Howdy folks. This is Rage coming to you from the Wilmington area of good ol' North Carolina. I've decided to take the plunge and get back into shaving like a real man again, but doing it right this time.
On this last point, I've already started off bad. I bought this set http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00LRKOGDY trying to get everything I needed in one shot. This was a mistake I have found out. Here's a light review of the items in this kit.
1. The Blades Grim "Smolder" Shave soap: this stuff is spectacular. It makes a rich lather that provides a nice buffer between skin and blade, at least compared to some of the stuff I've had before that I bought from the local drug store.
2. The GB Buckingham and Sons Strop: this thing is literally useless. Being a country boy, I know a thing or two about honing and stropping, at least with knives, and even I can tell this is a low end low quality piece of junk. It actually dulled the razor. I ended up having to use my Tony Llama belt, to great effect.
3. The Brush: I really don't know enough to say one way or the other. It did let me build a nice lather though, so it can't be too bad I guess.
4. The Blade: Like I mentioned earlier, I know a good bit about steel and especially blades in general. That being said, I know next to nothing about razors. It was sharp enough to shave with, but left non visible stubble I could feel but not really see. This may be due to technique or stropping. Hopefully I can find someone locally who will check the blade for me at a decent price. I will mention when I seen China stamped in the spine, I came close to tossing it. I wont even carry a pocket knife made in Asia, but this is all I have for the time being.
A little about my shaving experience. I taught myself to shave with a 3 dollar shavette that was little more than a handle with a long single edge razor blade. After a little patience, a lot of blood, and a scar on my chin, I finally got to where I could shave close without bleeding. This was definitely a learning experience.
Well, its back to work. Please feel free to leave advice for me. I need all I can get! I'll post more in a bit.
On this last point, I've already started off bad. I bought this set http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00LRKOGDY trying to get everything I needed in one shot. This was a mistake I have found out. Here's a light review of the items in this kit.
1. The Blades Grim "Smolder" Shave soap: this stuff is spectacular. It makes a rich lather that provides a nice buffer between skin and blade, at least compared to some of the stuff I've had before that I bought from the local drug store.
2. The GB Buckingham and Sons Strop: this thing is literally useless. Being a country boy, I know a thing or two about honing and stropping, at least with knives, and even I can tell this is a low end low quality piece of junk. It actually dulled the razor. I ended up having to use my Tony Llama belt, to great effect.
3. The Brush: I really don't know enough to say one way or the other. It did let me build a nice lather though, so it can't be too bad I guess.
4. The Blade: Like I mentioned earlier, I know a good bit about steel and especially blades in general. That being said, I know next to nothing about razors. It was sharp enough to shave with, but left non visible stubble I could feel but not really see. This may be due to technique or stropping. Hopefully I can find someone locally who will check the blade for me at a decent price. I will mention when I seen China stamped in the spine, I came close to tossing it. I wont even carry a pocket knife made in Asia, but this is all I have for the time being.
A little about my shaving experience. I taught myself to shave with a 3 dollar shavette that was little more than a handle with a long single edge razor blade. After a little patience, a lot of blood, and a scar on my chin, I finally got to where I could shave close without bleeding. This was definitely a learning experience.
Well, its back to work. Please feel free to leave advice for me. I need all I can get! I'll post more in a bit.
