I am brand new to wetshaving. I currently use an electric and have disappointing results. The inability to get a close shave on my neck, which is sensitive and gets very irritated, has me dreading shaving. I have been looking into wetshaving for a while and have decided to take the plunge. I went to The Art of Shaving store and got some information. I have also been looking on the web forums. I would like to know if the fullsize starter kit at Art Of Shaving, which I can buy for $75, is a worthwhile investment. I have also located the highly touted $35 brush at a local Crabtree Evelyn. I believe both brushes are best badger. Is one superior to the other? Is the additional money for the AoS kit worth it for the pre-shave oil, creme and after shave? Are best badger brushes too coarse for someone like myself that is planning on face lathering? As far as razors go, the only ones I have seen in person are the AoS offers. The small Merkur heavyweight and the similarly priced longer handled lighter Merkur are in my price range. Anyone have recommendations for someone with fairly large hands (XL glove size)? Any opinions are appreciated.
Hello and welcome! First of all well done on your decision to start wet shaving! I guarantee you will not look back! Regarding the brush the brush grade in order are (lowest to highest): Pure Badger Best Badger Super Badger Silver Tip As a starter Best Badger will be perfect for you. I started wet shaving about month ago and I went with a pure badger (the lowest grade) and the hairs are a little coarse, but I have no problem with it. The small merkur heavyweight heavyweight you are referring to I believe is the Merkur HD 34C and the longer handle is the Merkur 38C 'Barberpole'. I was torn between which one to go for most people recommended the 34C but after reading LOADS of reviews I went with the 38C and I adore it. Also the 38C is almost DOUBLE the weight of the 34C Personally I don't use aftershaves or pre shave stuff (simply because I haven't decided which to try!) but I seem to get on fine without them. I just have a hot shower and a facial cleanser and maybe a gentle facial scrub once a week and then a hot towel moments before I lather up. My biggest advice as a newbie myself when buying is: TRY DIFFERENT BLADES. I bought a pack of Derby a pack of Astra Superior Platinum and a Pack of Feathers with my brush and razor. For the first two weeks I used the Derbys and I must say I was very disappointed. I had very patchy shaves. I thought this was down to my technique, but when I put in an Astra blade, I realised what wet shaving was all about! They were simply amazing! The derby's have GREAT reviews and I'm sure they are great blades... they just didn't work for ME. My advice to you is to get yourself a nice mixed bag of blades. Try one of the blade sampler packs which give you a few blade of 5 or 6 different brands. Try them all week to week and see what works for you. Good luck.
Thanks BoogWeed. Actually, the short razor at AoS is heavy. The longer one is much lighter. The longer one breaks down into 3 piece if that helps identify it. Are these safety razors available at any major department stores? Besides AoS I have not seen them available anywhere except online.
In my experience, you are unlikely to find DE razors at major department stores. There may be some...somewhere...but all I've ever found were fancy Mach 3 handles with matching brushes and stands, which ain't the same as a good DE razor. But, there are lots of eyes on this forum, so maybe someone has found something I haven't.
Welcome to TSD, this is the best wet shave board on the planet! I think your best best bet would be to go and get a Van Der Hagen Boar Brush and a Van Der Hagen Soap puck and a pack of DE blades at Walgreens or CVS, and a vintage Super Speed or Three Piece razor from the TSD classified boards or Ebay. Then check out all of the new wet shaver stuff AT THIS LINK
Welcome, you've come to the right place...There are alot of very warm souls here who know alot about shaving and love to share...You've already met stigraysrock, and you can take whatever he says to the bank, and I'm sure alot of others will be along shortly to help as well...In the meantime, kick back and spend some time checking out that link Stingraysrock gave you...Theres a ton of info there and those videos are alot of fun...ENJOY...See you around the Den... BTW I second the vintage Gillette recommendation...And you can be getting absolutly terrific shaves for not a large initial cash output...Check the link and hang out, ask questions...look before you leap, these people will help you know what your options are...)
Still have not made a purchase. Went by Crabtree Evelyn. The $35 brush is pure badger, not fine badger like they used to sell for $35...the fine is now $65. Also, the brush in the AoS fullsize kit is also pure badger, not best badger like I had thought, and felt very scratchy to me. I will probably buy everything separately now. What are the recommendations here for a $50-$60 brush, preferably fine/super badger, and what is recommended for pre-shave oil, shave cream, and after shave? Last, what is the preferred razor for a new wetshaver with a sensitive neck? I am interested in buying good quality stuff right from the start to avoid buying things twice.
First off, 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 June Newbie Give-Away for a chance to win some great shave gear! While its not required, how about you hop over to the Newbies Section and give yourself a proper introduction thread, I'm sure you'll receive many warm welcomes from the friendly folks of this community. Now onto your questions, it is just a guess, but the heavier short handle Merkur is probably and HD: And the longer handle one is probably a Merkur Long Handle Classic: I have large hands too and the long handle classic was my razor choice on my return to wetshaving, but I regularly use short handle razors in my rotation now with only the slightest change in my grip, so I think either will do you fine. I have the Edwin Jagger version of the C&E best badger brush, and if I had to pare down to one brush, that would be the one I choose. It works great with creams, and has enough backbone to work with soaps too. It is soft on the face, and not the least bit floppy when I face lather, making it a great all around brush. Sorry I cannot comment on the rest of the AOS stuff but my recommendation would be to get the C&E brush, one of the Merkur razors, and then add the soap or cream of your choosing to complete your lineup. If you have not already seen it, be sure to have a look at the Shave School Master Sticky, it's loaded with lots of great info for the new wetshaver.
Hi there, might I suggest clicking over to shave a buck, qed, west coast shaving or there are quite a few other wet shaving vendors that for less than 75.00 would have you set up with a couple of soaps, creams, blades and brush. Plus you can buy your razor there too and have a bigger selection to choose from. Check out the reviews on soaps,creams,razors,blades and after shave before you make your purchase and welcome and good luck.
Welcome to TSD! While I rarely disagree with Bill, I'll say I DO find the C&E (or identical Edwin Jagger) Best a somewhat floppy brush. For a just hair more than Edwin Jagger (ha-ha), you can get what I think is a significant better brush from http://www.penworks.us//index.php?main_page=index&cPath=25&zenid=4850cebe0aae048c156e9508647ebffd. Just look around and find a handle that looks good in the knot you want to you at what you find to be a good price. Of course, floppy is relative and what is floppy to one of us is perfect for another.
You must have posted this as I was typing my reply up, so at that money I would definitely recommend one of Tony's brushes like Erik stated above. For the money, Tony makes fantastic brushes! For the razor, I would say an EJ DE89 or its Muhle counterpart. Just remember that it may take you a while to learn the proper technique and find the right blade for your whisker/skin type, so you will probably have trouble with the neck area at first. Rest assured though, you are not the only one with a sensitive neck, and many gents have been able to find the combo that works for them.
