Hello, and welcome to The Shave Den! I'm glad to see you found our little corner of the web. You have a thoughtful lady friend. The Art of Shaving starter kits are a great introduction to traditional wetshaving. Their products are really nice and high-quality, at least in my experience. AoS has done the wetshaving world a world of good. Even without a safety razor, one will get a lot of benefit from using top-quality pre-shave oil, shaving cream and aftershave. In my humble opinion, your approach of starting small and taking incremental steps is both logical and wise, and the most likely to produce great results. If you want to try a safety razor, I recommend either the Merkur 34C or one of the Edwin Jagger DE89 series. Both are frequently recommended as a first razor, and with good reason. They are well made and can deliver a lifetime of great shaves. What is very important to note is that it is the combination of razor and blade that is important. For each man and each razor, there will be certain blades that work particularly well and some that work less well. Accordingly, it makes sense to try a number of different blades in a given razor. Blade samplers are available, and you can also put together your own sampler by purchasing individual blade packs. In addition to The Shave Den, Mantic59's YouTube videos and Leisureguy's Guide to Gourmet Shaving book are excellent companion references.
Thanks again for all the great information! Yeah, I try to stay off eBay as much as I can, but there aren't many vintage razors on craigslist in my area right now. Talking to another TSD member right now about getting a vintage razor (Superspeed W1 (1951) or A no-date-code (ie... 1948-1949 model)). Great stuff here, thanks again - you guys are awesome. Like I mentioned in another post, I picked up a bump fighter today to hold me over. Right now I'm leaning towards the Edwin Jagger DE89 (on Amazon) for my first DE and hopefully pick up a vintage just for fun; I like the collectors part of shaving too. Hopefully after 6-8 months of DE I will gain enough courage to venture into straight razor territory.
Well, I did it. Just pulled the trigger on a Edwin Jagger de89bl from Amazon.com. Had some credit left over and got it shipped for $28 Not too shabby.
on you new EJ89, I think you'll find it is a fantastic shaver!...I happily used mine until I was lucky enough to buy a Weber DLC(unfortunately no longer produced) from ..." geraldgordon "thanks again"... Also when you get into straights just remember the learning curve is steeper. Not only must you learn shaving technique, but also blade maintenance.. So do your homework and remember Time,Techniqie,Practice and Patience are key... That said, don't worry about failiure, straight shaving isn't for everyone...While I can manage a straight shave without cutting my throat, I find the shave to be unenjoyable and the results less than satisfying...
Very nie, you wont regret it. The EJ is one fine tool and it will last you a lifetime. Congrats and enjoy
Congratulations! That is a great deal, especially for such a high-quality razor. Amazon has become one of the best places around to buy wetshaving gear. May you have a lifetime of great shaves!
Thanks guys! Really excited to get started and try a couple things out. Any specific recommendations for blades?
Blades are the biggest YMMV in our addiction. For me however Gillette silver blues are the only blade that gets me bbs. On the other end of the spectrum, Derby, a rusty coke can would probably be smoother. Keep in mind friend, this is only my opinion. Grab you a nice sample pack, you'll find one you like. Good luck and let us know what you find.
