Simple Man needing a Simple Shave

Hi all, I am new here to the Shave Den, I reside in South Carolina. I have been looking into going back to the old style double edge razors and came across several links leading here in my search for good info on the subject. After reading some awesome input here I figured I should join to get some first hand guidance on what I need to do and look for and what type of products to get to start my quest for a simple, cheap and yet good shave. So any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

Edwin Jagger DE86, DE87 or DE89 - same razor just different handle styles, along with a sampler pack of blades and a Semogue Boar Brush

Economical, Simple, and good performance. Welcome to the Shave Den!

 

I use the EJ89 great shave head, but the handle is too slick for me "YMMV". After buying and trying several handles I got a Weber BullDog handle Fantastic!! Good weight at 2.4 oz and Great knurling. However if one of the other EJ handles appeals to you that would be the cheaper way to go. Good cheap horse hair brush (#6) from "Best Shave.net" around $5 shipped, the QC is spotty I have two, one is denser than the other,but both made good lather. Honybee shave soap or Rays of Colorado Goat soap, $4-$5 a puck, both on ebay. Good ole Aqua Velva or Mennen Skin Bracer AS. Definately get a sample pack of razor blades so you can find the one or two or three that will work best for you. Check out mantic59' videos also, theres several and they can help you decide how you want to go with equipment and the're entertaining and of kind of funny. Hope this helps.

 

DOH! I forgot about soap. I fail. For soap I recommend TSD - JoAnna's scents are awesome and they are very easy to learn to lather with. There's guaranteed to be a scent you'll find up your alley with her list.

 

Start with the best and get a Weber bulldog handle with ARC head.

 

Lindy, I like the Weber razors too but it is hard to recommend a razor that is out of stock (such as now) more often the it is in stock. At least with the EJs they are available. Another good choice would be a Lord L6.

 

Lord L6 is good, but if you're going in that direction, you can get better with the Feather Popular for $19. Very smooth and easy.

Of for vintage, a Schick Krona. Same feel. Or if you want to adjust, the Black Beauty, Gillette, superadjustable with long handle. I like it much better than the Fat Boy and a step above the slim adjustable, too.

Or you could be brave and go SE and get a Schick G1 or higher razor...maybe the L series, very cheap vintage and closer, easier shave than DE...for me....but I've gone to straight razors now.

 

I second the Feather Popular TTO, which will make a great and inexpensive starter razor. For just under 20 bucks, it's light and long handled..similar to the cartridge and quite a forgiving shaver for the newbe. Later when you get a handle on the DE, you can look around at the many shaver options which are out there. And welcome to TSD!

 

I agree with the PlanofMan about brush choice. I have 11 brushes, badger,horse hair and synthetics. The H.I.S. is larger, softer, holds water better, makes lather better and feels better on my skin than anything else I've used...and once again it's inexpensive. You just can't beat the value. Since I've gone to straight razor shaving, I need a wetter lather and the H.I.S. helps me get that wet lather better than my badgers.

For blades, I've yet to see anyone who couldn't get along with Astra SP's. They work well in all my variety of DEs.

 

The well respected vendor Italian Barber of Canada has 25 kits for $25 . The kits feature a razor, brush, quality soap. A double edge blade sampler pack available from multiple shaving vendors has an assortment of allowing you to find the right blade for you. After you find the perfect blade its easy to buy them in bulk if you so choose . Good luck.

 

Thanks for all the welcomes.

I am looking at buying a vintage Gillette Fatboy Adjustable Razor due to my age and the toughness of my beard. What do you do you all think?

 

Fatboys are excellent razors - but you need to be careful. The recent market for them has caused some insane pricing on them, and you can easily get sucked into a bidding war. I personally wouldn't spend more than $50 on one unless it is in pristine condition.

 

Gillette Fatboy is a great razor. Tend to sell high on ebay. several members prefer the Gillette Slim adjustable which tends to sell a little cheaper on ebay.

 

Yea, I noticed that on the prices, thing is my beard is extremely tough and I think I will need the weight of the Fatboy razor. Many many years ago I used a Gillette, it was not adjustable but it wasn't a slim model. It looked very similar to the fat boy and the weight also seemed to be close, it was a good razor but I had to give that razor up due to so much moving and being deployed when I was in the Army. My thinking is spend a little extra $ now on something I am somewhat familiar with but has a few added features and has a reputation of lasing for many years.

 

That's a great deal!

 

If you can keep checking when the Webers get back in stock, that will be all you'll need. All stainless steel, simple traditional design, smooth to the face and efficient without being aggressive. I a pair with fat EJ handles on the shavenook for $180 the pair. I've seen an occasional Weber being sold on other buy/sell and trade forums, as well.

Next to the Weber, my favorite DE is a vintage Merkur Slant.

 

I am aware of the Merkur razors, never heard of a Webar, little more info please on that.

 

http://www.weberrazor.com Made in the USA. The head is simple and slick. They have 2 heads and handles. A short heavy handle, the bulldog and a long lighter handle. The heads are ARC and DLC. The DLC stands for diamond like carbon, I think and the ARC is some other slick strong material. The ARC feels slicker to me. It means it moves along your face and beard more smoothly and the angle is easy to find with the head design. I especially like the bulldog handle, a good weight. This is the bulldog handled DLC. Yes, the head is black. The ARC is silver.