Greetings gents. Been lurking for a while and it's time to say hello! I've recently discovered wet shaving. In retrospect I first saw a DE razor 15+ years ago when my roommate in college tried one out with some canned foam. I remember him getting cuts and nicks and giving it up after one try. I never thought it about it again until recently. I read in an unrelated forum about the cost savings of using disposable double edged razorblades with a safety razor. I got interested and after reading bunches here and in some other forums, I made the leap with an EJDE89. I'm just over one week in and am really enjoying it. Shaving before was mindless and quick with adequate results though the cost of cartridges seems to increase all the time. Shaving now takes more time and thoughtfulness. I've been getting close shaves with rare weepers. My prep is an oil rub, hot towel, then face lather with Arko (I find I really enjoy the scent). Three passes and I'm very close. I'll say it's actually a lot of fun. Now, I find myself reading voraciously on this and other forums. Razor acquisition disease is a very interesting thing... I'll confess I already have another razor en route from ebay (a 1971 super speed). I'm reading about open combs and slants and I want to try more more more... I started into this to save money but I'm seeing how that may not be after all. Anyways, now I've introduced myself and I thank all who have shared so much knowledge and experience that has helped me get started right.
Hi Necrotic and welcome to TSD! Glad you like DE shaving. As for the AD-part: you will be assimilated! Resistance is useless... Happy Shavings!
to TSD "necrotic" The EJ89 is a "GREAT" starter razor and if the 89, your technique and face get along well(with the right blade of course), it's really all the razor you'll ever need. Did you get a large blade sampler pack? Trying as many different blade as possible will help you find your perfect blade/blades sooner. +1 on using Arko, I'm an Arko user myself! Do you use it in stick form and face lather with it or mash it in a bowl(I use a small Ziploc storage bowl for storing my soap) and bowl lather with it? Don't let the naysayers deceive you, "YOU" will not only get FANTASTIC shaves, but also save money by just shaving "traditionally". However, that said, once it becomes a hobby and the AD's set in, wellll that's another story. Don't worry about catching RAD it won't kill you(although your wife might ). We will all be here however to help encourage you to acquire more razors and other shave stuff!! So glad you've joined us and I hope you enjoy it here..
welcome sounds like your right on track. check out the shave of the day threads. for me,a big chunk of the joy of actually shaving, is the camaraderie, particularly on this forum.
My original plan was to stick with just one setup and not change anything for a few months. I face lather after rubbing my stubble with the stick and use supermax platinum blades in the EJ89. I thought it would be much harder to learn. Maybe because I use a knife in my day job I had a shorter learning curve. Now I've got my eye on a Gillette NEW frankenrazor on ebay... Trying to resist...
Welcome! Eddie (178-bplatoon) said it -- If you're in this for a quality shaving, you'll save plenty of money. If it turns into a hobby, it's then subject to "Hobby Rules" and saving money is out of the discussion. I'm somewhere in the middle. BUT at the heart, it's still a means to an enjoyable shave, not just the quick spray and scrape I used to do in the shower.
Lol, you thought you were going to save money!? So did I, it took me about a year for my ADs to settle down. The first year I wanted to buy like mad. I guess it is good as it got it out of my system. I cannot stand the thought of acquiring any more razors or soaps/creams, blades or aftershave for at least a year of not longer, as the thought sickens me. BTW Welcome to the Shave den.
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
