Greetings, I am new to the idea of shaving with a safety razor and I am looking for any advice possible at this point in time. I currently have a Merkur 180 Long handle on order along with a decent badger brush. I plan on trying Derby blades first and then will seek to find a good sampler pack. Do you guys have any suggestions for a good shave soap to be used? Also are there any recommendations for sampler packs of blades that anyone has found really worthwhile to try? I look forward to actually having a close comfortable shave for the first time in 15 years.
Hello and Welcome. Derbys are what I started with. Good starting blade, but I have since determined they aren't for me, although still a decent blade. The best soap I have used is MWF (Mitchell's Wool Fat). It is by far the best soap I have used. good luck
Check out the vendor area here for some good places to find blade samplers. I'd look for samplers that have some of the following blades ( this isn't all encompassing - just a starting point ): Feather Hi-Stainless Astra Superior Platinum Iridium Super Gillette 7 O'clock Sharpedge Derby Extra Sharp Personna Platinum Dorco 301 ( not the 300s ) Shark Chrome Some combo of those blades should be a great starting point. I think you owe it to yourself to make sure a Feather is included, as that blade in almost the universal standard for sharpness. Soaps are a great YMMV situation. I also would not rule out creams if I were you. I'd look at some of the following soaps: Van Der Hagen Deluxe ( can be found in many drugstores and is a great price performer ) Colonel Conks ( nice glycerine based soap, and another price performer ) TSD soaps from the store here ( really nice in a variety of scents ) Mama Bear soaps MWF The 3 Ts ( Taylors, Trumper, or Truefitt ... the English shave soap gold standard)
Welcome to The Shave Den, a great community of guys and gals that enjoy wet shaving, I hope you enjoy your stay! If you haven't found it yet, be sure to take a look at the Shave School Master Sticky List, you'll find info and links to blade sample packs in there.
You already have alot of good tips, and check out the link Dridecker gave you....But I'll just add, you can read reviews of blades on the blade list Geneaut gave you, and others and Go to the TSD Store and put your own sampler pack together of only blades you're interested in...
Welcome to TSD! This is the best wet shave board on the planet! I would grab as many sampler packs of soap, cream, and blades as you can find. The TSD store is a good place to start for soaps and creams and there a a lot of other sellers in the Vendor's section too.
Welcome to the Den! The Merkur 180 was what I used when I returned to DE shaving last year. It's one of many good choices. You've already got plenty of advice on blades. For soaps, Van der Hagen and Williams are inexpensive and good. Of the two, I prefer Williams, but a lot of people hate it, and you'll see many semi-serious debates about its merits. Proraso cream is excellent, and once you realize how long a tube of it lasts, reasonably priced.
