another anxious rookie

[natural320]

hey all,
after reading a bunch of threads, I thought it was only appropriate to join up and join in! in typical newbie fashion, I opted for the "bang for your buck" DIY starter set going through amazon. the new arsenal: Merkur 33c, sampling of blades, Col Conk soap (the one I ordered is in the travel container, and the "flavor" is going to be random), the Tweezerman badger (seemed like THE brush to start with if the internet isn't lying to me), and a nice little wooden stand to house the gear and allow proper drying.

not too bad to get my face wet so to speak, right? :001_tongu

and no bowl/scuttle out of the gate for me. again, after TOO much reading (like that is possible!), I am opting to face lather to start. the idea of the gentle massage and scrub of the face seems quite nice to me...so why waste it on an inanimate object!

-Higgs

edit~ ANXIOUS...stupid fingers failed me already...not boding well for my shaving experience!

[Pseudo]

Welcome to B&B. Enjoy the new kit when it arrives and be sure to take your time. If you haven't checked them out already take a look at mantics videos, they were a great help getting me started.

[Rustonrazor]

welcome. let us know what you think of that shave soap. just received a gift that came with a free soap of that brand. I want to compare notes.

[natural320]

I actually watched several of the videos, so in my head I have a head start! it is nice that he took the time to make them for sure

and I'll definitely comment on the soap! the reviews I read on that brand were quite positive, but I am going in open-minded

[celestino]

Welcome and good luck.

[huntingdan]

Welcome to B&B! Solid start up kit. I agree with you on the face lathering. I started off with bowl lathering, but now I only face lather.

[uram]

Welcome fellow rookie! Your starter kit is almost exactly like mine. I went with the Merkur HD, but I also went for the tweezerman brush and Col. Conks Bay Rum Soap. So far I like the smell of the Conks, but I probably need more practice on the foam.
I can't believe I'm having fun reading the forums and actually shaving for once. I just wanted to offer some fellow rookie moral support!

[Uhh.Oh.U_O]

Hate to hijack this thread but I'm a newbie as well and plan on putting together my own kit to buy soon as well, wondering though where are these videos you speak of? I'm sure they will be a great asset to have.

[Oscroft]

Welcome.

That's a pretty decent starter kit - I've got a couple of Conk soaps, and they work just fine for me and generate nice lather.

Do let us know how your first shaves go! :001_smile

[BladeDE40]

Welcome, looks like you are off to a good start. Check out the the stickys in the Shave Clinic, those you give you some good info as well.

[Oblique Human]

Welcome to B&B!

[Nick_B]

Uhh.Oh - the videos he is speaking of are on youtube. Search for the mantic59 channel and the geofatboy channel, both are amazingly helpful.

[Uhh.Oh.U_O]

ahh okay thank you

[Sledgehammer39]

Welcome Aboard!

[NickCutlip]

Welcome to the forum !!

[nemo]

Welcome to B&B! Typo fixed

[dgerson]

Welcome to B&B! Sounds like a good kit to start with. Don't worry too much about your first shave...it looks a lot scarier then it really is. Enjoy!

[xyz1981]

Welcome to the club!

[D.W.B.]

Greetings and Salutations to B&B. My Tweezerman brush still gives me good service. Enjoy your shaves.

[Whilliam]

Welcome, learn and enjoy!

[ackvil]

Welcome to B&B. Some advice: don't fret so much and just go slow and enjoy. It takes time but the rewards are worth it.

[natural320]

holy crow! you guys sure know how to make someone feel welcome around here! (thanks Doug for fixing the typo)

my trolling around is definitely giving me the confidence going into shave #1 (even though I've been mach 3-ing for over a decade...I am considering this my first REAL shaving "experience"). I am definitely going to enjoy the new gear, take my time, and focus on steady hands and blade angle. that is easily going to be the biggest change from the pivoting heads I'm used to. it was basically: wet, lather (with what I am already considering crappy) up with gel or barbasol, then have at it. in and out in under 10 minutes...and the soreness and ingrown hairs to follow. ugh

I seriously cannot wait much longer for amazon to freakin' ship my stuff!!! ~sigh~ at least I will make the most of my *last* cartridge blade shave.

[Oscroft]

I am definitely going to enjoy the new gear, take my time, and focus on steady hands and blade angle.

And no pressure!

[natural320]

no of course not! hahaha at least that is the intention. I suppose I'll learn quite speedily if I have that aspect of technique correct :blink:

the "goodies" are in my local post office this morning! hopefully they are delivered today.

although with the tips I've learned here, my *last* 2 cartridges shaves went really nicely, so I might have to wait until tomorrow to try the stuff out because my whiskers are still at bay from Sunday evening...

of who am I kidding! I'll be trying my first face lather as soon as I can get the box opened and my face prepped! :thumbup:

[drm20]

Welcome! If your first shave isn't great don't let it get you down, it gets much better...

[Rustonrazor]

natural,

Just wanted to see how it is going with your soap. I have been using Conk Amber for a week or so and it is going well. Oddly enough, my best shave so far was bowl lathering and using a merkur blade. Most of the time that blade gives me the worst shaves. Just thought I would try it and it worked out.

[mistervee123]

Welcome. Fear not. With experimentation, you'll find a set up that gives wonderfully close, BBS shaves in ten years or so. No problem. The fun is in the trial and error experimentation. Read the how-to articles and reviews here. You'll be way ahead of the learning curve.

[gus1942]

I will always ask newbies to face lather. The YouTube videos are helpful, technique wise, up to a point, but why should I and the majority of B&B members recommend bowl lathering when the majority of us face lather. It's so much easier to control the consistency of lather, quicker for the shave and cleanup. Get an Arko stick and go for it.

Gus

[Rustonrazor]

I will always ask newbies to face lather. The YouTube videos are helpful, technique wise, up to a point, but why should I and the majority of B&B members recommend bowl lathering when the majority of us face lather. It's so much easier to control the consistency of lather, quicker for the shave and cleanup. Get an Arko stick and go for it.

Gus

I agree that face lathering is much better for me as well and am very happy I started that way. It was a complete anomaly for me that bowl lathering and a merkur actually worked for that 1 shave. That is why I pointed out that one success.

[natural320]

Hey Rustonrazor, the Conk soap I got was the Bay Rum, and I like it so far. the sampling is limited, but I got a nice lather and a pretty smooth shave from it IMO. I didn't notice the drying out that some have complained about from this brand either. could be that it is a fresh puck...I don't know. what I do know: I look forward to my next lather with it!