It's Never Too Late To Start, Right?

Pushing my 7th decade on this planet and shaving for well over half a century, I finally got the DE safety razor bug. I'm the type who does a ton of research when I get interested in a new subject (firearms, guitars, etc.) and double edge blade shaving is no exception. I just got tired of paying inflated prices for cartridges that, despite their ease of use, just don't do that great a job.
So here I am.
Current toys in my toolbox:

• Proraso Green shaving soap
• Perfecto badger brush
• Van Der Hagen TTO razor
• A variety of blades from Amazon in a sample pack: Bolzano, Voskhod, Treet, Astra, Derby Extras and Premiums, Shark
• Edwin Jagger DE89
• Gillette Aftershave gel

So nothing outrageously expensive so far, although knowing my past, I wouldn't be shocked to see further investments in the near future!
Only three shaves so far; two with the Van Der Hagen and their blades (okay but not outstanding) and the Jagger with a Derby Extra blade (much better!).
I'm still learning technique but I have some tools to work with and look forward to learning more here.
Thanks!

 

Congrats. I started in 2010 as I was sick of paying the cost of the carts. Long story short, I didn't save a dime and honestly spent way more than I should have on shaving.

I don't see a brush listed. Did you get one as well?

You will get passable shaves after a few weeks and they will continue to improve as your technique improves.

The most important thing is to enjoy your shave.

 

Welcome to the shaving hobby!

I think learning how to do good face prep will pave the way to enjoying the gear you have now and what you may buy in the future.

If you can stick to changing just one part of your shave at a time (different blade, different soap/cream, different razor, etc) and keep notes as you go, you can figure out what works for you and what does not. It will also help you decide what to reorder (or not order) when your supplies run out. At the beginning, everything is new and you are developing your shave skills so it is hard to only change one thing.

I would say that any blade you don't like now, don't throw them away. You might find that they work for you in a different razor (if you buy more razors) or when you shaving technique improves. That also goes for razors as well. A razor that doesn't work for you now may work for you in the future.

Also, vintage GEM style razors (which take a different type of blade) are inexpensive and give great shaves. Keep that in mind if you decide to buy more razors.

Enjoy!

 

From my admittedly somewhat limited knowledge, I'm in complete agreement with you.
I haven't tried the Bolazno or Astra blades yet (they're next in the rotation) but from the reviews I've seen, I'd be surprised if I don't like them. Same with the Voskhod, which I suspect might be a favorite. We'll find out. That's the fun part.
As for the Feathers, I'm not sure I'm quite ready for that yet. I probably had better perfect my technique a tad more first.

 

Yes, I neglected to mention I got a Perfecto badger brush. I was initially going to just stick with the Barbasol I've used for decades but decided to go whole hog and bought the Proraso and the brush. Love it so far!

 

Thanks!
I am keeping notes and trying to limit the variables to give me a better idea of what combinations I like or don't.

 

Welcome @Lockback glad you decided to join us here at TSD. If you're deficient in the area of a shaving brush, just contact me and I'll set you up with your first synthetic shaving brush.

 

Thank you, sir!

 

Welcome aboard @Lockback

Well played!

 

I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if as time goes by and my technique (hopefully) improves, I end up with Feathers or some other sharper blade because, as you said, the fewer passes needed, the less the irritation. I can sense that already.
As you said, the two razors I have are known for being "mild" so I could probably get away with a Feather. Once I get a little more used to wet shaving and I've tried more blades, I'll definitely give them a shot. They're clearly loved by most who use them, almost always rated #1 in their preferences.
I never used to think I have sensitive skin but the last few years, I've begun to change my mind so that figures into it as well.
I'll also try different soaps as time goes by. The Proraso Green is an affordable, well-liked shave soap, but I'm not getting a huge lather out of it and I know some people think it's far too pedestrian ... All things that will reveal themselves as time goes by.

 

hello and welcome.

 

Welcome to TSD @Lockback

 

Welcome! And glad you are having fun! I originally had the same trepidation about trying the fabled Feather blade. My son, on the other hand, jumped right in and it is his favorite blade. (Thankfully due to a temporary glitch in the Amazon algorithm a year or two ago I got 100 Feathers for a ridiculously low price).

When I eventually developed the nerve to try the Feather I learned that I had nothing to fear as long as I followed the principle of letting the razor do the work and apply no pressure to the skin. You will be fine if you want to try the Feather.

For me, my preferred blade is the Gillette Nacet. The Feather tends to draw more weepers for me in some razors.

 

That's great to know. I'm sure at some point, I'll give the Feather a shot.
I hear a lot of great things about the Nacet. They're on my list to try.

 

Wet Shave #4 this morning.
Edwin Jagger DE89 with the Derby Extra (2nd use) and Proraso Green soap.
Best.
Shave.
Ever.
Seriously. I'm starting to get the hang now. No missed spots this time. And an amazing shave.
This is cool. This is what I wanted. Every time gets better.

 

Hello and welcome, Lockback. (My favorite knife patterns are Canoe and Trapper. )

Excellent, repeatable technique trumps razor and blade choice, in my opinion. Stick with the same tools initially until you get consistently great shaves. It might take 30 days or more. At that point, you should be able to shave well with any gear. Then go crazy buying all kinds of new and different stuff.

Watch a few straight razor shaving videos and see how these guys stretch their skin. Develop skin stretches that work for your DE shaves. Rubbing alum on the finger tips of your non-shaving hand allows you to grip your skin better. When you flatten an area of your face and cause the hairs to stand, you'll get better results with fewer passes.

Unless you are scratching, keep your non-shaving hand busy stretching skin during the shave.

My current setup is a Gillette Travel Tech ($10), Gillette Silver Blue blades, a stick of Arko ($1.50), and a brush handle with a $ 5 Chinese synthetic knot. I splurge on the post-shave fu-fu, though, and the two-pass shaves I'm getting with this set up have been fantastic.

I shave with Voskhods and Feathers too. Both are fine. Pick one brand, stick with it for awhile and go to town. Or do it some other way. The main thing is to satisfy yourself and have fun.

I'm glad you're here with us.

 

or try a Bic blade, which is also a very sharp blade and is a perfect match for my Gillette Super Speed razors.

 

Welcome @Lockback . Glad you finally came over to wet shaving. There is a whole new world to explore. So glad to have you on board. Looking forward to your posts.