Newbie - Current Setup & Overview

[Jaybyrd]

I just started wet shaving last month for my 44th birthday. Some shaves have gone well but some, like the one yesterday, not so much. Reading here has been super helpful so I decided to join - thank you all for the great info. It seems this craft is highly subjective but this is what I have going on so far over the past month.
I shave every 2-3 days.
I would say I have fairly course hair on the thicker side but have never grown a full beard.
Razors: Rockwell 6S, Henson AL 13 mild (on the way is a Mamba 70)
Shave Creams: Taylor of Old Bond, Casswell-Massey, Proraso
Brush: Simpsons TrafalgarBrush
Aftershave: Nivea
My not so great experience yesterday was with a Rockwell 6S #3 then #1 "settings" and a Feather blade (first time trying the Feather). I got a lot of irritation and cuts especially on the neck area and not as close a shave as I expected. My previous shaves were with the Henson AL 13 mild and Astra or Parker blades which have been really good or okay shaves. It sounds like Newb's shouldn't change things up too much at first but I am experimenting a bit which is fun. The Rockwell feels great in the hand but I don't appreciate the head size/cap and that the blade sticks out on the edges. I had trouble shaving under the nose due to the size of the Rockwell cap. Then Henson shaves really nicely with little to no irritation but feels a tad light in the hand. After reading the thread on lathering correctly, I think my recent lather (Taylor of Old Bond) was a bit on the thick side and was drying out on my face a bit, so I will try to correct this next time. I had really good success using Proraso shave cream, or maybe it was some other factors.
Also, I pulled the trigger on a RazoRock because it has good reviews and looks like it has a smaller head/cap. The only thing is I don't know if I bought the best RazoRock for a Newbie, it's the Mamba 70, won't know until I try - should I have gone with the 53?. When the Mamba arrives I'm thinking that I should probably stick with the Astra or Parker blades.
I have often hoped my facial hair would grow back thicker and faster so I can shave more and more...I never thought I would want that
Any comments or input on what I have going on so far would be appreciated! Thank you!
Jay

 

[Texchappy]

Nice kit, all capable of doing the job. If it were me, I’d stick with one razor until you feel comfortable with your shaves most days. Feathers tend to be rougher first day and settle in.

 

[T Bone]

Welcome! I assume you came from some cartridge system? Most important thing to work on is using less pressure, using pressure was the hardest thing for me to unlearn. When you think you're using none, use less still.

Those are all good razor choices, though Henson is the only one of the 3 that I've used. That Mamba .70 is still plenty mild, it should be fine. I'd pick one and stick with it for a little while at least. Feather is about the sharpest blade available, if it's giving you irritation and cuts, put the rest of them away and come back to them in a few months, you might like them better as your technique evolves. Cheers!

 

[BigJ]

Welcome aboard!

Technique is the biggest variable at this point IMO. So I endorse the advice that you pick a consistent set-up. Work on your prep, lather, razor angle and ’NO’ pressure until you are getting consistent shaves.

Once your technique is reasonably solid, then I would start working out your optimal kit. Just my $0.02!

 

[Jaybyrd]

I appreciate the replies and will take the advice for sure; I did come from using the Mach 5000 or whatever they are up to now, definitely have a heavy hand and need to go easy on the pressure - thanks for the reminder because thinking back to yesterdays shave I was using a fair amount of pressure trying to get more whiskers off in my pass rather than doing it in phases. When the Mamba 70 comes I will try that then pick one of the 3 razors to stick with for the next month or so. All good information, thank you again. Trying to read everything on this great forum is a bit overwhelming but I'll keep at it

 

[blethenstrom]

First welcome to B&B! It is great to have you with us. I agree with the above posters have already written. I agree that you probably want to put the Feathers aside for a bit. I saw you mentioned that you had Astras. Perfect great blade and well liked for the most part. The Mamba 70 or the Henson will probably serve you well to build your skill level with.

One thing that was not mentioned yet is that even though you came from cartridge shaving you skin is most likely not used yet to DE shaving. It does take a good month or two of regular shaving to get the skin accustomed to the new routine. Unfortunately there are no short cuts for this, but things will gradually get better with each shave.

Experimenting is a lot of fun I agree and testing out things. It is part of the whole wet shaving experience. However, until you at least have some skill base you will have a hard time judging if a product is better/worse than any other one. Personally I have gone back to blades that did not work out for me in the beginning and now I have no problem with them. Just hang in there. Build your razor technique and your lather technique so you have that nailed down. Seems like you already are having some lather adjustments that you have done.

Enjoy the ride! It is a fun one!

 

[Phoenixkh]

Welcome to the B&B community.... You are correct. At the very first, the information here can be overwhelming, but you'll fit in quickly, I'm sure. You might enjoy reading through the various journals and diaries. They have been very informative for me as I read through the journeys of others and compare them to my own.

Journals and Diaries

A place to document your shaving progress.

www.badgerandblade.com

Jim / @Chan Eil Whiskers 's journal isn't found in that section and is definitely worth the time:

Damn Comfortable Shave

I'm a wet shaver. In other words, I've been shaving with a Gillette Fusion, and real shaving creams, and sometimes brushes for many years (well, decades if I include other iterations of Gillette's "modern" razors with multiple blades). My shaving career began before these razors were invented...

www.badgerandblade.com

 

[Jaybyrd]

First welcome to B&B! It is great to have you with us. I agree with the above posters have already written. I agree that you probably want to put the Feathers aside for a bit. I saw you mentioned that you had Astras. Perfect great blade and well liked for the most part. The Mamba 70 or the Henson will probably serve you well to build your skill level with.

One thing that was not mentioned yet is that even though you came from cartridge shaving you skin is most likely not used yet to DE shaving. It does take a good month or two of regular shaving to get the skin accustomed to the new routine. Unfortunately there are no short cuts for this, but things will gradually get better with each shave.

Experimenting is a lot of fun I agree and testing out things. It is part of the whole wet shaving experience. However, until you at least have some skill base you will have a hard time judging if a product is better/worse than any other one. Personally I have gone back to blades that did not work out for me in the beginning and now I have no problem with them. Just hang in there. Build your razor technique and your lather technique so you have that nailed down. Seems like you already are having some lather adjustments that you have done.

Enjoy the ride! It is a fun one!

Thanks for the warm welcome! Interesting fact about my skin adjusting to the DE shave experience, I didn't realize that. I appreciate the feedback and will definitely take the advise of sticking to a routine first. Talk to you soon!

 

[Jaybyrd]

Welcome to the B&B community.... You are correct. At the very first, the information here can be overwhelming, but you'll fit in quickly, I'm sure. You might enjoy reading through the various journals and diaries. They have been very informative for me as I read through the journeys of others and compare them to my own.

Journals and Diaries

A place to document your shaving progress.

www.badgerandblade.com

Jim / @Chan Eil Whiskers 's journal isn't found in that section and is definitely worth the time:

Damn Comfortable Shave

I'm a wet shaver. In other words, I've been shaving with a Gillette Fusion, and real shaving creams, and sometimes brushes for many years (well, decades if I include other iterations of Gillette's "modern" razors with multiple blades). My shaving career began before these razors were invented...

www.badgerandblade.com

This is super cool, thanks for sharing and welcoming me to B&B!

 

[dmshaver]

Glad you've joined, welcome! Great suggestions above, hope they help. Take your time & don't give up because after 3 - 6 months you're still not getting world-class shaves every time. This is a skill to acquire. Once acquired, it's a wonderfully pleasant experience. This is a journey that is satisfying to take. Enjoy the journey & enjoy your shaves!

And by the way, find my thread where I'm giving away a razor blade sample pack. Here's the link.

 

[Eric_75]

Hello and welcome to B & B!

 

[NickCutlip]

Welcome to the forum !!

 

[Dave himself]

Hi and welcome to B&B.

 

[Quaznoid]

Wow. There doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to your approach.

I’ve DE shaved for 50 years. Shaving is a very simple activity. A great shave can be had w any razor with GOOD TECHNIQUE. To develop good technique you have to practice with the same razor, blade, lather and face everyday.

Ditch the Feathers. Way too sharp. Of what you have I’d use the Astras.

I don’t know anything about your razors. I’d definitely not use the adjustable. Pick one of the others and use it exclusively for 6 months. Use canned lather to eliminate another variable.

Practice. Get the angle right. Feel and hear the blade cutting. Practice. Shave WTG exclusively for the first month or so. Perfect it. One pass may be enough. Stop.

With more practice you can add another pass or two, XTG, ATG if you want DFS or BBS. It’s not necessary but many B&Bers do it anyway. You can add brush lathering when your shaving is perfected.

Change only one variant at a time. Don’t buy stuff. Keep it simple. Enjoy

 

[Jaybyrd]

Wow. There doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to your approach.

I’ve DE shaved for 50 years. Shaving is a very simple activity. A great shave can be had w any razor with GOOD TECHNIQUE. To develop good technique you have to practice with the same razor, blade, lather and face everyday.

Ditch the Feathers. Way too sharp. Of what you have I’d use the Astras.

I don’t know anything about your razors. I’d definitely not use the adjustable. Pick one of the others and use it exclusively for 6 months. Use canned lather to eliminate another variable.

Practice. Get the angle right. Feel and hear the blade cutting. Practice. Shave WTG exclusively for the first month or so. Perfect it. One pass may be enough. Stop.

With more practice you can add another pass or two, XTG, ATG if you want DFS or BBS. It’s not necessary but many B&Bers do it anyway. You can add brush lathering when your shaving is perfected.

Change only one variant at a time. Don’t buy stuff. Keep it simple. Enjoy

Thank you for the advice. I did try a few different things at first but I have found some success using the Proraso shave cream, Henson razor, Astra blade and only doing 2 passes. I have virtually no irritation and only had a couple small nicks (I think I have to work on my pressure and speed since I’ve used a cartridge for so long). I keep reading on the forum here and I am learning a ton. I appreciate your input a lot thanks again!

 

[spacemonkey42]

Thank you for the advice. I did try a few different things at first but I have found some success using the Proraso shave cream, Henson razor, Astra blade and only doing 2 passes. I have virtually no irritation and only had a couple small nicks (I think I have to work on my pressure and speed since I’ve used a cartridge for so long). I keep reading on the forum here and I am learning a ton. I appreciate your input a lot thanks again!

Welcome to B&B! The wonderful folks here helped me get through the phase you are at and to learn so much more. Know that we all start there. You're doing fine and you'll get this!

You outline the best plan above, stick to that. One razor and one brush, one type of blade and soap. That's what we call the fixed four. Stick with that for a few months to develop your technique. You make a great choice to use the Henson, that will help a lot with the angle. As you said, just do 2 passes, leave the against-the-grain (ATG) until you get through those two with no irritation and no nicks. Then add in some ATG on easy places, like your cheeks.

You're right, the first thing to unlearn is using a ton of pressure like a cartridge. That took me at least a year to learn, seriously. There the Henson will be helpful too, because it won't punish you as much as some razors if you happen to add pressure. But on the other hand, it is very easy to add too much pressure when using a light razor. So keep that in mind for your learning.

You've got this, you're at the beginning, just like we all were. Here's to happy shaves ahead!

 

[cryhavoc]

Welcome to B&B!

 

[Jaybyrd]

Welcome to B&B! The wonderful folks here helped me get through the phase you are at and to learn so much more. Know that we all start there. You're doing fine and you'll get this!

You outline the best plan above, stick to that. One razor and one brush, one type of blade and soap. That's what we call the fixed four. Stick with that for a few months to develop your technique. You make a great choice to use the Henson, that will help a lot with the angle. As you said, just do 2 passes, leave the against-the-grain (ATG) until you get through those two with no irritation and no nicks. Then add in some ATG on easy places, like your cheeks.

You're right, the first thing to unlearn is using a ton of pressure like a cartridge. That took me at least a year to learn, seriously. There the Henson will be helpful too, because it won't punish you as much as some razors if you happen to add pressure. But on the other hand, it is very easy to add too much pressure when using a light razor. So keep that in mind for your learning.

You've got this, you're at the beginning, just like we all were. Here's to happy shaves ahead!

Thanks so much for the inspirational words of encouragement. Glad to hear I’m not alone and people are going through or have gone through the same process. No going back now, this has become a necessity and a hobby/art, lots of fun so far. I can’t believe I was never educated on this until now in my 40’s but hopefully I’ll have another 50 years of practice haha. Appreciate everyone here, thanks again!

 

[dmshaver]

Welcome to B&B! The wonderful folks here helped me get through the phase you are at and to learn so much more. Know that we all start there. You're doing fine and you'll get this!

You outline the best plan above, stick to that. One razor and one brush, one type of blade and soap. That's what we call the fixed four. Stick with that for a few months to develop your technique. You make a great choice to use the Henson, that will help a lot with the angle. As you said, just do 2 passes, leave the against-the-grain (ATG) until you get through those two with no irritation and no nicks. Then add in some ATG on easy places, like your cheeks.

You're right, the first thing to unlearn is using a ton of pressure like a cartridge. That took me at least a year to learn, seriously. There the Henson will be helpful too, because it won't punish you as much as some razors if you happen to add pressure. But on the other hand, it is very easy to add too much pressure when using a light razor. So keep that in mind for your learning.

You've got this, you're at the beginning, just like we all were. Here's to happy shaves ahead!

Well said.

Enjoy your shaves!

 

[emwolf]

Two things I've learned from Badger and Blade: how to improve my shave techniques, and how many shiny new razors I need to find.