Questions from a DE newbie

[Sommersa]

I have recently been exposed to the world of DE razors. I have traversed many a forums to try and learn as much as I could. I learned about all the types and brands, yet some questions are still left unanswered.

I keep hearing about how some razors provide a mild shave while others are termed as "aggressive". What is the benefit of these traits?

I have searched many online stores for razors and am baffled at what I am looking at. For instance, I think it's the Merkur brand, some razors have different numbers attached to their title. What do these numbers indicate? I am also curious to how I am suppose to tell the aggressiveness of a razor just by looking at the title because it seems that that bit of information is rarely put in description. Also what is a good weight?

To close, I would like some suggestions as to a good razor to start out with that isn't too "noobish" or expensive. Also, I read a thread posted recently that someone bought some old razors at an antique store or something. Is this a common practice by the DE world and do most antique stores carry them?

Thanks for reading.

[mblakele]

Welcome to B&B!

Getting started wetshaving should help with some of your questions, and Faq is also worth a look. Since you are getting started, you probably don't want an aggressive razor: it will demand better technique, which takes time to learn. Don't forget to think about a brush and a cream (or soap): those matter at least as much as the razor, if not more. And get a blade sampler so that you can try a few different brands of blade.

[Codfish]

Welcome to B&B!

Getting started wetshaving should help with some of your questions, and Faq is also worth a look. Since you are getting started, you probably don't want an aggressive razor: it will demand better technique, which takes time to learn. Don't forget to think about a brush and a cream (or soap): those matter at least as much as the razor, if not more. And get a blade sampler so that you can try a few different brands of blade.

+1 Good suggestion here. There is a lot of help available in the 'Shave Clinic & Newbie Check-in' forum. The stickie notes at the top of the page are very helpful, too.

[Nobody]

And yes, if you get bitten by the vintage RAD bug, you may find a new and strange attraction to antique stores. All I have are vintage razors. There's nothing less than 40 years old and some over a hundred. You know the old saying: "they don't make 'em like they used to."? It applies here.

[mdw15]

Check the (Intro: How old is my Gillette DE - US Gillette Dating Chart) ShaveWiki page on the top of this B & B site and you can see the different razors over the years. You can then read about these vintage Gillettes here as well. I love the adjustables. You can start mild and stay there, or evolve, or have different settings on different days or for the same shave.

I also have a Mergress, another adjustable, a great razor.

The discussion of razors on this site is amazing. j

[Go West Young Man]

Aggressive versus mild refers basically to how close the razor will let the blade get to your face - more blade = more hair cut per pass, but also more potential for said blade to dig into your skin. It's a tradeoff that everyone has to balance for themselves.

The numbers in Merkur razors names are just model numbers, they have no meaning. If you want to know details about any specific model, the wiki is usually good place to start, followed by searches in the Razor Forum here.