Thanks a lot! I read the 30 day rule in another thread and am striving for it, but it proves somewhat difficult to find that combo
That is why the first pass of blades out of a sampler can be frustrating. There should be a combination of razor and blade that should work for your skin. You have discussed using Derby and Astra blades. What other blades do you have available to you?
Thanks a lot! I have Dorco 301, Shark Super Chrome, Shark Super Stainless and also Astra Stainless. Oh and one single Merkur.
O.K. what you will need to do is to find a good sampler of blades. I know you have a couple of matches to these but this is one of the best values out on the market and the proceeds supports this forum. http://www.theshavedenshop.com/index.php?_a=product&product_id=213 There are larger sampler packs on Amazon and elsewhere, but you should find a blade that will allow you to move forward into the next phase which is locking down for 30 days to build technique. Good fortune in your search.
That looks like a good sampler. 3 blades of each type makes a lot more sense for a sampler than only one of each or 5-10 of each that some samplers have.
Check out http://www.shoeboxshaveshop.com for some better sampler packages. Derby and Merkur to me are the worst blades out there. Astra SP, Wilkinson Sword, and Personnna blades have never failed me in any razor. Astra is dirt cheap and likely to work for most anyone.
Thanks for the replies! Yes, the sampler is awesome, but the postage to Europe is prohibitive The Queen sent me in another thread a link to a shop in the UK, however and I will be ordering this: http://connaughtshaving.com/uk.html with 39 different blade types and enough blades to last two years! The packs at http://www.shoeboxshaveshop.com are also awesome but it seems they don't ship to Germany...
So.... I gave my neck one day off, but I just had to shave today! Especially since I found and bought the Palmolive shaving soap stick at the supermarket for 75 eurocents! I know I should be using the same prep for my initial period but I had a feeling that the Speick cream wasnt softening my whiskers enough. So I enjoyed the awesome lather of the Palmolive and then gave the Astra SP another chance today. Since it was the third day on the blade and it was already tugging some, I just did one WTG pass, but it resulted in an acceptable shave with minimal irritation (the alum stung only a little), so I think I am going to give the Astra SPs another go tomorrow with a fresh blade. Or should I continue though the pack with an Astra SS? Or Shark? Or Dorco? Or Merkur? Aaaaargh, too many choices!!!
When I used DE razors, I would hand strop the blade before using. After each shave, I strop blade (still in razor head) on old blue jeans (any cotton/linen type item will do). This gets off any water or soap residue not flushed with rinsing and in my mind keeps the edge going for more shaves.
If it were me, I would start with the Dorco, then the Merkur, then the Shark based on my testing. http://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/de-blade-challenge-ii.28223/ I want to be sure that you know that the most critical item in shaving is not the razor, blade, or lather (they are of importance obviously). The most critical item is your skin. Unless there is a real close genetic tie, every has different a skin type and that is why you have to work out the choices of hardware, lather and skin prep to suit your needs (not to suit someone else). Good fortune on your search for the shave that is right for you.
Theres always the idea of using a sharper blade in my experience i have noticed that Derby blades are good but no the sharpest of blades on the market
if yo if you dont like shaving after a shower always can get the tap as hot as possible and use the hot water, personally at a cut throat barber i would reccomend this.
Pardon my interruption of this thread, just wanted to welcome sonnyleon to the Den. Be sure to check in with the November Newbie Give-Away for a chance to win some free stuff! We now return you to your regularly scheduled thread
