Here are mine, YMMV but it shouldn’t. Merkur HD - Easy to use. Nice and heavy. Let the razor do the work. Gillette 1940’s Superspeed – Easy to use. Very gentile, for the days when you are recovering from a bad shave. Gillette Adjustable – Dial 9 Baby!!! A Straight Razor - So damn fun you must have one. Offers a fine shave when you get the hang of it. Crabtree and Evelyn Best Brush - You can’t beat it! The Price and the performance it gives are simply outstanding. Soft but not too soft, scrubby but not too scrubby, not too floppy and not too tight, not to big and not too small, perfect for creams and soaps. Homemade soap - Trust me on this one. To name a few... The Gentleman’s Quarter Suzie’s Bubbles QED man Bear Haven JoAnna at TSD Saint Charles Shave Tryphon Hard soap – Protection and lube. Lasts a long time. To name a few… Tabac De Vergulde Hand Taylor’s Mitchells Wool Fat A Good Cream (no need to pay more then 20 dollars) To name a few… Taylor’s Musgo Real Erasmic JM Fraser Olivia's Aqua Velva – Need I say more
Nice thread, bro! Must have: for straight shavers, almost any Wade & Butcher blade. I second the notion on the C & E best badger brush. Soaps, creams: Not to be too much of a "homer," but TSD soaps and creams are hard to beat. Trumper's stuff is good, and so is Taylor's. And Old Spice to go along with the Velva.
Must haves for me: Trumpers Rose Cream Thayers Witch Hazel Original Block of Alum Institut Karite Any Simpson Brush
I mean... We could pass on the AV I think a long handled super adjustable and a GFT coconut and or almond are must haves. I could probably go on for a few pages about must haves, but I'll just keep it simple.
Absolute must have: Wapi FatBoy Preshave cream (Proraso/Prep) EJ BBB (My "new" Simpsons Rover is just the same size, and may rival the EJ) Proraso Green Splash
Must have starter kit: I agree with Doc on several suggestions and they make a good starter kit. Merkur HD Classic DE Razor Gillette 40's Superspeed DE Razor (If you're thinking adjustable then go with the Merkur Progress or maybe a Gillette Slim Adjustable) Crabtree & Evelyn Best Badger Brush Omega Boar Brush Blade Sampler Pack One or two good handmade soaps. One or two good creams. Thayer's Witch Hazel Aftershave I'm not going to suggest a str8. I know a lot of people start right out with them but, I personally, don't recommend it. Too many variables, skills and extra costs involved. Note on Soaps and Creams: Like a lot of new shavers, In hindsight, I made some mistakes in my buying pattern. I would buy a soap or cream and find out I liked it. Then I would buy every version of soap or cream scent that I'd thought I'd like and in multiple quantities. Mistake. I should have bought one (1) of the best scent I thought I'd like and leave it it that. That way I would have had more funds to try other things. The trade off is shipping costs on one item so you'd have to be careful how you made the purchases or maybe some trades or group buys.
