Used my palmolive shave stick for the second time today. I think I may be turning into a shave stick convert.
I don't recommend shave stick to new guys very often and I don't know why. What do you think? If that was your first or second shave ever would it be easy to wrap your mind around face lathering rather than bowl lathering? I think it's Bo Bridges who ordered a shave stick of Irisch Moos to get started.. I'd like to see him start with that and see how he reviews it. As for Palmolive, I posted a couple of pages back that I think it's the best combination of price/performance of any soap out there. Also, those sticks fit down in prescription bottles just perfectly for travel. So does Erasmic, Speick, and Wilkinsons (and one or two others).
I think everyone should start off bowl lathering until you get a good feel for what a proper lather looks/feels like. However, the first time I got a nice lather from face lathering I was hooked. The stick is a nice variation on the theme, don't have to get your brush loaded just go at it on your face. I'm really annoyed I only bought the one stick while I was in Europe, if I picked up 5 for $7 or so I would probably be set for 2-3 years.....
slightly disappointed that everyone is starting out with the ej89. Not saying I'd recommend anyone going the parker route because I'm still doing it in spite of that but, no 34c's, no vintage shoppers, weishi's, etc. no one buy this, but I kind of want to. http://www.amazon.com/Silver-Double...MI/ref=sr_1_27?ie=UTF8&qid=1325669308&sr=8-27
I think there's a couple of guys with some vintage Gillette's in the mail. No 34 c's yet as far as I know.
just got done shaving. My routine : plug ipod in to speakers turn shower on shit shower lather up and shave. My kit
I really want to get my stuff, even though I won't shave until Saturday for the first time with it. But since I didn't order it off Amazon, the shipping seems to be taking FOREVER. I haven't even received shipping confirmation. I'm a sad panda.
Ordered my stuff drunk as a skunk last night. Spent way too much on the soap, probably will send it back as I just ordered the proasososososo stuff but eh, I'm excited, stuff arrives freitag. Buying my bowl from the local thrift store. Lots of awesome old mugs down there, no reason to spend 30+ bucks methinks.
don't have time to read through the thread, but would like a synopsis of what i need to buy. can someone point me to a specific post that will tell my lazy ass exactly what to obtain?
I would tell you that it's worth making the time to do so. You can buy the stuff, but take the time to read up on some of the advice and watch mantic59 videos for the knowledge he drops. Otherwise, you might be the first death.
Just received shipping confirmation from NY Shaving Co. that my order is on the way. Only a few days until the razor, brush, shaving cream, aftershave balm, and stand are here.
My stuff comes in tomorrow. I really want a Merkur but didn't want to drop the cash on it for my first razor. But will probably get one after not too long.
I have heard that their metal plating is sub-par compared to what it used to be (it comes off easier), that is one reason a lot of people are going Edwin Jagger. That is just what I have read
This is correct. I can provide pictures and more backstory if anyone cares (most likely not) when I'm not mobile. They are still very good and could provide many years of great service if you don't show a defect. However, they DO NOT stand behind their products. I know that first hand.
My merker is pretty badass. I may buy a new one. Someone (tyde) pick me out a mug... I have always just face lathered, and it was not much of problem after watching mantic vids. Still want...
Here's an example of what starts happening to some Merkurs It can happen to all modern razors made of Zamak alloy. (Zink-Aluminium-MAgnesium-Kupfer (copper)) Why is that important? The nickel/chrome coating on the exterior of old vintage Gillettes was strictly cosmetic. They were brass underneath and obviously would not corrode other than a little bit of green that would wash right off. The modern razor heads for the entry level razor market are made from Zamak alloy that is highly susceptible to corrosion. Once the plating starts coming off you can expect to see flaking and continued problems from there on out. What does that mean to the end user? Two things: you hope it never happens to you and you hope if it does the manufacturer will honor their warranty. Edwin Jagger's razor heads are actually made by Muhle razors (more expensive). The handles are the only difference between razors. Merkur's heads are made by Merkur, and their plating process is not nearly as advanced as Muhle's. Muhle use the same blue chrome plating process that Rolls Royce uses. I've seen very few complaints about this coating flaking off of Muhle's. Merkur on the other hand seems to be getting worse and worse at creating a reliable chrome plating. If it's going to flake, they usually start failing as joints, edges, and seems where the plating might have been a little more thin. Over time (not very long) it starts to spread. Merkur, in their infinite wisdom, has responded to many customer complaints about the plating loss by blaming their water or soap. I'm one of the customers so I'm not speaking out of turn. Even explaining to them that my other plated razors weren't flaking was not enough to convince them that is wasn't part of their excluded "wear and tear or abuse" exclusions in their warranty. It seems most customer complaints are lumped into the "exception" category and very few are actually treated to a replacement razor. I've had at least 20 Merkurs in my possession at one point or another and presently own 5 or 6. However, most of those are from the 80's and 90's when they were building what a view to be as a much better razor. My first razor (a 34C) was just an off the shelf model and it's been lucky enough to survive the "harsh" water around here. It's a great razor and I'll keep it forever. However, due to the success I've had (and many others) with the Muhle headed Edwin Jaggers I'll stick to them for the most part (until they inevitably decide to screw up a good thing I suppose). I'm a fool for the slants and barber pole models so I keep buying them whenever I get rid of one . If someone is worried about either of those options flaking and causing problems I can suggest some other razors (but you won't like the cost).
tyde I have the 34c and when I shave it works great, but when I am finished there is a coat of something that I can't wipe or clean off. It is a hazy something. I assume this is some reaction to the hot water. I fear this is early onset oxidation or flaking.
I'll be pissed off if mine has that issue. Any idea of how well received the NY Shaving Co. is rated/reviewed on manufacturing?
You're fine, it's just soap. I use scrubbing bubbles or an alcohol swab about once a week to clean things up a bit. Not sure, I'll see if I can find out who makes their razors.
Been using a Merkur in the shower the last few weeks just bought the Van Der Hagen shave set on Amazon with the badger brush and shave soap, kinda cheap but just a starter for now Will see how that goes.
I go once a week. good rule of thumb in general because as long as you use a quality blade it doesn't matter if you shave daily, every other day or some other combo.
Boil some water, take your razor apart and soak it in the water with a splash or two of aqua velva. Come back in 10 and wipe it down. You should be golden.
do you have q-tips? after you're finished shaving just go at that bad boy with some q-tips. just wet the q-tip head and you should be good in about 2 minutes.
Tyde you want to be the lead plaintiff in a class action breach of warranty lawsuit against Merkur? Of course I'll get 33.5% of the settlement and you won't get much money out of it. But think of it as a punitive measure that could possibly make Merkur change their ways.
I'm not a big 'join a lot of forums' guy but i see theres a ton of recommended forums....so if i had to choose one shaving forum that seems to have the most knowledgeable base of stuff to just read through, which should i choose?
Most mentioned I've seen has been Badger and Brush. The Sharpologist website is the blog for mantic59. Good site.
Decent brush (works just fine for me, although sheds a tad), great mug, decent soap that is perfectly fine for anyone getting into wet shaving. The little stand is a nice bonus.
Badger and blade has 44,000 members but it so much like Rivals it's startling. Lots of herp derp so you have to dig for info. If you know what you're looking for and ignore the background noise it's a very good resource. Shavemyface is a medium sized board with the best mix of knowledge, low moderation, and good discussion. B&B is ban happy and they do so unapologeticlly (very prominent vendors for instance). Most of those folks end up at SMF. SimplyShaving is a much smaller board but growing. The guys who are there are 95% experienced guys and very few new guys (maybe not that lopsided). It's a great information exchange without a lot of background chatter. There's lots of giveaways and pass arounds for product testing too. However, it's not the best resource for scanning through old posts and saying "that sounds like my problem so I don't even have to make a post since I can just read this". TheShaveDen is like SMF. A medium sized group with lots of knowledge. I just never really got involved there. For a full list of links you can go to http://www.bullgooseshaving.net/shavingforums.html But I've covered most of the English speaking forums that are safety razor oriented. For straight razors I could suggest more.