Product / ‘Equipment’ suggestions for a BEGINNER!

I am ready to start DE shaving. I would like to purchase a couple of things. However, there seems to be endless number of options (It is almost overwhelming! ). Can someone provide me with a couple of good to great quality, above average performance alternatives?

Keep in mind I am a novice; hence, I need recommendations on ‘equipment’/products that are somewhat ‘forgiving’ but at the same time GREAT products. Let’s just pretend for a minute that price is not object, I might get all this stuff for Christmas.

I understand product/equipment selection is highly personal but I just want general ‘safe’ recommendations. For example, you don’t have to suggest a specific scent but a 'good to great' quality, above average performance shaving cream.

What do you recommend?:

1. Safety razor Blade? Adjustable or nonadjustable? Models?
2. Do I need a pre-shave oil?
3. Shaving Cream or Soap? Why?
4. Brush?
5. Do I need an after-shave?
6. I am ordering a blade sample pack from westcostsahving.com
7. Do I need anything else?

Thank for your help.

To answer a couple of your questions ...

2. skip the preshave oil.

3. soap or cream? Yes. Because. (Well, you'll eventually try both and decide which you like better personally. I'd say start with a cream for slightly easier lathering ... any one from TOBS that strikes your fancy would be good.)

4. Brush, until the B&B Essential comes out, I'd say start with a Crabtree & Evelyn $35 brush.

scku said:

I am ready to start DE shaving. I would like to purchase a couple of things. However, there seems to be endless number of options (It is almost overwhelming! ). Can someone provide me with a couple of good to great quality, above average performance alternatives?

Keep in mind I am a novice; hence, I need recommendations on ‘equipment’/products that are somewhat ‘forgiving’ but at the same time GREAT products. Let’s just pretend for a minute that price is not object, I might get all this stuff for Christmas.

I understand product/equipment selection is highly personal but I just want general ‘safe’ recommendations. For example, you don’t have to suggest a specific scent but a 'good to great' quality, above average performance shaving cream.

What do you recommend?:

1. Safety razor Blade? Adjustable or nonadjustable? Models?
2. Do I need a pre-shave oil?
3. Shaving Cream or Soap? Why?
4. Brush?
5. Do I need an after-shave?
6. I am ordering a blade sample pack from westcostsahving.com
7. Do I need anything else?

Thank for your help.

Click to expand...

Ah, I'll bite. These are all personal experience answers, so YMMV.

1. Merkur HD - It's nice and sturdy and a great way to learn "letting the razor do the work" because of its weight.
2. Not to start out with but you may consider it in the future. I find it unnecessary even now.
3. I say start with cream. It's easier to build lather.
4. I have a cheap brush so no comment.
5. Definitely. It'll help close up the pores and add to your manly smell.
6. Further to the sample pack, Derbys are the most forgiving blades you'll find. They're reasonably priced and tend to provide an all-around good shave. Not great, but good.
7. You need a distraction-free half hour. You need to take your time and enjoy the experience. Enjoy the sound of the blade across your hairs, the smell of the cream, the warmth of the lather. And don't go ATG yet unless you're feeling lucky.

Good luck.

Pick your starting setup, and stick with it. Aside from the blade, problems are rarely caused by equipment, but almost always by technique. The more you dork around changing your gear, the longer it will take to get your technique right (and the more money you'll spend, of course).

As for the blade, the wrong blade could very well cause problems, and different folks like different blades. The samplers are nice, but I'd recommend picking a blade from them that most people agree is OK, along the lines of Dorco or Israeli Personna, and just stick with that blade while you learn your technique. Avoid the super sharp stuff, like Feathers, until you really have it down cold.

For the razor, I'd avoid the more modern looking Merkurs, instead opting for the Merkur HD (non adjustable) or Progress (adjustable). The other acceptable option is to go vintage, which is fine, but I'd try to avoid eBay roulette and instead try to buy something off the buy/sell/trade forums from any one of the various shaving boards. If you go adjustable, don't be tempted to diddling around with you razor settings until you have some experience. Just quickly home in on what setting you like best, and stick with it.

Good Luck, and enjoy.

1. Safety razor Blade? Adjustable or nonadjustable? Models?
2. Do I need a pre-shave oil?
3. Shaving Cream or Soap? Why?
4. Brush?
5. Do I need an after-shave?
6. I am ordering a blade sample pack from westcostsahving.com
7. Do I need anything else?

Click to expand...

1. Razor. You seem set on a new adjustable. Like mantic (yes, he's *that* Mantic) said, go with the Merkur Progress and dial it down.

2. While shave oils have somewhat of a (small) following, most find it of little if any value. I recommend you skip it and eliminate a variable.

3. Both. Among the best performing is 'Cyril Salter' shave creams in your desired scent, available from QEDusa.com. As for soap, I'd recommend Honey Bee Spa soap, your choice of scent direct from Honey Sue at her eBay store, (glycerin based) or Provence Sante (triple milled) from touchofeurope.com.

4. The C&E BBB is a great starter brush that will tide you over for now. If you want to start off with a bang, spend a hundred bucks or so and get a Savile Row Silvertip, 20~23mm knot, your choice of handle style, also from QEDusa.com. B&B is going to have a high end, limited edition brush offering in the near future, so you may want to start cheap for now. Avoid drugstore boar brushes. Read the brush forum.

5. Aftershaves and colognes are nice, but are a personal option. There is a huge variety available. Read the colognes forum and the aftershave forum.

6. The razor blade sampler is *the* way to go.

7. Anything else? As a matter of fact, there is. Buy some nice shaving towels and some good washcloths. A lather bowl. 4.5in to 5.5in diameter, 1.5 to 2.5in tall, non-white glazed interior so you can see the lather develop, crockery or stoneware to retain heat, Cheap, $2-$5 at Wal-mart, Target, K-mart, etc. Avoid 'purpose made' shaving bowls/mugs --they're a poor value and most are unsuitable. An Alum bar is unnecessary when starting out, but you may want one down the road.

8. Patience and practice is necessary. Learn when to change the blade. Maintain a good, consistent, shallow blade angle and use a light, delicate pressure with the razor. Use short, unhurried, deliberate strokes. Map out your beard/whisker growth directions and determine your order of strokes. Seek a comfortable shave, don't go for closeness initially. The Baby Butt Smooth shaves will come as a by-product of good technique. You'll find that wet shaving is easily learned and well worth your effort --and you'll be rewarded with a lifetime of fine shaves.

-- John Gehman

If your just starting out:

1. for razor, try a non adjustable. You could by Merkur H-D, It's a good razor and has quite a following. The H-D costs around thirty dollars. You could also go vintage, either a three piece gillette, or a Super Speed. The SS is a one piece razor with "silo" doors.

2. Pre shave oil is not really necessary. Read Kyle's post about beard prep.

3. There are many creams & soaps to try. Taylor's of Olde Bond Street is probably your best bang for the buck. Try saint charles shave, Honey Bee Spa, or The Gentlemen's Quarter for soaps. Their prices are exceptionally reasonable and the quality is supurb. You can find the websites in the shopping forum.

4. Brush the C&E best badger brush is your best bet for now, it is very versatile.

5. After shave\cologne is not particularly important. You should try to get a good after shave balm or moisturizer. You might also want to try some witch hazel to take care of the burn. You can find that in any big box retailer in the same area as rubbing alcohol.

6. As for other items, definitely buy a bowl to make lather. The info above is great. face towels are also a great inexpensive investment.

That should be about it. Enjoy eperimenting later. Practice using light pressure, and proper angle annjoy the shave.

As a beginner, I know the Merkur HD/38C get a lot of recommendations for first time shavers around here, but it just didn't work well for me. I started out with a 38C and was really disappointed by the shaves I got, even after a few weeks. Luckily, I happened to get a deal on a Gilette red tip SS and was amazed to find my shaves improved dramatically. I've since tried other razors as well, but the SS is (for me) just the smoothest, easiest route to a good shave, and is what I'd recommend to anyone starting out. It is both easier to get a good shave, and much harder to wreck your face.

I guess what I'm saying is there isn't just one ideal beginner razor - if you find the often recommended Merkurs don't work well for you give the Gillette SS a try. It seems they just work better for some people. For me, the angle of the Merkur HD head and the shape of the safety bar just doesn't feel right, and it's harder to get a good shave.

For blades: Dorco, Merkur, Derby, or Israeli Personas (IP/Crystal) are all good choices. Stay away from Feathers - it took me a week to recover from that experiment. I guess my neck just isn't suited for Feathers, or my technique isn't good enough .

1. Safety razor Blade? Adjustable or nonadjustable? Models?
merkur hd or merkur long handle

2. Do I need a pre-shave oil? no

3. Shaving Cream or Soap? Why?
cream, easier to get the right kind of lather, and it's good to reduce the amount of variables when switching to DE shaving.
4. Brush?
definately, some vulfix 2234 or thereabouts

5. Do I need an after-shave?
i've never seen the need

6. I am ordering a blade sample pack from westcostsahving.com
perfect

7. Do I need anything else?
patience

+1 on all of this. I've been using preshave oil because I have it, but I don't really notice any difference with it. TOBS Rose is (imho) one of the best values in a shaving cream...I always get consistently good shaves with this stuff and at $13 a tub, it's a real bargain.

Also, the C&E Best Badger Brush is a great deal. I shaved with it and TOBS Rose today and got an outstanding, very satisfying shave..

The Merkur HD seems to be a very popular de razor, I like mine...As far as blades, I'd recommend Derby's, but again, everyone's opinion will differ...Good luck.

Steve

Doc4 said:

To answer a couple of your questions ...

2. skip the preshave oil.

3. soap or cream? Yes. Because. (Well, you'll eventually try both and decide which you like better personally. I'd say start with a cream for slightly easier lathering ... any one from TOBS that strikes your fancy would be good.)

4. Brush, until the B&B Essential comes out, I'd say start with a Crabtree & Evelyn $35 brush.

Click to expand...

(sorry for the lowercase, my shift key has been broken for a few days)

some what of a newbie myself, so i have recently done a lot of exploration, and gone through trial and error.

1. i am using a gillette super speed, and quite happy. however, it does seem the merkur hd is the one of choice, and is easier to attain. i am sticking with the SS because it was my grandfathers.

2. skip pre-shave. i used it for years when i was using a brush and a mach3. the oil seems to have ruined that brush. i didn't notice that it helped much either.

3. as a newbie, i prefer cream. it is much quicker to lather, and seems more luxurious. i do have a few soaps, but mostly they disappoint. possibly i don't have the right brush for soaps, as it is fairly floppy and soft, so more suited for creams. of the soaps i have tried (Gentleman's Quarterly, Honey Bee Spa, Mama Bear), I still think the two best lathers (with my brush) have been Classic Shaving Brand and Tryphon (razorandbrush.com). for creams, pick up a few classics and see which you like best (trumper, taylors, truefitt, proraso, musgo). c&e makes a good sandalwood, and is easy to find.

4. brush... still searching here myself. listen to the others. seems like the c&e is a great deal for $35. but for a $100, i would go with a shavemac.

5. i don't think "after shave" is the key phrase here, but "post shave." while after shave tends to mean something specific, any may unnecessary, i do strongly belief you need a post shave product. a balm or something moisturizing. it helps sooth and heal. for easy to find products, try thayer's witch hazel, and corn huskers lotion, which is about $4, and very close to the overpriced GFT skin foods. it has a bit of a grandma smell, but that fades quickly. any decent moisturizer will do the trick, but it is more fun exploring the world of shave-dom. i do recommended avoiding anything with alcohol. it burns like hell.

6. blades... i've tried a bunch, and keep going back to the original recommended: the israeli super+. they give me the closest and more comfortable shave. the others have been less forgiving. however, i have yet to try derby, which seems to be a strong reco.

7. i would go with an alum bloc, to help close the poors. it is also an antiseptic. and finally, while often not mentioned, i do love finishing with a talc. it helps sooth the skin, and gives the face a real even, smooth look. caswell-massey is nice, but i am sure any will do the trick.

good luck

Just don't start with the feather blades is the only thing i will mention. Everyone else has coved all else. I'm going to go out on a limb and say you may like starting with the persona blades you can find at walmart. They did a good job but have also the Derby's are a good blade but the latter seems to be the most forgiving. I started with feather blades and wow... not a good idea. Good luck! If i can figure this out in decent amount of time I'm sure you will be too. Just have patients!

Also, i have had good lathers out of TOBS soaps if you want to try a good soap.

scku said:

What do you recommend?:

1. Safety razor Blade? Adjustable or nonadjustable? Models?
2. Do I need a pre-shave oil?
3. Shaving Cream or Soap? Why?
4. Brush?
5. Do I need an after-shave?
6. I am ordering a blade sample pack from westcostsahving.com
7. Do I need anything else?

Thank for your help.

Click to expand...

If you are just starting out then it's easy to spend a huge amount of money very quickly. New Merkur HD's and top of the line creams and soaps are all very well, but thisis something to progress to, not start with, especially if you are on a tight budget.

My recommendation for the more restrained spend would be:

1, Old Gillette Superspeed from ebay. Yes they are more forgiving than a Merkur HD, but they are a good place to start.

2, Oil is a personal preferance thing, you do need to try it before deciding to bin it or not, but try just plain old olive oil to start with.

3, Creams lather easier but again this is a personal preference thing. Try Palmolive cream or their stick soap, both are inexpensive and quality items.

4, Start with a cheap pure bristle badger.

5, You need a moisturiser more than an AS, try the Nivea range.

6, Good, but also get a pack of 10 derbys. these are the most consistant blades in terms of sharpness and quality that I have come across so far.

7, Get a heavy cereal bowl or very large and thick soup/coffee mug for whipping up lather. I would also get a brush stand to hang you brush up so that it dries.

The above list in not what a purist would recommend, but I beleive that it is a cheap way of getting into this hobby, it also gives you huge scope to improve and upgrade as you go along.

Jules

garfinkel said:

(sorry for the lowercase, my shift key has been broken for a few days)

Click to expand...

If your shift key was broken, how'd you get the dollar signs in your post....?

I would also recommend the Crabtree and Evelyn Best Badger Brush ($35) as a beginners brush.

As far as soaps or creams go, I'd e-mail a couple people on the samples list, and see what you like... It's working for me so far.

But remember, it's true the less variables when you're starting out, the better (then you know what to blame!).

But Crabtree & Evelyn on the whole has never steered me wrong. I use their deodorant, shave soap and handsoap.

I wish somebody would've told me NOT to use preshave glycerine.

I also wish I would've found out about corking the blade sooner.

also, shampoo your badger brush a few times before you use it.

scku said:

What do you recommend?:

1. Safety razor Blade? Adjustable or nonadjustable? Models?
2. Do I need a pre-shave oil?
3. Shaving Cream or Soap? Why?
4. Brush?
5. Do I need an after-shave?
6. I am ordering a blade sample pack from westcostsahving.com
7. Do I need anything else?

Thank for your help.

Click to expand...

1. Merkur HD, a non adjustable razor, the best starter razor and IMO the best all around razor as well. Do NOT get an adustable now, it's too much to play with for a novice. Wait a few months until you've mastered the HD, then get an adjustable.

2. Skip the preshave oil, it doesn't help and it's quite expensive. Try Kyle's Preshave Prep method, it's top notch, feels luxorious and works extremely well as opposed to overpriced oils which do nothing.

3. IMO Soaps are better, but creams are easier to begin, I'd recommend Taylor's Creams. They are good quality, easy to lather and reasonably priced. If you want to go the soap route, I'd go with TABAC, a triple milled soap and a darn good one, it can be found in the $15 dollar range for a seemingly everlasting cake in a ceramic dish.

4. Crabtree and Evelyn Best Badger Brush, it costs around $35 and works well. If you are wiling to spend more, I'd look into the smaller Savile Row Silvertips from QED they are fanstastic and you can find one in the $75 to $100 dollar range. Some people recommend Vulfixs they are in the $50 range, IMO skip them, one of the most useless brushes on the market, way too floppy, no density at all.

5. You do need aftershave, pick up a bottle of Aqua Velva from a drug store, low cost and high quality. Additionally for the winter months I'd get a balm, Proraso, L'Occitane, and Musgo Real all make great balms, but Brut AS Balm is a good low cost readily available alternative.

6. Excellent choice going with West Coast Shaving, their sampler is far and away the BEST sampler on the market and the only one worth a damn at all in my opinion. You will get all the best blades and none of the trash.

7. I'd get a lather bowl, a simple cereal or soup bowl from Target works very well and will only cost a couple dollars.

Edit: I forgot, also get a styptic pencil, you'll need on these.

Good luck and now get shaving!

1. Safety razor Blade? Adjustable or nonadjustable? Models?
Merkur HD

2. Do I need a pre-shave oil?
nope

3. Shaving Cream or Soap? Why?
Cream I found has been easy to lather and thicker feeling on the face. Soap has better scents so I say try both.

4. Brush?
Yes.

5. Do I need an after-shave?
I use a moisturizing Balm

6. I am ordering a blade sample pack from westcostsahving.com
Good Move

7. Do I need anything else?
Practice

TimmyBoston said:

Edit: I forgot, also get a styptic pencil, you'll need on these.

Good luck and now get shaving!

Click to expand...

Ditto!! I forgot it the last time, but given my moment of inattention this morning, I wanted to add that.