Have you settled on what works and doesn't work for you?

Works For Me
Shaving Sticks + Hard Bowl Soaps + Horsehair brush = Face lathering
Monsavon Bol A Raser = Face lathering
Proraso Red, White & Green Soap = Face or Bowl lathering
Creams + Badger Brush = Bowl lathering
Windrose D-9/Thick Merkur style head, Windrose SP-4/Slim Merkur style head, Tech Style Rapira Platinum Lux, Tech Style Nutnut(Jagen David E01) - All work for me when I decide to use a 3-piece
Russian Ideal, Wizamet W-11 - Both work for me when I want to use an adjustable
Rose Gold Baili BD17(Jagen David B40), Weishi 9306CL - Both work for me when I want to use a TTO
Personna(Spain), Feather - Work for 4 shaves each, but prohibitively expensive to replace
PermaSharp, Gillette Nacet, Gillette Rubie, Sputnik - Work for 3 shaves each, but cost more than they're worth to replace
Rainbow - Work for 3 shaves each, but no longer available in Europe
Astra Platinum, Ladas, Voskhod, Rapira Chrome Stainless, Rapira Swedish Supersteel, Rapira Platinum Lux, Shark Stainless, Centwin Super Platinum- All work for 3 shaves each, affordable, regular rotation
German Wilkinson Sword, Bic Chrome Platinum, Indian Gillette 7 O'Clock Green - All work well for 4 shaves each, cost 3c/shave or less - 3 of my go to blades
Rapira Super Stainless - Work well for 3 shaves each, cost €5/100 - most bangs for my buck, my #1 go to blade
Alum Block - Essential part of my shave set up, redness, itching, burning, weepers all just a bad memory within minutes
Tabac Original, Williams Expert Aqua Velva, Floid Vigaroso, Varon Dandy Cologne, Old Spice Classic(will replace with Indian Old Spice Original), Old Spice Fresh Lime, Old Spice Musk, La Toja Aftershave Locion, Varon Dandy Aftershave,
Proraso Green Splash, Brut(Europe), Brut(Mexico), Ice Blue Aqua Velva, Aqua Velva Musk, Pinaud Clubman Special Reserve
Don't Work For Me
Pinaud Clubman Musk, Pinaud Clubman Bay Rum - Didn't like them, emptied the Musk into the Bay Rum and created the "Bay Musk" Badger Blend - won't buy any more of either when it's used up
Old Spice Pure Sport, Old Spice Swagger - Old Spice in name only, when they're gone, they're gone
Troynoy(Triple), Shipr, Russian Forest - Bought these from Russian eBayer as curios, when they're gone, they're gone
Brummel Eau De Toilette - hated it, I spray it around the toilet bowl sometimes, lousy as aftershave, just about makes it as toilet freshener !!
Don't Work, Don't Use, Won't Use
Boctok razors, Blue or green plastic handled razors from China - Perfect for teenagers to take off the peach fuzz !!
Obscure razor blades that are included with razors from China - only tried using once, resulted in nasty weepers !!
Derby Blades - I got some good shaves, but every time they left my face hot, red, puffy and unbelievably itchy, cold towel, alum block, another cold towel and a splash of aftershave soothed it, so I think I'm allergic to the chemicals in the coating !!
Even if Derby blades were free, I'd rather pay double for something decent !!

You'll know what works best for you when you find it . Sometimes you just might have to pay a little bit more for quality but sometimes not. Try using a hot towel face steam pre shave. The funnest part of all this is finding your own combo. Your own tech. I started out with a cheap olé shaving factory tto that squeaked so bad you could use it as a turkey call and a stick of arko with a bottle of clubman the only thing that changed after the past 5 years is the razor a 34c. Just keep mixing and experimenting

Well...I guess you can say I've settled by default. I knew going in that I didn't have the luxury of trying a lot of things to discover what worked best. The stuff I initially purchased is the stuff I use now. It never crossed my mind to blame my initial inability to get a close shave on my gear. I always attributed mediocre shaves to my lack of experience. With that in mind I practiced daily, experimenting with the soaps and cremes I purchased and learning how to use my razor effectively. Now, some 11 months later, I know exactly how to consistently get the shave I want.

Face lathering. It looks like I'm going back to creams. IMO creams are very nice for face lathering, the brush is still holding warm water when you're building your lather! Looking forward to the new Fitjar creams!
One Razor (Progress), one brush (Simpson classic 1) and one blade (Polsilver)
Pinaud Clubman & Pinaud Special Reserve might do the trick.

I like to experiment and try different razors but I have found the right combo for a consistent daily shave.

Black Handled Super Speed (P1)
Omega Synthetic Brush for face lathering
Arko
2 passes
CVS aftershave (sensitive skin)
Face cream mainly in the winter

-Stephen

Pretty close to settled on my regular kit. Give it a few more months and I might even start getting rid of stuff that I've stopped using.

Variety is the spice of life, but Old Spice is the spice of aftershave

I have narrowed My search for Razors down after trying everything I could get my hands on
I have a Love for OCs ,Vintage Gillette's, mostly NEWs seem to be My Razor of choice

SanKaloon said:

Lots of things work for me, but that doesn't stop me from trying something new. Everytime I find my favorite, it's only my favorite until I find another favorite.

Click to expand...

+1 I have discovered (here) two favorite soaps in the last month or so.

But I have current favorites:
Georgetown G12 scuttle - absolutely love it.
SOC boar
PolSilver SI
ATT Slant and Wolfman razors - open comb doesn't seem to work for me.
New soap favorites: MDC and Haslingers
It's hard to imagine not having some Castle Forbes Lavender in the house.
Thayer's unscented w/aloe - on my 5th year with this WH.
Clinique Moisturizer for many years. I have others, but always seem to end up with this.

So far, I face lather 100% of the time. I big Semogue boar brushes but I do have a Omega 98 and two Semogue SOC badger brushes I'm learning to use. I use various soaps but a have a few creams that I use for superlathering. The razor that is working the best for me is the Gillette New Long Comb, with a GSB blade. This combination seems to give me the best shave with the least irritation.

I haven't found anything that doesn't work, just things i'm not that keen on. I have go to stuff but i also enjoy trying new things. There's a website that pretty much only sells soap samples that I've found amazing for trying loads of soaps without spending ridiculous amounts. The things i pretty much go by though are:

Synthetic brushes are the devil.

Always Face lather because life's to short to clean bowls.

Open Comb for me - Fatip Grande (recently retired a RazoRock Jaws)
Astra SP or Personna reds
Proraso creams (red, white, blue, green) bowl lathered over a puck of Williams
RazoRock Disrupter synthetic brush (why didn't I try synthetics years ago?)
Mennen Skin Bracer or Pinaud Clubman

That's what I use every day. I just rotate the creams and change blades after 7 shaves. After shave picked on a whim.

Other than occasionally trying a new soap, I'm set. Soon I'm going to sell most of my razors and brushes because I never use them.

GREAT QUESTION!!

Here is where I am this AM:
Soap: Haslinger's line-up (8 soaps)
Brush: I go to my Simpson's stable (currently 5 but it keeps getting larger!)
Razor: Wolfman WR1
Blade Rotation: Personna reds, Personna lab blues, GSB, German Wilkie, Astra SP (occasionally others)
AS Rotation: OS original and classic, Pinaud (have four now), Lucky Tiger, Spieck

So it looks like 8 soaps, 5 brushes, 1 razor, 5+ blades, and 8 AS.

Here's what works for me ...
Face lathering.
Seamless shaving, i.e. using the same brand of soap, ASL, EdT throughout the shave.
Traditional scents (Barbershop, Lemon, Lime, Lavender, etc.)
Derby / AstraSP / Feather blades ... depending on which razor I use.
A handful of select DE razors in active rotation.
Soft brushes with good backbone, and I'm starting to love synthetics.

Here's what doesn't work for me ...
The Veg.
Exotic scents (Peach, Mango, Ginger, Gunpowder, Hoppes9, etc.)
Using off-season software (Tabac in summer, Proraso green in winter, etc.)


There are a few more items to add to both lists ... I'll add to it over the next day or two.

I wouldn't say I'm done experimenting, but I know what I enjoy using most at this point.

I have.

A lightweight, mild razor is the ticket for me. My regular is a 70s Tech with a plastic handle. I use my 40s Superspeed for fun.

I prefer Derby blades, followed by Lord Platinum Class.

I use Noxzema as a preshave, every shave.

I cold water shave.

For creams, my regular is Noxzema in the red can. (The horror!) But sometimes I reach for Proraso green and my brush/bowl for fun.

Menthol aftershaves. I've narrowed my selections to Skin Bracer, Aqua Velva Ice Blue, and Osage Rub.

I have used the vast majority of the mass produced razors that Gillette has manufactured. The most rare like a bottom adjusting Fatboy or un-common British models I was not able to find or would not pay the E-Bay price.

After years of searching I settled on one razor for every day use, the Cobra Classic. I still use my a razor from my now modest DE collection, but I like my Cobra. I will get a new cream now and then, but TOBS/ Mr. Taylor is my go to cream.

My weekday routine is this:

1-Face-Lather with cream of choice. I like getting the cream really hot by adding water straight out of the tap and I can adjust the slickness easily.----Got tired of messing with the bowl and scuttle.

2-Two passes with the Cobra.---Too many passes created too much irritation

3-Luke warm water rinse followed by cool water rinse. --- Cold rinse doesn't work for me especially in the winter.

4-A splash of Thayers while my face is still wet. ---- All others irritated my face.

5-Clinique balm. ----Others made my face feel greasy.

That's it .. As the little man in the house said the other day.. Easy-Peasy Lemon Squeezy. Where a 5 year old gets this stuff I will never know.

Face or bowl works for me. Face lathering with a stick is convenient for travel. Bowl lathering with a mix of creams is a luxury for home. I have the RazoRock brand of the now inexpensive Plissoft synthetics, but the badgers work fine too. I have tried several razors and keep going back to my first one, a Mühle R106. It is hard to beat for simplicity as well as effectiveness. With enough passes and blade buffing, I can get a BBS from nearly any blade. I prefer balms in the after-shave. Blueness, AoS, Arko, SCS Lavender and Rose milks; I am pleased with them all.

Most mornings (and afternoons when I need to be clean-shaven in the evening), I reach for Arko stick soap, face lather with an Omega synthetic brush, shave with either a Merkur 34C or, lately, a wonderful Slim that *Terence* gifted me, and afterwards splash with some Fine Fresh or Clean Vetiver. As needed I use Dove AS balm. I seem to be blade-neutral; as I've developed a lighter touch, I've found I can use blades that didn't agree with me before, like Derby and Feather.