Hi, I'm new to the DE razor world, I'm tired of paying the outrageous prices of the rather lame 3/4 blade razors. I have always wanted to try the old style DE razors but have never pulled the trigger on one. A couple of questions I have are what is a good entry level model to but for a man that experiences rash/burn with cheap razors, and what kind if blades, brush, and cream should I start with? Thanks In advance for your advice!
These are a few starting places Razor: For vintage: Gillette Adjustable Slim Schick Krona Gillette Old Style Comb Gillette Super Speed For New: EJ89 Muhle R89 Cadet TTO or 3Piece Blades: A good sample pack works best. Here are some suggestions Personna Red IPs Personna Med Preps SuperMax Platinum SuperMax Stainless Milder but smooth blade Big Ben Since you are new to the Double Edge world, here 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. It is called THE 30 DAY RULE. 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
to TSD "ctjkelley"........I hope you enjoy it here.. I'm a big fan of 3 piece razors myself . I prefer the shorter "BullDog" type handle myself such as Edwin Jagger 89,Gillette Fat Handle Tech,Sabi T2,Cadet or even a Lord or Weishi...You should be able to get any of those at a reasonable price. As for blades I always suggest buying as large a blade sample pack as you can afford, I.M.O. the more different blades you can try the better...Some of my personal favorite blades are Viking's Sword,Polsilver Super Iridium,Astra SP,Voshkod,Bluebird or pretty much any of the Gillette 7 o'clock's or Personna's.... For a brush I personally use a bestshave #6 horsehair(?) brush..The QC at bestshave can be spotty and you will have to order it online from Turkey,but the $5 shipped price is hard to beat... Some other stuff you can usually find local are, a VDH(Van der Hagan) starter kit(brush,bowl, puck of VDH Delux shave soap), other items you can usually find local are Proraso, Jack Black or Corn Huskers lotion(best deal I.M.O.) for a preshave lotion, Nivea aftershave balm. Some locally sold, American made, inexpensive shave soaps and creams are VDH shave soap and C.O. Bigalow cream..A soap I like "ALOT" is Arko in either puck or stick form from Turkey...You really need to go online to experience the volume of shave soaps out there.. As for aftershaves the old stand by aftershaves Aqua Velva Ice Blue and Ice Sport,Mennen Skin Bracer,Barbasol Brisk,Old Spice original and Dollar Store brand,Clubman original and Masters BayRum all are affordable, smell nice and are usually easy to find..In fact check out all of the Dollar Store aftershave knock offs many are very nice and much cheaper than the name brand stuff.... Some local places to look for stuff Drugstores, Barber shops,Bath and Body shop,Sally Beauty Supply,Ulta,Bed Bath and Beyond and Crabtree and Evelyn places like that...There are probably more depending on where you live... Please remember with any of this stuff "YMMV"..I hope this helps you out some Good Luck...
welcome. I couldn't agree more with Platoon's reccomendations. And Carringtons 30 day rule is solid. Theres not much more I can add. Though i would be a little wary of heavy razors such as an Edwin Jagger if your skin is as razor burn prone as you say it is. It wont leave you with razor burn if you dont use pressure but a classic newbie mistake is using too much pressure. I would still reccomend it if you keep this in mind. For new razors that are light and mild I would suggest a Lord or Feather Popular. For vintage- the Tech is defenitely the way to go.
Thanks for all of the information, wow I didn't realize how much stuff there was, it's a bit overwhelming! Thanks again, I'm sure I will enjoy it here!
Having begun "traditional" shaving a little over 3 years ago (I've been shaving for almost 40 years now), I know exactly how you feel, it "DEFINATELY" can be overwhelming at first..Just don't worry,start out slow and easy, do your research on equipment,products and technique(You will be able to get a "TON" of info right here),remember how painful,lousy and expensive cart shaving has been for you and in time everything will sort itself out...There is "NO" mistake that can't be corrected and you will make some, but mostly they won't be very expensive or life threatening... Just try and remember no matter how it starts it will get "MUCH" better with time!! Time,Technique,Practice and Patience are some keys to a life of fantastic shaves..
You have some solid advice here. Let's us know what you end up buying. Keep us updated on the journey to good shaves.
Welcome to the den! Whenever I start somthing new I use the KISS method, keep it simple stupid. ( not by any means calling you stupid) Edwin Jagger - Brand new, very affordable, extremely well built, and IMHO one of the kindest, most efficient, best razors for new and experienced shavers alike. For soap- Wal Mart carries Van Der Hagen for $1.58 and most here will agree it is an excellent soap. I STILL use it. Blades- Derby or the CVS store brand. Both are mild and forgiving yet produce a nice shave. As you gain confidence you will want to venture out to the top shelf blades. Using thease items will keep the cost to a minimum in case you find you just dont have the time or patience for the new hobby but if you find yourself hooked (like the rest of us) you will have a fine razor and soap and will be ready for a blade sampler pack. As far as brushes, you can pick up a boar brush from cvs or walgreens or for less than $8.00 . or you can get the Van Der Hagen shave set that comes with soap, palm bowl and brush at Wal Mart. A great kit for begginers, You can blow a TON of cash on this hobby (just ask my wife) the choice of bowls, scuttles, brushes, etc. is endless and extremely personel choices.
Welcome to TSD!!! Get ready to start looking forward to shaving and saving money (at least on razor blades)!!
Some very good recommendations by TSD members in this thread! Welcome & good luck! My only advice to add is this: Pay NO attention to this man….
I agree with the three piece razors (it's what I use). It's simple, there aren't too many moving parts, it's easy to clean and is usually relatively inexpensive. Oh, and welcome to the group.
Thanks for all of the input, I'm a member of several different forums on different subjects, I have to say the overwhelming input and welcomes here by far surpass any of the other forums, thanks and merry Christmas to you all!!
I just started using a DE and the Merkur 34C has treated me finer than any cartridge ever. I am 3 shaves in and I love it.
