Mr. Weepers
08-19-2006, 08:03 AM
Hi Everyone,
I've caught the bug and jumped in with both feet to the wetshaving craze. I've been lurking for a few weeks but finally decided to register to the forum after observing how civilized and helpful all of the members are...seems to be a rare thing on the internet these days. Here's my basic setup and acquisitions, so far:
**************************************
Shavemac 30mm Silvertip Badger XXL
Colonel Conk Pewter Shave Mug
Merkur Vision
Derby (100), Merkur Platinum (10--came with Vision) , Israeli Personna (100), and Feather (15) blades.
Colonel Conk Amber and Colonel Conk Lime
Geo F. Trumper's Almond, Cocoanut Oil, Sandalwood (2.5 oz tubes)
Nivea Non-alcoholic aftershave balm
**************************************
Overall, I have really enjoyed the experience of exploring this new hobby--I was, like many others, initially drawn to it out of hatred of the current state of affairs in the 'modern' shaving world and all of its overpriced plastic & metal disposable paraphernalia and expensive goop. I tend to be the type of person who is either "all-or-none" when it comes to devoting myself to a task, i.e., with respect to shaving, I would either just say, "What the hell, just gimme some goop and disposable razors so that I can just get this over with and focus on other things" or "Okay, now I'm 'there,' I'm intrigued, I'm going to devote my energy (and $$'s :laugh: to doing things 'right' and actually enjoying the experience). I would imagine that most of the forum members are similar in terms of their 'perfectionistic tendencies' toward their hobbies and pursuits.
I bought the Vision as my first razor because (hey, I admit it), I thought bigger and more expensive must be better (all else being equal) but I want to branch out to some more traditional options such as the classic Gillette's and some other Merkur offerings. Having no point of comparison, I can only say that my experience with the Vision, so far, has been pretty good, although the sheer heft of the thing takes a bit of getting used to.
The most involved 'testing' I have done so far as a newbie has involved checking out different blade types. I've tried the Merkur's, Israeli Personna's, Derby's, and Feathers and I am still trying to settle in on one. Although I have enjoyed using the Israeli's and Derby's, the Merkur's seem to work better for me--too bad they are less economical. Still, there are so many variables including such things as shaving angle, different types of creme's/soaps, prep, etc., etc., I can't come to a firm conclusion as of yet. So far, for my face, I would rank the blades as follows: Merkur > Derby > Israeli's. The Feather's are in a category of their own. Like others, although I find them capable of providing very good shaves with few passes, I think my skin is still adjusting to the change to DE shaving.
In any case, I hope to continue this 'hobby' and, perhaps, some day recoup my initial investment in specialized shave gear (yeah, I know, I know...but humor me, will ya? I'm a fellow addict :blush: ).
Troy
I've caught the bug and jumped in with both feet to the wetshaving craze. I've been lurking for a few weeks but finally decided to register to the forum after observing how civilized and helpful all of the members are...seems to be a rare thing on the internet these days. Here's my basic setup and acquisitions, so far:
**************************************
Shavemac 30mm Silvertip Badger XXL
Colonel Conk Pewter Shave Mug
Merkur Vision
Derby (100), Merkur Platinum (10--came with Vision) , Israeli Personna (100), and Feather (15) blades.
Colonel Conk Amber and Colonel Conk Lime
Geo F. Trumper's Almond, Cocoanut Oil, Sandalwood (2.5 oz tubes)
Nivea Non-alcoholic aftershave balm
**************************************
Overall, I have really enjoyed the experience of exploring this new hobby--I was, like many others, initially drawn to it out of hatred of the current state of affairs in the 'modern' shaving world and all of its overpriced plastic & metal disposable paraphernalia and expensive goop. I tend to be the type of person who is either "all-or-none" when it comes to devoting myself to a task, i.e., with respect to shaving, I would either just say, "What the hell, just gimme some goop and disposable razors so that I can just get this over with and focus on other things" or "Okay, now I'm 'there,' I'm intrigued, I'm going to devote my energy (and $$'s :laugh: to doing things 'right' and actually enjoying the experience). I would imagine that most of the forum members are similar in terms of their 'perfectionistic tendencies' toward their hobbies and pursuits.
I bought the Vision as my first razor because (hey, I admit it), I thought bigger and more expensive must be better (all else being equal) but I want to branch out to some more traditional options such as the classic Gillette's and some other Merkur offerings. Having no point of comparison, I can only say that my experience with the Vision, so far, has been pretty good, although the sheer heft of the thing takes a bit of getting used to.
The most involved 'testing' I have done so far as a newbie has involved checking out different blade types. I've tried the Merkur's, Israeli Personna's, Derby's, and Feathers and I am still trying to settle in on one. Although I have enjoyed using the Israeli's and Derby's, the Merkur's seem to work better for me--too bad they are less economical. Still, there are so many variables including such things as shaving angle, different types of creme's/soaps, prep, etc., etc., I can't come to a firm conclusion as of yet. So far, for my face, I would rank the blades as follows: Merkur > Derby > Israeli's. The Feather's are in a category of their own. Like others, although I find them capable of providing very good shaves with few passes, I think my skin is still adjusting to the change to DE shaving.
In any case, I hope to continue this 'hobby' and, perhaps, some day recoup my initial investment in specialized shave gear (yeah, I know, I know...but humor me, will ya? I'm a fellow addict :blush: ).
Troy