Hi there! My name is Ben. I am a college student and brand new to wet shaving...haven't even gotten a DE yet. I got a travel kit from "the Art of Shaving" for christmas and have been using that with a cartridge razor...but it almost seemed sacrilegious! I have been trying to class up my act for awhile and wet shaving seemed like the next logical step. Now I have find a good DE in my budget!
Hello and welcome to the Den...Ben. There are plenty of affordable entry DE's, and often time you can get lucky by checking the classifieds. Are you interested in a modern or vintage design? I'm confident that once you cross over, you will never look back. Plenty to learn around here, and don't be afraid to ask questions.
I really like the look of the Merkur 34c and the Razorock SLAB...I can't find the SLAB anywhere though.
Welcome aboard Ben!! No worries about the cartridge razor. Even those work better when you prep like a wet shaver. Got ideas for your first DE?
Yeah, the Merkur 34c if I can find it for $25-30 or the Razorock Mission or SLAB. Like I said I'm having trouble finding the SLAB at all right now.
Found! One Razo Rock Slab! not cheap, but an excellent razor, and Italian Barber is a very good vendor to work with.
A critical lesson is remembering what the three Ts stands for which is, "Technique Trumps Tools." Now I mention defective products, no amount of technique can overcome a defective product. The products must be ones that can work correctly. No out of alignment razors, or poorly manufactured blades that have bad edges, can be overcome by technique. Here is the advice I received when I started with a DE and so I freely give it to new users. The most important things in shaving are, your skin and technique. All other things fall in line behind those two things and to support them. Since the skin is a given fixed item, the next major item is technique. It is called THE 30 DAY RULE. THE 30 DAY RULE is as follows: Find a razor, then a blade that will not cause issues with your skin (that may take a few different blades in a sampler pack to find a suitable choice or it maybe the first out of the gate) and select a soap or cream that is easy to generate good lather. Once you find those, and it may take a couple of weeks to find this combination, order a quantity of that blade, enough for 30 days, and then spend 30 days using nothing else until you build up your technique. (Note that only one brand blade is used for 30 days after each blade in the sampler pack is tested to make the decision on the blade brand to use for 30 days.) The 30 day clock starts when you have the right blade for you. After 30 days, change one and only one variable and work for another week then change another after another week. At that point you should be able to make better decisions because your technique is now in place. This will help you to avoid buying too much gear and stuff too soon without having the technique available to enjoy all the gear. Oh, and one last thing ... Welcome to the Den. We know you'll fit right in. So grab yourself a comfy chair, and give our threads a spin! Burma Shave
Hello Ben, and welcome to The Shave Den! You're in the right place to learn and have fun with traditional shaving! There are a lot of nice and knowledgable folks here. To help you get started, I would be glad to PIF you an Edwin Jagger DE 89 razor. If you're interested, just PM me your mailing address.
to TSD "Ben" Before you even get a razor, you can get a sample blade pack. The larger the better. Once you decide on the razor your going to use, the more blades you try the better for finding the best blade or blades for your face. Basically only your face can tell you what works best for you all other shavers can tell you is what works well for them. The only way to know what works for sure is to try it. Some suggestions as far as kit goes: Safety Razor(DE)-Gillette SuperSpeed or Aristocrat TTO, 3 piece Fat Handle Tech, EJ89, Merkur34C,Parker,Cadet OC, FaTip OC, Sabi Brush- Since I began "traditional" shaving "the the last 3/4 years or so" I've use a bestshave.net #6 Horse(?) hair brush $5 shipped. Shave soap- Van der Hagan Delux puck and C.O. Bigalow cream both work well, are inexpensive and can be found locally. Preshave- I use "Corn Huskers Lotion" works as well for me as either Jack Black or Proraso and is ALOT cheaper. Postshave- Nivea "sensitive" post shave balm. Aftershave of choice. You will soon start to get the BEST shaves of your life. Far superior to cart and canned goo shaving and also much cheaper.
Welcome aboard the best and friendliest board on the web! I think of this as "facebook for real men".
Glad you found us. You've come to the right place. I'm sure you will fit right in. Be sure to Mark YOUR location on the TSD map - instructions here.
