't work.
http://www.shoeboxshaveshop.com/

 

That razor is a Merkur, and it looks like the Merkur 34C. I don't have one so I can't comment on how well it works or how aggressive it is. West Coast Shaving is out of stock but you could find one here:

http://www.bullgooseshaving.net/merkur34chd.html

While looking for those, I found this article comparing the 34C to the Edwin Jagger razor you're also looking at:
http://www.shaving101.com/index.php...ide-merkur-34c-hd-and-edwin-jagger-de89l.html

I think you should go ahead and buy the AOS Lavender cream. The kit you linked too is a bit pricey though. I've found shaving oil of doubtful value and you can make up your own for very little. Scent doesn't matter for shave oil. If you're going to put cologne on top of it, you could skip the AoS balm and get a solid performer like Nivea Sensitive (available at your drug stores or Walmart). Then you're left with just buying the cream for $25, which is not a bad price for 5 oz.

 

If you're shopping at WCS my first set-up would be.

Razor Merkur 38c Long Handle Barber Pole $51
Brush Shavemac 23 mm Finest $89
Trumper Violet shaving cream $18 tube
Trumper Sandalwood Skinfood $26

I have experienced all these products and can say they are good products , value for money and with traditional reps in wetshaving.. It does make a lot of sense not to go cheap , to start with top notch products you will enjoy.

Hope you enjoy wetshaving as much as I do.

 

That's a great price for that brush, if you can find it in stock.

I had an identical stand for my brush and got rid of it because it didn't seem to work.

That's an awfully expensive bowl for lathering. You can pick up an equally attractive ceramic bowl at Target for a fraction of the cost, or you can just use a coffee mug.

I use a toothbrush holder for my razors. I like it because it holds more than one, which may become an issue for you down the road.

 

It's always so funny to see people getting the razor addiction disorder like myself.




As I think everyone above his given some great advice so I can't say much more really. I can say, to this day, my still favorite shave cream is made by eShave. I personally like the Verbena Lime scent, but there are many other scents and non scented versions. It works up a really nice thick lather fast, leaves my face feeling super clean, moisturized and smooth. Here's a link, although you can shop for pricing at many places online. Something to consider as a shave cream anyway...

http://eshave.com/catalog/product/v...e/category/20/?SID=ogggb394hu3p2igvid7ibfkhk7


As for an aftershave, I've not tried many, but Anthony Logistics is my favorite so far...

http://www.beautybar.com/p/anthony-...pla&ci_sku=ANL-003&ci_gpa=pla&ci_kw={keyword}


I will sometimes put Trumpers Skin Food on first, let it dry, then apply Anthony Logistics. Also I will sometimes add about 3 drops of MBomb to my shave cream to add a real cold cool feeling to my shave. Feels great and it's not very expensive at all.


Welcome to Shave Den!