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30 day review

Thirty day (give or take…) review.

So I have been on B&B for 30 days on February 12[SUP]th[/SUP]. I have been wet shaving since 1984 or 5. The latest and greatest Gillette had to offer was what I bought. My barber said they were the best. Why would I question that him? ( I actually began cutting my own hair about a year ago…) I have been using Colonel Conk Amber and an old old synthetic brush for well over 20 years.

A little over a month ago I went into Sam’s Wholesale Club to buy my next round of cartridges. Gillette (con)Fusion’s. Now the Gillette Confusion’s run $45 for 16 cartridges at my local Sam’s Wholesale Club. A cartridge did not last me a week. Ouch!

Did anyone catch that… $45 for 16 blades? What had I been smoking? In what world was that acceptable?

I went home and googled shaving and found B&B. Read a few posts and decided to order a Gillette Fat Boy off EBay. When it came in, I went blade shopping Wilkinson Sword from Wally World. Merkur blades from The Wharf cigar shop in Beavercreek, Oh. The same place I get my Colonel Conk.

I found an assortment of vintage Gillette’s at a flea market. 4 for $20. Gillette Slim, Super Speed, Tech ball handle and Travel Tech ball handle.

I bought some more blades on line. Feather, Bluebeard (or bird) and Astra SP’s. Like the Feather’s and can not believe how much I like the Astra SP’s. I have ordered some MWF and Tabac shave soap. They haven’t come in yet. I bought some Glycerin from CVS and Kiss My Face unscented moisture shave fro Kroger’s. Mix with Colonel Conk… Can anyone say Uber Lather?

So far I can say without a doubt…
1) I like my Tech best
2) Especially loaded with Astra SP’s
3) I love cold shaving… read that again… I love cold shaving!
Shaves Great… Less irritation. Shaves Great… Less irritation
4) Astra SP’s are my blade of choice.
5) It only took about 3 days to reach the point of no return to cartridges. Day one I had my doubts.
6) I can get a shave as good as a cartridge shave in one pass but I typically make three passes.
7) I get immensely better haves with a lot less irritation than cartridge shaving.
8) I haven’t left the house without a shave since joining B&B.
9) There is no such thing as a consensus on B&B and I like it like that!
10) There is a blade exchange on B&B. How cool is that?!?!?!? I mailed in for my first exchange. I made a little of a donation to the kitty as well.
11) I now look forward to shaving. B&B and safety razors have turned a chore into a hobby.
12) I really, really like the B&B community.


Thank you everyone for the sharing your experiences. I read my fair share of them and have learned a great deal.
 
Great read. Congrats on your newfound shaving bliss.

Hard to beat a Tech with a sharp blade like an Astra. Beats the crap outta those plastic 5-bladed monsters.
 
nice post. this site is a great resource, and i found it the same way you did. did an online search one day when i googled 'how to shave properly' and this site came up in the results, and the rest is history! the resources here are great, and i can say with confidence that i probably would have never considered a DE razor, let alone how to use it properly without this site.

FWIW, i cold shave as well, and the Astra SP is my favorite blade in my Edwin Jagger DE89. Have fun!
 
DougieB,

Great post. I'm right there with ya. I love DE, SE, and Straight shaving. I love my Gillette Tech too -- try it with a Feather!

My Edwin Jagger DE89 is good, but it's great with a Bob's Razor Works Bull Mastiff XL handle. Really makes a difference.

Glad you're having fun like me!

John
 
DougieB,

Great post. I'm right there with ya. I love DE, SE, and Straight shaving. I love my Gillette Tech too -- try it with a Feather!

My Edwin Jagger DE89 is good, but it's great with a Bob's Razor Works Bull Mastiff XL handle. Really makes a difference.

Glad you're having fun like me!

John

I have tried with a Feather. I really liked the Feather, but.... I can't believe how much I like the Astra SP's. To me... YMMV The Astra's are as sharp yet smoother. Again YMMV.

As for the Bull Mastif handle. I was looking at that and confused by the web site. Are they selling handle's that you put your razor head onto?
 
I have tried with a Feather. I really liked the Feather, but.... I can't believe how much I like the Astra SP's. To me... YMMV The Astra's are as sharp yet smoother. Again YMMV.

Feathers are a smooth blade for those with proper technique but the Astra blades (either variety) are a quarter of the price (80 cents for Feathers and about 20 cents for Astra, both per blade) and just about as good.

Here is a thread I started where I PIFed different brands of blades to two members willing to put their faces on the line for B&B: http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...PIF-Looking-for-testers?p=3290329#post3290329

Here is another thread started by one of the gracious testers to report on his findings: http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/241948-The-Harris-Report
 
Congrats on finding the Astra SP's early on. It took me several years to stumble across them. They're my go to blades now, smooth and sharp. And cheap too.
 
Made a small haul at an antique / tattoo shop. Got a good deal on a Gillette Old Style. It does a great job. Aggressive and smooth.
 
I just loaded a Feather into my Gillette Old Style for tomorrow's shave. I like the Astra SP's in the Old Style Razor. I'll let you know what I think of the combo tomorrow.
 
Couple more updates...
The MWF and Tabac came in... Both excellent choices. Made two more purchases... Ordered Arko Shaving Soap stick. I am reading mostly very good reviews of Arko. If it is half as good as the Fat or Tabac... Wow. I also won a Gillette New off the Bay. I like the open comb and low profile on the Old Style and wanted to see if the New is as good. I also ordered 100 Astra SP's online. They haven't come in yet. I also got some empty small Altoids tin's and cut a slot in the top at one end. Small home made blade bank. The Astra's don't have a blade disposal slot in the 5 packs.

Still diggin B&B
 
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