Shaving razors and products

[Oksu]

Never underestimate the importance of a good brush, personally I have a Simpsons Chubby (Anniversary gift from the wife) I have been using for a few weeks now and I have noticed a difference in how easily my cream lathers, the quality of the lather and the softness of the hair/stubble when I shave. I have also used a good number of the English creams and found all to be comparable in terms of lather and effectiveness. In my case it boiled down to scent and I prefer the Taylor Sandalwood, for whatever reason it reminds me of father, grandfather, and trips to the old barber shops when I was a child. So far as the blades go I found I prefer the Mekur blades, but I'm an against the grain shaver who shaves daily, unless I'm spending a week/weekend at the family ranch.

Having a good brush is absolutely essential to building a lather. You will definitely want a badger hair brush, and although the difference between each "grade" of badger hair (silvertip, best, etc.) is not super, super pronounced, there is a difference. I personally use a Best Badger brush by Edwin Jagger.

My cream of choice is TOOBS Jermyn Street, although I also like their Rose scented cream a lot. Jermyn Street, for whatever reason, builds the best lather for me.

I greatly prefer Feather blades. They're very thin and very sharp, and I've found are only at their best for your first 2-3 shaves, but they're the best in the game. I also use, and have no problem endorsing, Derbys.

 

[ImTheGroom]

Hello, gents. I am working my way through my first set of Merkel blades, and have two packages of Gillette Platinum to use afterward (all part of a kit I received for Christmas, with my razor). According to the sales rep at AoS, where my parents bought the stuff, the Gillette blades are more like a straight razor (I guess less flexible?) and therefore require a bit more skill to use. Is this good advice, generally speaking? And, should I have any problem progressing to the Gillette blades? I was going just fine at first, but as I get more used to the razor, I am being a little more cavalier, which has led to cutting myself a couple of times in my last few shaves. If I'm still doing that every so often by the end of this package of blades, should I get another pack of the same Merkels, before moving to the others? Is there another blade that might be better? The times I've cut myself have all been my own error - either by getting careless with the razor, or by not realizing the blade was past its pull date. I'm also not using a brush yet - fully plan to, as soon as I can afford to get a decent one.

 

[rossoz]

FYI:

Barbasol on sale at CVS- 2 for $3.00

Cheers

 

[Shoeliker]

I wanted to get a good DE shaving set for my son-in-law's upcoming birthday. After some research I went to the Edwin Jagger's website. One of Jagger's recommended U.S. stockists is Lee's Razors. I contacted Lee and ordered a shaving set for my son-in-law. Of course, I don't have the products yet, but I couldn't be happier with the service I received. In this day and age, we get used to dealing with phone sales people who know nothing, can't make informed decisions about what product would best serve your needs, or who can't solve problems. So far, Lee gets an A+ on the first two points. There haven't been any problems, so I can't, and hopefully won't, have to learn about that, but I am very impressed with Lee's Razors so far!

 

[Cuttingboard]

Lee's is great, some other great vendors include West Coast shaving, Vintage Blades and Bull Goose.

 

[Veremund]



 I was going just fine at first, but as I get more used to the razor, I am being a little more cavalier, which has led to cutting myself a couple of times in my last few shaves.

That's a perfectly normal part of the learning curve. You'll adjust soon and the bloodletting will abate.

I started using a straight razor about 15 years ago and went through a similar phase, as do many people at the Straight Razor Forum. Now I can't even remember how many years ago it was the last time I nicked myself.

 

[Veremund]



 I'm also not using a brush yet - fully plan to, as soon as I can afford to get a decent one.

Get a cheap one for the time being. Using one will give you a much better idea of what you'll want to look for when you get a proper one.

 

[ridethecliche]

Does anyone have a good resource for someone that's interested in giving this a go?

 

[Cuttingboard]



Does anyone have a good resource for someone that's interested in giving this a go?

Badger & Blade

 

[ridethecliche]

Badger & Blade

Thanks! I'll give it a go soon.

 

[ImTheGroom]

Get a cheap one for the time being. Using one will give you a much better idea of what you'll want to look for when you get a proper one.

Can't believe that didn't occur to me. Great advice; I will put it to use. Any recommendations on creams?

 

[Cuttingboard]



Can't believe that didn't occur to me.  Great advice; I will put it to use.  Any recommendations on creams?

Cream or soap? Is there a particular scent you prefer?

 

[ImTheGroom]

Cream or soap? Is there a particular scent you prefer?

I did mean soap, I suppose. Is "cream" reserved for products found in a can?

 

[Cuttingboard]



I did mean soap, I suppose.  Is "cream" reserved for products found in a can?

No, there are three types: 1) Shave soaps that are triple milled and hard that come in a puck; 2) Cream that's soft and comes in a tub; and 3) Soft soap/hard cream that comes in a tub. It's personal preference which you prefer, I normally use shave soaps or soft soap/hard creams.

I saw that you're in Canada, give these guys a look: Fendrihan and The Copper Hat

 

[Bullitt]



Cream or soap? Is there a particular scent you prefer?

I use both. A soap bowl lasts quite long and to add some variety I always have one or two cream tubes in use. Floris and D.R. Harris are very good quality and have a variety of fragrances. I would try ToOBS, but the sales assistants in their Jermyn Street store are so unfriendly that I rather stick to my two favourite brands.