Shaving-Which Razer?

I've never tried a DE razor, but I'm perfectly happy with my Gillette Fusion.

I used the Mach III for many years and was resistant at first to changing, but once I did I'm not going back. The difference is very clear.

I can't really imagine the point of going to a DE razor. Sometimes technology is a good thing.

Merkur HD razor Feather blade Proraso green tube Rooney badger hair brush My 2 cents: Invest in quality tools that will last a lifetime (see above), develop a solid technique, and enjoy shaving nirvana. I will never go back to the latest $$$ draining, ingrown-hair inducing "system" that Gillette or Schick is marketing to the masses. These companies' current business models are the product of the "throw away society" that we have become.

after years of mach 3 razor burn and $4 blades i made the jump and will never go back. I use

Merkur HD razor
Personna blade
Proraso green tube
art of shaving badger hair brush

The cost is dirt cheap and the experience is more pleasant and it doesnt look like I got ran over by a lawnmower. Buy a merkur and a blade variety pack from west coast shaving.

I got the Merkur 34c I believe as recomended. (go to Badger and Blade) honestly though, I'd suggest starting with teh brush and soap and keeping your mach 3 for now. buy a basic brush like AOS's one, or Crabtree & Evelyn, then Proraso green tube or Body Shop, etc, watch mantic59's videos on Youtube and learn some good technique. IMO with good preperation and technique, you'll get a much better shave right away. Eventually I'd say drop the 5 blades and switch to a simple 2 bladed razor, then if you're really set on it go to DE.

When I used a DE razor, I really liked the Merkur HD.

That said, a little while later I switched to a straight and never looked back.

Merkur Futur
Derby blades
Shavemac handmade badger brush
Whatever soap/cream I have on stock

The initial investment in a brush, soap, razor is pretty high, but it's actually much cheaper in the long term since replacement blades cost pennies a piece rather than dollars.

I have a collection of about 9 different DE razors by Gillette. Ranger Techs, 40s era Superspeed, 1956 "Fatboy", etc. I have settled on the Futur as the only razor I like using, so in the coming month or so I'm going to be cleaning, sterilizing, polishing the rest of my stock to sell.

I'll give SF first crack though, when I'm ready I'll post what I'm offering.

well, there's raging debate about the technology and such. From my limited experience, I do use my DE occasionally, but have actually just decided to focus on good brushes, creams, and most importantly prep+technique. What I will say is that if you want to do multiple passes, which is the best way to get a baby-bottom smooth face, don't do it with a 5 bladed razor. Stick to a simple 2 bladed, even cartridge razor.

what I like to do is one With The Grain pass with my DE just to basically wipe away most of the heavy folliage, then relather and do a Across and then Against pass with my 2 bladed razor. That way I get good practice with my DE without the risk of going AGT and slicing myself, and the expensive cartridge razor lasts way longer because it's really only doing some light cleanup duty. With only 2 blades it's cheaper to refill and I get less iritation. I could never do 3 passes with 5 blades, you'd see my skull bones.

Yep, I just bought a tub of their Sandlewood shaving cream actually (happy birthday to me!). At first I thought they were a little pricey, but the products do work very well and it's like a 5oz tub, so it'll last quite a while actually (~$25 off amazon). I find their Sandlewood and Lavender both very nice. Check out reviews at BadgerandBlade.com

Otherwise Taylors of Bond Street are also excellent and reasonably priced. a 5oz tub is about $15-20 and will last months and months.

My cream collection is - Proraso green tube, TOBS Eton College and Avocado, Tabac (soap), and AOS Sandlewood. I think I've got more then enough for the next few years with plenty of variety.

I got the variety set as a gift, so Im not sure the exact cost. It included the preshave oil, the tub of cream, a brush and aftershave. The oil is super thick. I have a cheap Shave Secret Pre Oil from Wal Mart that works just as well. The brush is good, but I have nothing to compare it to. The cream is good. I have proraso and taylors of bond street. If its expensive just use the proraso. Its all good. The after shave is fine. Non-harsh.

All told for free it works well. But you can save some bucks or get better by mix and matching.

also use a standard mach 3. have tried electrics and a number of disposables and this one is my favorite.

Since I started shaving about 12 years ago now, I have gone through countless electrics (most recently the Philips Arcitec 1050), and several cartridge razors (most recently a shick quattro). My experience has been that the effects of the electric are not long lasting (need to shave again at noon), that they cause ingrowns, and that over time you have to replace the heads which can be up to $50.

My luck wasn't much better with the mach 3's and quattros.

Then, I found Mantic59's videos online and the underworld of wet shaving on the badger and blade forum. I picked myself up a Tube of Proraso ($10), a Tweezerman Best Badger Brush ($15), A coffee mug ($2), a Merkur HD ($30), and a sampler pack of blades ($8) and have been thoroughly enjoying learning the technique of shaving with the DE razor. I really don't think the start up investment is that big of a deal and like has been mentioned, if you buy quality items like the Merkur razor, you will likely never need to replace them (although accumulating shaving related stuff can become pretty addictive, I'm already looking at a better brush and another razor).

I have to say, you're going to need to allow yourself more time at first as you master the technique. You need to shave in passes, so it's not unheard of to be shaving for 20 minutes or more. But I really enjoy it and I think my skin does too.

Butter makes a great moisterizer...