Just a Hello and a question.

[Dubdave]

Hi Lads Just saying Hello.Ive been lurking for a while and went and got a cheap plastic de in boots. I've had 6 or so shaves with it using just a can of foam and the blades that came with. Massive difference from the fusion.

What do you guys think would I see a huge difference with a different razor and what do you think is the order of importance of tools for the job. Ie soap, blades, razor , and brush etc ???

[Marco]

Welcome to B&B, mate! The most important thing? Definitely your shaving technique. This alone, if good, will improve your wet shaving experience to a much higher level, no matter what you use. What really counts is how you use the tools at your disposal.

[Vlad]

Welcome! I would say soap, brush, blade/razor. It's the extra time spent preparing the beard for the razor that makes the biggest difference to me. I was getting sub-par shaves for a while because I was rushing from the lathering to the razor.

[AndreasDK]

When I started out I wanted to use the last of my canned shaving foam so the only difference was the razor and that made a great difference.
The Merkur blade was horrible though so I quickly threw that away and started using my bulk supply of Derby (no sampler pack for me).

Ohh.... I have never prepped my face in any way. Not as a cart shaver and not as a DE shaver.
I just take a bath, lather up (face or mug - makes no difference to me) and shave away.

[konijntjesbroek]

I have definitely seen a load of improvement from the proper lather and prep. I would look at a tube of cream rather than a soap to start, they were quicker for me to figure out how to make a good lather with, and then I can try to figure out how to match that with a soap. Cream/Brush would be #1, then post treatment (witch hazel, alum), then razor, then blades. If you have no issues with irritation using can shave foam and a fusion, then might be different. Oh and outside of AD inducing stuff and probably most important overall, time and inquisitiveness. Check hair growth directions, blade angle. lather consistency. Welcome to the boards and hope this helped.

[Price]

Marco is right on (as usual). Improving your technique will have the greatest effect on your results. There is a wealth of information in the stickies (and in Vlad's signature!:thumbup1:) to help point you in the right direction, and there is also a world of expertise just hanging out here if when you have questions or hit a wall.

That said, of the items you mentioned, I'd say a good soap (or cream) and brush would be the next investment to make. Getting a blade sampler is almost universally recommended as well, to help you find out what works best for you, and you'll probably want to look into some sort of post-shave treatment, even if it's as simple as witch hazel. You don't have to rush into trading up your razor - that one'll take you through the learning process just fine.


Ohh.... I have never prepped my face in any way. Not as a cart shaver and not as a DE shaver.
I just take a bath, lather up (face or mug - makes no difference to me) and shave away.

Glad that works for you Andreas, but for many of us (myself most definitely included) a good face prep greatly improves the quality of the shaves.

[Sledgehammer39]

Welcome Aboard!

[mandoman]

Welcome to B&B best place for advice

[Dennard]

Welcome!

[Jnyboer]

From a relative newb, I'd say get a brush, a puck of decent soap and a tube of decent cream. The brush made everything come together for me, and I wish I had started small with one soap and one cream so I could figure out which I would prefer. Instead, I went a little overboard and got 8-9 of each, and have since found out that I really prefer the creams.

[demaro]

Welcome to B&B !!

[Price]

From a relative newb, I'd say get a brush, a puck of decent soap and a tube of decent cream. The brush made everything come together for me, and I wish I had started small with one soap and one cream so I could figure out which I would prefer. Instead, I went a little overboard and got 8-9 of each, and have since found out that I really prefer the creams.

Only 8-9? That's not overboard!:001_smile

Seriously, though, don't get rid of your soaps too fast. You may find, as you go on, that your preferences will swing toward soaps. I started out thinking I was a cream guy, but within a few months I realized the creams were sitting in the back untouched.

[dpmtherrien]

Hello, and welcome to B&B.

[NickCutlip]

Welcome to B&B !!

[jmacak]

Hello and welcome.

I agree that starting simple, with very few variables, and working on your technique is one of the best pieces of advice that I have heard.

It's not productive to be constantly changing your shaver, your blades, your soap, etc when first starting. You need to get the technique nailed down before you try switching things out.

joe in seattle

[Jnyboer]

That's what I keep telling my wife!

...and I said that I Prefer creams. My soaps aren't going anywhere. :001_smile

[Artistik]

Welcome 2 B&B!

[Dubdave]

Thanks for the Advice and the welcomes going to work on the technique use up the canned foam and get a decent brush and cream possibly a pre shave next and take it from there I'let you know how I get on.
Thanks Again
Dave

[mattymatt]

Welcome to B&B!

[Banjoman]

Welcome to B&B!

[AndreasDK]

Glad that works for you Andreas, but for many of us (myself most definitely included) a good face prep greatly improves the quality of the shaves.

How do you prep?
The hot towel? I tried that a few times and it seems like too much work for me considering I can`t feel the difference in the shave (and I even go ATG twice every shave!).

[Price]

I do use a hot towel most of the time, but the most important thing is to ensure that your skin is thoroughly hydrated. You may get it done with a good shower right before you shave, but that's still "face prep", whether it's a separate activity or not. I hope you didn't feel I was "calling you out", as that certainly wasn't my intention. Only reason I mentioned it is that I'd hate for a newcomer to read "ignore the face prep", when doing so will almost certainly sabotage the shave he's trying to attain. What you're doing obviously works for you, and that's great, I just think it's a good idea for someone just learning to make his face prep a conscious part of his routine, at least until he gets comfortable with it.

[Omega1975]

Welcome to B&B, mate! The most important thing? Definitely your shaving technique. This alone, if good, will improve your wet shaving experience to a much higher level, no matter what you use. What really counts is how you use the tools at your disposal.
+1 Marco said it all technique is the key but I highly recommend buying a sampler pack of DE blades and experimenting with them all. Find one that suits you best.They all have varying sharpness & aggressiveness. I like the feather blades because there wicked sharp but prefer the derbys and the merkurs because they seem less aggressive. I only use my DE when im in a pinch and dont have time for one of my straights so generally when I do my scruff is way short.
hope this helps.

[Useless shaver]

Welcome aboard!

BTW toss the canned goo out and get yourself a decent cream/soap!

[AndreasDK]

Price:

I thought nothing fo it and I quite agree that new guys ought to pay attention before they become as sloppy as I am ;)