[cokeyed]

Quote:

Hot shower.  Step out and lather up.  Let the shaving cream sit on your face for a minute or two.  Shave.  Rinse face with cold water.
 
Taking the shower first and letting the shaving cream sit for a bit seems to help make for a much easier shave.  The cold water at the end feels nice.
 
YMMV

 Seconded

 

[Posam]

So if I went from my mach3 to a safety razor could I still use regular old Barbsol aloe I use? What should I look for in a safety razor?

 

[tool462]

Quote:

So if I went from my mach3 to a safety razor could I still use regular old Barbsol aloe I use? What should I look for in a safety razor?

Certainly can!  I use Barbasol sometimes just because it's cool, I just shoot some into my shaving mug and use my brush to apply it, but you wouldn't have to do that of course.
 
Safety razor shopping is just finding something you think you'll like.  Amazon has good reviews of blades, you probably don't want something that people refer to as "aggressive" for when you are just starting out.
 
I'm a proponent of shopping at your local antique stores and thrift stores for razors, they are FAR cheaper and you get the same one as you might get online, just an older manufactured one.  It's not like the newer ones use any better technology
 
Standard Gem "Clogpruf" and the basic Gillette's and Merkur's usually go for around $3-8 around here (Northern Minnesota) at stores, I often come away with a few good condition ones just for fun because they are so cheap, then they hit the eBay after I try them out.
 
You want something comfortable in your hand, if you have large or "unpracticed" hands you might find a long handled razor to feel "right" for you.  If you have course whiskers a heavy razor will help shave close without forcing you to add pressure.  With these razors you don't want to be using pressure, just glide the razor and let it do the work!

 

[David]

If going for old stuff, I can highly recommend a Gillette Superspeed 1947-ish onward.
 
Brilliantly well made, the mechanism is likely to be almost as good as new.  Twist the handle, and the top opens up like a hatch. (Come to think of it, it's worth getting it for that... And doing the Marineville attack drums when you are changing blades - however that might be only me...)
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E06cNv55jTs
 
Modern incarnations may be less mechanically sophisticated. You screw and stack the handle / blade / top through together like the inside of a cafetiere. (Not that there is anything wrong with that. I just like doors.)
 
And the Superspeed is very user friendly. You really have to be going for it in a very cack-handed fashion to end up with the "unsuccessful suicide" look.
 
Moving from venetian blinds, prepare yourself for blades that last longer, cost bugger-all and don't clog up (or if they do, they clear incredibly easily.)
 
Welcome to the club.

 

[LFF]

For those of you who are looking for a custom made but affordable vintage razor....look no further than Bob's Razors! I own two and they are the best razors I have!
 
https://sites.google.com/site/bobsrazorworks/razor-handles

 

[customcoco]

Quote:

For those of you who are looking for a custom made but affordable vintage razor....look no further than Bob's Razors! I own two and they are the best razors I have!
 
https://sites.google.com/site/bobsrazorworks/razor-handles

Fantastic! Just what I needed to get into safety razors.
 
thanks a lot LFF

 

[tool462]

My wallet is thankful that the three I immediately fell in love with were all sold

 

[LFF]

Quote:

Fantastic! Just what I needed to get into safety razors.
 
thanks a lot LFF

You're very welcome!!
 
 
Quote:

My wallet is thankful that the three I immediately fell in love with were all sold

 
No worries! He can always make one for you. Contact him. He did a custom design for me which I named "The American Bulldog". Awesome razor!

 

[rawrster]

That advice you have about the conditioner is great LFF! I just did that and had an amazing shave. Of course I'm usually in a rush so usually don't warm up the beard area and just put the lather on so trying to shave at night where I can take my time
 
A quick question however. What do different DE razors do where one is better than another? I have some old gillete razor that I don't know the model of but been thinking of getting an edwin jagger de89L when my blades run out (which is pretty soon) and 50 or 100 pack of feather blades.

 

[DougofTheAbaci]

Quote:

That advice you have about the conditioner is great LFF! I just did that and had an amazing shave. Of course I'm usually in a rush so usually don't warm up the beard area and just put the lather on so trying to shave at night where I can take my time
 
A quick question however. What do different DE razors do where one is better than another? I have some old gillete razor that I don't know the model of but been thinking of getting an edwin jagger de89L when my blades run out (which is pretty soon) and 50 or 100 pack of feather blades.

 
The handles don't really effect the shave, I'd say. It's kind of whatever feels good in your hand. The heads do matter as it's about how close the blade is and how protected you are. Less protection means a closer shave but greater possibility you'll cut yourself.
 
I'd say the biggest difference is the blades. I bought a combo pack to drive a bunch of different ones and I found the Derby and the Feathers were the best for me. Which blades I use do seem to make a difference in how good my shave is.
 

 

[rawrster]

Thanks for the explanation.
 
I went to buy some soap yesterday and I was thinking the store was cash only so I asked one of the workers if they took credit and a purchase of soap turned into some blades and I got the Edwin Jagger DE89L I been meaning to get for some time now. The DE89L shaves so much smoother than the one I was using so I cleaned it up and put it away. For a little bit under $40 for the razor it was well worth it. Also it turned out to be a bit cheaper than what I would have if I bought it from west coast shaving like I intended so I saved a few bucks along the way

 

[customcoco]

Quote:

You're very welcome!!
 
 
 
No worries! He can always make one for you. Contact him. He did a custom design for me which I named "The American Bulldog". Awesome razor!

I tried to shoot him an e-mail twice today but I always get a failure notice back, is there any other way to contact him?

 

[LFF]

Quote:

That advice you have about the conditioner is great LFF! I just did that and had an amazing shave. Of course I'm usually in a rush so usually don't warm up the beard area and just put the lather on so trying to shave at night where I can take my time
 
A quick question however. What do different DE razors do where one is better than another? I have some old gillete razor that I don't know the model of but been thinking of getting an edwin jagger de89L when my blades run out (which is pretty soon) and 50 or 100 pack of feather blades.

 
Quote:

 
The handles don't really effect the shave, I'd say. It's kind of whatever feels good in your hand. The heads do matter as it's about how close the blade is and how protected you are. Less protection means a closer shave but greater possibility you'll cut yourself.
 
I'd say the biggest difference is the blades. I bought a combo pack to drive a bunch of different ones and I found the Derby and the Feathers were the best for me. Which blades I use do seem to make a difference in how good my shave is.
 

Handles do affect the shave. They provide balance and stability to the head of the razor. However, it's a small percentage of the shave.
 
The heads and razors are the ones that impact the shave the most.
 
The heads are important as they determine the gap and angle that the razor will hit your skin at. Also, the better plated the head is, the smoother of a shave you will get. I use my grandfather's Gillette Tech all the time. After buying a new one, I decided to stop using it and send it off to get replated. OMG!! When I got it back it not only look brand new but shaved better than my new razor. After that experience, I decided to only buy old Gillette razors that will be or have been replated. The plating make a HUGE difference in the amount of drag your get when doing your second and last pass.
 
The razors are the most important as the sharpness and thickness will determine how close of a shave you will get and how much or how little irritation you get. I, like DougofTheAbaci, found Derby and Feathers to work the very best. I'd also like to add these Shark Stainless to the best of list. Feathers can be pricey but I found those sharks to be just as sharp and just as good at a much better price. Moreover, I find I can get 6 - 12 GREAT shaves from one Shark blade.

EDIT: And don't forget to order your Horse Hair Brush!!!  It's cheap and works awesome!! As an added bonus, the hair is part of the grooming process for horses and doesn't hurt the animal in anyway....unlike Badger hair. If you want a fancier brush, look at the Vie Long horse hair brushes.

 

[Lou Erickson]

I'm glad to see some new people trying wet shaving, and glad to hear you're having good results!
 
A good badger brush will work better than cheaper boar or even cheaper horse hair brushes.  Badger brushes hold water and keep the lather better.  You don't need the ultra-fine top shelf ones, at least in my experience.  It's way easy to overspend on the high end brushes; any badger brush will do.
 
I think the blades make the most difference, then the head, then the handle.  I prefer a longer handle and find the vintage Gilette handles too short.  It's not a huge deal, though.  I use a Merkur 25C most of the time, as it's pretty much bulletproof.
 
I'd suggest a package of several kinds of blades to experiment with.  I picked up some from Lee's Razors and am trying the different brands.  So far, Feather is best for my bristles but the Wilkinson Sword is pretty nice too.
 
Even experimenting, it's cheaper than the disposable, and I don't wind up with all the ingrown hairs that the electric gives.

 

[LFF]

So...do any of you gents have a travel shaving kit?
 
I've been thinking of making one ala Gillette combination set.