Newbie!! Looking for advice and info from people older and wiser.

**jfever311** · 04-14-2008, 11:11 AM

I just discovered Badger & Blade about a week ago and I am very impressed with the enormous amount of information that can be had on this site. Ya'll have put together a wonderful place for people, like me, that love a good, clean shave.

Here is my story; I am twenty-seven and have been shaving for about ten years. The entire time has been with disposable Gillette and Bic razors, with the exception of my fathers Mach 3 I tried one time

( and will NEVER use again!! ). For lubrication, I have actually been using my wifes Aveeno active naturals shave gel ( believe it or not, it is better than any other canned shaving cream I have ever used.), and then finishing up with Brut aftershave lotion w/ aloe and shea butter.

About a month ago I experienced the awesome shave of having a local Italian barber do it the old fashioned way. Staight razor!! That was it for me!!

I decided right then to put away my plastic razors and experiment with, under guidance of my barber, the DE safety razors. Eventually I will make the switch to a straight razor, but for now, I would like to see how nice of a shave these DE razors can give me. I have not purchased one yet and will only do so after a little more research. So far it seems like Merkur is a big favorite, especially the HD. Any further advice on where to obtain these tools without being a burden to my family would be greatly appreciated.

What is the general opinion of my current choices when it comes to shave cream and aftershave? Will these products work with a brush? How much is too much to spend on shaving products? I have one daughter now and one on the way. I do not have to tell ya'll how tight things are these days trying to get started with a new family. Oh yeah, what is the deal with the Art of Shaving kits I keep seeing on Ebay? They retail for around $100 and go for around $30 on Ebay. Would that be worth looking into?

Well, I really appreciate any help and/or advice. Please do not be a stranger and feel free to email me anytime. Everyone on this forum seems to be fairly good-hearted people. That is very refreshing.

p.s... I read the another post a couple hours ago about mapping your beard. My wife found me in front of the bathroom mirror with paper and pencil in hand and swears she is going to have me committed!!

**rickw** · 04-14-2008, 12:45 PM

Welcome to B&B. Go with a Merkur HD (model 34). Some of the sources that have posted here are Lee's Razor http://www.leesrazors.com/safetyRazors.htm, Vintage Blades http://www.vintagebladesllc.com/index.html, and Shaving Essentials http://www.shavingessentials.net/Home.html . For inexpensive creams, there is Kiss My Face at CVS, Whole foods etc. and The Body Shop. For soaps, there is VanDer Hagen / Surrey ($1.50 to $2.00) at WalMart, Walgreens, Rite Aid and others, Crabtree and Evelyn (about $8) and L'Occitane's Cade ($15). There are many others. Check the Reviews section. Start with a blade assortment from West Coast Shaving.

**jfever311** · 04-14-2008, 01:13 PM

Thanks for the links, rickw. I am in the process of writing items down and reading reviews as I go. Any purchase will have to wait a week anyway. We just spent over $400 last weekend getting ready for this next addition to our family. Of course the wife will settle for nothing but the best!! I am beginning to wonder how much I could get for a kidney!?! lol

**Duggo** · 04-14-2008, 01:32 PM

But - it would save me a lot of typing and I believe it to be good advice. And , it might be useful to others. YMMV to all things stated - of course.

The Post

**mozart** · 04-14-2008, 01:37 PM

The cheapest would probably be to get some used equipment right here from the gents at B&B. Check the Buy/Sell section. You'd likely be able to find a decent razor (Merkur) and badger brush, plus some little-used or unused creams and soaps for relatively little money.

I'd be happy to send you a new jar of Mama Bears' unscented shaving soap if you send me your mailing address. It's unscented and thus not terribly exciting, but it will give you an idea how the soaps from this highly reputable manufacturer perform. It doesn't get much better than that. You can later pass it on to some other newbie.

I can only second the advice to get a blade sampler.

Finally, I would urge you to absorb as much information here on B&B as possible and to develop a very good mental image of all the motions, potential problems and solutions of a DE shave. You'll be on your way on no time.

Best - MM

**jfever311** · 04-14-2008, 01:53 PM

The buy/sell section is neat so far. Unfortunately, I will still have to wait until next week before I can purchase the items I want. I believe I am going to go with the Merkur HD, and a best badger hair shaving brush from C&E. Mozart, I will get back to you on your offer. It is appreciated. I still think it is awesome how you guys on here are willing to mail a total stranger a free can of shaving soap. That goes a long way toward showing others what it is to be a decent person. Thank you. Can anyone fill me in on this trend of The Art of Shaving items on Ebay. Are they worth $30 for the full size kit?

**rickw** · 04-14-2008, 03:54 PM

Originally Posted by jfever311

The buy/sell section is neat so far. Unfortunately, I will still have to wait until next week before I can purchase the items I want. I believe I am going to go with the Merkur HD, and a best badger hair shaving brush from C&E. Mozart, I will get back to you on your offer. It is appreciated. I still think it is awesome how you guys on here are willing to mail a total stranger a free can of shaving soap. That goes a long way toward showing others what it is to be a decent person. Thank you. Can anyone fill me in on this trend of The Art of Shaving items on Ebay. Are they worth $30 for the full size kit?

I got one at Costco for about that price when they were on clearance. That large jar of cream sells in their stores for $22. It is a good cream. The Body Shop Cream is $13.50 and is also a good cream. The brush in the kit, AOS sells for $50. It is a pure badger and is a little larger than the C&E Best for $35 but is is a lower grade of hair. Is it worth $30? Probably. I use that AOS brush a couple of times a week. I switch between 4 different brushes with different grades of hair. The others are a C&E Best, EJ Super and a Kent BK4. Hope this answered your question.

**BroJohn** · 04-14-2008, 01:58 PM

jfever --

First off, welcome to B&B!!

There is a stickied thread that has links to a number of instructional postings and tutorials; these are a great starting point and you should certainly read through them. They contain a lot of information that will answer many of your questions. Also, make sure that you view Mantic's shaving videos that he has posted on the net at YouTube.

As others have suggested, order the blade sampler from www.westcoastshaving.com, and read thru the product reviews available from the 'Reviews' tab at the top of this page. Understand that cost does *not* necessarily equate to better, so you're fortunate to be able to get great shaves at modest cost. I wouldn't buy the 'shave sets', eBay or otherwise; purchase shave goods a'la carte. The e-tailers recommended above will guide you properly and not attempt to up-sell simply to increase their profit (they know they'll get you hooked and you'll be back

)

You're gonna love this wet-shaving stuff. . .

-- John Gehman

**jfever311** · 04-14-2008, 02:15 PM

John, Thank you for the advice. I just went on the review page and reseached a few more items and saw that some of the highest rated shaving soaps and very inexpensive! The Mamma Bear soaps, for example, come in over 100 scents and are no more than ten dollars. I really am not into the scented stuff though due to reactions I have had in the past. The only scents I wear are Cool Water and Versace. Although, I am interested in this B&B fragrance everyone on here is so crazy about!

**thirdeye** · 04-14-2008, 02:18 PM

jfever, Welcome to B&B, BroJohn hit it all before me in his post so I will simple say again, welcome and enjoy!!!

Pogo · 04-14-2008, 02:22 PM

jfever311:

Welcome to Badger and Blade.

A word of caution about Merkur razors: their plating is substandard and can come off in chips. I'm not talking about wearing thin and brassing. There are plenty of other, cheaper, and better razors to be had. If money is short, go cheap.

You've read my Dutch Uncle post and know my opinions about blades, shave creams, and aftershaves.

I hope this helps.

Good luck.

**jfever311** · 04-14-2008, 02:39 PM

Pogo. As far as I am concerned, the Brut moisturizing aftershave lotion I have been using is great and it has gotten very good ratings on here too. Like you say, if it works, don't change it. What, in your opinion, is a better and cheaper razor than the Merkur HD?

Pogo · 04-14-2008, 02:48 PM

jfever311:

I like Gillette Super Speeds (twist-to-open) and Techs (three-piece). They're well-built, mechanically solid, and their plating is usually good. They can be found widely and shouldn't cost more than $20 including shipping.

However, in a community of this type, you'll find a wide diversity of opinion. Don't take my opinion as established truth. Listen to others and make your choice.

Hope this helps.

Good luck.

**Mr. Gillette** · 04-15-2008, 05:30 AM

Originally Posted by Pogo

jfever311:

I like Gillette Super Speeds (twist-to-open) and Techs (three-piece). They're well-built, mechanically solid, and their plating is usually good. They can be found widely and shouldn't cost more than $20 including shipping.

However, in a community of this type, you'll find a wide diversity of opinion. Don't take my opinion as established truth. Listen to others and make your choice.

Hope this helps.

Good luck.

I'd +1 on that...you can pick up a nice SS fairly cheap, and they're proven, solid performers. As for the AOS kits...nah...you can put yours together just fine.

Welcome aboard...good luck!

**jfever311** · 04-15-2008, 06:58 AM

Thank all of you fellas who responded to this thread. I have taken all of the information into careful consideration. There are many fantastic deals on this forums BST section and also on Ebay. I am going to take a few days away from the razor and really get a good layout of my beard growth patterns. Out of the Gillette SS razors, what is the difference between red tip and blue tip?

**PKHammer** · 04-14-2008, 08:40 PM

Originally Posted by jfever311

I have one daughter now and one on the way. I do not have to tell ya'll how tight things are these days trying to get started with a new family

Congrats! I have 3 children, all 6 and younger, so I can feel your pain!

Bath and Bodyworks sells shave creme under the C.O Bigelow name, which is actually made by Proraso. I love the stuff, and its $10.

As far as aftershave goes, Nivea sensitive skin (its in the white box) gets good marks as well, you can pick it up at Target or Walmart for under $6.

I"ll also plug the Gillette Tech, you can get one at a great cost and it is a very nice starter razor.

Pogo · 04-14-2008, 10:20 PM

Shave Cat and PKHammer:

Thanks for the endorsements apropos Gillette razors.

Best personal regards.

**the beav** · 04-16-2008, 07:31 AM

Check your mail.

**Shave Cat** · 04-16-2008, 08:40 AM

I don't find the red tip to be that much more aggressive than the plain SS. However, the razor's head is a little taller, resulting in a slightly different blade angle once the blade is tightened within the razor's head. For me, this results in a somewhat scratchy sensation while shaving (if that makes any sense). I suppose, for some, this could possibly result in more irritation. I've not tried a Weshi, but understand that its head geometry is unlike the older Super Speeds, the Weishi having a lower profile head.

You know, the term aggressiveness, concerning razors, seems rather ambiguous. Sometimes it is used to indicate that a razor really mows down your beard. Other times, it means that a certain razor irritates your skin. I suppose, sometimes, those two characteristics go hand in hand.

-Clarke