Need a little advise

Hi there,

I've been looking into wet shaving for a little while now and I think I'm ready to take the plunge. I Like straight razors but I think that a safety razor is the way to go (don't want to accidentally cut my face off first time I try to shave). I was wondering if any of you more experienced shavers had any advise as to what razor to buy or if there are any good kits (trying not to spend too much as my finances are a little limited).

Thanks in advance!

If all you want is to start with a safety razor just pick up a Merkur HD or if you can find one locally a cheap vintage gillette in good condition. I would suggest since you say you are on a tight budget to just get the razor and some blades and try it with just some regular canned gel or foam...this way you will know whether you like using a double edge razor. I find that while the niche soaps and creams are better, you can get a pretty good idea what DE shave is like with just regular canned foam. This way you can know much sooner and cheaper if you want to invest in a decent brush and a good soap.

I would get a Gillette Tech or a Superspeed if you can find a decent one in shave worthy condition from ebay or a local antique store. I would also consider picking up a decent cheap brush such as the body shop synthetic and a cheap shave stick, something like erasmic or palmolive.


Happy shaving!

P.S shoot me a PM with your address and I'll send you a Decent shaving superspeed and a shave stick to start you off.

I am going to go slightly opposite from the above. (YMMV as always) I feel that you would better off trying a good cream/soap and AS and use cheap disposables. I have "half" converted a few guys at work doing just this, and they love it. haven't been able to send them completely over the edge yet, but with good SC and AS even a single blade disposable will shave good.

Also, if you have any flea markets or antique shops in your area to go to, hit them. Many people (including myself) have had great luck picking up vintage Gillette's in the $2-10 range. They are very good razors to learn with, or shave forever with.

Welcome to B&B

If you are on a budget a DE is definitely the way to go, you can check the buy sell trade forums often you can pick up a used razor cheap and sometimes complete kits as well.

Wow, thanks for the quick responses guys. I will definitely check out the razors you've recommended and maybe hit up the local thrift/ antique stores. I'll let you know what I end up getting

+1 Merkur HD great razor

hoselayer said:

I am going to go slightly opposite from the above. (YMMV as always) I feel that you would better off trying a good cream/soap and AS and use cheap disposables. I have "half" converted a few guys at work doing just this, and they love it. haven't been able to send them completely over the edge yet, but with good SC and AS even a single blade disposable will shave good.

Click to expand...

I have to agree. This is how I started out, and I think it helped me get used to creating a lather with a brush and non-aerosol shaving cream. I think it gave me more of an idea of what a wet shave was all about. Also, I have "half" converted a couple people I know as well by getting them to do the same thing I did.

This is mainly due to the fact that you can pick up a tube of inexpensive shave cream (I picked up a tube of Tom's of Maine Mint) and a boar brush that will only set you back a total of $10-12. I think it's easier to spend $12 and say "Meh, I don't like it" rather than spending $30-40 (depending on sales tax, shipping etc.) to pick up a Merkur HD (which I love by the way ) or any other razor for that matter.

In the end the decision is up to you. Just figured I'd toss in my two pennies. I'm a newbie too though, so take it with a grain of salt . Hope you enjoy your shaves no matter what you decide to do .

hoselayer said:

I am going to go slightly opposite from the above. (YMMV as always) I feel that you would better off trying a good cream/soap and AS and use cheap disposables. I have "half" converted a few guys at work doing just this, and they love it. haven't been able to send them completely over the edge yet, but with good SC and AS even a single blade disposable will shave good.

Also, if you have any flea markets or antique shops in your area to go to, hit them. Many people (including myself) have had great luck picking up vintage Gillette's in the $2-10 range. They are very good razors to learn with, or shave forever with.

Click to expand...

+1

InvaderZahn said:

Hi there,

I've been looking into wet shaving for a little while now and I think I'm ready to take the plunge. I Like straight razors but I think that a safety razor is the way to go (don't want to accidentally cut my face off first time I try to shave). I was wondering if any of you more experienced shavers had any advise as to what razor to buy or if there are any good kits (trying not to spend too much as my finances are a little limited).

Thanks in advance!

Click to expand...

There is a "sticky" post on top of the forum with a tutorial and some basic gear you need. Also, check the mantic59 videos on youtube (specially the first three and the one on essential shaving gear). Don't go cheap on your brush. further, there are few really bad products....