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Formal greeting.

Greetings to all.

My name is Dave. Im from Scranton, Pennsylvania. I have been wet shaving for about a year now, and mostly lurking since then (with the exception of a couple posted questions). I thought it was about time that I made an introduction.

I started shaving with a Gillette slim adjustable (Free from my grandfather), Van Der Hagen and Williams shave soaps (~$1 each), and a Vulfix VS/5 Boar Bristle brush (~$10), and a large pack of Derby blades from ebay($10?...$20?...i dont remember). I also tried Proraso cream a couple times, but was allergic to it. I have also been using a bowl from Target, and a brush/razor stand that I crafted from aluminium.

With my razor set to 3 and doing two passes (one down, and one up) I was able to get a reletivly close shave with no irritation. If I tried three passes or raised the razor setting, I would get razor burn on my neck.

I decided it was time to try somthing new, a few weeks ago. So I purchased a Merkur HD, and some Col. Conk soaps, Pinaud after shave, as well as a bamboo bowl (also from target) that I can fill with hot water, and rest my other bowl in (its a great fit) to keep the lather warm.

The change was magnificent. I can now do 3 passes, and get a very close shave with no irritation. The HD was a good choice, but I think I will be purchasing the 38C soon, as I am use to the long handle of my gillette. The Col. Conk soaps lather and smell great (Bay Rum, and Amber), and my bowl setup keeps the lather warm the whole time. (Perhaps I will take a picture of my current setup to post...)

In a few weeks I will purchase a badger brush, right now Im leaning toward a Shavemac, the 38C, an alum block, and some more new soaps (probably the three T's).

Well, now I am just rambaling and my laptop battery is about to die.

I just want to say thanks for the massive amount of information you have all created here, I love reading the boards and hope to be more active from now on.

Thank you.
 
You're welcome. I think it's cool that Vintage blades has the three Size 1 Rooneys lined up in a row so you can really do a comparison. It's a YMMV thing: my favorite is the Style 2, but that doesn't mean in any way that your choice is wrong: the Style 1 Small is also a great brush. Same with the blades: find your own best.
 
FWIW, I wrote a post this morning on the Rooney Size 1 brushes. Basically I said that ALL of the brushes will produce good lather from soap or shaving cream, but the longer loft of the Style 2 gives it greater capacity: it will hold more lather than, for example, the Style 1. For some reason, an idea has arisen that, for a soap, you want a small, stiff, dense brush. This is demonstrably false: the Style 2 produces a great lather from soap, as does (for example) the G.B.Kent BK4. And a greater loft provides, as I said, more capacity. You should get a small, stiff, dense brush if that type of brush appeals to you, but it's certainly not necessary for getting a good lather from soap.

Just wanted to say that.
 
Thank you everyone.

Leisureguy,

I read your post regarding the Roony brush styles. I will take it into consideration when it comes time to purchase my new brush. I am now leaning in favor of the Style 2 brush, most likely in a size small.

Thank you.
 
Good thought! And the Style 2 comes only in that one size: the only choice is the grade. The Super is very nice indeed. I used one for months before I finally went for the Finest---better, but not twice as good (though it's more than twice the cost).
 
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