Razors for beginners

krazykj03 said:

now i dont know what t get? EJ DE89 or Mekur 34c or a vintage.. so many choices...

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What all these choices really are telling you is that it's pretty hard to go wrong. DE shaving, as it turns out, ain't all that dadgum hard.

It's kind of like driving, that way--very intimidating, until you just get behind the wheel and do it a few times. You rarely see someone ask "what is a good beginner car for me to start driving on?" There are a lot more cars that are better to learn on than not.

So, allow me to revise my advice. I think it's better to look at what you shouldn't start off with than what you should. Don't spend a lot of money on a DE razor. While folks may sing songs about a $200 razor/handle combo that they just couldn't live without, you might find that you don't enjoy DE shaving, and then you're out all that cash. That said, don't go get the super-cheap, $4 China Special off of Fleabay or something like that. Look for a moderately priced, mild to moderate razor that is known for it's quality. Everything mentioned above pretty much fits that bill, so you really cannot go wrong.

That said, you might find that you don't like the particular razor you chose in the first place. Well, that's not the end of the world, as you ought to be able to sell it off for pretty close to what you paid for it and go try another.

To get back to specifics, there are two avenues that I do not recall anyone mentioning, yet:

One is to look for an adjustable razor. Some folks say "don't get an adjustable, as you'll spend more time adjusting it than shaving with it." Well, you don't have to futz with it. The point is that you don't quite know what sort of razor will suit you, so you might want to spend a bit more to get a whole bunch of razors all wrapped up in one. You can pick up a vintage Gillette Slim or Super Adjustable typically for around $45, give or take (although a sharp, diligent eye often can pick one up for substantially less).

Another option is to check out the "Vintage Razor Test Drive" at Garry's Sample Shop. For a very reasonable price, Garry will send you a vintage Gillette razor, 10 blades, an Omega brush, a stick of Arko, and a couple samples of aftershave. If you don't like the razor, you can send it back with the provided certificate and he'll send you another one. If you do like it, you can use the same certificate for $10 worth of samples. Hard to go wrong, there.

Enjoy!

Any middle of the road razor should do.

kevdogg329 said:

RazoRock Mission

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+1 and it comes with 20 great blades. I recommend it because of the solid brass handle and the fit and finish is great. I've never used a maggard, I know they have a stainless handle but I've heard mixed reviews about their heads.

I think the most important thing is to get one and start shaving and learning by doing. If you go into a pursuit of trying to master the razor by experience and looking into how things work a little bit to try to refine your technique with that new found knowledge you be surprise what you can come up with.

I've been shaving since December and earlier this month I decided I wanted to improve my technique but wondered how, so after a few minutes of thought I decided minimizing the time between when I stop showering to putting lather on my face would be the first goal. Second would be to re-lather an area of my face after shaving to keep it moisturized and because some of the ingredients in the soap soften the beard and I figured more time would only help it. My result was a far better shave and blades started to last about twice as long. That was applying information I gathered from this:
http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/How_to_pre-shave_prep

My last shave I had just got done reading about slants and how it is angled so it does a bit of a slicing motion which makes it more efficient in cutting your hair. Think guillotine, or slicing through an apple with a knife rather than pushing straight down with a flat blade. So I decided to give it a try with a DE razor by trying to mimic it by offsetting the angle slightly as it pulled it along my face and the result was a better shave, it felt like shave 2 on a new blade which is usually around my best shave and this was shave 7 and the last shave I barely felt a little tug and this one was effortless. Time will tell if this will keep getting me results. And if not I look into the Gillette Slide more.

Reason why I wrote that is it looked like your over thinking on what to get after reading your posts. Once your get decent equipment technique is probably the key thing to focus on, not what your using. Try not to fall into the trap of having to have the best, or finding "the one", I did that in other hobbies just to find out if I had just focused on technique I could have done the same thing for a few dollars and had the same or superior results. We will drag you down that route of constantly trying new things quite easily if you let us, we're all enablers here so let that be a friendly warning to your wallet.

Bob57913 said:

I think the most important thing is to get one and start shaving and learning by doing. If you go into a pursuit of trying to master the razor by experience and looking into how things work a little bit to try to refine your technique with that new found knowledge you be surprise what you can come up with.

I've been shaving since December and earlier this month I decided I wanted to improve my technique but wondered how, so after a few minutes of thought I decided minimizing the time between when I stop showering to putting lather on my face would be the first goal. Second would be to re-lather an area of my face after shaving to keep it moisturized and because some of the ingredients in the soap soften the beard and I figured more time would only help it. My result was a far better shave and blades started to last about twice as long. That was applying information I gathered from this:
http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/How_to_pre-shave_prep

My last shave I had just got done reading about slants and how it is angled so it does a bit of a slicing motion which makes it more efficient in cutting your hair. Think guillotine, or slicing through an apple with a knife rather than pushing straight down with a flat blade. So I decided to give it a try with a DE razor by trying to mimic it by offsetting the angle slightly as it pulled it along my face and the result was a better shave, it felt like shave 2 on a new blade which is usually around my best shave and this was shave 7 and the last shave I barely felt a little tug and this one was effortless. Time will tell if this will keep getting me results. And if not I look into the Gillette Slide more.

Reason why I wrote that is it looked like your over thinking on what to get after reading your posts. Once your get decent equipment technique is probably the key thing to focus on, not what your using. Try not to fall into the trap of having to have the best, or finding "the one", I did that in other hobbies just to find out if I had just focused on technique I could have done the same thing for a few dollars and had the same or superior results. We will drag you down that route of constantly trying new things quite easily if you let us, we're all enablers here so let that be a friendly warning to your wallet.

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Very well said.

Feather Popular. Milder than a mild thing and easily available.

Shick Krona is an excellent beginners razor. Not too agressive but will get the job done with proper prep and a good lather.I use mine (in rotation) at least twice a week and have always had good shaves with it using the Astra Sp blades, which mine seems to prefer. Most of the Gillette SupeSpeeds will also give a good comfortable mild shave. The Merkur 15c Open Comb is a pretty mild razor and what I use for my "in the shower" razor for the days I'm running late. It is mild and gives good shaves but you will need to do an extra cleanup pass with it.

BlackBard said:

Well, there you have it. Too many recommendations suggested by well meaning members. Their advice is all good, but you will have to make the decision for yourself.

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That's why I say any middle of the road razor will do.

zygalski said:

Edwin Jagger DE89. Job done

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+3 Lovely razor.

I would say 34c while first learning, then Def a EJ89. the EJ 89, to me, seems a bit more aggressive. I got bad burn from it, but when I grabbed a 34c, it all got better. The. When I went back to the EJ it was awesome!!!.
YmMV

sandstone said:

DE89 or Merkur 34c - its a coin flip. I have both and like both. I learned with the Edwin Jagger and I think you would be happy with it. The Gillette Tech is also an affordable option and is a very smooth shaver IMO. Yes there are lots of choices out there.

Welcome to the forum and Best of Luck!

ps - I'm sure we are all very keen to know what the final decision is.....

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+1

What he said ^

Edwin jagger de89 is a fine razor,super easy to find your angle and smooth as can be,she's mild but she gets the job done. The gillitte super speed is another great little razor, they are a few bucks cheaper than a de89 if you look around. The super speed is lighter and shorter than the DE89 and for me they shave about the same with the SS being a tad milder.

I would say to get yourself a slim adjustable if your serious about wet shaving. They can be turned down to way milder than both the DE89 and Superspeed, and when you get the hang of shaving if you want a moreaggresive
shave turn the slim up a few numbers and let her go.

I have a merkur 37c (slant) and it's apparently the same dimesions as the 34c and for me the de89 fits better in my hand and just feels better for me. I love my merkur and the knurling on the handle but if I had it to do over I would of gotten a longer handled version which is (standard 38c slant 39c), also I'm not advocating a slant as your first razor, don't do it just dont. I'd get a vintage gillete and call it a day, if you decide you want the de89 sell your vintage, and believe me you won't have a problem doing so. You won't have just one razor anyway so pick the one you think you like best for now and go for it, don't forget a sample pack of blades to go with your razor as IMO the right blade is more important than the razor and as always YMMV

keep your eyes peeled for a Razorock BS

cant wait to get started.

would you guys recommend a vintage gillette slim adjustable for a newbie?

krazykj03 said:

would you guys recommend a vintage gillette slim adjustable for a newbie?

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Sure.....you can always adjust it to mild or aggressive.....they are nice shavers for sure.....I love mine

I apologize, ahead of time, if this has been suggested....

But, you may want to check out this wonderful thread (imo).

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...aordinary-Mild-Shavers?highlight=mild+shavers

i cant check it out i dont have enough post

I would get a new EJ DE89 if this is your 1st DE razor. You dont want to be disappointed when you get your first (kinda like women, LOL)...the chrome is so shiny on the EJ....very impressive. You'll love the smooth shave and it just looks dam good.
Sometimes a vintage gillette will have lost it luster and have some scratches, especially if you get it off fleebay.
Looks are important, especially your first razor.
You'll have plenty of time to pick up vintage razors later and shine them up.......The Krona shave's nice, but I find it rather ugly....
Best regards.
However if you already have a DE, you might want to try a adjustable. I suggest a Gillettte Slim or a Black Slim.