Most beneficial upgrade?

I was like you on a journey to see what works best FOR ME, I went thru a few of new mass produced modern razors and found
them unappealing after a few weeks . I took the Vintage Gillette route and found the history behind each razor interesting I tried quite a few and I think that I have settled on The Gillette NEW OCs and my Razor of choice . They are Beautiful to look at and will last and last. You can find them reasonably priced. there are plenty of post on here showing them Love but again it is all about your journey.

arrowhead147 said:

Try an alum block.
It will tighten up your skin at post shave , and is useful for getting a better grip with your fingers when skin stretching.
Skin stretching is a handy technique for getting at trouble spots.
Alum will greatly improve the grip on your razor too.

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+1

I also started using Witch Hazel after the alum block and before my AS.

Definitely get yourself some vintage Gillette razors such a Tech, any of the Super Speeds, or an adjustable. By the way, your setup looks pretty good so far.

Synthetic Brush

time

with all things time improves the skill, choices, comprehension, and new considerations.

it's the most expensive addition to your kit and the only one you can't buy for less anywhere else.

Even our wonderful discussions and advice herewith are to no avail in comparison because it takes time to choose the lot, turn the ground, enhance the soil, seed and tend while everything grows... and only with time do you find the harvest and it's new input, return on investment, and discover the next steps you think might take you further upon your journey.

Based on all your recommendations, I now have a nice(IMO) 1953 Superspeed headed my way!! Now the excruciating wait begins, lol.

Tomorrow I'll probably be ordering a Semogue 620, a Merkur 37c, and some Proraso samples..., then I'll probably be forced to look for a good divorce attorney!!! Lol

MrSpeedy said:

I'm not a fan of any of the soaps displayed, so I would say a "better" soap. Try Stirling or Mickey Lee Soap Works.

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Or MWF... that might be the greatest product ever made. It was a huge upgrade over TOBS for me personally. And the better lather made the whole experience better.

Some single edge razors!

AlgebraicMirror said:

Or MWF... that might be the greatest product ever made. It was a huge upgrade over TOBS for me personally. And the better lather made the whole experience better.

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I've seen many positive comments about MWF, but the supposed lack of a scent is somewhat off putting. Although my exposure to all the fantastic shave products has been limited, part of the enjoyment for me has been all the wonderful smells. The AoS sandalwood has been my favorite thus far.

Vintage Gillette (any of the ones mentioned, go wild - find a lot for sale on eBay ...they clean up well enough)

Vintage soap or at least a classic or high end one ( they are great to have and a lot of fun too)

I see a lot of recommendations for better soaps/creams. I bought the TOBS Samdalwood after seeing many positive reviews, but I'm now getting the impression that TOBS isn't as strongly recommended as I thought.., is this the case? I love the smell and it seems to lather very quickly/easily, and is pretty darn slick IMO.

Definately try the Maggerd "LONDON BARBERSHOP" shaving soap (croap). Great stuff, excellent slickness, and fantastic masculine smell.

I would recommend a good aftershave that doesnt sissy out on the feedback. That will let you know what went right/wrong.

Semogue 620 is my personal favorite brush all together. Ymmv, but that's a major bang for the buck. A more aggressive razor is a good idea too!

im on board with the vintage gillette train for you... im sure you will love the super speed its a great shaver.
For me the upgrade i loved the most was buying my scuttle... having nice warm lather everyday is awesome and i love shaving that much more because of it.

The best upgrade? Finding the right razor and the right soap, I think are keys to the best shave. The problem is, there is so much out there that it takes a lot of time, practice, and trial and error to find what is best suited to you. Joining some of the many pass boxes, sample passes, and razor loans on B&B is a great way to try a bunch of stuff with little expenditure. (Many of these are only available in the contributor section).

Definitely expanding into Vintage razors is where I'd go next, based on your current kit. If you spend a little time hunting at antique stores you maybe be able to find some really nice razors for a great deal. They are easy to clean up and get shave ready.

I'd highly recommend not buying any soaps until you've tried samples of that soap first. Yeah, samples aren't really that cost effective, but in the long run you'll spend less that way, than buying some tubs of stuff that you might end up not liking.

Time and Patience man. It'll all come together eventually. It has taken me 5 years to discover and finally settle on my top 3 soaps. Now I'm slowly working on converting over to them almost exclusively. Cause I now have lots of tubs of stuff I don't use (see point above).

I suggest you add some IMO better (especially 'tallow-based') soaps. Check the forum.

As far as improvement goes I'd recommend an Above the Tie razor as a serious upgrade. They are expensive but the improvement is substantial. Their S2 is aggressive while still being quite smooth. The change to a really high quality, more aggressive, razor made the most difference for me as it allowed me to to attain an effortless BBS shave without all of the touchup needed to address the difficult stubborn areas.

The other issue you should definitely address is purchasing a very good quality soap. You don't have to get crazy and spend $70 for a good soap as you can find a ton of them in the $15 to $20 range. Something from PannaCrema or Valobra would make a huge difference. There are tons of other really great soaps to choose from like Cold River Soap Co, Barrister & Mann, Soap Commander, Captain's Choice, Reef Point, Tiki, Strop Shoppe SE w/tallow, WSP Formula T. These or tons of other soaps that would make a serious improvement over what you currently have. Col Conk and VdH are really bad soaps in my opinion. Just read some reviews, maybe try some samples, and pick up one that you like.

My suggestion would be a razor. Not just any razor mind you, get a single edge like an Ever ready or a Gem and learn to use it. You will be surprised at the difference in angle and technique. Once mastered they are just a pleasure to use.

Interesting question. From your post it sounds like the only thing you are not really happy with are your razors, so that is where I'd start.
You really don't need to upgrade anything unless you are in some way unhappy with what you have... At least that is my approach.