Buying My Husband a Razor..please help :)

An EJ DE89 is a great choice, though I think the Merkur 34C is a little more forgiving for someone just coming from cartridges. I also agree that getting him an inexpensive brush/soap/bowl kit and a sample pack of various blades to try is a must. He will definitely want to try it out right after getting it, so blades etc. are going to be needed.

He should be delighted!

 

I agree on the brush & soap. Switching to a good razor, only to shave with canned goop, that isn't good for his skin seems counterproductive to me.

 

The EJ89 is a good choice. As for blades, check out Tryablade.com. Instead of buying a pack of different blades, you can buy one of any brand you choose. Check the reviews of blades here to get an idea of favorites. A nice starter set with brush, bowl, and soap would be the Van der Hagen sets from Amazon.

 

ObiDon has given good advice about the use of a good shaving forum, like this one. It will help him to "relearn" shaving faster by being able to ask questions.

I would recomend a good blade sampler pack and also THE 30 DAY RULE. It is the advice I received when I started with a DE and so I freely give it to new users. The most important things in shaving are, your skin and technique. All other things fall in line behind those two things and to support them. Since the skin is a given fixed item, the next major item is technique.

THE 30 DAY RULE is as follows: Find a razor, then a blade that will not cause issues with your skin (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.

This really does work.

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

 

Oh dear. What have you done. He's going to love his present.... And then drive you crazy with his new found love of all things shaving.

The good folks on here can point you in a more experienced direction than I can, but I use a muhle 89, all but the same as the EJ your looking at and its awesome. Once he's got his wonderful gift, it would be great to see him on here, he'll be well looked after.
I've just handed my good lady a ten piece Christmas wish list.

 

A very good point indeed! Using a good safety razor with canned goop yields a lousy shave, at least it did for me. It is amazing what a big difference a quality shaving cream or soap makes.

Jaynee85, I know it might seem complicated, but not to worry. Shaverhut has a very good product selection. Why not pick a razor, brush and soap or cream, and then ask the folks here what they think? It will make what seems complex really simple and uncomplicated.

 

What a loving and thoughtful wife. She came to the right place to get best informed...

 

Welcome to The Shave Den! Your husband will be off to a great start on his traditional shaving journey!

A Muhle R89 (nearly identical to the EJ DE89 you are considering) was my first DE razor. It is a great razor!

 

Agree with the EJ DE89 (most any variation is fine)

Not such a big fan of the Van der Hagen shaving kit.
A bit more time spent on research and a few more dollars
spent can yield an excellent setup that won't need to be
upgraded for a good long time.
If you prefer to go the component route:

Look for soap from RazoRock,

Palmolive (classic) &


and Proraso


Boar brushes are excellent for beginning wet shavers. They are not terribly expensive, last for years, and work really well with soaps
and crèmes. They start out stiffer than their badger counterparts, but after break in become very soft and are a joy to use.
Two well known high quality boar brushes:

Omega 10048 (very large boar)
and Omega 10066 (medium/large boar)

If hubby prefers a softer, less "scrubby" brush, then badger is the way to go. Badger brushes are more expensive, but are softer than boars
straight away, and will last many years. Badger brushes come in a few different "grades" depending on which area of the badger
the hair was harvested from. Below are two well known very good quality badger brushes.



The Simpsons Beaufort B2 in "pure" badger. Toward the lower end of hair grade for a badger,
it's an excellent, high quality brush with a good bit of backbone. An excellent choice for a new wet shaver.
Works well with most soaps, and nearly all crèmes. While this is definitely a step up from the boars,
that step comes with a price tag nearly 4 times as large. But, if your wallet can stand it, it's a good buy.



The Simpson Chubby CH2 in "best" badger is toward the upper end of hair grade, and is
surely a premier grade brush. I don't recommend this brush for a new wet shaver,
mainly because it is incredibly soft. While it works a treat with soft soaps and crèmes, it can
present some difficulty if used with hard soaps. It would not be my first choice for soap duty.
At nearly 4 times the cost of the Beaufort above, this isn't a purchase, it's an investment.


The others have commented on blades and such, so I'll not get into that.
Be sure to steer hubby our way if/when he is in need of advice or direction.
We are a friendly lot here, and not at all afraid of sharing opinions and advice.

Oh, I nearly forgot,


Welcome to you jaynee85,



and Happy Shaving!!

 

This is exactly what I started with. Also have a DE89. He will be well on his way , and once he hooks up with this awesome group of friendly and helpful folks at TSD, he will feel right at home !

 

Hi there,
Greetings to a fellow Aussie.I have a EJ 89 purchased from the UK ( 3 d handle so I paid a bit more) Arrived under 9 days from the UK. ( RoyalMail is so efficient). Just google where to get it . I now buy my blades from Connaught shaving also from the UK. My Edwin Jagger is a beautiful razor ( glad I purchased it) . Shaver a Shop is a tad pricey. You can get it from the UK with so many more options instead of the plain handle. Have a great xmas and new year and I must warn you your bathroom will never look the same.my wife just rolls her eyes now when I purchase more essential kit that I need

 

Just what worked well for me when I started
Ikon open comb or closed comb razor
Razo rock p160 (smells like almond and easy to make lather) or La Toja cream
Silver tip badger brush

 

I didn't see it mentioned anywhere in this thread but wetshaving with a DE razor isnt necessarily just for men... You may find that two razors will be on your shopping list.

 

Very true. I love DE shaving. It makes my legs feel sooo nice!

 

Did you buy one yet? I got 34C HD as my first razor but when i bought an EJ DE89 later, i liked that as well. They both are my in my top 5 list. Alternatively you could get Muhle R89 which has the same head as Edwin Jagger DE89 but a different handle. GOod luck.

 

This VDH shave set is a nice quality set at a great price. Pair it with a Merkur or EJ89 razor and you're set! Gets you wet shaving for around $60

 

I hope we get an update on how the hubby liked his gift...

 

I think Jaynee may have bailed on us. She hasn't logged in since about a week after she joined. Hopefully I'm wrong but we may have overwhelmed her with all of this shaving awesomeness.

 

She just wanted info on the best stuff to get her husband, you great folks obliged, now she's done. Simple as that.