Long time member but rarely posting, I thought I might finally have something of value to share.
Got into this crazy hobby (!) in Sept of 09 when I went out east to help out a cousin who just opened a gas station. Got addicted, joined the forum, posted a few times then went AWOL till now.
Just wanted to put in my 2 cents to help out the newcomers, so bear with me.
1: Your intro to DE shaving doesn't have to be expensive.
Case in point; bought a Merkur Classic 33c -$27, one pack each of Dorco St-300, and St-301 -$2. Got the VDH shave kit from Wally-world; boar brush, mug and soap -$8.
With tax total about $40 for a decent beginners setup. Granted I live in a major metropolitan area (Phoenix) and was lucky enough to have a resourceful wife who found me a local barber supply to buy my razor and blades from.
2: BBS doesn't need to be the goal, at least not right away.
Let's face it, we've been getting by with crappy cart shaves forever, with the skin issues that follow, and most of us probably don't need to worry about getting BBS unless it's a hot date. For me BBS never was the goal, if I happen to chance upon it someday, great; if not, so be it.
3: This follows # 2. It doesn't have to take half the morning.
My regular routine is 2 Wtg or 1 wtg, 1 xtg with touch ups. From soaking the brush in hot water to patting the razor dry and splashing on aftershave I can be done in 10 minutes.
4: Just because you've been doing this for months (or years in my case), doesn't mean your technique is perfect.
When I started I only used the Dorco St-300s for a month or so, because I had read that they are the most forgiving for a beginner. I then graduated to the 301's and stayed on them for more than a year. Somewhere in the meantime I popped back into the local store and bought some medical personnas before I even knew what they were and before the board went crazy with accolades for them. When I saw the image, I dug one out and had 4 shaves with it and wasn't too impressed - a bit of irritation and not so close a shave as I had been used to.
Tried one again last week and started to notice something after the 2nd shave. My neck for the first time was almost as smooth as my cheeks and I was finally able to go atg in many areas. I chalk it up to complacency. I had been using the same blade in the same razor for so long that I didn't know how to get a good shave from anything else the first time around. I had my 4th (or 5th???) shave today and the blade shows no signs of slowing down. I use my blades until they start to drag, I can usually get 7 days on the Dorcos. We'll see how long the Med-prep holds out. Will they become my go to blade - probably not, if only because Im a cheapskate and I can get the Dorcos for half the price (10 cents/blade).
Like I said, there's my abridged life story. One note is that my wife had told my mother-in-law a while ago about our fruitless trips to the antique stores in the area. Lo and behold, come Christmas of 09 I find myself with a 1974(1 yr older than me) Gillette TTO SS and the 2 original blades that came with them, 1 still in the razor. Apparently my M-I-L had befriended a lady whose husband had bought this but only used it for one shave! Still haven't gotten around to cleaning it, I'm satisfied with my current setup for now.
Thanks for your patience!
Sam
Got into this crazy hobby (!) in Sept of 09 when I went out east to help out a cousin who just opened a gas station. Got addicted, joined the forum, posted a few times then went AWOL till now.
Just wanted to put in my 2 cents to help out the newcomers, so bear with me.
1: Your intro to DE shaving doesn't have to be expensive.
Case in point; bought a Merkur Classic 33c -$27, one pack each of Dorco St-300, and St-301 -$2. Got the VDH shave kit from Wally-world; boar brush, mug and soap -$8.
With tax total about $40 for a decent beginners setup. Granted I live in a major metropolitan area (Phoenix) and was lucky enough to have a resourceful wife who found me a local barber supply to buy my razor and blades from.
2: BBS doesn't need to be the goal, at least not right away.
Let's face it, we've been getting by with crappy cart shaves forever, with the skin issues that follow, and most of us probably don't need to worry about getting BBS unless it's a hot date. For me BBS never was the goal, if I happen to chance upon it someday, great; if not, so be it.
3: This follows # 2. It doesn't have to take half the morning.
My regular routine is 2 Wtg or 1 wtg, 1 xtg with touch ups. From soaking the brush in hot water to patting the razor dry and splashing on aftershave I can be done in 10 minutes.
4: Just because you've been doing this for months (or years in my case), doesn't mean your technique is perfect.
When I started I only used the Dorco St-300s for a month or so, because I had read that they are the most forgiving for a beginner. I then graduated to the 301's and stayed on them for more than a year. Somewhere in the meantime I popped back into the local store and bought some medical personnas before I even knew what they were and before the board went crazy with accolades for them. When I saw the image, I dug one out and had 4 shaves with it and wasn't too impressed - a bit of irritation and not so close a shave as I had been used to.
Tried one again last week and started to notice something after the 2nd shave. My neck for the first time was almost as smooth as my cheeks and I was finally able to go atg in many areas. I chalk it up to complacency. I had been using the same blade in the same razor for so long that I didn't know how to get a good shave from anything else the first time around. I had my 4th (or 5th???) shave today and the blade shows no signs of slowing down. I use my blades until they start to drag, I can usually get 7 days on the Dorcos. We'll see how long the Med-prep holds out. Will they become my go to blade - probably not, if only because Im a cheapskate and I can get the Dorcos for half the price (10 cents/blade).
Like I said, there's my abridged life story. One note is that my wife had told my mother-in-law a while ago about our fruitless trips to the antique stores in the area. Lo and behold, come Christmas of 09 I find myself with a 1974(1 yr older than me) Gillette TTO SS and the 2 original blades that came with them, 1 still in the razor. Apparently my M-I-L had befriended a lady whose husband had bought this but only used it for one shave! Still haven't gotten around to cleaning it, I'm satisfied with my current setup for now.
Thanks for your patience!
Sam
I'm speechless!
. Also as I stated above I have a super speed that I haven't even cleaned yet. I have tried other soaps- Colonel conk, and blades - I have derby's and russian rapira that I have yet to try along with the Merkur blade that came with the razor. 
