Well, I picked up a Wilkinson "finest" brush and some Nivea cream the other day to give wet shaving a try and so far I love it, even with my old Mach 3 it's a lot better shave! Also, with my headblade and headlube I get a much closer shave (both my wife and I love that!) on my head! I'm going to pick up a Crabtree & Evelyn BBB on the weekend when I'm in Calgary as we don't have a local store here but I'm going in circles about what DE razor to get. Help a newbie (I know it's been asked a billion times before, but I appreciate the help) pick a razor, blades and a good store (prefer local, Red Deer, AB Canada) but online would be fine. I have fairly sensitive skin as well. Thanks for you time and opinions.
First of all welcome and enjoy this forum as it is a great group with good advise as you will see very soon.
Ebay a Super Speed 1940's or Goggle Merkur HD and compair prices. We have some Canadian folks here that may be able to help on the local scene. As for blades, a sample pack from West Coast Shaving, Razor and Brush, or Suffolk Supplies should do you good. The C&E Best is a great brush (good job). Welcome to the big show!
Welcome to The Shave Den, Scruffy! We're pretty informal here so a first name would be nice. Lot's of guys seem to prefer one of two razors for starters. Either a Merkur Heavy Duty or a vintage Gillette Superspeed. I prefer the HD, but the SS has a LOT of fans as well. The HD is a currently manufactured model so you can buy one from any number of shaving vendors. The SS hasn't been made in years so you'll have to find one at an online auction site, at a local antique shop or perhaps from the classified forum here at TSD. Lots of them available though. As for blades, a good suggestion would be to buy a sampler pack (5-10 blades of several brands), use one brand for 3-4 days to a week, then switch to a different brand. That way, you can see which one works best for you. Some love Feathers, others Derby, etc. Everyone's face is different. Lastly, check out Leisureguy's blog and watch Mantic's YouTube videos. Great info.
Welcome! I suggest you have a look at ebay, the shopping index, the classifieds or in the Vendors corner for some ideas; One I'm not afraid to recomend is The I Dare U KIT , Great value for money! But there are more good deals available if you look around! The 89R in the "I dare you kit" is an awesome razor, and fitted with Sharp blades it's a great shaver!
I saw a guy advertise a Canadian online shave store. It may not be local but it's Canadian.http://www.theshaveden.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5615&highlight=canadian I suggest going to visit a few local antique shops to find an old gillette DE. There are many different breeds of gillette, and you can have a great time trying out a bunch. and as a bonus, I'll buy any Canadian gillette from you, that you don't like!
Thanks for all the information and links, the Fendrihan site is exactly what I'm looking for! I'm going with the Merkur HD and I'm going to try the Derby blades to start. I was looking at their brushes, how are the Vulfix Pure Badger , Col. Ichabod Conk Pure Badger's or the Simpsons "The Special" Pure Badger Shave Brush? Better/equal/worse than the C&E? Thanks. Bryne EDIT: I really like the look of the Black Ichabod!
I have several brushes and find the C&E to be a wonderful brush. I don't have experience with the other brushes you listed.
I'm going to stick with my original plan and pickup the C&E BBB this weekend. lol Excited and nervous at the same time! Watch the videos and done all the reading, hoping not to bleed to death.
Good choice, I bought one for my son-in-law about a month ago. He loves it! He was a little nervous too, but he enjoys his shave! You'll be fine!
I still can't believe how much better my shave is just from adding a brush and a better cream and still using my mach3! Not BBS but quite a bit better.
Well, I got my Merkur HD in today, but it has a crack in the upper handle. I'm debating whether I should send it back or not as I doubt it will go anywhere.... but regardless I'm disappointed as it's my first DE razor and I was so looking forward to using it this weekend. I put the Derby blade in a ran it across the back of my hand and then did the same with my Mach 3 on the other, oh my, the Mach 3 took maybe a 10th off of what the Derby did!
When I get my Gillette Tech in I'll send it back. I shaved with it this morning and for my first time it went very well. My cheeks and lip are just as good if not better than my Mach 3 but my neck still needs some work, but that will come as I get the technique down. But I must say, I'm HOOKED!! Which razor would be a good step up from the Merkur HD and Tech once I get more used to shaving this way?
Your journey has just begun ! More creams, more soap, more blades, more brushes, etc... I have 7 DE's and enjoy them all for various reasons. My favorite is a Parker 89R I purchased from Rene and is reviewed here. I am now looking to enter the world of straights and just started looking for a good starter straight.