Always is.

Just got my thiers issard straight, she's beautiful i can't wait to shave with her.

 

Goodbye ears, nose, and head!

Looks stunning, however I feel it will be quite some time before I go down that route!

I'm actually getting a shaving rash from this different type of shaving, nothing too bad at this stage, but never suffered from this before. Is this just a case of my skin getting used to a closer shave and should settle down?

 

Partly yes remember it is a good sized blade you're running across your face, try using less pressure also make sure your lather is up to par, not too thick but not too thin either.

When i go for atg shaves i still get some irritation, the whole point of the hd is to get you started once you find yourself craving more you can step up to a more aggressive razor like the mekur progress/futur or if you're feeling brave a single edge razor like the open comb gem micromatic, the advantage is a more aggressive razor is that it'll cut more hair off per stroke so a quicker cleaner shave and less irritation but the downside is more cuts if you aren't more careful.

I love my gold futur i throw in a super iridium blade turn it to the max setting about 6.5 and fly around and guarantee myself a bbs shave everytime, in fact the next blades you get try super iridium's a go, i find them less irritating than derbys and sharper.

Just had my straight shave, took at least a good 40 minutes and ended up having to do quite a few passes but i got what i feel is a decent enough shave, nothing like my de of course but in time it'll get better, the main thing is i can use one safely, not many folk can.

Oh btw get yourself an alum block, it'll slow down any cuts and cuts down on any irritation it can sting a bit but usually if you shave too close. great stuff lasts forever and is only a few quid, they sell similar stuff in health shops, look for that crystal deodorant that looks like a block of ice, that's the stuff.

 

Might have a look into some of these razors - didn't realise there was a choice outside of the run-of-the-mill Gillette etc...

My only tip, to bring to the table is (and someone mentioned it earlier)... shave in the shower. I always stand under the water for a few mins, to soften up the bristles. I have a mirror (plastic so no danger if it falls - with suckers that stick it to the shower glass/tiles - got from John Lewis). The added benfit of doing this is that when done, it's dead easy to wash all of the foam/gel off your face.

 

Oh believe me there's plenty of choice infact too much at times.

 

I've been wet shaving with the multiple blade jobbies for aeons but having read this thread have just taken delivery of this

Not tried it yet...

 

Have you had any experience of RA Rooney & Sons? I'm not shopping with them yet, but I'm having a meeting with the owner in the next week or so with a view to supplying him some of my products.

 

Rooney brushes are regarded as one of the best to buy so you'd be good to go with them.

http://www.styleandgrooming.com/history-rooneys.php

Mark a futur an interesting choice, it's my favourite de razor just set it on 2 to begin with let the head do all the work, it's a big gentle giant when you go easy on it, if you try to force it to work it'll bite, not ideal for beginners but not impossible to learn and once you do you'll love the thing.

Getting better with the straight, trouble is my beard is that thick i have a job shaving, im having to learn very slowly what works best a straight is certainly not for the patient or foolhardy but i really want to straight shave after all not many folk can tbh.

 

I'm not after buying anything from him just yet

In fact I'm hoping he'll be buying some bespoke work from me! One day Hux you might own something I've made

 

Why go for a Futur? Liked the look of it and fancied a challenge.
Had my first go with it set on 2 as advised. It came with one of Merkur's own blades. First impressions are that I need more practice and just let the weight of the thing do the work. Biggest problem I have is I'm feeling the need for accessories already

 

Hope so fitz sounds interesting.

Mark id lose the merkur blade go for something like a red personna/crystal or a derby, anyway here's a good blade sample pack, merkur blades have a bad rep tbh.

http://www.connaughtshaving.com/popular.html

So what did you make of it bud?

 

I'm checking out a couple of 'shave shops' in Perth tomorrow for blades and stuff and I'll see if that link will ship to OZ. TBH that Merkur blade felt a tad rough

 

Yeah im not surprised there are much better blades out there, but the ones i posted are pretty much what id recommend the derby being a good starter the feathers are super sharp and everything else in between, red personna blades are fine not so much the normal ones, should be interesting to see what you find, bugger all shave shops over here everything is gillette now bit of a pita.

 

Well my straight shaving is coming along very nicely, i can now get a fairly decent shave in two passes, i still find my razors have to be incredibly sharp otherwise i suffer for it, curse this thick beard.

Anyway i've cleaned up this razor i won on ebay, fair bit of rust but i got the worst off and it shaves like a champ, bargain at £20.

 

I think i'll have to invest in something a bit better than my Mach3 or Fushion,they just don't seem to do a good job, needs to be for decent money though.

 

Believe I'll start thinking about the straight razor soon, loving the safety razor but might add another dimension to this soon. Theres a bit more kit to get, strop and honing stone etc. What sort of life span do you get out of these blades before you need to get them sharpened properly? I figure it depends on how good you are with the strop?

 

With a decently honed straight could be anything from 1-3 months before it'll need honing even then you might get away with a chinese 12k hone just for starters but you'll soon find it's not enough.

Personally id start off with a cheap but good razor from someone reputable, neil miller at strop shop sells good vintage razors at a keen price not to mention he sells great strops as well.

Honing takes a while to become good id read up as much as you can it's not like a de, the shaves can suck at first but after a while become good only with practice they become exceptional and knock spots of a de, if yyou need any advice you can always ask here or fire a pm my way.

Edwin jagger de89l should fit the bill, can be had for £21 plus whatever for blades/brush and soap something like an omega vulfix or semogue brush can be had quite cheap.

Do you want links or are you just flirting with the idea?

 

Links would be great,if you dont mind.I've had a look at the starter kit on the first page,i see its gone up a £££'s,something like that would do.

 

Ok here we go.

Razor, brush and soap
http://www.connaughtshaving.com/omegabrushes.html

http://www.connaughtshaving.com/harrisrazor.html [de87]

http://www.connaughtshaving.com/cella.html


More blades should you wish

http://www.connaughtshaving.com/popular.html

If you want more options lets us know.

 

Cheers for that

 

No worries just remember they are boar brushes not badger so will hum a bit and be stiff but the smell will go and the bristles soften and you will be left with a very good brush, soaking it in some bicarb and white vinegar before you use it won't hurt neither.

 

Grow a beard its a **** sight easier

I would say that , iv pretty rough skin ( from teenage years )

 

That's just being lazy, besides it's a real treat once you get the hang of it.

Anyway how many folk can use a cut throat razor.

And there's always this.

http://www.cnw.ca/fr/releases/archiv.../26/c5435.html

 

I wonder what the male to female ratio actually is in far flung Canada

 

Well just thought id mention, straight shaving is going great, really getting the hang of it now i've realised stone honing wasn't enough, i need a chromox pasted balsa strop for that super sharp edge to mow down my titanium like whiskers, the downside being the edge needs more looking after.

Shave wise it's better than a de, smoother and with less irritation, took an age to get this far mind.

I now have an inordinate collection of hones and other gubbins and about 5-6 straight razors, so yup im hooked.

 

Nice, could prove deadly for me if i attempted to shave pre-coffee.

I'm a Gilette Fusion and Clinique shaving cream for sensitive skin - i am a little sensitive you know

 

Yup, i cut myself to ribbons today just by changing soap, it offered a bit less protection but i did have one hell of a close shave.

But if you're the impatient sort then forget it, de shaving is a pussycat by comparison but im slowly getting there.

Gillette fusion eh, i know schick have their hydro 3 and 5 razors out in the us now, wilkinson should have a similar variant out before lonh anyway many say it's their best razor yet, the 3 blade being better than the fusion.

Then again gillette have their proglide out next month so that'll be interesting.

Either way im not switching.

@Fitz, the irritation should calm down, try a different blade there are plenty to choose from, i find feathers light me up but super iridiums are nearly as sharp yet much smoother, throw on some witch hazel after you finish that'll calm it down quite a bit, i love thayers lemon but it's tricky, they sell it on ebay but the uk seller has larger sizes on their main site, top stuff to soothe the skin, believe me!!!

Bulldog balm is good as well btw, also if you really are interested in using a straight i could throw a cheap one your way for a few shaves just so you have an idea.

New addition to the family, a genco "easy aces"

 

Hi Guys,

I've been lurking in here for ages, and am looking to take the plunge - but the variety of choice is bewildering.

Brushes - Omega range seem good value. But which one? They are all pure bristle.

http://www.connaughtshaving.com/omegabrushes.html

Handle aside, does it make any difference?

Razor - the DE Harris one recommended above seems like a likely choice (de87)

Shaving soap - again, not a clue. So many to choose from. How long will a 150g tub last?

Blades - the sample pack seems to be the way to go to start with. How many shaves do you get from a single blade?

http://www.connaughtshaving.com/popular.html

 

40 mins - way to long!

 

Interesting thread as never been totally happy with the shave I get. I have to shave every day otherwise I look like a hobo and normally by mid afternoon Im looking like a need another. Some of my mates at similar age (33) shave every other day at most. Annoying.

I currently use a Fusion (not a power as too gimmicky and dont like the fatter handle). But hard to do the top lip even with the single 5th blade so use an old Excel 3 for that area.

Some people seem to shave against the grain to get a smooth shave but I just cant do that as get bad razor burn.

One thing I find is that in places with softer water the shave is a lot better that at home. Also on holiday after a good bit of sun it seems easier to shave. Am looking into getting a water softner for the mrs (dry skin) so would be interesting to see what difference that makes with shaving.

Ive just ordered a fogless mirror for the shower to see if that helps. If not I may go down this safety razor route.

Simon