Hello, from New Jersey! Really new to shaving....

Ask as many questions as you like, that's what this forum is for.

The Lord L6 is based on the Gillette Tech design, and is a very good razor. The vintage Gillette razors are more costly mostly because they are no longer made and are being collected, but they are also built from better materials than the L6. For a first razor either one is a good choice. If you're on a tight budget and want to be able to invest a little more in your brush, blades, or soaps then go for the L6. If you are OK with spending a little more for a razor then get a nice vintage Gillette super speed, flare tip, or whatever one strikes you as spiffy.

My favorite vintage Gillette is the black handle super speed.

 

. We can't really answer which razor is better than the other, because it all comes down to which razor and which blade ( and soap/cream, etc.) is better FOR YOU. Only your own evolving experience will tell you that. We can point you to reviews, but almost every product has devotees and naysayers. Good luck!

 

I just bought an L6 about a month ago. It is ok, but it does have short threads. For a little more you can get a vintage Gillette SS. I have three of these, and they are all great. They are well made and a little heftier than the L6. If you can't wait, Sally's Beauty Supply has a Gillette clone for about $10. It is lighter than a genuine Gillette SS.
Oh, yes. Welcome to TSD.

 

Picking your first razor can be VERY confusing, wait till you start trying to pick a blade... If you have the extra money and time to do some hunting on ebay you really can't go wrong with a Gillette Fat Handle Tech or SuperSpeed and you could possibly get one as cheap as the Lord... That said the Lord is an adequate razor and certainly worth the money...I.M.O. if you want a safe bet for a new razor at a good price the Edwin Jagger 89, while the more expensive of the three, is a good buy. I'd suggest getting the lined handle version(lbl), as I found the smooth handle(bl) to be overly slick!! of course YMMV.... While in the same basic price range the Merkur 33c and 34c are also very good razors, same shave heads just different handles. I own a 34C HD(shorter, heavier handle). The Merkurs have much better knurling then the EJ, but I prefer the EJ shave head slighty,so I just changed handles.......Just an F.Y.I. the EJ and Muhle are basically the same razor, but the prices are considerably different....I hope this info helps you out some.....

 

to the Den! Looks like the other members have covered just about everything.

 

Welcome to TSD!

 

Ok so right now, I'm looking at two different Gillette SS models priced around 25-30 and the L6. Thanks for all the advice

 

I hope you find one that works well for you. Just an FYI, if you like the look of the three piece Lord L6, but want a vintage Gillette, then the Gillette Tech has the same basic design.

 

Here's another review of the L6, if you're interested. Bill aka Dridecker sent an L6 around for several us to try and give our thoughts.

 

As a fellow WS newbie, I feel inclined to suggest you purchase the more "inexpensive" razor. I support my suggestion with these 3 points:

1) Rave Reviews - The L6 is supported by some really great reviews, not just at TSD but across the internet. It's reviews are consistently good. That's a good sign...for us. Although, I know everyones experiences will vary, when starting out with anything, I like to stick with what is tried and true for most and then base my next move on my own experience.

2) Build Features: In reading reviews about the razor, it's explained that it has a long handle - which I believe would be beneficial to you neck shaving situation. A longer handle translates to more room to grip the razor - as neck shaving takes practice and a roomy handle could assist with inevitable awkward grips. Also, it has been reviewed that the razor's head bears most of the weight - again, beneficial to newbies like us, who are used to applying pressure, ingrained in our minds from years of shaving with cartridge razors. Lastly,

3) Less Commitment: I will say from experience, it's not as easy as it looks and it really does take a lot of time and patience to produce an amazing shave. With that being said, say in a month you find that wet shaving just isn't for you - too time consuming, not what you thought it would be or whatever it may be, you're only in it for $11. If you get the VDH starter for another $10, really - you'd only be out around $20. Which to me is a small investment in something that you could possibly be doing for the rest of your life. Plus, save on your initial investment and then put more money into a "better" razor once you've mastered the blade.

Again, this is just MY suggestion, as I'm still new to this whole thing;"...take whatever resonates with you and leave the rest."

 

So just a little update.

I've decided to go with the Van Der Hagens starter set. However, you wouldn't believe how hard it is to find it. First Amazon will only ship it with orders over 25. I've been to two Walmarts, one had only the soap and one didn't have it at all. Went to Bed Bath and Beyond and found the bowl and soap only. I have to hit the pharmacies next, but I think I will just go with the soap and bowl alone and get a brush off Amazon if all else fails haha.

As for the razor, I'm checking with my uncle who may have more than one DE razor, hopefully it's in good condition and I can save a few dollars.

Thanks again

 

Welcome to the Den. i have been shaving with a DE razor for a few months. as you have seen, everyone is really helpful.

Target usually has the set in stock. It may be a little more than Walmart, but I always see them there.

 

Here's a link to one of my favorite sites, they have it, AND the link gives you 10% off your order, AND if you sign up for a free trial of shoprunner you get free two day shipping (I use shoprunner all of the time and love it).

Click the link, wait a few seconds for the splash screen to pop up letting you know that the 10% discount has been applied, then type Van Der Hagen into the search and pop the shave kit into your cart. If you sign up for shoprunner then, with the 10% discount, you'll pay a total of $8.99...and get it in two days. If not, then I think shipping is like $5 or so and the shipping is fairly quick, but it's still a good deal either way.

http://slickdeals.net/?sdtid=584704...RcnEyYWgyNXoLAAsAAAAQVkBKIQlOVQsgC-pIh2OvBQA=

 

Welcome to TSD and welcome to DE shaving. Like you, I wanted to try DE shaving, but didn't want to spend a lot of money as my initial switch was motivated by the high cost of cartridges. So, I started to research traditional shaving as an alternative. Lots of great information on the internet on how to get started. This forum has been my favorite source and I have decided to stay here and be a part of it.

My wife and I hate shopping and thus love Amazon. Click, click, click, and your purchase is on its way. During my research, I found some posts on Amazon from
Retro Razor "Shaving Maven". He/she gives some excellent advice on getting started. This is the link:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/A38O0VOFDW/?tag=thshde-20

I ended up buying a fairly inexpensive starter kit. A Concord razor (now unavailable, but I think it is the same as the Lord mentioned above) for about $13. A Tweezerman brush for $13. A tub of Taylor of Old Bond Street Sandalwood shaving cream for $15. And an assortment of blades for around $27. There are 50 blades in the assortment, so for me about a year's worth of blades. With your slow growing beard, you could probably buy a much smaller package of blades.

Since my start, I became "addicted" to DE shaving and am here to stay. I found 7 vintage Gillettes at area estate sales for around $10 apiece. They are much better than my starter Concord razor. If you search Craigslist for vintage razors or estate sales you may come up with something. Flea markets also have them. If I had to do it all over again, I would have gone straight to a vintage Gillette rather than buying a cheap starter razor. But, although my Concord was cheap, it worked just fine and the Lord razors will too. Good luck!

 

Got the shave kit from Amazon, bought other things to make it 25.

Should I practice lathering with this kit and my Gillette Fusion? I won't get a DE fro at least another two weeks and this seems like a good time to practice lathering.

 

Sure, using good products is always a good idea. Using a brush and soap will probably make your shaves with your current razor better and allow you to get your lathering down before you even touch a DE razor.

 

The Lord 6 is an excellent first DE. I still use mine from time to time to shave my head. Is not overtly aggressive but keeps me BBS.

 

Greetings and welcome to the Den.

 

Welcome to The Shave Den!