I guess I should clarify. I have been shaving every day since age 18. Just till recently I have been using a DE.
Welcome to The Shave Den Mr. Flay!! I'm guessing, by math that you are now 50ish. That "ish" gives me a bit of wiggle room. At 58 I had the opportunity to have actually tried some of the Gillette and Schick razors when you could still buy them new. Now all I can do is look for good used! Who would have know that back then, someday they would be selling on ebay and others? Glad your math is holding out. Mine is a bit sketchy at times LOL. Thanks for the clarification, "theshaver", it almost looked like it took you a LONG time to get any whiskers. Well, now your family knows what to get as a gift on your 27th Birthday. And Art, (hope that is right) your Birthday is coming up on the 31st!! Maybe a nice ivory handled badger brush, or a Gillette made in the year of your birth? I was talked into an electric razor for a while too. Got one of the nastiest "nicks" from an electric....go figure! I think some of the new razors being sold is GREAT. With so many blade and configurations, it is a choice that was not available back in my starting days of shaving back in 1968. It's a nice group here, at Shave Den! I'm glad to be here.
I'll be 43 in October. I had almost no facial hair as a teen so I don't recall ever messing with it. Was made to shave when I joined the USN -- what I used at that point I don't recall. Used bi- and tri-blade disposables all through college and up until a few years ago, always to my regret (no prep or technique whatsoever). So I hated shaving. HATED IT. Started in with SE maybe 2 years ago, purely on a whim...got the hang of it fairly quickly and realized how pleasant it could be. Have sampled almost every style since except straights, which have no appeal for me. On occasion I still use carts, SE and injectors. They all have positives. But overall (maybe this is just my peculiar weirdness) DE has the most psychologically satisfying balance between giving comfortable, relatively easy shaves while remaining a challenging, risky tool you always need to pay attention to. Not sure why I like that, but I do.
I'm currently 58. I started shaving with on of my Dads Super speeds in 1969-70 time period. I soon received a TracII and used that for about the next 10-15 years. It wasn't until my dad passed away that I bothered to change. He had moved on to an Atra and I started using that handle. After that I switched back and forth between the Atra and a MACH 3 that my wife picked up. About 2 years ago I stumbled upon How To Shave Like Your Grandpa at AOM, and about the same time came across my Grandpa's mono gramed shave mug. It was while researching that antique mug that I found out about the wet shaving community, and any Google search with the word "shave" will return with links to the Shave Den and all the other communities that are out there. Since then, I have never looked back. I now have about a dozen DE razors, Three SE razors, and a couple of straights one of which was my Great Grandpa's that are heading home as I type. I have a den full of soaps, creams,after shaves and blades. I'm sure there will be many more additions to my den over time. I've finally been able to give myself time to enjoy my morning shaves, and try to make every minute as luxurious and exotic as I can. For me, It's not the destination, it's the journey.
I'm 30, a couple years before I started following the internet sites, I had no idea using a brush and soap was a "Thing" I used a Schick STS, VDH boar and Williams with Lilac Vegetal. It got to a point where I was insanely broke, so I was looking for something even cheaper and found a Parker on amazon and saw that it came with 10 blades for less than 30, and had to try it, the rest is DE history for me. Granted now that my pay has been restored to a modest level, saving money and wet shaving DON'T go hand in hand. :happy102 I guess you could call this my offical wet shaving kit, I considered the Omega Pro and Red Tip a step up
I'm 55 and started shaving around 1971 with a hande me down Schick injector from my dad. I used it all the way through high school and when I joined the Air Force in 1974. I remember at some point getting a Paul Rever handle in the mail and using it as well. Sometime between 74 and 78 I remember getting a Trac II and tossing the injectors. I went through every Gillette and most of the Schick razors that came out over the years, and quite honestly I never really had many problems with irritation or razor burn and, since joining the AF in 74 and the ISP in 79 I have shaved a lot. A couple years ago I was researching cheaper alternatives to the Fusion and came across some threads about using de and se razors and became quite interested in them and the rest, as they say, is history.
I am close to 48 Y/O. My first razor use was when I was 12 years old and my dad made me start off with his 1965 Norelco Speedshaver which was at the time over 10 years old and not being used. That thing pulled more hairs than it cut because of the dull blades. Within the next six months I moved up to my dad's old Gillette Techmatic since he was using his new Remington electric more. My kit for some time was: Gillette Techmatic Foamy Can Shave Cream My dad moved to electrics full time. I used cartridges and electrics in combination for 35 years. My favorite combination from the late 1970s was my Trac II / Edge Gel and my Norelco Rototract HP1601. They served me well (so I thought) for about 25 years. Then it became the world of triple blades which were too expensive even back then, and then it was disposables and less worthy electrics. About 13 months ago, I became a traditional wetshaver to solve the ingrown hair issues and to save money. Well, I solved the ingrown issue, but I spend more money than I would have imagined. I am much happier with my shaves. Sometimes the older technology is better than current technology at least in razors and blades.
I will be 40 in exactly one months time (August 5th) and I started out getting a Norelco electric for my 8th grade graduation. I used that for a couple of years but was never satisfied with the job it did - from the stubble left behind to the yanking out of the occasional hairs. I then moved on to the Mach 3 and canned goo - Edge Gel, I believe it was. That lasted about 5 years and then my mom gave me an antique shaving mug for my birthday. I bought a puck, brush, and mug in a kit from our local drug store, put the vintage mug on the shelf because I didn't want to break it and set out on the wet shaving road. I shaved using that mug and boar brush and usually buying pucks of Williams for about 20 years until that mug broke and I started using the antique mug. I then came across the "How to shave like your Grandpa" article and I thought, "You mean I don't already shave like my Grandpa?" That's when I found out about DEs and all the like. That was in February of this year and since then I have found out what the magnificent and addicting world of wet shaving is really all about. I never had any problems with ingrown hairs or bumps and would only occasionally end up with razor burn, so I made the switch, not out of necessity for a better shave (although I am getting that), but rather for a feeling of nostalgia, to just get away from the modern mumbo jumbo and back to a simpler time. I found this site shortly after reading that article and read everything I could, applied what I learned and now I thoroughly enjoy my time at the sink while feeling that for at least 10 or 15 minutes I can put the world on hold and step back into a different time and really appreciate and savor the small simple task of removing whiskers from my face. Thank you....and goodnight.
I'm 60. Started with a simple SS back in the 60's. They made me send my kit home in Basic and issued me a trac II with a can of foam. I persevered and went back to DE ASAP. Stuck with the SSs for about the next 30 yrs with no issue except that my wife would nab my razor now and then and reduce the blade to a rusty hacksaw. Got into collecting while working mission systems on the JSF back around 2000 as an alternative to just pulling my hair out.
I am 53. Used Gillette Good News plastic razors thru HS and College. After getting married in 81 I was given a hand-me-down Gillette Black Handle Adjustable from my mother-in-law's attic, and used that with store bought blades and canned goo for 26 years doing mainly one pass shaves in time saving mode. In 2004 I tried my first shave soap (Williams), and picked up my first brush (an Ever Ready Boar) from E-Bay, and started taking more time with my shaves. Within a year I acquired several Gillette vintage razors and soaps, but still only did one pass shaves. In 2009, after doing some web searching and finding this Den, I got hooked on the hobby full bore, and now expect a DFS at a minimum on every shave, and love doing it. And the journey continues.
I am 30, tried to dip my feet into wet shaving in January 2008, but accidentally fell in, and have been doing the survival float since.
Yea, Gary, were over on the SW part of the state, and you in the Detroit area... sort of. Never been in that area. Looks populated. When did you start wet shaving?
I'm 37, soon to be 38 here in another few weeks. I've been wet shaving for several years now, but only since I've joined here have I been getting a good lather. Perhaps since my dad used goo and thats what I started with. I don't remember how thick the lather was when my grandpa wet shaved, I was too little but I do remember the cream he'd put on the end of my nose looked like fresh whipped cream and I had once tried to eat it. I've only started DE shaving a couple of months ago, and SE a few days ago. (thanks gorgo). And with the shaves I am now getting won't be looking back any time soon. Before this I didn't enjoy my shaves and the razor burn and bumps that always came with it. Now when I can find a reason I shave twice a day.
I am 22, been shaving since i was 15ish. Started with a mach 3, still have it. A few years back i recived a electic as a gift, okay shave but still irritation and not very close. I never could get a good shave, had a lot of ingrowns and irritation but I just lived with it. Most people I saw that had good shaves were much older then me, so I figured it would take me a lifetime to figure out. I actully came across DE wet shaving by accident about 3 weeks ago on a knife forum, now I have been wet shaving for almost 2 weeks, The best shaves of my life have happend in the last 2 weeks, and I dont even have my technique down yet.
I'm 27 and have been "shaving" for over 10 years. I started out with schick and gillette disposables and then 3.5 years ago my wife bought me an electric razor because I was sick of my neck looking like it was attacked by a wild animal. I had VERY bad irritation and ingrowns. The electric helped with that, but I missed the smoothness I got after a shave from the cartridges. My older brother sent over some DE razors and blades once he was settled with his Merkur HD, about the same time my wife gave me my electric razor. I tried a slim adjustable on 1 and tore my face to pieces, because I was used to applying pressure when shaving; later I tried a blue-tip with the same result. After about a year with the electric I tried the DEs again. I did a ton of research on B&B (didn't know TSD existed then), and e-mailed my bro often. Eventually after a month of practicing and getting some nice stuff from my bro I got the hang of it and have NEVER looked back to the electric and cartridge razors. At first my wife was skeptical, because I don't stick with things long, but she soon realized it was here to stay, and she loves the scent's of the soaps and aftershaves! That is my story in a nutshell.
im 40 next year started out on cartridge razors then electric 4 years ago, started straight shaving last year after watching a lot of vids on utube, and started withe the de 4 weeks ago!! and loving it best shave ive ever had merkur 34c with taylors badger brush, just got 2 super speeds last wk, and i managed to get a merkur vision for £30 (used but tidy) just waitin for the barbicde to arrive to clean em cant wait. i actually look forward to shaving now even when i get in off a 12hr night shift.
I'm 21. My first shave was at the age of 14. I used cartridge razors until the age of 19. Then I decided I've had enough and after watching some of mantic's videos I decided to jump the DE train. I haven't looked back since. Oh and my dad never taught me how to shave. I figured it out on my own when I first started shaving, and for DE shaving mantic's videos have been the only source od knowledge.
I'm now 29 and I taught myself to shave using a Mach3 and a can of Barbasol when I was about 15 or 16. About a year ago I ran into ShaveBlog, and then Mantic59, haven't looked back since and never will. I don't collect, but I love trying products, new and old, and then passing them on. I have a Parker 89R for daily use, and a Micromatic Clog Pruf from my Grandpa in rotation. I'm in the military, so I have a WWII Gillette Bakelite for field use.
