The HUKD DE shaving thread

Real men don't shave

So the current recommended new DE shavers kit
(Cheap enough but decent quality and likely to be keepers)

Razor:
Merkur 45c Bakelite
Edwin Jagger DE89 - Full metal option rather than plastic
Merkur 34C - A slightly more expensive Full metal razor, heavy and truly excellent
For the super cheap option pick up a Gillette Tech razor on eBay for ~£5-£8 and that will do fine also.

Brush:
Vulfix 404

Blades:
Astra Superior Platinum - (100 blades, that is roughly 300 shavesworth)

Soap:
Proraso
Taylor of Old Bond Street (TOBS) - Various scents
Palmolive cream and soap (Cheap option) ~ £0.50p - £1.50 from supermarkets or Wilkinsons.

Non-essential but useful or recommended (Links to product that people enjoy, maybe not best price):

Aftershave balm:
Proraso Pre/Post shave
Bluebeards revenge

Small bowl for lathering (any small bowl is usually fine, but here are bowls that are rated):
Suribachi Shaving Lather Bowl

If i have missed anything folks let me know and i will add it to the post :P
(edited)

I wrote this on another forum to reflect my first year of DE shaving. Might be interesting to beginners:

I thought it might be interesting to reflect on the past 12 months, particularly if you're just starting out or are thinking about starting DE shaving.

For many years I shaved using Gillette disposables and a variety of canned goos. I used to shave five days a week and skip weekends.

I also used to use a razor five times before binning it (though I used two different disposables per shave). I did one pass down the grain, and one pass across the grain. If I was going for a close shave (which was rare) I did one against the grain instead of across.

The results? Well, they were reasonable but not good. Basically I hated shaving. I used to get a bad rash on my neck and on my upper lip. Thus I was convinced I had sensitive skin.

Then, and I can't remember how (though it must have been an article in a paper or on the web), I stumbled across shaving 'the old way'.

I ummed and aahed about it for a while. Mainly because the setup costs were going to be almost £90 for what I wanted (note for beginners - you don't need to spend anywhere near this figure to try it out) and I was a bit worried it wouldn't work for me and I'd have wasted my money.

Anyway, in the end I decided to take a leap of faith. My first kit was:

Merkur 38C
100 Derby blades
Bluebeards Revenge best badger brush
Mitchells Wool Fat soap
Alum block
Trumpers lime skin food

Having bought all the gear I watched all Mantic's videos on Youtube (a fantastic resource), then started in earnest during a holiday (when it wouldn't matter if I ruined my face!)

Mantic warns that you should only shave with the grain for the first few weeks, but then says "but you won't"! Ha ha, he certainly knows what he's on about.

Anyway, for the first week I only used the DE on my initial with the grain pass, and then used the disposable for my final across the grain pass. I remember being astounded at how much growth the DE took off on the first pass compared with the disposable.

Then, after about a week and a bit I (and against Mantic's advice!) I ditched the disposables and have never looked back!

It took a couple of weeks for my skin to get used to the DE, and several months to develop the muscle memory for how to hold the razor and improve my technique (I'm still improving it now!) I also had quite a few cuts (the worst was a nick to my upper lip, that made my eyes water!) though the alum really helped here (not as good as a styptic pencil though).

So, if I could go back a year, what would I say to myself?

Firstly, research, research, research!! I watched all Mantic's videos, but should also have signed up to a forum, read the posts and asked for advice.
Don't buy 100 Derby blades! I found them crap, though they may work for you. Instead get a sampler pack from Connaughts.
Buy a styptic pencil instead of an alum block. They are more effective at stopping cuts.
Blades are cheap, so don't drag as many shaves as possible out of them. A lot people use them around 3 times before ditching them (though you may find some blades last longer - for example Polsilvers and Bolzano both give me around 5 to 6 shaves but Gillette Super Stainless only give 3).
Don't buy Mitchells Wool Fat as your first soap! It's a challenge to lather, even for experienced shavers. I'd recommend a tube of Palmolive cream, and a Palmolive soap stick. Cheap, easily available and both yield excellent results.
You will tell yourself you are doing this to 'save money'. Unless you have an iron will, forget it. I started out with the above and now have over 40 razors, 11 brushes, enough blades for about 6 years, and enough soaps for about 2 decades! However, this is no bad thing! Why is that?

Well, if you have an appreciation of 'nice things' you will find old razors and brushes are wonderful. They are beautifully engineered and I personally really enjoy using something my grandfather or great grandfather could have used. It's testament to how well these items were made that we can still successfully use them when they are decades (and in some cases over a century) old.
Shaving also goes from being a chore that must be rushed through to a hobby that can be really enjoyed (for example, taking your pick of razor, soap and scent). It may sound a bit 'poncy' and doubtless isn't for everyone, but it's made a tangible improvement to me!

wiki.badgerandblade.com/Abb…ons

There's a good starting point. Lots could be removed though

Brace yourself, this is a large list!!

3 T's: - Trumper, Taylor and Truefitt & Hill
3B: - Best Badger Brush, usually referencing the C&E brush (see BBB below)
AD: - Acquisition Disorder
AOS: - The Art of Shaving
APOM: - A Piece of Me. A fragrance by Maison Francis Kurkdjian
AS: - After shave
ASAD: - After Shave Acquisition Disorder
ASB: - Aftershave balm
ASL: - Aftershave lotion
ASM: - Aftershave Milk
ASSC: - Aftershave Skin Conditioner
ATG: - Against the grain (direction for stroke with a razor)
B&B: - "Badger & Blade" wet-shaving on-line community (www.badgerandblade.com)
B&BE: - Badger & Blade Essential Shaving Brush
B&BW: - Bath & Body Works
BaBE: - Badger & Blade Essential Shaving Brush
BB: - Blenheim Bouquet, a fragrance by Penhaligon's B
BBB: - Best badger brush (often used in reference to an Edwin Jagger brush made for Crabtree & Evelyn)
BBLE: - Badger & Blade Limited Edition Brush, produced in 2006 and, in two discrete production runs, 2008
BBR: - Bluebeard's Revenge
BBS: - Baby butt smooth. A completely smooth shave result. Circular rubbing pattern with the fingertips can't detect any sort of stubble left, period. See also DFS, CCS and SAS.
BdP: - Bois de Portugal. A fragrance by CREED:
Bois de Portugal. A fragrance by CREED: - BOTOC:
BPM: - Balance Point Method. A technique for holding your safety razor..
BRW: - Bob's Razor Works
C&E: - Crabtree & Evelyn
C&S: - Czech & Speake
CCS: - Close, comfortable shave. Perhaps a notch less than a DFS. WTG is completely smooth, XTG and ATG both can detect very tiny levels of stubble. (see also BBS, DFS, and SAS)
CF: - Castle Forbes (UK manufacturer of shaving cream, and grooming supplies)
CROAP: - The term for a Lathering product like a very soft shave soap or hard shave cream which is atypical of the normally firm shave soaps or soft & creamy shave creams.
CS: - Classic Shaving
CTG: - 'Cross the grain' (see XTG)
CWR: - Cold water rinse (see WWR)
CWS: - Cold water shave
DB: - Dirty Bird
DC1913: - Domenico Caraceni 1913
DE: - Double-Edge (general type of safety razor blade)
DFS: - Damn Fine Shave. A near-BBS. WTG/XTG is completely smooth, ATG will feel a little bit of light stubble. (see BBS, CCS)
DKAD: - Dopp Kit Acquisition disorder
EdC: - Eau de Cologne
EdP: - Eau de Parfum
EdT: - Eau de Toilette
EJ: - Edwin Jagger (UK shaving brush marque)
EO: - Essential Oil
E-W: - East-West (direction for stroke with a razor from left-to-right or right-to-left)
FB: - Fat Boy
FBW: - Full Bottle Worthy
FM: - Frederic Malle
FO: - Fragrance Oil
FTB: - Feel The Burn
GB: - Gentlemen's Best
GFT: - Geo. F. Trumper
GIT: - Green Irish Tweed. A fragrance by Creed
GTX: - Across the grain in the opposite direction as XTG
GWAD: - Gaiwan Acquisition Disorder
HAD: - Hone acquisition disorder.
HBS: - Honeybee Spa
HD: - Heavy Duty (a model of Merkur and other razors)
HHT: - Hanging Hair Test (a test to see if a straight razor is ready for shaving)
HMW: - High mountain white (a grade of badger hair used in Plisson shaving brushes)
IM: - Irisch Moos or Sir Irisch Moos
IP: - Israeli Personna, a specific marque of razor blade; also called "Red Pack Israelis" and "Red IPs"
K10: - Knize Ten.
LC: - Long Comb, a version of the Gillette NEW
LE: - Limited Edition
LH: - Long Handle (a model of Merkur and other razors)
LIDGE: - L'Instant de Guerlain Extreme. A fragrance from Guerlain
LV (fragrance): - Lorenzo Villoresi. A perfumer.
LV: - Lilac Vegetal Aftershave (especially Clubman Lilac Vegetal)
M3: - Mach 3 (a model of multi-blade cartridge razor by Gillette)
MAD: - Multiple Acquisition Disorders
MBM: - Multi Bladed Monstrosity i.e. Gillette Mach 3, Fusion or Schick Quattro
MDC: - Martin de Candre (A French Shaving Soap)
MFK: - Maison Francis Kurkdjian. A niche perfumer based in France.
MID: - Minimal Items Disorder
MIN: - Minimalist
MP: - Muehle-Pinsel (German shaving brush marque)
MPG: - Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier. A perfume house based in France.
MTSSB: - Mark the Shoeshine Boy
MTTB: - My Time Bath & Body
MWF: - Mitchell's Wool Fat
NB: - Nancy Boy (US manufacturer of shaving cream, ASB, shampoo, and grooming supplies)
NDC: - No Date Code (when referring to vintage razors)
NfMS: - Nivea for Men Sensitive
N-S: - North-South (direction for stroke with a razor from cheek up)
OC: - open comb razor
PdN: - Parfums de Nicolai. A niche perfume house based in France
PFB: - Pseudofolliculitis Barbae; ingrown hairs caused by shaving
PG: - Parfumerie Generale. A niche perfume house based in France
PH: - Pour Homme. In fragrances it is used to denote "For Him"
PJ: - Persian Jar (a shape for a shaving brush handle; a model of Simpson's shaving brush)
PSO: - Pacific Shave Oil or Pre Shave Oil
QCS: - Queen Charlotte Soaps
RAD: - Razor Acquisition Disorder
RBAD: - Razor Blade Acquisition Disorder
RP: - Round Point (straight razor)
SAS: - Socially Acceptable Shave. Super light stubble can be felt in all directions, even WTG; see also BBS, DFS, and CCS
SBAD: - Shaving Brush Acquisition Disorder
SC: - Shaving cream
SCAD: - Shaving Cream Acquisition Disorder
SCS: - Saint Charles Shave
SE: - Single-Edge (Generally used to distinguish a single edge safety razor (SE) from straight razor (SR).
SL: - Serge Lutens. A niche perfumer based in France, though Serge Lutens currently lives in Morocco.
SMF: - "Shave My Face," another wet-shaving on-line community, sometimes referred to as "[the forum] across the street." See also TSD.
SMN: - Santa Maria Novella
SMW: - Silver Mountain Water. A fragrance by CREED
S-N: - South-North (direction for stroke with a razor from neck up)
SOTD: - Shave (scent) of the day (description of one day's shaving process or AS)
SR: - A standard abbreviation for straight razor (as opposed to SE, the abbreviation for single edge safety razor). Also Savile Row (UK shaving brush marque)
SRD: - Straight Razor Designs, an online retailer founded by Lynn Abrams, who also founded SRP (www.straightrazordesigns.com)
SRP: - Straight Razor Place, an online community dedicated to straight razor shaving (www.straightrazorplace.com)
SS: - Shaving soap
SS: - SuperSpeed (model of Gillette safety razor)
SSAD: - Shaving Soap Acquisition Disorder
STR8: - Straight Razor
T&H: - Truefitt & Hill (UK manufacturer of shaving cream, soap, ASB, grooming supplies)
TdH: - Terre d'Hermes. A fragrance by luxury goods manufacturer Hermes.
TEAD: - Traveling Equipment Acquisition Disorder
TGN: - The Golden Nib (AZ based, replacement knots for shave brushes)
Three T's, the: - Taylor of Old Bond Street, Truefitt & Hill and Geo. F. Trumper, three English firms which have been supplying quality shaving goods for over a century
TI: - Thiers-Issard straight razor manufacturer based in France
TIPTLE: - Thiers-Issard Pierre Thiers Limited Edition, a limited edition straight razor made from old hand-hammered blanks.
TOBS: - Taylor of Old Bond Street, a soap, cream, balm, and fragrance company
ToH: - Taste of Heaven. A fragrance by perfume house Kilian of the LVMH group.
TOMs: - Toms of Maine (previously manufactured shaving cream)
TRSC: - The Real Shaving Company
TTO: - Twist-to-Open (razor where part of the handle spins to open "doors" on top for blade)
VDH: - Van Der Hagen
Veg: - Vegetal Lilac Aftershave by Pinaud. A very polarizing product many either abhor or fall in love with.
VIW: - Virgin Island Water. A fragrance by CREED
W&B: - Wade & Butcher
WCS: - West Coast Shaving
W-E: - West-East (direction for stroke with a razor from left-to-right or right-to-left)
WHAD: - Witch Hazel Acquisition Disorder
WOW: - Woods of Windsor but also, more commonly elsewhere, "World of Warcraft"
WTG: - With the grain (direction for stroke with a razor)
WWR: - Warm water rinse
XTG: - Across the grain (shaving at right angle to the direction of hair growth); note that ATG is against the grain.
YMMV: - Your mileage may vary (i.e., you may have different results)
YSL: - Yves Saint Laurent. Fashion design house based in France.
YTAD: - Yixing Teapot Acquisition Disorder
(edited)

deek72

Why would anyone go to so much trouble and/or expense over shaving?

I was like that. I used to hate shaving. I used to shave in the shower. It used to give me bad spots and irritation. The cartridge razor refills were expensive and didn't last very long.
Now my shave is my 10 minutes of peace in the morning. Also if you look in my pic the slightly orange shaving brush was my Grandpa's. I like using it as it's one of two things I own of his and is very important to me.
I get it is only shaving but its gone from being a chore to a pleasure, my skin is better the shave is better and its a great start to the day.

TTYTT

Thanks dolphinninja. I've seen the prices some of the vintage Gillettes … Thanks dolphinninja. I've seen the prices some of the vintage Gillettes go for and they vary quite a bit. I'm guessing this is based on their current condition. I am curious, however, why a lot of DE shavers have multiple razors. Is one not enough?Between the two razors you posted, what am I to look for to base my decision on. The only difference I can see is price. Do different brands cut at different angles (probably a stupid question!) and what do the numbers refer to, particularly with the Merkur range?In terms of 'accessories', can you point me in the direction of a good setup. Some of the products mentioned in this thread alone seem expensive and I'm wondering if they're necessary. I understand that canned foam isn't the way to go with DE shaving but are all the soaps, creams and balms essential? Finally, as this is HUKD, where does everyone buy from? Is there one place cheaper than the rest or is shopping around the favourable option? I would think that in terms of delivery cost, it's better to purchase from the one online store but if anyone has any suggestions I'd love to hear them cheers!Read lessRead more

Your correct that the price of vintage gillettes goes on condition but also what razor it is. Techs and superspeed are in the £10-40 range where as a good 'fat boy' can be £100+ but again it depends on condition age if it is in a case etc. You don't need more than one razor but variety is good and its finding what works for you. My best razor is a red tipped super speed which was my 5th razor purchase. You might find your first razor is your best. I still use my first razor (the murker).

Theres not too much in it between the 34c and de89L. Theres no way to tell which razor is for you but both are a great place to start. Here a comparison of them. Some opinions. If it comes down to price go for the edwin jagger its great and a bit cheaper than the murker. The numbers can represent different models but mostly its to do with handle length. For example the 38c is the 34c with a longer handle some people like a longer handle.

Just like most stuff shaving accessories range from £2 a puck soap to £38 creams. This is very good cheap cream the lather is great. Proraso are well worth looking at. some cheap shaving brushes guide to cheap brushes. Blades are all about personal choice so I would recommend getting a sampler pack like this but if you want to try cheap try these

Shopping around is the answer. I buy from lots of places and try to get free postage. Every item I've linked to has free postage but places the 'shaving shack' and 'the traditional shaving company' do free postage on orders over £40.
Hope this is helpful come back and tell us what you get.

Confession time: I finally joined the "multiple razor owners" club... as if that wasn't bad enough, it was with a cheapo chinese clone of the Merkur Futur. I'll simply post my review of the item below :-}

"I hate to say it, but for the money it's fantastic value ! I first set it to setting 1 and it was incredibly mild, and set to 2.5 it was equivalent to an Edwin Jagger. It gave me the best shave I'd ever had in the tricky bit under my chin !"

I think I ordered this when I was dog tired, and as result I missed out - I overpaid for it because I didn't realise I could have had it engraved for what I paid for it (!!!!) - I paid £7.15 delivered.

If you're a cheapskate (ha !) you can order for £5.52 delivered.

aliexpress.com/sto…red

Review - Semogue Owners Club 2 Band Cherry Wood Brush

So the brush has arrived & I have been using it daily for the past week.
As soon as I opened it I knew it was quality purchase & definitely a "star" purchase. I was a little apprehensive to spend such money on a brush but having been DE Shaving now for over 6 months, I felt it was time to step up!

The handle is of a beautiful design & perfectly porpotioned for the brush head itself. Its easy to grip & doesn't feel top or bottom heavy, equally balanced.

There was no real breaking in required, although the brush "smelt" after wetting it, I rinsed & repeated a few times until the water ran of the brush clear.

I test lathered in my hand using Ingrams & was more than happy with the results. This also took away any remaining smell.

I primarily face lather & have had no problem building a comfortable slick amount of lather with this brush.
I have tried it with TOBS / TABAC (shave stick) / Arko & MWF
Although I was of the opionion that MWF was not worth the effort, after using the SOC 2 Band badger I have changed my mind & can easily work MWF into a beautiful lather in not much more time than it takes to build a lather with TOBS.

So to conclude:-

PROs
No breaking in
Beautiful Design & Manufacture
Will lather anything

CONs
It creates "too" much lather

Day 1


Lather


Day 7


After this purchase I am taking a DE purchasing sabbatical, I have more than enought razors / soaps to do me a life time!

Also its good to see new posters on this thread!

2scoops2

HertzVanRental

Try HAPPY10

Actually FDAY10 also works for orders over £35 and FDAY20 for orders over £60 - with the 20.2% TopCashBack then that is a worthwhile discount for newbies wishing to get themselves sorted with a decent starter kit and just added the following items as an example:

Progress Vulfix 404 Grosvenor Mixed Badger and Boar Bristle Shaving Brush = £10.99

Edwin Jagger Double Edge Razor DE89 (Plus 5 Derby DE Blades) = £21.99

Proraso Pre and Post Shave Cream (100ml) = £9.19

Proraso Shave Cut Healing Gel (10ml) = £4.09

The Bluebeards Revenge Post Shave Balm (100ml) = £9.99

Proraso Shaving Cream Jar (150ml) = £5.69

Plus a free gift - Personally, I'd choose the Bluebeard's hand towel rather than any of the blades currently available (no Astra SP's in stock) and just get a pack of 100 from eBay for £7/£8.

Fantastic starter kit sorted for £39.53 when the TopCashBack comes through. Trust me on this one - YOU CANNOT/WILL NOT BEAT THAT!!

Brilliant deal worth posting on the main site!!!

Hi Chaps,

Thought I'd tip my hat to you. I've been wanting to take the plunge into the DE world for a year or so and finally ordered everything I need (I hope). It seemed expensive to start with but it's a bit of a lifestyle change so I can swallow that. I've been unsatisfied shaving for years now, and excited to try something new. I have on the way;

Muhle R89.
Vulfix 404.
Astra SP x100.
TOBS Sandalwood Shaving Cream
Proraso Eucalyptus & Menthol Pre Shave.
(edited)

Hopefully a slightly better pic.

Why would anyone go to so much trouble and/or expense over shaving?

“I would like to thank the HOTUKDEALS from the bottom of my heart! I would like to thank LizziBear and HertzVanRental, and my friend octopus and the greatest one who ever was, AberdeenDad. I don’t feel very deserving of this in your presence, but I would like to thank Mission701 and everybody at HUKD DE Shaving Thread for their undying support.

“I wouldn’t be in this forum, let alone up here, if it wasn’t for two incredibly talented men; our OP dolphinnija, thank you so much for all that you gave me, you are so inspiring, and to my soulful partner, Jetpac who I share this with. (starts crying).

”I would like to thank the rest of our miraculous cast and crew. Our producers connlep and ironfist …I didn’t forget you this time! (starts to laugh and sob). Especially, Jim McGill and Sophie Shant and my friend Ben Affleck. I would like to thank my wonderful agent Rick Kurtzman, who is a beautiful man and a wonderful agent. And in his case that is not an oxymoron! (why???) I would like to thank Harold Brown, Stuart Gelwarg and Steven Huvane.

“I would not have been able to play this role had I not understood love with a tremendous magnitude, and for that I thank my family; (jesus, more tears) my mother Blythe Danner, who I love more than anything, and my brother Jake Paltrow who is just the dearest person in the whole world.

”My earthly guardian angel Mary Wigmore. (crying loudly now) and especially to my father Bruce Paltrow (yup, more tears) who has surmounted any surmountable obstacles this year. I love you more than anything in the world. And to my grandpa Buster (oh my word, aren’t you dry yet???), who almost made it here tonight, but couldn’t quite get here (huh??). Grandpa, I want you to know that you have created a beautiful family who loves you and loves each other more than anything (bored now) and we thank you for that. I would like to dedicate this to two young men who lost their lives very early; Harrison Kravis and my cousin Keith Paltrow. We miss you very much and I thank you. Thank you so much everybody!” (FINALLY leaves the stage with a river of tears flowing behind her)

(edited)

usman94

Before I buy the 100 pack of astra blades,Is it possible for someone who … Before I buy the 100 pack of astra blades,Is it possible for someone who doesn't mind to send me a blade?Thanks in advanceRead lessRead more

PM me your address I will send you a few different blades to try out Including the pack of Astra I have had one from and the pack of astra SS

In the 'spirit of enabling' I thought I'd post a few pics and comments on my collection of EDTs. Yet another moneypit!

Penhaligons



I wouldn't buy the Juniper Sling again. It's too expensive and not worth the money. The others are all great though. You can get them from the outlet stores at Bicester and York around half the price of what they go for on the web.

Caron



The only one of these I wouldn't buy again is Pour Un Homme. It is very 'lavendery' and doesn't last that long. The others are fantastic though.

Others



I'd buy all these again.

Got myself:-
Merkur 34C
Vulfix 404 Brush
Proraso Shave Cream
Proraso Pre/Post Shave Cream
Got myself a nice new stand and shaving bowl.

Is there anything else anyone recommends for a newbie to all this? Also any videos/guides are appreciated!!!

Thanks AberdeenDad i have received the blades today
The razor also arrived in the post and it is in really nice condition so at the moment i have it sitting in a cup of Steradent and as i shaved earlier today i may as well leave it overnight.
Tomorrow i will let it have a quick soak in some Dettol followed by a couple of minutes in boiling water.
Thanks for the helpand advice on cleaning and sterilising the razor and thanks once again AberdeenDad for the blades.

^^More enabling^^ Sorry!

Its my birthday and I have got (shaving related listed only...)
Mitchells Wool Fat
Ogallala bay rum with sandalwood aftershave
Non-fog mirror
Leresche DE

Great haul - I must have another birthday soon

dafuq

TTYTT

I've been convinced to make to move. Tell me though, what do I look for … I've been convinced to make to move. Tell me though, what do I look for in a razor, and why is a vintage Gilette a good purchase? Surely years of R&D have produced much better razors that those old ones.. Is weighting an issue? Lots of questions for anyone willing to answer!Read lessRead more

To be honest I would recommend a vintage gillette as a second razor. For a first razor you want something like the murker 34c or the Edwin Jagger De89bl. The vintage gillettes get alot of love and are as reliable as a wood burning stove. Its just you need to be a bit wary of condition but by all means look around and if you want to jump right in to vintage gillettes go ahead. I have a tech, aristocrat and a super speed and each one is awesome.
As for old vs new the answer is not really as not much has changed it razor function. The razor bends the blade slightly to give a cutting angle. There not to mechanical in function. Now modern blades vs old huge leaps have been made. I wouldn't shave with old blades but some do. Manufacturing processes and blade consistency have really improved. Please ask any more question you may have.

Just want to thank all the contributors to what has been and continues to be a magnificent thread. Special thanks (in no particular order) to HertzVanRental, dolphinninja, connelp, ironfist & octopus for enlightening us all with your experiences & knowledge. I had already converted to DE shaving in the last year but you guys have really opened my eyes and turned what I considered a chore into a truly pleasurable experience. Keep up the excellent work.

X)

A big "Well Done" to those who entered

It was difficult to choose between them; I liked each one, but for different reasons!

Because the face pulling of the Movember Footballers made me giggle I'll have to award the brush to 2scoops2

I really hope that you are the 3rd chap in from the right hand side back row!

PM me your details and I'll pop the brush in the post to you.

Thanks to the others who entered, hope you enjoyed taking part.

Right cool kids, thanks to the postie arriving and you wonderful folks here is update 3: 44 blades!



Thanks again to everyone who has sent me any blades, you are awesome!

May as well add my 2 pence worth.

I recently got into DE shaving. Like most I hated shaving. I would re-use cartridge blades for ages as I hated paying the stupid prices they charge for these things. My face would feel like crap because of it but I didn't care. Penny pinching! I would shave maybe once a week. In general when I look back now, I looked scruffy because of it.

I picked up a Merkur 34C with sample blades, badger brush with ToBS Sandlewood cream after reading a shaving thread on another forum. The smell of that stuff was odd at first. My wife thought it was odd too, I could only describe it as being vintage like. Now though, that smell is just awesome. I associate my shaving ritual with the smell.

As others have found what started as money saving exercise ended up changing my personal appearance and a new found hobby. I now shave every two days doing three passes. With the grain, side ways and finally against the grain. It's pretty therapeutic. I still nick myself at times but I am still pretty new and trying new things. I have a pretty sensitive neck which easily ends in rashes still but as I shave I learn new techniques on how to avoid it.

The Merkur 34C is great for a novice. It's weighty. The weight of it is the perfect amount of pressure you should be using to shave with. At first I was still using pressure as that's what I have been used for for so many years with your cartridge razors. I hold mine with a thumb one side of the handle and the rest of the fingers on the other with the pinky sat holding the razor underneath. This also helps avoid putting pressure. Some say some pressure is still needed, I agree with this in a way. However I found this is down to the blade. If you have a sharp blade it will glide though the hair where a less sharper blade will just tug on the hair unless some pressure is added.

The best advice I can give is don't give up. Over time its very rewarding. The first few shaves made me feel like my face was on fire. Trust me, your doing something wrong. Experience is the key. YouTube has some great videos to help you get started. Don't take everything from them though as everyone's face is different. Which brings me to blades. The same thing is true here. Buy a sample pack of blades. What works for someone might not work for you. I tried a few and still have some I have yet to use. I avoided the Feather as everyone said it was the sharpest so it put the fear into me. I tried it though as maybe my 5th blade type and fell in love with them. They are sharp so cut the hair easier which in turn give me less irritation. They go blunt for me after 2 shaves though. I went back to my old ways with the first one I had and tried keeping it for 4 shaves. During that last shave I knew it was blunt but stupidly kept going, the end result was a night and following day of pure burn. Not to mention the most amount of nicks I have ever had. I know now 2 is my limit for a comfortable shave with feather blades.

Feel your face to find which way your hair grows. If your doing three passes then you don't want to be going against the grain on the first pass. My hair is odd. On the face its normal and grows downwards. On the neck it's side ways but also slightly going up. So the first pass on my neck I do sideways. I spent a long time shaving down my neck which is across the grain which gave me more irritation.

Don't forget to use a moisturiser or after shave balm. The first few shaves as I said gave burn, these help cool the face and relief some of it. This is on offer at the moment. I find it works pretty well for me.

Take your time, don't rush and maybe like me and others you'll start to actually have fun! Where once I used to hate shaving now I look forward to it... I think I need to get out more








(edited)

Goonieman

I've got enough Voskhod, Feather and Personna blades to last me … I've got enough Voskhod, Feather and Personna blades to last me approximately six years! When my wife made a comment i mentioned that they could also be used in the dogs thinning comb ( i'll save the Derbys and Israelis for that though)Read lessRead more

The last time I used a derby blade was to remove a car dealers sticker from the rear windscreen of the car...

crombieb

Started my DE shaving experience about 2 months ago, just thought I'd … Started my DE shaving experience about 2 months ago, just thought I'd share my thoughts so far.I've bought an EJ DE89, EJ badger brush & using Proraso cream. So far I've only been using the Derby blades I got with the razor, had a decent shave but wouldn't say it was anything outstanding, I'm hoping this will improve once I start with my Astras that arrived this morning & some with more tips from fellow DE shavers.Proraso cream lathers up pretty well but nothing like I've seen on some YouTube vids, should the brush be pretty wet when lathering.I've got a pretty heavy growth, so I've been going with the grain & then another shave against the grain, as My hair goes in different directions I'm getting a few nicks, is this expected or could I put this down to the derby blades?When shaving I apply all my cream at once and feel that by the time I get to the last part of shaving its starting to dry out, I've started just applying to my neck first then face after necks done. Thought maybe if I get the Proraso pre/post shave cream that a few people are using that this might help stop it drying out. Also hoping that I speed up with practice and combined with the Astra blades this will help.Finally, I prob need to shave everyday but I leave it 2 or 3 days as I've always had a better shave with a bigger growth. Last week though I had a last minute night out but I'd shaved the day before, thought I could just have another quick shave and instead of going through the whole with the grain then against the grain I just went in for a straight against the grain for time, terrible shave, half a dozen nicks and uncomfortable skin after it. Not sure if this was cause it was the 2nd time I'd used the blade or that was what is expected with shaving with a day old growth or against the grain straight away. All feedback would be appreciated.Read lessRead more

A good way to think about DE shaving is 'beard reduction'. You are gradually taking off a bit with each pass.

I think a two pass WTG then ATG is asking for trouble, and one would be a disaster for me too. Do with the grain, across the grain and against the grain as the last pass.

Some people do not go against the grain at all so it might be worth trying that (WTG, XTG, XTG maybe).

Your lather should not be drying out by the end of a pass either. Have you watched the Mantic videos about creating a lather? You are looking for creamy, glossy looking lather that looks a bit like beaten egg whites.

If it's too bubbly, there's too much water. If doesn't look like beaten egg whites, it's too dry.

Hope this helps!

Just bought the SOC 2 from shaving shack. There doing 20% cashback and used 10% discount code. If I get away with it should bring the brush down to £40 with 10 free blades. Not bad I think.
I really shouldn't have and I'm blaming all of you, mainly Hertz but you're all to blame. I'm pming you all my paypal details and I expect a £5 contribution from you all as an apology :). Haha

Special thanks to Harlzter for sending out the blades and some cream to me!
Need more people like this in our community!

Just had my first shave with the DE and I have to say it feels great,

I used small amounts of soap and rubbed it on using my fingers and just took very small glides making sure it was going okay.

Couple of small nicks on my neck but nothing major at all, can't wait for the next shave!

I forgot to post a link to this deal into this thread yesterday
hotukdeals.com/dea…307
All the True & Hill range at Sainsburys are half price both instore and online.
Truefitt & Hill Authentic No. 10 Post-Shave Cologne 50ml - £4.50
Truefitt & Hill Cleansing Scrub 100ml - £4
Truefitt & Hill Finest Shave Cream 200ml - £3.99
Truefitt & Hill No. 10 Optimum Moisturiser 50ml - £4.99
Truefitt & Hill Sens Shave Gel 125ml - £3

Hello everyone, i only heard of DE shaving about a month ago (i always thought it was an outdated practice and no one did it anymore) when a DE razor deal was posted and people were commenting how good and cheap it was compared to cartridge shaving. I did a bit of reading up on it and i decided it was too much hassle.... that was until last week when the EJDE89BL deal was posted and i seriously started to consider it again and i thought at that price i had to try it. Then thankfully meathotukdeals posted the link for this thread and i have spent all week reading through it and tonight i finally finished ready every page and comment and it was brilliant timing aswell because tonight was my first DE shave.

From the recommendations on this thread i purchased:
Edwin Jagger DE89BL with 5 free derby blades (Seen it mentioned a few times and the deal posted sealed it for me)
Vulfix 404
Proraso sandalwood shaving cream jar 150ml
Stypic pencil
10 Feather blades (free with shaving shack order)

I used the method mentioned for breaking in the brush yesterday and it worked a treat.
So i have to shave everyday for work and thats usually after my shower in the morning and i hate it, i start the week ok because i let my stubble grow and face heal over the weekend (when im not working) then halfway through the week my face becomes quite irritated and sore and i start to get a few spots (doesn't help that i try to drag out the life of each cartridge).

So i had all my kit by thursday but i thought i would wait until tonight to have my first shave in case i messed up and it gave me more time to do it properly. So i loaded my razor with one of the free derby blades and had a shower while leaving my brush to soak in hot water then i got out and started to mix my lather and i have plenty of work to do in this area. I couldn't get the mountains of lather like in the videos so i went ahead and applied it to my face and i could tell instantly that i used way too much water and the result was a bit of tugging, nothing too bad though and the next application i just went for face lathering and it was a huge improvement and there was zero tugging. I think i did ok with the angle as i could hear the hairs being cut but i could barely feel it and i didn't have too much trouble applying zero pressure. I did three passes, 2 WTG and 1 XTG and im impressed with the result, my cheeks are nice and smooth but i need to work on under the nose and under the chin to get a closer shave, but for my first shave i thoroughly enjoyed it and i didn't cut myself and i can feel i've had a shave in a few places but it's not very sore which im suprised about, so i will be trying again tomorrow.

Sorry about the extremely long post, i tend to ramble on. But i want to say a big thankyou to everyone who has contributed to this thread and all the advice that has been given and more importantly for introducing me to proper wet shaving.

Now im going to trawl the web for some sample blade packs to try out and buy some proraso pre/post shave cream.

I was going to post this as a Deal but it runs out 10th November at midnight. Gentlemen's Tonic Classic Shave Cream (125ml) £1.95 delivered. allbeauty.com/pro…626

Currently on Mankind.com and similar sites for £13.50! mankind.co.uk/gen…tml

Assuming this user review is of the same thing? badgerandblade.com/vb/…iew (it's the tub, so maybe not, but might give an idea).

Going to buy a few as stocking fillers for boyf.

The Edwin jagger is back to under £16 on amazon. model is de89l .

Happy New Year all! Just want to say how much I've appreciated this thread, rather than dreading shaving it's become a pleasure. The distilled advice on page 1 was so helpful.

I got my first DFS today after about a month and half of practice. I'm using Palmolive soap on top of nuage shaving oil, I got an EJ89 for xmas and it's a lot better than my father in laws Tech. Very happy with the Astra SPs as well. I'm still experimenting with scuttles, shaving bowls and mugs - at the moment I'm using the mortar from a pestle and mortar, which seems to work very well.

Any way, thanks very much.

Tweeting

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BdUsCvsIgAAA9mw.jpg:large

(edited)

Seems Astra SP blades are cheeper than ever on Amazon... £5.55 / 100 blades delivered.

amazon.co.uk/Ast…des

Today used my edwin jagger de shaver along with a astra platinum blade for the first time (was using the dx rimei de shaver up until now for a couple of months) and i'm well impressed!

I bought a de shaver to save a bit of money in the long run compared to the gillette fixed multi blade shavers, as I just shave to clean up the edges around my 'gerrad butler leonidas' beard

Compared to the rimei (which I bought a while ago to get a the hang of de shaving with and took to use in Bangladesh due to the iron filled water out there) the edwin jagger did a much better job, maybe due to the way its made compared to the rimei.

I bought 2x100 packs of the astra platinum blades when they were on offer by shaving world on amazon for £5.60 each pack. They'll last me for ages for the price of four (maybe eight) of the gillette fixed multi blades. I know I won't be looking back now that I have been de shaving for a month or so now!
(edited)

razor (left) vs. electric shaver (right)

I got mine from Amazon, but I notice that it is out of stock there (only 3rd party marketplace sellers left). The one I got was this one: amazon.co.uk/Ken…A46 though it was only around £6 at the time (including free shipping via Prime).

As mentioned by AberdeenDad, Kent is the same as Mitchell Wool Fat, the only difference being the scent. MWF from Amazon is this one: amazon.co.uk/Mit…8ZU

(Edit: I should also add that I have tried a few on-line shaving stores, and they have all been excellent with superb customer service. By all means buy from someone who's keen on promoting our "hobby" rather than a large faceless organisation.)



(edited)