Any other DE wet shavers out there?

[Leevibe]

It's going to feel silly bringing up the topic here, but I figure why not? We have a cooking thread and a whisky thread.

I've been into old-school mug, brush, double-edge safety razor shaving for about a year and a half now. Yesterday, my wife bought me some maca root shaving cream from bath and body works The Body Shop. Holy smokes, it's awesome! If you're into whipping up your own shave lather, give it a try. It's really nice. Before that, I had tried: Taylor of Old Bond Street, Colonel Conks, Proraso. This stuff is better than any of them.

If this post was just weird and didn't mean anything to anyone else, please disregard.

[junkemail86]

I use a safety razor as well.  I currently use a Merkur razor, Shark blades, Shave Secret shaving oil (I like it better than Art of Shave because it's not as thick and gunky, but havent tried other brands), Proraso shaving cream (have only tried a few others mainly just shaving soaps, but I like the Proraso), then Proraso aftershave cream

[juansolo]

If this post was just weird and didn't mean anything to anyone else, please disregard.

It'll only get weird if we get onto the subject of ball shaving.

[Leevibe]

Yeah, that'll be freaky

[Jopn]

I switched about 9 months ago, mostly out of distaste for the rising part of cartridges.  But likewise I don't buy into the whole bootique DE fad either.  I think I might have spent $20 on my razor, which will last longer than me, $9 on a brush and I get soap that lasts ~6m for $2.  My mug is a cracked coffee mug that was going to get tossed.

[culturejam]

I've been using safety razors off-and-on for the past several years. I generally like the experience. I've got a few vintage handles, and lately I've been enjoying Astra blades.

[davent]

Still using the first and only razer i bought, shaving cream- only a couple brands at the local drug emporium, curently a couple different tubes from The Real Shaving Co. out of England, mug and badger brush, not sure how many brushes i've ground away over the decades.

[zilla]

Parker 3 piece de razor and I alternate between feather and Astra blades right now.

Soap is either from the copper hat (based out of Victoria, Canada) or the usually. Prorasso stuff from my local pharmacy.

I've been thinking about trying a merkur sledgehammer 39c but I haven't convinced myself that it's worth the price tag.

[Leevibe]

I use an Edwin Jagger DE89 razor and a Parker best badger brush. I don't collect razors and brushes but I kind of wish I could afford a silver tip brush. I'm currently using Feather blades but I'm not wowed by them. My favorite blades so far were some drug store house brand that were super cheap. Maybe walgreens?

[flanagan0718]

Funny, I've been thinking of going straight or DE for about a year or so. No one I know uses them and I trust the reviews on amazon but not really. I was looking at a Parker safety razor with an ebony handle. Any recommendations for a DE starter kit or something?

[Leevibe]

Funny, I've been thinking of going straight or DE for about a year or so. No one I know uses them and I trust the reviews on amazon but not really. I was looking at a Parker safety razor with an ebony handle. Any recommendations for a DE starter kit or something?

Most of the advice I remember reading when I got started was to start on a Merkur razor. I can't remember the model but it's probably around $40. I bought the Edwin Jagger based on reviews and I haven't felt the need to upgrade. I love it. Get a sample pack of blades so you can figure out which work for you. Get a badger brush. Boar brushes are cheap but they tend not to make as good lather as badger. There are different grades of badger and the prices vary widely. I think the biggest factor to getting a good shave is making good lather. For me, good lather trumps a fancy blade any day, as long as the blade is reasonably fresh. As far as which shave soap to use, Proraso is probably the most prevalent, and I've used it a ton, but I don't like the smell of it. It's kind of a grandpa's after shave kind of smell. It's easy to make lather with though. If you have a bath and body works near you, they have a house brand that is relabeled Proraso. Taylors of Old Bond Street cream is good stuff. The stuff I mentioned in the original post is from The Body Shop. It's their Maca Root shave cream. It is my favorite by far to date. I also like their Kistna after shave cream.

If you really want to know all about it, there's a forum called Badger and Blade. It's where I lurked when I was figuring it all out. It's a bit weird over there because those guys are as passionate about shaving as we are about guitar gear. Seriously. There are some youtube videos by a guy who goes by Mantic or something like that. Those will get you started.

The great thing about it is that you really can get a better shave this way than with all the high tech multi blade razors and you will have less razor burn. For me it turned a daily chore that I often skipped into something I look forward to in the morning.

Here is the razor I use: http://www.amazon.com/Edwin-Jagger-DE89Lbl-Detail-Chrome/dp/B002RBF1PO/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1409847110&sr=8-11&keywords=merkur

Here is the Merkur lots of guys start on: http://www.amazon.com/Merkur-Heavy-Double-Razor-Included/dp/B000QYEK88/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1409847205&sr=8-3&keywords=merkur

Here's my brush: http://www.amazon.com/Parker-Safety-Razor-Bristle-Shaving/dp/B004U6P0NW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1409847235&sr=8-2&keywords=parker+best+badger

I also have a Dovo shavette that I use every once in a while: http://www.amazon.com/Dovo-Silver-Shavette-Straight-Holder-Matt/dp/B001ASOD86/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1409847290&sr=8-1&keywords=dovo+shavette

[flanagan0718]

Thanks for the information Leevibe! I often skip shaving (usually only shave twice a week) and I have, what some would say, are tree trunks for facial hair (that's the Irish in me I guess). The worst part is it grows in swirls on my neck. I'm hoping this will helps with the razor burn. The latest Gillette 9 million blade razor head certainly did shit for it so why not try something new...and look like a TOTAL bad ass to my wife and friends! But in all seriousness I'll absolutely give this a try. In the end it's really not that much more expensive. The refills for the Gillette crap is $400 for 3 heads so it all works out. I will checkout that forum too! Thanks again.

[zilla]

http://www.reddit.com/r/wicked_edge/

your new time sink

[davent]

Great info Leevibe, i was just checking back in to ask a question but looks like i was beat to the trigger and you've got it covered.

So moving on... all you DE'ers, always the case, or converts from the multi-blade universe?

Advantages/disadvantages?

The attraction of ritual or truly a better shave? (i can fall for and embrace ritual)

Thanks
dave

[zilla]

I had two main motivations:

1.  the cost of razor cartridges was getting obscene.  I would get maybe 2 or 3 shaves from one cartridge before having to toss it.  Costco would sell them (i think 25 or 30 cartridges?) of the Mach 3 blades for $50... the mach 5's were even more.  $20 buys me enough DE blades to last a few years, even if i use a new blade for every shave.

2.  the quality of the shave is significantly better. with a DE shave, i can usually go 4-5 days if i push it between shaves.  with a cartridge i wouldn't be able to go more than 3 days without looking like a bum.   Ingrown hairs and razor burn are also a thing of the past since i switched.... and i also can't remember the last time i drew blood with a DE shave. with cartridges sometimes my face would look like there was a massacre in the bathroom.... 

TLDR: the amount of $ you would spend on one costco-size mach 3 pack will get you enough DE supplies to last you significantly longer.... your ROI is basically made in the time i would take you to buy a new set of cartridges.