Chipotle
02-13-2007, 05:43 PM
I've sort of been edging my way toward DE shaving over the past couple of years, spurred on by trying some Aubrey shave cream with a Mach 3. Aubrey isn't what people around here would likely think of as "shave cream"; it applies more like a thin film, and provides no lather no matter what you do to it. As strange as it seems, though, it mops the floor with brand-name drug store shave creams and gels.
From there I did a little research into this whole "wet shaving" thing, and eventually ended up a little less than a year ago with the Mach 3-compatible shaving set (new handle and brush) from Target, along with some Proraso shaving soap. I'd actually used shaving soap and a brush before, and had kept the brush--which turned out to be a good thing, as I'm pretty sure that (a) the old brush was badger (possibly not "best," but I'm not sure how to tell, honestly), and (b) the Target brush was, uh, not. Even so, the Proraso with the old brush and the new Mach 3 handle made for a noticeably better shave.
Of course, by that point I'd come across the "if it's not a double-edged blade it's not wet shaving" pronouncements, and mostly dismissed it. What did interest me about DEs was the idea that they'd be less irritating (if you got the hang of them) and, in the long run, cheaper.
So a couple weeks ago, I decided to head up to San Francisco to the Art of Shaving store that had opened there and get a Merkur HD, with its one Merkur blade. (They didn't have any others, at all!) I'd already ordered some Nancy Boy shave cream and aftershave, and still had some Proraso--and walked away with a few sample packets of the Art of Shaving store brand.
My first DE shave was... okay. I've been taking a cautious approach, roughly following the introductory videos Mantic posted on YouTube a while ago, which isn't too far off from what I was doing with the Mach 3. I only got nicks that first shave, though, and I did get progressively better each shave. I still don't think I'm getting the angle of the blade quite right, but the last shave I got with it was comparable to what I was getting with the Mach.
Then, of course, it was time to change blades. (Strike ominous music!) I'd ordered a sample pack from LetterK, but missed a "window" -- my order wasn't going to ship until February 12th. So, I went down to Long's and bought some of their generic blades, which as near as I can tell are Personna blades.
The first shave with them was pretty much: "Huh. These don't feel too bad. No real pulling, and it seems like the shave is close enough. I guess I shouldn't have been expecting these to be that bad." (rinse) (*bleed* *bleed* *bleed* *bleed*) "Oh." The next shaves weren't that bad, but they're definitely... nick-ier than the Merkur was for me, and the shave isn't as good. (I'm also glad I bought the alum block!)
But, the blade sampler was mailed today, so PayPal notifies me. I'm definitely looking forward to it.
From there I did a little research into this whole "wet shaving" thing, and eventually ended up a little less than a year ago with the Mach 3-compatible shaving set (new handle and brush) from Target, along with some Proraso shaving soap. I'd actually used shaving soap and a brush before, and had kept the brush--which turned out to be a good thing, as I'm pretty sure that (a) the old brush was badger (possibly not "best," but I'm not sure how to tell, honestly), and (b) the Target brush was, uh, not. Even so, the Proraso with the old brush and the new Mach 3 handle made for a noticeably better shave.
Of course, by that point I'd come across the "if it's not a double-edged blade it's not wet shaving" pronouncements, and mostly dismissed it. What did interest me about DEs was the idea that they'd be less irritating (if you got the hang of them) and, in the long run, cheaper.
So a couple weeks ago, I decided to head up to San Francisco to the Art of Shaving store that had opened there and get a Merkur HD, with its one Merkur blade. (They didn't have any others, at all!) I'd already ordered some Nancy Boy shave cream and aftershave, and still had some Proraso--and walked away with a few sample packets of the Art of Shaving store brand.
My first DE shave was... okay. I've been taking a cautious approach, roughly following the introductory videos Mantic posted on YouTube a while ago, which isn't too far off from what I was doing with the Mach 3. I only got nicks that first shave, though, and I did get progressively better each shave. I still don't think I'm getting the angle of the blade quite right, but the last shave I got with it was comparable to what I was getting with the Mach.
Then, of course, it was time to change blades. (Strike ominous music!) I'd ordered a sample pack from LetterK, but missed a "window" -- my order wasn't going to ship until February 12th. So, I went down to Long's and bought some of their generic blades, which as near as I can tell are Personna blades.
The first shave with them was pretty much: "Huh. These don't feel too bad. No real pulling, and it seems like the shave is close enough. I guess I shouldn't have been expecting these to be that bad." (rinse) (*bleed* *bleed* *bleed* *bleed*) "Oh." The next shaves weren't that bad, but they're definitely... nick-ier than the Merkur was for me, and the shave isn't as good. (I'm also glad I bought the alum block!)
But, the blade sampler was mailed today, so PayPal notifies me. I'm definitely looking forward to it.