Eight Weeks In - Lessons from a Beginner (long)

[Snargle]

Good post and generally good advice...although there's plenty of YMMV stuff in there that many can (and will) take exception to.

A little long-winded, though. I think following the PowerPoint slide rule (minimal bullet points, minimum text required to make the point), would reach a broader audience.

Still, I enjoyed reading of your experiences and thank you for sharing them with us!

 

[Bart]

triple cheers for e Grandpa Rule!

Kind regards,
Bart.

 

[bassmanlarry]

All in all, I thought it was a good read.

 

[bf_]

Thank you Dan. As someone in their first week of wet shaving after a few weeks of lurking here on B&B I found this both an affirmation that I have been finding the right resources as well as a pointer toward some I have yet to peruse. I appreciate the thought and time that went into your post.

 

[soulbarn]

Grandpa rule sounds cool!. My teenage son already calls me a golden oldie... and I'm only in my late forties

But seriously, this is sage advice that he needs to hear. Persuading him is the hard part.

Lucky for you to be in your late 40s and have a teenage son. Lucky for me to be in my late 40s and have a nine-month old. Not so lucky for me: picking the boy up at day care and having one of the other kids happily run up to me as we leave, yelling: "Bye, Baby Otto's Grandpa!!!!"

 

[Slash McCoy]

Dan, on the FatBoy, you hit the nail on the head without realizing it. The adjustment is not there to fiddle with. It is there so that you can customize the razor to suit your face, your shaving technique, and your choice of blade. Unless you like to dial it down for a ATG pass, you don't need to fiddle with it after you get it right. The thing is, it is there for you, and no matter what your shaving style or method, you have the right razor, once you settle on the correct setting. When you buy a non-adjustable razor, you are stuck with the only "setting" that comes with the razor. If it is too aggro or too mild, well, that's just tough. With an adjustable, it's "I can fix that!"

I encourage you to try different settings and find the one that best suits you, and THEN leave it there forever, before investing in another razor. Once you get started buying razors, it's like crack. You gotta have more. And more. And often.

 

[otto76]

Nice write up. And the second time this evening I have read something and thought "I should really order that razor sampler pack." So off I go. And Welcome!

 

[Raatt]

well this is exactly what I needed to read....

I have been around now for about 8 weeks and have made many mistakes...I came back tonight to actually post about a new problem, but this read and a quick wiki look has giving me some good strategies...don't know why I did not find the videos, but will go take a look now. The wiki and the forums have been the most useful for me so far.

I suspect this is a training ruse, if so thanks, if not, nice write up Dan...

 

[otto76]

Lucky for you to be in your late 40s and have a teenage son. Lucky for me to be in my late 40s and have a nine-month old. Not so lucky for me: picking the boy up at day care and having one of the other kids happily run up to me as we leave, yelling: "Bye, Baby Otto's Grandpa!!!!"

Off the topic, my name is Otto. (Well, it's my middle name but it's what I generally go by.) Don't see too many of those, especially 9 mo old kids named Otto. Good choice!

 

[Jiddy]

AND…A SIMPLE RULE OF THUMB: WOULD YOUR GRANDFATHER HAVE SHAVED THIS WAY? Shaving has become a delightful hobby for me, and I don’t mind spending a bit. But I’ve remembered to always ask myself: what would my grandfather have done? He kept it simple; in fact, I’m willing to guarantee that he’d never have done all this testing and sampling and debating (not knocking those things - I love it!) I think he would have been surprised and possibly dismayed, so old school was he, to see so much fuss being made about something he did simply, and well - he had a smooth face; I remember from snuggling with him as a boy - practically without thought. And that’s really my goal: to shave like my grandfather; efficiently, economically, and well. Building on that and adding extras is wonderful and encouraged, but the "Grandpa" rule, to me, is the heart of it all.

Great write up and +1 to that!... Although, its definitely still a bit of a hobby

 

[Sir Swine]

Well done