Is this about right?

WiffWaff

WiffWaff

Messages
1,690
Location
West Yorkshire
So... third shave today with my Wilkinson.
Found a bowl in the garage which was the perfect shape and size (once I'd evicted the rusty screws)... but the bowl experience didn't work very well and I resorted to dobbing the soap directly on my face and lathering up. The brush is a nightmare... it was about £2.50 off Amazon and all the hairs (of indeterminate animal provenance) have curled up like a 70s Afro.

Seems that in order to avoid a bloodbath I have to suffer a more bristly result. But I have to say... after I've splashed on some cold water and a bit of balm... some 30 minutes later and the effect is not a lot different to using my electric (except a damn sight fresher feeling.

Overall... for a third attempt, it is very consistent... I'd be happy with a bit closer, but no missed outcroppings and no streams of blood... no nicks, in fact.

Does this sound like I'm on the right track? I'm about to send off for a new razor and a more upmarket brush and shaving cream today.

Steve J
 
Sounds reasonable. When you get the cream, put a blob a bit bigger than an almond in the bowl, and go at it with a damp, but not sopping wet brush, adding water a little at a time until the lather gets to the right consistency.
 
Cheers for all that

I'll have another try with the bowl with some decent cream and a half-decent brush.

Razor will be the EJ De89. Done quite a bit of trawling and review reading and think it's well worth a punt. It comes with a few Derby blades (from Amazon)... but I'll probably be experimenting a bit once I've got a bit of technique sorted
 
Thinking of getting an EJ brush... to be honest, I want the ebony-look to match the bathroom!
I've had more trouble thinking about brushes than razors... really won't know about stiffness/water retention and all that until I've tried them out, so I'm going for the one I like the look of, and it's got to be better than the current one. If I develop a preference in the future then the EJ will have to be relegated to my holiday brush or something
 
EJ brushes are generally well thought of, you should be happy with that. If you're paying £20 or so for the Jagger I'd give Fido's brushes a look too, he can probably do something with a black handle for a similar price to the Jagger but better quality.
 
WiffWaff said:
Thinking of getting an EJ brush... to be honest, I want the ebony-look to match the bathroom!
I've had more trouble thinking about brushes than razors... really won't know about stiffness/water retention and all that until I've tried them out, so I'm going for the one I like the look of, and it's got to be better than the current one. If I develop a preference in the future then the EJ will have to be relegated to my holiday brush or something
Click to expand...

Unless you want to wait a long time for shipping from overseas, EJ might be the best inexpensive option in a black handle.

That said, I'd make the jump to Shavemac if the price difference isn't too great.
 
Of all the decisions to make, why is the brush the hardest?
Thanks for the suggestions... I've already ordered the EJ brush now. But... if I decide I don't like it for any reason, I'll be giving a lot of thought to a replacement... regardless of the colour. For now I need a baseline to work from.

Cheers

Steve J
 
Nothing wrong with EJ's brushes, my first one was an "ebony" look one in a pretty roughish grade black badger hair.
I've still got it and I still use it. It looks tatty now (soap residue everywhere, and loads of cracks in the handle) but it works just fine, it's quite good for hard soaps as it seems to pick up quite well.
I doubt you'll regret it at all. You will buy other brushes, we all do, but it won't be because the Jagger brush is poor. I'm one of the people here who refuses to collect loads of brushes, but even I have 4. Just because you'll always wonder!
 
WiffWaff said:
I'll be giving a lot of thought to a replacement... For now I need a baseline to work from.

Cheers

Steve J
Click to expand...

Hi Steve,

Yep, you're going about things the right way. Right now you wouldn't know what brush might be best suited to your needs. Same's true for razors and blades. Smart to understand that and start off building your shaving crap knowledge on a strong foundation.

After a month you can start your endless slide down whatever rabbit holes you decide to visit. Heh, there's plenty of members who are all too willing to give you a healthy push. Yeah, you gotta watch out for them enabler types. I believe you already met Uncle Mikey.

Martin
 
I posted a thread on the brush forum where I got a load of great advice about knots, stiffness, loft etc. I got a 19mm EJ brush to start then the Vulfix 404. The EJ is good and I'll keep it as a travel brush. The Vulfix is good too but has a cream handle, I might have a look at Fido's brushes in the future.

It seems to matter whether you use soaps or creams and whether you face or bowl lather. So it's probably best to work that out before you get more brushes.
 
Canuck said:
I'm one of the people here who refuses to collect loads of brushes, but even I have 4. Just because you'll always wonder!
Click to expand...

Brief hijack to say that I have the same number of brushes - there's no need to have umpteen if your interest lies with something else within shaving - soaps, razors, aftershaves etc.
 
The EJ is the only brush I have owned - lucky strike that it suited me from the off. A bit soft for face lathering but I prefer a bowl anyway. Can't see me buying another until this one gives up the ghost. Smellies - now that's a different matter.

Hope the brush suits you, if not someone will buy it.

All the best
 
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