Newbie needs advice

OK, I'm sold on going old-school with my shave. I'm 43, heavy beard, shave the ol' noggin too.

I'm totally romanced by the straights, but I'll look to work my moves with the DE first.

Therefore, asking for recommendations on a 1st timer DE razor...and where to buy...I've got the brush and mug soap covered...

Thanks!

If your face isn't overly sensitive, I'd suggest any year Gillette Super Speed to start off. They are dirt cheap on e-bay, or the for sale forum on this site. If you have sensitive skin, a Gillette Adjustable such as a Fatboy or a Slim would be a good start, but at a low setting. A Gillette Tech is also a good razor, but if you have a tough beard, a Tech might require multiple passes. A Merkur HD is also highly recommended, but I havn't had the pleasure of using any Merkur's at this time. Hope this helps. Enjoy.

If you become like most members of this site you will probably wind up experimenting with many razors and products. Having said that, it sounds like you want an all purpose razor to start that will accomplish your facial and scalp needs. It seems to me that your preferred choice will be an adjustable Gillette, or Merker for a new razor, to accomplish your goals. I have been lucky that I have not had a great deal of hair loss since my forehead began receding 20 years ago. My opinion is somewhat restricted by lack of experience with scalp shaving. However, I assume that your scalp is more sensitive than your face, especially since you say you have a heavy beard. An adjustable will allow you to shave more agressively on your face and less agressively on your scalp. Just change the blade exposure numbers. Keep your razor cleaned and, when needed, lubricated, to keep the adjustment free and easy and enjoy. I personally use Barbacide for cleaning and clipper oil to keep the action free. Don't forget, the more the blade is used the more often it needs to be changed. You are giving the blades double duty.

Welcome to B&B

There was some nice Gillette SS's in the b/s/t forum this am cheap fyi

The (noob) advice i can offer is to take 1 of 2 routes. First, buy new. You can pick up a Merkur HD (my first as well) or similar for around 30 bucks new. Option 2 is to take that same 30 bucks and go nuts on the bay. I picked up a bunch of SS's, Techs, ect for under 30 bucks. Seemed to work out to around 8-10 bucks each with shipping.

Almost forgot, westcoastshaving.com for a blade sampler would be nice to get you started.

Happy shaving!