From the Edge of Nowhere

S

slowblade

Messages
88
Hi from the Edge of Nowhere aka the edge of Bodmin Moor, Cornwall.
I've recently discovered DE shaving after reading about it on another (non shaving) board. Seemed like a good way to save money by avoiding the ever increasing prices of multiblade systems. I invested heavily. A Wilkinson Sword Classic, some Palmolive cream, a bottle of Witch Hazel as an AS. I found an unused shaving brush at the back of the bathroom cabinet and I've since added a blade sample pack from Connaught and a Palmolive shave stick (well it was sooo cheap) from Morrisons. So 13 days in, I've DE shaved every day, no cuts or nicks and actually enjoying my new morning ritual. My skin looks good and feels great. Prior to this I was a 'once or twice a week with a disposable and to hell with the stubble' kinda guy. Never shaved 2 days on the trot ever. Mrs. Slowblade thinks I'm nuts. Or having an affair. :shock:
 
Hi Slowblade, you and me both. I started about 3 weeks ago after reading a thread on an archery forum. Only just had my second on the bounce shave, been practising every other day. Like you i have invested heavily and already bought my second razor a beautiful 1956 super speed. Only tried a couple of blades from the blade pack from connaught so far but have been playing with some wonderful soaps. recently trying Nanny's soap, but also find Palmolive to be great. All the guys on here are great, banter is free flowing and the information is second to non.
Have fun.
 
Welcome aboard Slowblade! As you have probably realised by now you can get a great shave with minimal outlay. It is very enjoyable trying out the choices though. Either way this is a great forum with an interesting mix of participants. :D
 
Good to meet you S/Blade. As far as soaps / creams go, you can spend pretty much as much as you can afford and we all have our favourites. To be honest though I believe you'll find almost unanimous agreement on TSR as to what a good soap & exceptional value the Palmolive sticks are. Glad you're enjoying the shaves.

JohnnyO. \ :D /
 
JohnnyO said:
almost unanimous agreement on TSR as to what a good soap & exceptional value the Palmolive sticks are.
JohnnyO. \ :D /
Click to expand...

Nicely qualified blanket statement JohnnyO.
  • ;)
      • I might be the lone dissenter, but that's how things go.[/list:u][/list:u][/list:u]


        Oh, & greetings SlowB - welcome to ...
        • ...
            • ...
                    • the Room!
                      (DUNT DUNT DAAAAAA!!!)[/list:u][/list:u][/list:u][/list:u][/list:u][/list:u][/list:u]
 
top stuff

I don't actually shave (heavily bearded) but this is the only place on the net to chat with chaps who aren't either screamingly gay or crashingly macho.

Yes, some of us sometimes talk about tools/hardware/DIY etc (as per "real" macho men) and yes we also care about moisturiser and edt. (And doubtless some us are gay or macho or both.)

But the key thing here is that it's all blokes who are smart and cool enough to have discovered classic shaving and so therefore are likely to be pretty good in other areas too. Hence the unusually well-informed and extremely wide-ranging nature of the threads and posts here.

So I pretend to shave just to be able to come here and have some first-class banter with the blokes.

Trouble is I've had to buy stuff so no-one would know I was a fraud (only a few vintage Gillette razors, badger brushes, artisan soaps and creams - enough to seem convincing and committed) and then I accidentally tried some, just so I would be able to hold my own in a shaving conversation and now I actually shave most days with old English TTO's and seriously obscure creams/soaps/balms (some even made by members here).

So now my beard is gone, I look like Cary Grant / Steve McQueen (which pleases the wife) and I a f****** expert on a subject no-one discusses. Except here. So I have to keep coming back. I'm trapped. It's a vicious cycle and I'm in too deep. Get out while you still can.
 
Thanks guys. I can already see that this is going to start costing a bit more. So many soaps and creams to try, and something a little fancier than my plastic Wilkinson Sword my be on the cards very soon. Then there's all the scents. I've never used aftershave. Eager to see what Old Spice, Bay Rum etc smell like. OK I rememer I did have some Brut 33 splash on lotion way back in the 70's, but I'd have been 6 years off my first shave at the time!! Then of course there's the new/unused vintage Ever-Ready single blader that I bought for 50p 25 years ago and never had the courage to use... don't want to use the vintage blades tho, some new ones from Connaught I think!
 
Just buy Tabac soap (available as a stick or puck) and some Tabac a/s splash - absolute classics and a great place to start.

After that . . . well, personally I'd contact Henk and Soapalchemist, our two resident soap makers who use tallow and clay to great effect (yes, I know it sounds primitive, as does badger hair and sharpened steel: this is Anglo-Saxon/Viking shaving).

Lately I've been using:

Soap: Fitjar handmade creams from Norway (the honey-scented one is lovely)
Brush: Either a vintage 1950's Simpson or the fantastic "New Forest" by Fido (another member here; we also have several brush makers.)
Razor: Either a 1970 Wilkinson Sword "Sticky" or a 1950's Gillette Aristocrat "16" (both bought here)
Blades: Feather, Derby or Platinum
Balm: "Gentlemen's Tonic" (gift from a member here)
EDT: Geo F Trumper's "Sandalwood" (£30 for 50ml) or "Cella Classica" (£12.50 for 200ml) - both firm favourites of mine.

With that many components to the process and with each one having scores of variables you can see the number of combinations is mind-boggling!

Someone PIF this man some stuff!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom