As usual I will agree with this guy here. Welcome to the show. Just keep at it. The shaves onlyget better. One suggestion I might make is a longer soap time on the brush. I soak mine while I shower. Then shake it out until fairly dry. Start working the cream or soap. Add water a little at a time by dipping just the tips of the brush into the water. When you hit the right mix the lather will show it.
I've got 2 Weishi butterfly razor a 9306FL, 9306CL and also a Vikings blade butterfly razor called 'The Chieftain' put away in a safe place in the future when the time comes, only when I'm too old to manual change a double edge blade either from a 2 or 3 piece safety razor, that way the butterfly razor is very easy to change the double edge blade just open the door and pop in a new blade and then close the door easy peasy. My favorite Weishi butterfly razor is the 9306CL they come in a Gunmetal Grey color see below and also a youtube clip for you to look at it looks bloody cool, however there is another new model has been out for a while is called the Weishi PVD Black Plating long handle version see below the Weishi 9306CL at the bottom FYI. Weishi 9306CL long handle:- Weishi PVD Black Plating long handle:-
The OP is in Europe, so tryablade.com probably wouldn't be the best supplier, and explains the costs he's seeing. On the other hand, he'll be able to get ahold of ARKO, Russian blades, and Bulgarian supplied vintage razors cheaper than those of us on the North American continent. As he has Astras (coming), and Derby, I'd say he has a good solid foundation to work with. Derby are serviceable, if short lived in my razors, (Two shaves in a tech, one better than the SS), and Astra are great. I think it's a shortcoming of most of the sites I've looked at that there isn't more information on the European suppliers. I'm sure there are some foreign language sites, but I believe more people speak their language and English than speak their language and the language of the country next to them. Anyway -I'm rooting for the OP.
I am in southern Italy. I don't really want to buy used razors... I know they are foreverlasting and better, but, i prefer new, even if they break more often... Thanks for that link. That's an amazing resource you have in the US, being able to make your customized sample pack. However, since i am in Europe, i find it a bit overkill to order from across the ocean. But i will keep in mind your "made in Russia" reccomendation and brands. From some searching i made, my main sources for razor stuff, will be: - Amazon - This one , which belongs to "Barbers United" and has very good prices and for purchases above 29 EUR, it sends you in 24h the package at only 2EUR postal expenses. Both Amazon and the "Barbers United" aren't very much into "russian" blades, apart from the Astra. The Voshkod are found in Amazon at 24 EUR for 100 blades and Polsilver for 25 EUR(shipping included), which isn't much really, but for the same money you can get 200 Astras or Personnas (let alone Derby). Gilettes are completely absent in my Amazon...The "Barbers United" seem to be very "Derby heavy" in all products and at some point they mention that "Derby blades are the most liked by our staff". So this explains why so many things are Derby... - This one , has much more blade variety, but not as good prices in general and in order to order from them, i should find something expensive, otherwise for example, to order blades for 20 EUR and play 9 EUR (almost 50%) in shipping, is a bit of a nonsense, compared to "Barbers United" or Amazon. I honestly don't think that i will become blade maniac. I think that because my skin is slick, i will be able to shave with pretty much everything, except maybe the sharpest blades. I certainly intend to order Personnas, because i have read many good things about them, but, i think that my next purchase will be stuff available from "Barbers United". Because i have eyed several times, cheaper than Amazon, their shipping costs are low and i think already with a 30 EUR order, i can grab stuff to last me years... But i also want to try Gilettes at some point and the Voshkod. But, i think Derby, Astra, Personna, would be a good starting point. LOL! I am not really sure i "like" Derby, i am not sure i am so hardcore to start "liking" blades, but, i didn't have a problem with it. It cut everything, didn't make me bleed, so for me, this is a usable blade. Maybe there are blades that are gliding better than Derby, i don't know yet, but i can certainly shave with Derby. That much is sure. I didn't have any discomfort and i had a minor irritation in 2 spots at throat's base, which disappeared with the aftershave after a while. So, considering also how cheap they are and that my technique is pretty much non existent yet, i am good with Derbys. You are right about technique being more important. I watched again Mantic99's lathering video and i am pretty sure that my mistake in the lather, was that it needed more water. I think i squeezed the brush too much and being new didn't hold much water and instead of adding water, i actually added more cream. So the end result, was that i got low amount of cream, which didn't have volume and didn't glide well. Still, i didn't cut myself, so this speaks well for the Derby i guess... Yes, you are right... My lather didn't have enough water, i now realize it. I thought the crucial was not to have bubbles and it didn't, but i was wrong. It didn't have bubbles because i made it too dry. LOL! You have a nice collection. The CL is nice. I was about to buy the "gunmetal", but then i read some cases where it peeled off or something, quickly. So i opted from the chrome plated (i like shiny!). The PVD black plating wasn't in my Amazon, but i don't like it. Seems almost plastic. Arko, sooner or later i will try it. "Barbers United" has it, it's cheap too, i intend to include it in my purchase from them. Vintage razors, i don't see me buying. I 'd rather buy a 3rd new. I think i will order Personnas too. 100 for 12 EUR is good. I read many good things about them. I 've read about Derby not lasting, but given the price (Barber's united has them even cheaper than Amazon), i don't really care. I am curious to see how many shaves i will take out of them, but even if i had to do 2 shaves, it's ok. At least i know it's a blade that doesn't causes me problems. Your last statement is certainly true in Europe. For example, i can't speak neither french nor german. Although they are bordering languages.
One other thing, about the "30 Day Rule/Focus" thread , that 2 members have talked me about. I am not really grasping what's going on in that thread or what someone is supposed to post in there... The original post suggests, to use one "combination" of products for 1 month i guess. This, i intended to do anyway, since i still don't know what i am doing... But, i don't understand what people must post there. I don't even understand the poll options... Oh, i also cancelled my 2nd Omega 48 boar brush, just in time, since i think the Proraso Omega 48 that i have i huge and it dries up very slowly. So i think i don't want a 2nd one and instead, i will order a synthetic one. I read that they dry very quickly. United Barbers have several cheap synthetics Omegas... They should be smaller than the Omega 48... I think i will get one of theirs.
Many people have two brushes, and alternate days with them. If you only shave every other day, they tend to dry out fine, as long as you shake out the excess before hanging them up. I have both - one a Surrey Boar, and one a VDH boar. (and another two brushes in a box)
I'll try and explain. This month, I have a new razor( Gillette Ball End Tech Travel Razor) that I am auditioning blades for(so I am Focusing on blades). This week I'm using Gillette 7 o'clock Black. Next week it'll be Gillette Silver Blue. The following week another blade until the end of the month. Then I'll decide which one I'll use in the razor. The Rule is 1 razor, blade, cream/soap and brush, concentrating on technique. Easy. Trust me, either way you'll learn a lot. Dive on in!
I even tried to dry it out right after shaving, passing it over a microfiber cloth. However, 1 day later, i could still feel humidity. I have high humidity here, since i get sea breeze coming in. And i definitely don't like how big it is. So, yeah, i think i will put the Omegone in rotation, but with a smaller synthetic for most days. The 48 is really hard to manouver for me. I need something a bit smaller... I like a synthetic Omega with wood handle, but i wonder if wood will have problems with water too. So maybe better to get plastic handle. OK, so for 1 month, you stick with 1 razor, 1 soap and brush and change blades and see which blade is better. That, i get. So, afterwards, i suppose you go to that thread and say "I used Razor Gilette Ball End with Blades X,Y,Z and Y was the best of the 3". But, in my case, if i do 1 razor, 1 cream, 1 blade for 1 month, what am i supposed to say? This is the part i don't understand... That i can shave with Derby? Well, since i didn't cut myself on day 1, i am pretty sure i can. I mean, it can only get better, right? So, what am i supposed to write there? This is what i don't understand. Thanks for the time to explain all this.
Let me try. The main purpose of a 1 month trial is that for that month, you work with ONE blade, ONE razor, and ONE soap. (possibly ONE brush as well). The point is that by not changing any of those, you end up focusing on technique to improve your shave, rather than "This X must be bad, let me try another one!" Once you have a good grasp of how those shave, you can switch out one of them, and have a feel for what's actually improving, or not. So, in this case, you'll work with the Weishi, your Omega brush, the Derby blades, and maybe the Proraso cream. For a shaving bowl, just use a random plastic bowl. Salsa bowls work well if you have one, or so I am led to understand. I lather on the soap, and don't use creams, so I'm a lousy person to ask for advice there. If you're concerned about the brush not drying out, maybe hang it in your kitchen instead of the bathroom? (or over your water heater, if it is close). So, you shave with the Weishi every day, and you change out the blade when it starts to tug. That lets you take the time to slowly change the angle of the razor to see if something is better or worse. It helps get that into muscle memory/reflex. Once you've figured out the best angle for the Derby, switching to another blade becomes a very short process to find the best angle for that blade with the Weishi. Or, you can simply focus on the lather. Frankly, waste some shaving cream. Don't worry about putting it on your face. Put a small amount into a bowl or mug (soup mug works), and start to whip it with the brush. Watch the lather, and put a few drops of water into it. Keep repeating until you see that the lather is worthless (runny). Then you know the limits of _that_ cream. What's confusing you is that the thread that was linked is a specific "Try this for April" thread, with a poll. Don't worry about any of that. Again, the important part is simply focusing on one of each of the supplies you need for shaving. If you want, you can think of it as a 'take a week to focus on each one', or 'Today, I'm going to focus JUST on the way the razor blade is touching my face." Then the next day you think "Today, I'm going to focus on how I get the soap on the brush." Then "Today, I'm going to concentrate on how to get the lather from the brush to my face". Each item has different things you can think about or work on. The most important is, of course, the blade and how it touches your face. However, if you have really bad lather, you'll get a rough shave. Some people have even just worked with canned foam, which is very predictable, to start with. Or canned gel, or gel in a tube. There's no WRONG lubricant, because every person is a little different, and has different priorities. Some even stick with the manufactured lubricants, rather than making their own lather - even if they use a brush. I hope this hasn't been too confusing. I'll summarize. The main point of the link is to use one set of tools for a set length of time, before you change any of those tools. When you change the tools, change one tool at a time, and give yourself time to adjust to that change.
Thanks, that was very thorough explanation. I intend to stick with everything for 1 month and try to improve lather as #1. I didn't try to put cream on my face. I used tube cream and made lather in a bowl, but i think i put too much cream and too little water. So i got a lather that was not much (so i added more cream) and didn't have volume. Also i couldn't mix it well, since my "bowl" was really a coffee mug and the omega brush was huge for that. I couldn't move it around easily. I am sticking with creams i think, at least until i can make lather very easily. I read that making lather from soap is more complicated and frankly, i don't know if it's worth it. I have this "bowl" coming next week, which should be big enough even for the Omega 48, since it's 13cm diameter. It's steel bowl for giving water to dogs/cats, but in my local Amazon is also sold under "shaving bowl" and it's the no1 in sales for "shaving bowl". Plus, it's dirt cheap: This is from an Amazon reviewer, who demonstrates how he can grab it with a single hand (to make lather): It might not be pretty, but should be big enough for any brush and even if you accidentally drop it, it can't break... I have canned foams, but i didn't want to use them with DE razor. I consider the part where you put the lather on your face, probably the best part of shaving.
Not to beat a dead horse, but here's my set for the upcoming week(it was also a sneaky way to see if I cropped the picture enough). You can see the blade I'm going to be auditioning and the razor, brush and soap. As well as the blade I'm going to be focusing on soap lathering for the rest of the month. I'm not a hundred percent satisfied with my technique. Whenever you're ready come on over to the 30DC. The guys will definitely help you out with any problems you may be having. Have a great weekend!
Welcome to TSD. This is a great place to learn. There are members here that forgot more about shaving than I will ever know. Read everything you can and use the search function. Weishi is a nice razor. I have the Micro Touch One branded Weishi and it's in my rotation. The blades I like most with it are Astra SS and Rapira Super Stainless, but blades are very personal.
Dirt cheap works. If you can find a few small magnets, scatter them around the bottom of the bowl. (The little bitty neodymium RE magnets would be best, if you can get some out of small electronics cases. Otherwise, even lumpy iron ones) What that'll do is give you some lumps to let the bristles whip against, which helps with creating lather. It just shortens the lathering time. Canned foam - if you don't want to use them, then don't. Just don't let the idea that they're not part of the 'experience' stop you from using them. If nothing else, they're predictable, and you could get a direct comparison between your old (cartridge or electric) and the new Weishi.
Nice. I will be rotating blades/razors too for sure at some point. Thank you. I just had my 2nd shave with Derby...I am starting to suspect that they won't be my favourable blades... They were duller for sure, i had a small nick at the edge of upper lip, because i forgot to tighten the skin and the blade wouldn't cut easily. Again, a bit of irritation at the base of throat, where again the skin isn't as tight and the blade there instead of clear cutting, tends to drag the skin/whiskers with it, which then leads to irritation. But, overall, it was a quick shave, despite the fact that in 1 pass, i really do multiple passes from the same spot. Derby+Weishi aren't going to win the sharpest combo award anytime soon, that's for sure. I don't think i will be able to go beyond 3rd shave with this blade. Which is fine. But, there is definitely a sharpness deterioration with Derby, noticeable even to me, that i am newbie. Ha! That's a smart idea about the magnets! I made better lather today, but again, not as good as the ones i see on youtube videos. The main difference is that they make a very thich lather. Mine seems thick, but when i apply it on face, i can usually still see through, the colour of the skin. Here's the one i made today (not the clearest picture, but i think it gives the idea). I added like double the almond size and way more water than the 1st time. On the brush, it looked OK. When i was looking at the brush, there were no holes, it was covered by lather. But it's not the shiny, thick lather i see by mantic99 for example, once on the face: Again, the mug was way too small for the Omega. I kept hitting my fingers and the handle around the mug while trying to whip the cream around. I am also going to order more blade brands, that's for sure. Derbys are good in that i don't cut easily, at least in the 1st shave and i can do pretty much anything on flat areas without worries, even without lather. But, in areas where skin is looser, i think they have problems in cutting. I think that i might need a slightly sharper blade, which keeps being forgiving though. I think in my next order i will add Personnas + Sharks Although here they have "Shark Stainless" and "Shark Saloon". They also have a "Treet" brand, which i haven't read anything about, same for "Croma". "Perm-sharp" has turkish on it, so another Derby clone? I will probably order a Feather 5 pack too, but i have the hunch that sharp blade and soft skin don't go well together.
Hi from Seoul, nice to meet you. Sounds like you're off to great start it only gets better from here.
I've found that cuts happen when you accidentally move the blade sideways more than anything else. Next would be if you jerk the handle and make a chopping motion. Both can happen more when you keep working a blade that isn't working well. The Derbys are cheap enough, don't try to use it a third time. As for the lather, seeing your skin isn't a problem; you simply need lather that lubricates the skin and stays until you finish the shave.
@Keithmax Hello to you too, thank you! All my problems with the Derby, come from XTG, from my newbieness, believing that it would cut exactly like the 1st time and from my overconfidence that "i can't cut myself with this blade". So, i arrived to the moustache area, XTG and i was going very slowly, but didn't think to tighten the skin on the lip. The blade was having a hard time to cut, i could see it, it was dragging its feet, but i kept pushing, saying "i really can't cut myself with Derby on this Razor". And so i cut myself. Same thing goes for my base of throat irritation. WTG, no problem. XTG, again, i noticed that it wasn't as smooth as in the 1st shave, there was more drag, in the area where the throat skin is looser and again, i didn't do anything to tighten the skin. I didn't cut myself, but it gave me irritation in a 2cm area, that is still red now. I also have the impression that the Derby blade doesn't like going too slow, being a dull blade. I think it went better when i was going faster, because the blade having more momentum, could cut easier. But i will have to verify this in future shaves. I wasn't paying too much attention to that. I think, that if i apply the lessons learnt (below), i can shave 3 times with a Derby without issues. I 've read in Amazon people going 4 and even more shaves. But, i don't think it's worth the hassle going that far, given how cheap they are. I think 3 shaves can be easily extracted with the blade. I was too cockey with the razor today. Because, WTG, there isn't anytning i can't do with this blade. I don't even pay attention to what i am doing. I just don't cut myself. So i went guns blazing XTG too and in the 2 areas where the skin is looser, i paid the price. I think Derby + Weishi is a very good combo for me, for extrafast , careless shaves. I can shave very fast and without paying attention. WTG, i could probably shave while drunk and i still wouldn't cut myself. But, XTG, i am not sure that Derby is the smoothest blade out there, because i think it lacks a bit of cutting power. The irritation on the throat, is nothing else, than the result of not being able to cut quickly enough and pulling the hair instead. Next week, when Astra arrives, i will make an exception to the 1 month focus method and try an Astra. Just to see what difference it makes. In shave #3 with Derby, i will try to be more careful and i think i can get a decent shave. But i don't think shave #4 is for me, with this blade. It's probably doable, but i don't think it's worth the extra effort at this point. By #4 it will have lost even more cutting power, which will lead to need for multiple passes again and again. Lessons learnt: - The blade really deteriorates from one shave to another. - I need to tighten the skin XTG in a couple of areas. - I need to stop being overconfident going with superlong strokes without rinsing the razor.
- There are people that can get insane numbers of shaves from a blade. They've gotten so good that the blade itself doesn't really touch the skin - which is what bends/abrades the edge. Rabidus at B&B is one. Don't feel badly if you don't do it. They've taken months and years to just sit there and go slowly with the blade for the 'perfect' shave. Most of us are satisfied with not looking like "Don McCaan The Mountain Man". - Don't forget bullfrogging. Okay, it's a weird term, but instead of stretching the skin, you try to compress it. There are videos that look silly as heck, but illustrate better than I can manage with words. I've often done this sort of thing on my chin, but didn't realize someone had named it. - You may think you're going WTG, but you're probably going XTG (across the grain) at some points. Nothing wrong with that, I found I get better shaves that way myself. ATG is probably where you got hit, and the lip area is REALLY difficult. I've seen surmise that part of it is due to the current blades being thinner than older blades, so to REALLY do the upper lip well, you need a razor such as the post war tech or some NEW units that clamp the razor edge more, reducing chatter. As for the overconfident - yes, that's what the 30 days is for. Just take each shave as a totally new shave. I'm glad you're not abandoning it early, like a few people have.
Amen. If you hang in long enough the technique comes. Pick one razor/blade combo and stay the course with it. Once you're proficient, you can start indulging in all those AD's we're all so proud of!
