If you sit with a paper and pencil you will see that the cost of shaving the way we do is far less than the way you are doing it now. Unless you get the bug and have to have all the gear and every soap made. You can start out with a 30 dollar razor, a 6 dollar brush, and a buck puck soap. add to that a coffee mug or bowl frm the kitcken and your good to go. Just take your time your face will thank you
Phil - If I were going for minimal cost, I'd go a little different. $15 for a Weishi razor (or similar cost for a vintage Superspeed or Tech) $10 for an entry level Omega boar brush (don't go cheaper than Omega boar, big drop off) $2 for Van Der Hagen Deluxe Soap at Wal-Mart $5 for some Pinnaud aftershave + sample pack of blades. I don't know who has the best offer anymore. The store I order my sample pack from is out of business (R&B for those who care). That another point you won't get from Mantic. The wet shaving community has recently discovered that some of the better boar brushes are at least as good as entry level badger brushes (I and many others think they are better) at a far lower cost. My recommendation is to either get an Omega boar brush or spend a little more for a Silvertip badger.
This is the basis for shaving without problems. You may find that you simply cannot shave against the grain and will have to limit your shaves to one WTG pass then an XTG one. For now, simply shave one pass, With the Grain. Bear in mind that hair grows in different directions for everyone, and a north to south pass for you may not necessarily be shaving WTG. ... Ultimately, it's how you're shaving, not what you're shaving with. Proper shave creams and soaps coupled with a brush do make for richer, more glamorous lathers - but not in any magical way.
:signs046 from WI,you've come to the right place alot of great advice and experiernce gl on your journey.
Kaveh and I have very differnt opinions about the best shave gear, but the statement above shows wisdom. I'd point out that sometimes gear has an effect on how we shave. Such cases as using a single blade vs. multi-blade cartridge, and using a brush with soap or cream instead of foam out of a can are part of how we shave. As far as which DE razor, which shave soap or shave cream, etc. Kaveh's statement is true in most cases. That is, unless you're allergic to something or buy a truely bad product.
I'm with boy extrodinare. I have shaved with everything with a blade including: rotary electric, foil electric, disposables, cartridges, double edges, straights and even a stake knife. My experience tells me that he is right on point on this one.
That's alright I don't mind retelling the tale: One evening I had one straight out for sharpening with Lynn Abrams and one on order from Classicshaving and I got a terrible case of straightrazor withdrawl so I shaved with a staken knife. Got the job done but the darn thing kep doing two things, kept vibrating and kept rotating with the point towards the ears. Didn't do a half bad job of it, but I learned why people do not shave with stake knives. The shaving razors are speifically weighted so that they don't rotate and are specifically weighted for shaving.
No it was not a vibrating knife at all, the thing was weighted wrong for shaving. Learned right then and there why we use blades that are spcifically designed for shaving.
:signs046 danieljg, Nothing to add to the posts 'ut supra' ...:1respect: BE PATIENT.... and KEEP TRYING,..... I was in the same situation :angry019, but now I like to shave my face, .... with soap, brush and razor obviusly,..... You need one or two weeks to practice, the 1st wet shaving is the worst, ... follow the advice of the members.
