Howdy from Richmond Virginia

[gwav64]

Welcome. Enjoy your shaves!

[BigM]

Welcome Aboard Scott! Good to see another fellow Virginian here (I'm from Lynchburg myself).

When you decide to try an open comb razor try to get a Gillette NEW. I absolutely love mine.

Thanks, this seems like sage advice, which is what I need to hear. I was originally thinking of getting a real old one, from like the WWI era, but it seems that blade compatability would be an issue. I would be into using antique blades to an extent, but hardly as a day to day product.

[BigM]

BigM
another welcome from a fellow Virginian. Since you have just started, I will offer one piece of advice that was given to me but not followed for about 4 or 5 months: pick one good soap, one brush,one razor and one blade and stick with it for about three weeks focusing on technique. Then change only one element for a week or two. Rinse and repeat. After a couple of months you will have way better razor handling and lathering technique. Acquisition Disorder delayed my actually learning anything for months.

Good luck.
oake

Oake,
Thanks, I am impressed by all this relevant advice that I have received so quickly. I was hoping to save money by shaving this way but am determing that I could be prone to check out alternatives too soon. Your tip backs up the need for me to exploit my existing resources.
Scott

---still watching the mailbox for the new razor!

[ackvil]

Welcome to B&B, Scott.

[Attila]

Welcome!

[BigM]

Thanks again for all the salutations and suggestions.
The Super Speed arrived the other day. The blades and Arko soap did not arrive until today. This was my first time using Amazon in years, but they now have a distribution center in my county of all places so I thought the delivery would have been quicker.

I could not help but use the razor as I found cheap blades next door to my closest grocery store. The place is called "Beauty Max", big weird place, but the razors were right next to the door.....Dorcos...10@ 1.05, after tax. I like patronizing local places so I will try to use these as long as I can. I will attempt to rate my shaves.

electric 4-5 has a tendancy to tug at my whiskers, been using this since early 80's until this week, nothing much good about it aside from taking out sideburns and trimming longer growth, most pain oriented method by far....I have been stubborn

cartridges 7 mostly had been using the shower for these, where they would tend to shave better during their early life, never used a mirror so obviously hurts the score

Super Speed- at the sink
first shave 8 impressed, no question, no nicks, cuts, weepers, sunburn type reaction on the lower portion of my neck, which I associate with the Rise cream which was under Barbasol which I am trying to use up, not a BBS but a heck of a lot better than the usual, had some stubble, the shave itself felt so good that I ended up shaving lower in the neck region...it was hard to stop!
second shave 8.3 skipped using the Rise, took more time with the process, could increase the score more I suspect by going against the grain more, weird how I never do that much, its like a lifestyle to me, not a shaving method.

[chuckman]

Welcome....sounds like you will fit right in.