[rawrster]

I think that's the case for just about every hobby whether it's pens, sports, headphones, anime, etc. I think the only difference is that the start up cost for something decent is different.
 
It only gets expensive if you let it although I'm not really sure how a $500 razor differs from say a $20 one. I'll take what I have right now which is a $15 brush and razor with some cheap soap/cream and some extra blades when I need to replace it.

 

[cswann1]

 
Quote:

I can't figure out how this is expensive...
 
I took Uncle Erik's advice, went to an antique store, bought an old Gillette safety razor, went to Walgreen's and bought a brush/soap, came out to around $10 if that.

Well, the expensive comes with letting wet-shaving become a collecting hobby. If all you really care about is a clean, close shave for a minimum of cost, wet-shaving is the way to go.
 
If you get caught up in the whole "I need to try as many razors, blades, brushes, bowls, mugs, scuttles, soaps, creams, lotions, balms, aftershaves, and whetever-other-pareaphernalia, just to make sure that there's not something I'm missing out on" then you are doomed.  DOOMED I SAY!!!

 

[Rich77]

Lost art? I thought that was the only way to do it haha.
 
My dad owns an electric razor but I just use it for trimming sideburns (it has an edger kind of deal) I was "born into" wetshaving I guess is what you call it. I never knew any way else lol.

 

[LFF]

Quote:

 
If you get caught up in the whole "I need to try as many razors, blades, brushes, bowls, mugs, scuttles, soaps, creams, lotions, balms, aftershaves, and whetever-other-pareaphernalia, just to make sure that there's not something I'm missing out on" then you are doomed.  DOOMED I SAY!!!

So very true!
 
I eventually settled on using 3 DE Razors (a Tech, Fat Boy and a "NEW" open combed) and stopped buying new ones. I also made my own badger brush. I stuck to Proraso and make my own aftershave, which, IMHO, is the very best aftershave I have ever tried. It soothes and really cools down your skin. I use a big coffee mug and a small bowl as a scuttle. I started out with Merkur blades but then about 3 years ago, I got a sweet deal on 200 Derby blades. I have about 160 Derby Blades left.

 
All in all, I would say that I would have spent at least 5 times as much, if not more, had I been using disposable blades since I started wetshaving back in 2004. I have gained so much by wetshaving and the only thing I have lost is the irritation that came with disposables.

 

[cswann1]

Quote:

. I started out with Merkur blades but then about 3 years ago, I got a sweet deal on 200 Derby blades. I have about 160 Derby Blades left.

 

 Whats really nice about DE blades is that even if you buy the premium blades like Feather, Kai, Merkur, Iridium ect.  you're still paying pennies on the dollar compared to the newest multi-blade carts.
The only drawback is time.  I can get as smooth and comfortable a shave with a cheap twin-blade disposable as I can with my DE but in much less time.  But knowing that I'm not buying P&G execs wives a new Mercedes makes it worth the extra time.

 

[LFF]

Quote:

 Whats really nice about DE blades is that even if you buy the premium blades like Feather, Kai, Merkur, Iridium ect.  you're still paying pennies on the dollar compared to the newest multi-blade carts.
The only drawback is time.  I can get as smooth and comfortable a shave with a cheap twin-blade disposable as I can with my DE but in much less time.  But knowing that I'm not buying P&G execs wives a new Mercedes makes it worth the extra time.

A trick I do to make my blades last longer is to wash them in alcohol once I am finished using them. It saves the edge much better and I can get at least three times the use out of a normal blade.
 

 

[cswann1]

Quote:

A trick I do to make my blades last longer is to wash them in alcohol once I am finished using them. It saves the edge much better and I can get at least three times the use out of a normal blade.
 

I've been doing that very thing.  Someone, maybe it was you, posted that in this thread I think.  I'm too lazy to read six pages back to find it lol.  But I bought a little amber glass jar with a lid.  The jar cost $.55 and with shipping it was less than $3. it's perfect for keeping blades in alcohol between shaves.  I'm actually not all that concerned with trying to squeeze an extra shave as much as sanitizing. 
 
 
So I have a question for you wet-shavers....
 
.....  Do you guys think the second shave on a blade is more comfortable and just as close as the first shave?  This is something I've noticed as long as I've been blade shaving.  This holds true with DE blades as well as cartridges/disposables. 

 

[Kirosia]

This wetshaving you all speak of is interesting to me. I don't have a beard (mustache and goatee at best), but cartridge razors seems to give me a poor shave + razor burn. Would investing in something like an low-level DE be worth it? I've checked the price of an EJ + soap + boar brush on Amazon, and it's not bad, especially considering I only shave once a week. 

 

[Novalis]

First thing to consider is your shaving technique, which pretty much applies to all variations of wetshaving.
 
Use youtube or something to learn to avoid the razor burns, and then get a cheap DE razor would be my my advice.
 
Shaving with the safetyrazor is more gentle to the skin, but if you do something wrong you could cut yourself more than with "modern" razors.

 

[rawrster]

The price definitely isn't bad. I looked up a couple of youtube videos and then tried for myself and haven't looked bad. I was going to get a blade off amazon and such but ended up going to the badger and blade forums and got a blade and brush for $30 shipped. There's a couple stores near where I live so I picked up a cream and going to get myself a bunch of blades eventually but I got some blades as well with the purchase. When it runs out I'll get some blades at the local shop. All of this has cost me around $40 and once I get some blades I should be set for a very long time. It would last you even longer since you shave once a week.

 

[cswann1]

Quote:

This wetshaving you all speak of is interesting to me. I don't have a beard (mustache and goatee at best), but cartridge razors seems to give me a poor shave + razor burn. Would investing in something like an low-level DE be worth it? I've checked the price of an EJ + soap + boar brush on Amazon, and it's not bad, especially considering I only shave once a week. 

Well, I encourage anyone to get a DE razor and soap and brush simply because you're doing the planet a big favor.  All the packaging that goes with cartridges and the aerosol gases and the can itself from the cream/gel leaves a huge carbon footprint.
 
But I will say that if you're getting razor burn from a cart, don't look for that to go away with a DE.
 
You're technique is what needs the attention, not the tool I think. Here's a quick overview of how I shave.
 
I lather up and using long, one to three inch strokes, I go over my beard with the grain with the blade at a 30 to 45 degree angle to my skin.  Always keep in mind that you're not trying to get a baby-butt-smooth shave in one pass, so don't apply any pressure. Think of your shave as being done in layers and this is just the first.
So then I lather a second time.  Using much shorter strokes, I work across the grain. Again, no pressure needed. Pressure of the blade to the skin leads to razor burn.
Ok, so now I've cleared the forest, now its time to remove the stumps.  I flip the razor in my hand and start working against the grain, in very short strokes two or three at time in the spot I'm on. This against the grain work is done with the blade at a much shallower angle, somewhere in the 10 20 degree range.  By now my face is getting dry, but there's still soap on my skin even though I've taken off the lather with the across the grain pass.  So all I do is dip my off hand into my sink of hot water and wet my skin as I go to keep the blade sliding across as I remove the stumps with the short, against the grain work.  Using my hand to wet my skin also lets me feel areas of stubble letting me know where I need to keep working.
 
Taking a solid 10 minutes is normal, and if you do it this way and keep a really light touch, you'll get a rediculously close shave with little to no skin trauma.
 
One last thing.  Blade shaving removes skin cells.  You need to use a good after shave balm to finish.  My personal favorite is Neutrogena Razor Defense ASB.

 

[Born2bwire]

Quote:

This wetshaving you all speak of is interesting to me. I don't have a beard (mustache and goatee at best), but cartridge razors seems to give me a poor shave + razor burn. Would investing in something like an low-level DE be worth it? I've checked the price of an EJ + soap + boar brush on Amazon, and it's not bad, especially considering I only shave once a week. 

Actually I would say that an EJ (89DL is a good model) is a pretty good razor and not low-level.  Honestly, that's the nice thing about it too is that even if you buy the high end products (razor, soap/cream, and brush) the costs are still pretty low as long as you use the products.  They last for a long time and the amortized costs become very low.  I think I'll keep buying soaps now because they last longer than creams for the dollar which means I have no problem paying $20 for a high end soap like DR Harris and it'll last me for months.

 

[LFF]

Here is what I do for an irritation free shave:
 
1. Take a hot shower.
2. Apply hair conditioner to beard.
3. LEAVE IT ON!!!!
4. Get out and dry off everything except your face.
5. Use brush to build up lather.
6. Wipe off hair conditioner with hot water and immediately lather your face up.
7. Shave
8. Once done, splash on some ice cold water and then some Aqua Velva or Witch Hazel.
9. Pat yourself dry.
10. Put on some after shave balm.
11. Enjoy your awesomeness.

 

[krmathis]

^ Nice tip about the hair conditioner!
The rest of your steps are pretty much exactly as I do, but never thought about conditioner. Will definitely buy a bottle and give it a try.

 

[LFF]

Quote:

^ Nice tip about the hair conditioner!
The rest of your steps are pretty much exactly as I do, but never thought about conditioner. Will definitely buy a bottle and give it a try.

Definitely try it! I like the coco scent by Suave - the big bottle costs all of $1. Makes for a real nice and smooth shave and you only need a small amount!