I just wanted to say hi to all the fine folks here. Holy cow, is this ever a nice forum! I started DE shaving about two years ago when I realized that bizillion blade cartridges cost an arm and a leg, that blue shaving goo in a can was more like toilet cleanser than something that should go on my face, and that a razor that was made to last forever was darned good idea. Cheaper, better and a pleasure to use - that was enough to sell me on traditional wetshaving. IMHO, it is a sure path to shaving nirvana and to being as happy as a pig in mud.
:signs046 Washington, DC waves What do you shave with? An adjustable, a three piece, a one piece? Do you use cream or soap? Do you use a boar or a badger hair brush? What brand of blades have you tried? Do you have any questions for forum members? Don't forget to put your name in for the grab bag.
Welcome to TSD! Good luck on that saving money thing. It's not easy with all the razors, soaps, creams, aftershaves, etc. that you discover on these forums. Of course, you'll be paying for a great shave instead of paying for facial torture.
I usually shave with a Merkur HD razor, although I also have a Gillette Slim adjustable. I am going through different blades with the HD to see which ones work the best for me. Then I will do the same with the Slim. I can't remember all the blades I have tried off the top of my head, but here are a few: Merkur, Gillette 7 O'clock Super Platinum (black wrapper), Tiger, Dorco ST-300 and ST-301, Racer, Asco orange wrapper and red wrapper, Gillette 7 O'clock green wrapper, Sputnik, Zorrik, Sharp and a lot more. The names might be a little incomplete, although I do write them down at home along with my observations. That way I can determine a group of blades that work particularly well for me. Should any one blade become unavailable, it will be easy to switch to another one. I use a badger hair brush, a Dovo that I bought at a local brick and mortar store. The brush was selected for its size and feel, rather than from online research. It seemed to be a lot nicer than some of the high-end silvertip brushes, and less than half the cost. As far as soap, Tabac and Institut Karite are the mainstays, along with Van Der Hagen. Em's Place soaps are also very nice, and an order with a puck of Mitchell's Woolfat soap just arrived. Sometimes I use shaving cream from one of the local Indian supermarkets. The Godrej creams are great, and there is one other that was good - I forget the name just now - that I tried awhile back. I don't have any questions for the members just now, but am sure I will have plenty in the future. BTW - I have been wetshaving for a while now, about a year and a half, and so am a quasi-newbie. The registration PM I received urged me to introduce myself in the Newbies forum, so I did.
I already have saved money, at least on expendables like blades and soap. Unlike many wetshavers, I don't collect at all - shaving things or anything else. It is purely a less expensive means to a much more enjoyable end. Multiblade cartridges and shaving goo in a can are getting pretty darned expensive!
We aim to please, and please ask away you will find that collectively there is nothing forum members don't know. Giovanni was an owner of a very popular internet shave shop called Razor and Brush and everyone liked him becuase of his reasonable prices and great selection and shipping. He recently closed down his store and I am still very sore about it.:angry017
Welcome aboard. Be glad you don't collect. Some of us have pretty massive soap/aftershave collections.
