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What got you interested in DE shaving?

M

ma1999

I still have not taken the plunge and switched to DE shaving, but I became interested in the topic when I went to a convention last year in Vegas. My room was at the Venetian and they have an Art of Shaving store. Seeing the products and brushes in the store really caught my attention. It made me want to get a straight razor shave from a barber to see what it was like. I noticed that safety razors and brushes are hard to find in stores and the limited selection that you may find in the drug store is usually of low quality. This is what inspired me to do more research online and find some good shopping sites. Youtube has some very good tips and West Coast Shaving has a good selection of products. However, it is usually best to compare the prices on Amazon because that is where you can find the best prices.
Now I'm at a stage where I'm deciding what I would like to buy. Maybe I will use it to make my Christmas list.

I'm in my mid 40's. I'm just curious how everyone got interested in DE shaving and how you are.
Is this something people of all ages are interested in or does this only appeal to people in a limited age group?

Mike
 
J

JoeBart324

I was an electric razor shaver for years. Got my first one and college and used it up until a month or so ago. I just turned 29 and before the electric razor I was a cart shaver. Razor burn was a constant problem with either.

Recently my electric razor essentially stopped holding a charge and I'd have to use it plugged in. That was rather annoying, so I began searching for new razors on the internet. I think I was on Lifehacker which had an article about the best electrics. But through various links on that site I wound up on The Art of Manliness and an article there about "How to Shave Like Your Grandpa." That article alone completely changed my outlook on shaving.

I researched a bit more but finally decided to take the plunge with the Van Der Hagen razor and soap I picked up at Target. I couldn't be happier with my decision to begin DE shaving. It took 2-3 weeks to finally start getting nice shaves, and I did have a bit of razor burn at first. But now I can confidently say burn is no longer a problem and I've never felt so good shaving. It is a wonderful morning routine and I'll likely never stray from DE shaving (unless I go off the deep end and pick up a straight, which i'm considering already...).
 
RustedCrown

RustedCrown

I'm a 22 year old Collage student.
I got into DE shaving as a last resort, I suffered through so much razor burn and ingrown hairs I was looking for anything to make shaving at least tolerable. Infact, for a good while before I discovered DE razors, I was using beard trimmers and going day to day with plain stubble (this was a MASSIVE mess to clean up). Since I had no luck with electrics and cartridge razors, (and not wanting to rock the stubble for the rest of my life) I decided to do some research and noticed the amount of raves there was for DE shaving.
So I got myself a razor, shaving soap, a quality Omega boar brush, and studied so many tutorials. For the first time in my few years of shaving, I can now finally say I look forward to shaving in the morning. No razor burn, no ingrown hairs, and the whole experience of shaving in this manner was even relaxing and enjoyable.
 
BeardFace

BeardFace

I started shaving when I was 12 with an electric. Yes, I thought it was a good idea to shave off the awkward peach fuzz. Shaved with electrics until college when I started shaving with cartridge razors and electrics on and off. Cartridge razors were hell for me. Once I graduated college and started needing to shave more than twice a week, I turned solely to expensive electric shavers. I had the top of the line panasonic, which is a good tool. I had been using this thing for 5 years up until a month ago.

I walked into an art of shaving store to buy a gift for someone about two years ago and after talking to the sales rep, he said someone with a thick coarse beard like mine should never touch a cartridge razor with more than one or two blades. He said that my beard would require me going over it with a blade repeatedly and that the more blades you have the more irritation you'll get. He recommended using a DE or disposables as they would probably serve me better. Then, sometime last year my cousin started using a DE and had nothing but good things to say. About a month ago i realized my electric needed a new foil and shaving coils. The cost was about $60. One thing led to another, and within 24 hours I found this website, which led me to pasteur's pharmacy, which led me to stock up on the necessary beginner kit.
 
BSAGuy

BSAGuy

Rick Harrison Micro Touch One commercial.

That got me looking into vintage Gillettes, found this wonderful site, bought a razor and blades and off to the races.
 
dymaxion

dymaxion

I started shaving with an electric and did so for years. One day my wife got a free Mach III and suggested that I try it. I liked it. Until I cut off my Goatee. The Mach III would not cut through the whiskers on my chin.

Later that week I was wandering around Medina, OH and came upon Imperial Shaving. Don showed me several razors and patiently explained the process.

Since then I have not looked back. In fact I recently went even deeper down the rabbit hole and started using a Straight. This hobby just keeps getting better and better.
 
AvariCe

AvariCe

I am 28 years old. I started shaving as a teenager with single blade plastic disposables at first, then multi blade disposables, then a Mach 3. At some point I went to a barber to shave me, and I loved how the BBS felt. I tried to replicate it with every commercially available Gillette, Wilkinson and all other nonsense. They gave me so many ingrown hairs and irritation all over my face that I stopped shaving completely two years ago and used an electric trimmer just mow the beard. At some point I missed having a clean face, so I researched way more and came to the conclusion that it was either DE shaving or straight razor. So I started with the DE two months ago and I wonder why I never heard of it before.
 
jamesspo

jamesspo

I'm 47 and I've always DE shaved despite growing up squarely in the cartridge era (started shaving in the early 80's). My dad gave me a 60's Superspeed to start out with, and I never left DE. I have had occasional periods of electric use, however. I came to B&B while looking for blades, as local supplies were getting hard to find.\

There have been a few age polls done here, and there are folks from all age groups - pretty uniformly.
 
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techblade01

techblade01

jg0517 said:
I started shaving when I was 12 with an electric. Yes, I thought it was a good idea to shave off the awkward peach fuzz. Shaved with electrics until college when I started shaving with cartridge razors and electrics on and off. Cartridge razors were hell for me. Once I graduated college and started needing to shave more than twice a week, I turned solely to expensive electric shavers. I had the top of the line panasonic, which is a good tool. I had been using this thing for 5 years up until a month ago.

I walked into an art of shaving store to buy a gift for someone about two years ago and after talking to the sales rep, he said someone with a thick coarse beard like mine should never touch a cartridge razor with more than one or two blades. He said that my beard would require me going over it with a blade repeatedly and that the more blades you have the more irritation you'll get. He recommended using a DE or disposables as they would probably serve me better. Then, sometime last year my cousin started using a DE and had nothing but good things to say. About a month ago i realized my electric needed a new foil and shaving coils. The cost was about $60. One thing led to another, and within 24 hours I found this website, which led me to pasteur's pharmacy, which led me to stock up on the necessary beginner kit.
Click to expand...
A AoS employee that recommended you to use a DE. Sounds Great.
 
K

KangarueTheDay

I like the "older" ways of things. I collect and actively use vinyls, fountain pens, and mechanical watches (both vintage and modern). And DE shaving, of course!
 
PugslyCat

PugslyCat

I'm a 50 year old IT guy. I got talked into this to save money according to a middle aged guy at my church.

I've at least broken even with it compared to cartridge shaving, but I no longer have spots with stubble and razor burn like I did with carts and goo. Come to think of it, doing this I learned how to shave without those problems when I break out the cartridges...

I gave my college age nephews complete setups a few years ago. I know that one still uses the DE, but mostly saves money by not shaving. The other one was interested in straights, so I gave him a cheap one with a strop. I don't know whether he has stayed with it or not.

My sister still uses the brush and soap I gave her, but returned the razor unused.
 
kansaskyle

kansaskyle

I'm a 42 year old IT guy.

I stumbled on B&B and DE shaving while researching Harry's and Dollar Shave Club. I was looking for a better shave, and I decided cartridges weren't the answer after some reading on this site.

I'm seven shaves in and having fun! The soaps and aftershaves smell great, and I'm getting a smoother/closer shave.
 
M

ma1999

Thanks for all of the replies. It is very interesting hearing from everyone. I think someone told me that only 1% of men in the US shave with a DE razor. Sounds like an exclusive club to me. Btw, I'm also in the IT field.
 
JonGerard

JonGerard

A facebook ad that was advertising some random box that they delivery 'manly' and 'one of a kind' items to your house every month. Everything seemed way too overpriced for what they charged... But I saw the DE razor and googled it. And then I saw other FB pages talking about Safety razors and I youtubed a video. After a few weeks of thinking about it, I decided to take the plunge.
 
Jnatcat

Jnatcat

I DE wet shaved back in the early 80's and then stopped but about 6 weeks ago my son received a 34C as a gift and asked me if I knew how to use one and there ya go...
 
celestino

celestino

My electric razor broke down so I went searching for other options than to continue using something I did not enjoy, at all, and I didn't want to spend $300 on another! Now, I have spent even much more money, but I am very happy! :thumbup:
 
eastomjac

eastomjac

the buying a red tip super speed at a yard sale for 25 cents.then the finding of some wilkies at the store.BAM,no more carts.
 
Dadygoble

Dadygoble

I have just gorten in to DE shaving i am 26 years old and have just seporated form the active duty air force after 5 years at the rank of staff seargent i had to shave every morning abd the traditional caryrage arzors and caned foam just tore my neck up i transferes to the NC air national guard so i still have to look smooth. A friend of mine at my worj place is in to de and straight razor shaving and gave me a DE razor and some blades andbi fell in love got me some Van Der Hagan soap and mug and brush from walmart and the rest is history. I would realy like to try a straight razor soon.
ma1999 said:
I still have not taken the plunge and switched to DE shaving, but I became interested in the topic when I went to a convention last year in Vegas. My room was at the Venetian and they have an Art of Shaving store. Seeing the products and brushes in the store really caught my attention. It made me want to get a straight razor shave from a barber to see what it was like. I noticed that safety razors and brushes are hard to find in stores and the limited selection that you may find in the drug store is usually of low quality. This is what inspired me to do more research online and find some good shopping sites. Youtube has some very good tips and West Coast Shaving has a good selection of products. However, it is usually best to compare the prices on Amazon because that is where you can find the best prices.
Now I'm at a stage where I'm deciding what I would like to buy. Maybe I will use it to make my Christmas list.

I'm in my mid 40's. I'm just curious how everyone got interested in DE shaving and how you are.
Is this something people of all ages are interested in or does this only appeal to people in a limited age group?

Mike
Click to expand...
 
TheChariot

TheChariot

I'm 27 and I originally got into vintage products in general when I began working in a recording studio that recorded in analog tape with Beatles-era microphones and gear. Since then I've built a respectable vinyl collection.

Vintage razors never occurred to be because my father shaved electric and cartridges were all I knew. Most of my generation thought DE and straight razors sliced you to bits and were painful to shave with. Plus I don't have major facial hair, so I'd avoid the lousy experience of cart shaving until absolutely necessary. TV shows were what steered me in the direction direction of wet shaving... Deadwood, Big Love, Mad Men, and even a funny scene from The Office featured straight or DE razors.

After running out of pricey carts earlier this year, I decided to investigate the likes of Dollar Shave Club and Harry's, which eventually lead me to finding the "How to Shave Like Your Grandpa" article in Art of Manliness. After that came a slew of YouTube videos and then B&B.

2 weeks later I had no more irritation and pretty consistent BBS.
 
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