Goodbye Braun, Hello Edwin Jagger

**type2camper** · 05-01-2012, 08:51 AM

Greetings B&B!

Been lurking for a while. My Braun of 10 years finally died (it had become such a part of my life, it will be missed even if it was electric) and I made the jump to the wet shave. I've been figuring it out for the past 6 months. Started with my dad's old 1964 Gillette Super Speed, a tub of White Proraso cream, and a budget Parker badger brush. After plenty of nicks and trial and error with lathering, shaving direction, yada, yada, and constantly touching my face while studying for law school, I've embraced the sickness (cure?) of wet shaving. Picked up an Edwin Jagger DE89 and love all of its chrome goodness. Got some Proraso pre/post which is like icing on the cake. I'm waiting for a stick of Arko to arrive and am putting away some student loan money for a Weber DLC and another brush. This is a great forum and has become my go-to distraction from studies. Been debating on what aftershaves to try. Clubman products are calling my name, but I'm open for suggestions (student budget friendly, of course...).

Thanks. Keep up the eradication of whiskers.

-Type2Camper

**Sledgehammer39** · 05-01-2012, 08:56 AM

Welcome Aboard!!

**mistervee123** · 05-01-2012, 09:00 AM

My high-end Norelco's demise (and the estimated cost of a repair or replacement) were what nudged me into the wonderful world of wet shaving. I initially was just going to buy a brush and some good cream and use a razor I had. Now, after watching mantic 59 videos and spending several hundred bucks, I'm really enjoying shaving again. Welcome.

**NickCutlip** · 05-01-2012, 09:38 AM

Welcome to B&B !!

**Oblique Human** · 05-01-2012, 10:34 AM

Welcome to B&B!

**Threeme2189** · 05-01-2012, 11:46 AM

Welcome to B&B!
I'm (a tiny bit) sorry for your loss, but it's all for the best :)

**KLF** · 05-01-2012, 11:54 AM

I also have a EJ DE89 as my first razor. Excellent piece, good choice!

**kiwi_Tom** · 05-01-2012, 12:04 PM

Welcome to B&B, Enjoy the Edwin Jagger Its a very nice razor.

**elsmooth** · 05-01-2012, 12:24 PM

Welcome aboard, from a fellow EJ DE89 lover!

**dpmtherrien** · 05-01-2012, 03:07 PM

Good to have you here. Hello and welcome.

**warhawk** · 05-01-2012, 03:12 PM

Welcome 2 B&B. U are gonna love your Edwin Jagger better than the Braun but U probably already know that. Enjoy the forum.

WARHAWK

**Straight Rasier User** · 05-01-2012, 06:54 PM

Welcome to B&B.

I like Clubman ... Cheap and Ole Timey.

Weber a Nice Little Razor, I like it better than the Goodfella Razor. And then there are the old Gillettes on E-Bay.

Other information follows.

Everything boils down to personal preferences.

“Best Brush”

A Brush is a Brush and they perform differently and they are different. Boar, Badger, Horsehair, Horsehair/Boar/Badger Combos, or Syns. Get a Boar (cheap or expensive) or a Good Badger Brush.

“Soap/Cream/Stick”

Soap or Cream or Stick ... Stick or Cream or Soap ... cheap or expensive ... expensive or cheap ... glycerin based, cold processed, tripled milled, or tallow. Get a couple of each and see what works best for you.

“Safety Razor”

Safety Razors ... determine what you want and how much you are willing to spend - Open Comb, Closed Comb, TTOs, 2-Piece, 3-Piece or an adjustable. The Merkur HD or Edwin Jagger 89 are both good beginning Safety Razors. Or get an Old Gillette (SuperSpeed or 3-Piece).

“Razor Blades”

Blades ... Get a Sampler Pack and then ... Good Luck. The differences between whether a Blade is Good or Bad for any individual is because the Hand of God is at work. Maybe it is the shave preparation, or maybe it is the type of hairs being shaven, or maybe it is the patterns on the face being shaven, or the type of Razor being used (different angles or blade gaps are created by the different razor head being used), or the shaving technique being used (wrong angle, too much pressure being used and pushing down on the razor to "cut closer", or even not using multiple-passes to reduce hair growth first and always), or maybe there is one or two Bad Blades in the pack being used, or maybe for whatever reason it is a Bad Blade to you.

”Best Blade”

At first use only One Razor Blade ... use this blade only for a few weeks ... changing when dull.

The First Razor Blade you use is your “Best Blade.”

Get several of your First Best Blade.

Get down the Basics of Shaving – Preparation, Lathering, Shaving with the Razor – light touch, proper angle and little pressure, Multi-Passes – WTG, XTG, and Reverse-XTG.

Get more information and look at the Mantic59 Youtube videos, the GeoFatBoy videos and read the Wiki.

“Finding Your Best Blade”

After you have everything down ... then use a different blade for a week and see if it becomes your new "Best Blade".

If not go back to the other blade for a week then, use a different blade for a week.

Your Best Blade is your base line blade for your tests. When you find your “Next Best Blade” then, that is your “New Best Blade”. Continue working through your sampler pack looking for a “New Best Blade”.

Please note that Different Safety Razors may have a different “Best Blade” and if you have poor technique then it will also affect your choice of a “New Best Blade”.

“Map Your Face”

Make Sure you have Mapped Your Face because that is the only way to know which way your hair grows.

“Technique”

Also make sure that your preshave preparation is down.

Then shave WTG, XTG and Reverse-XTG.

Rinse, Lather, WTG
Rinse, Lather, XTG
Rinse, Lather, Reverse-XTG
Rinse, Lather, Buffing.

No Rinse, No Lather, No Shave.

For the first few weeks ... Do not do ATG ... Wait until you have your technique down because you could and usually will be holding the safety razor upside down when shaving your neck and this may cause you some problems when trying to maintain the correct blade angle while applying a light pressure.

Be careful of Feather blades as they are super sharp and unforgiving make sure you are confident of your technique before using them.

Have Fun Shaving and May All Your Shaves Be BBS.

**D.W.B.** · 05-01-2012, 07:32 PM

Greetings and Salutations to B&B.

**BallisticBurrito** · 05-02-2012, 01:20 AM

Originally Posted by type2camper

Greetings B&B!

Been lurking for a while. My Braun of 10 years finally died (it had become such a part of my life, it will be missed even if it was electric) and I made the jump to the wet shave. I've been figuring it out for the past 6 months. Started with my dad's old 1964 Gillette Super Speed, a tub of White Proraso cream, and a budget Parker badger brush. After plenty of nicks and trial and error with lathering, shaving direction, yada, yada, and constantly touching my face while studying for law school, I've embraced the sickness (cure?) of wet shaving. Picked up an Edwin Jagger DE89 and love all of its chrome goodness. Got some Proraso pre/post which is like icing on the cake. I'm waiting for a stick of Arko to arrive and am putting away some student loan money for a Weber DLC and another brush. This is a great forum and has become my go-to distraction from studies. Been debating on what aftershaves to try. Clubman products are calling my name, but I'm open for suggestions (student budget friendly, of course...).

Thanks. Keep up the eradication of whiskers.

-Type2Camper

I got Clubman Special Reserve...quite strong..lasts a long time...love it.

**Prof. Moriarty** · 05-02-2012, 03:04 AM

Welcome to B&B

**Artistik** · 05-02-2012, 11:51 AM

Welcome to B&B! EJ

**Viseguy** · 05-02-2012, 07:21 PM

Originally Posted by type2camper

Been debating on what aftershaves to try. Clubman products are calling my name, but I'm open for suggestions (student budget friendly, of course...).

Aqua Velva Ice Blue. Available at chain drug stores, cheap, a classic. I also like Aqua Velva Musk a lot -- I like mixing the two.

Master makes some really good, cheap ASes. My favorites are Bay Rum, Challenge (leather/wood/citrus), and Focus (similar to Brut). Gabels and Stephan are two other reliable, old-school, budget-friendly brands.

Enjoy!