Hello from Tayside

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mugs

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Hi all, I've only been DE shaving for just over a week now, but I'm a total convert. Previously I'd used a variety of cartridge razors, then moved to a philishave because I was so bothered by shaving. I'd always assumed I had really sensitive skin as I almost always had some form of irritation and have never been able to shave every day. In the end I grew a beard off and on for about 3 years, LOL. More recently I'd reverted to my old Sensor and put up with just shaving twice a week and looking like a tramp the rest of the time.

Now though! what a difference! from the very first day (when I took it pretty easy and was more concerned with not ripping strips off my face than getting a close finish) I've had very little irritation and have been able to shave every day. Even on the days where I think I've gone too close and have that 'hot' feeling in places that in the past has always ended up in a rash or a weeper - now it's fine after 20 minutes - most impressive of all is how long the feeling lasts. With a cartridge it felt and looked like I hadn't shaved at all after just a couple of hours. Now it takes a good 12-14 hours for the stubble to come back.

Okay, so I'm still not getting a super close shave in absolute terms, but compared to the hatchet jobs I got with cartridges I'm very happy with the results - definitely the best shaves I've had since I was a teen.

So far I have an old Gillette travel razor (very light, not too agressive - perfect starter razor) and because I couldn't wait for that to turn up from ebay I went to boots to stock up on soap and blades and ended up buying a Wilkinson Classic DE, which I used for the first couple of days. I nipped to TK Maxx last week and bought a RSC sample pack which seems to suit me perfectly (what are the chances of happening on the 'perfect' combination of products straight off the bat? I need to experiment more to find out) and I'm using the Boots soap, Palmolive stick and a Men-U brush.

I very nearly went to the Gentlemans Groom Room in Dundee and stocked up on kit for ~£100. Nowt wrong with that and I'm sure I'd have been delighted with the results, but instead I've only spent about £25 so far and have 2 brushes, 2 creams, 2 razors, 2 soaps and a few other bits and bobs and I'm enjoying mixing and matching to see what effect it all has. Isn't collecting fun! I'm now wondering exactly what to blow the remaining £75 budget on. Next on the shopping list is a full size old Gillette, something more agressive - maybe an adjustable, and a good starter brush. There's nothing wrong with the Men-U, but I would like to try the next rung up the ladder.
 
Hello and welcome to this long slippery road fella :)

As you’ve found it doesn’t need to be expensive to get good gear. The challenge is keeping it like that... ;)
 
good afternooon and welcome. Yep, you don't realize it yet but you have already taken the first steps on a slippy road towards a full set of acquisition disorders by already having varients of each item, although i did not see an Alum Block there - a very worthy purchase in my book!

As for your comment about hitting the right combination already - nah! That's just the best so far, you won't know the best till you have tried EVERYTHING!!!!!

So, finally, take it easy, listen to all the advice (but with a pinch of salt - everyone's different), watch Mantic's vids on youtube and most importantly of all...... enjoy!
 
Welcome, mugs!

Yep, you seem to be showing the first, positive signs of Razor Acquisition Disorder already - a good start. :D

I began with a Merkur Futur in mid-December, and by last night I counted 29 razors in the bathroom (along with a variety of soaps, creams, balms, scents & brushes). Gulp. I'm glad I'm already divorced - if I wasn't, the RAD might have become the grounds for one now!
 
Hello Mugs, I'm glad to see that you've had a good experience from the start. Some of that money should go into experimenting with blades: there's quite a few choices available which you can check out easily by getting a sampler pack.
 
Hi and welcome!

Nice gear you've got. Some of the cheap products can be the best. Buying cheaper stuff makes you appreciate the more premium products even more.
 
Hi and Welcome Mugs! Smart moves so far, first something modest to get started with and get the feeling: "this isn´t so bad and I will save money since the blades are cheap" ... Then of course you´ll dip into the frantic madness of buying gear for obscen amounts :lol:
 
Thanks all for the supportive words. I think a cheap approach could have gone either way for me, but given how much I disliked cartridge shaving it couldn't have gone much worse really. So far so good, but the desire to buy up lots of razors is already in my head - fortunately the used market is healthy and it's not too expensive so I think I'll work my way through some of the vintage models first, see what I like and then commit to buy a really good example of what I settle on. I had a try at shaving with a cream the other day and I just couldn't get a decent lather going, so a soft brush is also on my agenda, but again they're really not that expensive. I've spent a hell of a lot of money (that I couldn't really afford) in the past on hifi equipment and cars, so it's nice to pick up on a hobby with (generally) reasonable prices.


hunnymonster said:
Ian in there is a pleasant enough guy, but some of his prices are in cloud cuckooland.
Click to expand...

I will have to go to TGGR at some point, if only to see what's what and get a feel for different weights and lengths of razors and see the differences in some brushes, maybe not to buy anything initially, but the prices for Kent brushes seem reasonable so I'd like to give my support to him if he has anything I want. It's good to have a proper bricks and mortar store locally - I often lament this when scouting the internet for other purchases, especially when they're essentially tactile like razors.
 
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