Hola! I am about to discover the art of shaving with a DE razor and brush. I didn't shave all my youth, I wore a beard during 26 years and only 5 years ago I started shaving to turn back a few years on the appearance clock. While on a trip to Boston a couple weeks ago I walked into an Art of Shaving Store and realized that there is a whole lot more to shaving than just loading up a Gillette Fusion cartridge. I didn't buy their stuff because I found their prices simply outrageous (although the sales lady was well informed and helpful). I started doing research on the Internet and convinced myself of several truths: Gillette is reaping off customers with the Fusion (or any other) cartridge replacement model. Using shaving foam is another rip off and it's not good for the planet Using a badger brush will improve my shaving experience Using a DE razor delivers a more cost effective, satisfying, and high quality shave Using a multi step skin preparation regimen (scrub/oil/cream/moisterizer) shall keep me younger So after this analysis I made several decisions. This is my FIRST DE wetshave setup: 1. To treat the face I ordered the ZIRH - Best Seller Kit from BeautyBridge.com 2. To shave I sent for the Merkur Vision 4-Piece Set (Razor, Silvertip Badger Brush, stand and bowl) and sampler blade set from West Coast Shaving So now I am watching the videos on YouTube and visiting with you guys to learn how to do this right. After I develop some experience I'll try to hook my son into this new old world tradition and thus deprive Gillette of $500 a year of our hard-earned dollars. Thank you in advance for your opinions and counsel!
Welcome to The Shave Den - everybody here is more than willing to help - just ask your questions and you will get lots of usable advice.
Welcome to The Shave Den! A great community of guys and gals that enjoy wet shaving, I hope you enjoy your stay! Be sure to sign up for the February Newbie Give-Away for a chance to win some great shave gear! Looks like you picked out one heck of a razor to start out on. Just take it very easy and very slow with that monster! I have never heard of the Zirh brand myself, and looking at the kit you said you purchased, it appears that it contains a brushless gel. You might want to pick up a good soap or cream along the way.
Thank you for the quick response and good advice Bill! I am kind of a techy guy so I just couldn't resist all the engineering that has gone into the Merkur Vision. I'll be looking for other shaving soap/cream options. Gracias.
Welcome to TSD! It looks like you have a good grasp of what makes a good shave. Only item I'd caution about is the multi-step skin preparation. I find most of those items used pre-shave don't really help. I do use a facial scrub on the parts of my face I don't shave (forehead and nose). A good post-shave product or two like alum, aftershave splash, and/or moisturizer depending on skin needs does far more IMHO than preshave products. To me the best preshave is a warm shower.
Welcome Eliut. I've stopped enriching the modern Gillette company myself, but I have enriched quite a few sellers of vintage Gillette razors. Anyway, enjoy!
Marketing hype vs. real value Thank you for the heads up Erik. One always has to be vigilant and skeptical of all the marketing hype that makes you waste a lot of money -and time- on unnecessary products. I do have sensitive skin and through this research have begun to correct some of my mistakes. I used to shave BEFORE showering, now I do it after. I used my Fusion cartridges for two or more weeks now I am using them only five times (at least until my Merkur Vision arrives). I also used to just put on the foam and get on with it, now I am massaging the shaving gel on. One never stops learning! Even about something as basic as a shave!
Why so many razors? Like anything in life I guess that shavers can also become collectors items. But my question is: Do you collect for fun or do you actually switch shavers all the time? I went for a high-end DE shaver (Merkur Vision) with the hope of getting a quality instrument I can master and use for many years and perhaps pass it on to my son as a sort of family heirloom or at least as a fond memento of his Dad. What say you?
Thanks you Wyatt Some people consider it to be the best of breed, other people consider the Merkur Vision overkill or poorly made. I guess I'll decide for myself when I get it. I do like the engineering concept and heft of the piece. I am surprised there is no REVIEW of the Merkur Vision in the Den's review page. How come?
I think as you will progress into reading more of the forums that you will see that a lot of us, myself included, do have several razors and we use each of them on a fairly regular basis. I have my favorite, but also enjoy using my other pieces as well. As far as the heirloom/memento concept goes, that is a really nice idea. I have a razor of mine in mind to start my son off with when he gets old/fuzzy enough, and I also have one to get him past the beginner stage too. I think what the issue is, and nobody has come right out and said it, is that the Merkur Vision, while a feat of engineering, is normally not a beginners razor. Beginners have used it with success, but it is one seriously respectable razor. It has been touted by many as being extremely aggressive. Since it is adjustable, and pairing it with patience and good sense, you should be fine if you follow all the rules you learn from hearing other's mistakes. Also, you really NEED and owe it to yourself to lose the gel. It may work, but especially if you have sensitive skin, you should really take a look at a soap or a tube of cream that can be lathered with a brush. It is my experience that this is the reason shaves start off so well. Before my razor arrived, I started using soap and a brush and it made the cartridge experience better than canned goo or lotion. I suspect the gel is similar to the goos and lotions. And finally, I have used the Zirh scrub and it is nice. I usually don't use scrubs but got it free with a razor and it is nice, just don't do it before you shave because it will strip off all the oils that you want and need to get a good shave. I just use a milled oatmeal soap to wash my face in the shower first. I hope this helps and does not offend, it is all just the way I see it, and as always YMMV. Oh, almost forgot, welcome to the den and congrats on deciding to DE shave! :happy023
I don't know Eliut. I know it has been beat to death in reviews over at TOP, maybe since many of us frequent both sites it has never been necessary to write a review of it here. You could be the first!
Welcome to the Den. Come often, stay long, share much! There's a great bunch of guys, gals, and info 'round here. Have fun! Sounds like you're off to a great start. Like BattleMonkey, and many others, we have many razors. I like to use a different one every day. It's fun!
Originally, there was some idea of trying a bunch of different razors to find the best one. What it's turned into is a large collection of razors that I enjoy having around. I either have shaved or will shave with all of them, but some are clearly better than others. This is obviously not the way to save money on shaving; I've just become interested in the razors as devices. The photo link at the bottom of my posts will give you some idea. I have DE, SE, and injector razors, and have just bought a Rolls (uses a wedge blade). Eventually, when the novelty is gone, I will probably settle into a rotation of just a few, and maybe take out some of the others from time to time. Nothing wrong with buying one razor and sticking with it, or if it doesn't work out, trying one or two others and staying with the best one. The other extreme is having a large collection which is principally for display. Others among us fall somewhere in between.
Hey Bob, thank you for the input. No offense at all. I am looking forward to creating a new ritual and shaving with a warm lather shall take me back many, many years to my early youth when the barber applied warm lather to my skin. I'll continue learning and seeking the best fit regarding the soap or cream to achieve it.
Welcome to the Den! I'd like to hear about the Zirh stuff, I've never really heard much about it. Enjoy your shaves!
Learning about Zirh Hi. I haven't tried their products yet. I am waiting my delivery from beautybridge.com. I learned about Zirh from MensHealth.com. They are supposed to be a really large skin products company and their shaving cream got an award from MH in 2009. Their website is http://www.zirh.com. I'll let you know about my experience with their products after I test them.
Jim, this is only my opinion, but I really don't like the Zirh. I find it hard to lather, and the skincare is missing. It is also too expensive.
