Reddit mentions of 32 FEATHER DERBY 7 O'clock ASTRA NACET BIC BLUEBIRD Blade Sampler

I was going down the same path of DE safety razor shaving about a year ago after a friend suggested it to me on Facebook. Here's what I found:

-First, you sub to wicked_edge, did you see this post? It helped me greatly before I began buying anything. Granted, if you're looking to buy second-hand, that link won't help you out a bunch. But I also knowing finding safety razors second-hand is not easy to come by. That post will also help you find your other tools and accessories.

-Absolutely buy online. It will always be cheaper and easier than buying locally or even finding locally (especially here in Gainesville). There are shave stores in Jacksonville, Orlando, and Tampa- but good golly miss molly are they EXPENSIVE. Amazon and buy.com have way better prices. But returning things can be tricky- keep that in mind in case you decide to go big on quality.

-Find a blade sample pack. They offer a big selection and since you're just starting out, you can find what you like. Here's a link to one.

Personally, I don't get the fuss. I've had a safety razor shave, and it was great. But I don't see myself taking good care of my shaving tools to justify investing in something like that. I spend maybe $10 a year on my disposables and apply moisturizer when I finish. Absolutely no bumps, no rash, no irritation. Takes me 2 minutes to shave and I'm out the door. I don't have to worry about losing them, clean them, take care of them, oil them, or buy a brush and lather. Just something to think about before you go investing in safety razors- especially if you're a college student.

Before the downvote boat comes my way- this is JUST my opinion. Sorry to put my pro-affordable shaving agenda.

EDIT: Fuck. OP is my roommate. I just noticed this. Disregard everything, I'll see you at 8:30, buddy.

Read this pretty long post about DE shaving. The "HERE" link inside that post has good information as well.

Some comments about the products you have chosen:


> So I've been looking into buying a DE starter kit and looked at all the suggestions and I've sorted out this much so far.
Razor: DE86bl
Blades: Sampler
Pre-Shave Soap: Glycerine
Alum: Alum
Styptic: Clubman Pinaud

The Edwin Jagger is a very good razor.

The sampler comes only with 2 blades per brand, which could be enough but in my opinion 5 blades per brand would be better. Blade samplers in amazon are somewhat expensive.

Clearly natural is a pre-shave soap which is not necessary, but some people do find them helpful. You use it to wash your face before you lather your shaving cream/soap. You are missing the shaving cream/soap from your list.

Alum again not necessary, but some users like it.

Styptic pencil, do you bleed a lot? I ask because I hardly ever bleed, my blood coagulates really fast. So I have never seen a use for a styptic pencil.

> So for brushes it sounds like boar or badger, which I believe is preferred, hair is the way to go, but then the recommendation for the $75 level is bamboo and at the $100 one of the 2 recommended is synthetic.

The Ecotools bamboo brush is a women's makeup brush. Using it for shaving seems rather extreme. However I'm not sure how its making process differs from a shaving brush, do they use different glue or what. But I have seen threads posted where people say that the brush has died on them. If you are on a very tight budget and want a very soft brush that you can also find locally, then I think the Ecotools is a good option. That being said you can get Omega boar brush for about $10 from various online stores.

> I was looking through some of the threads and somewhere I found someone recommend this set which seemed nice, has a badger brush a little cup for lathering and a thing to hang the brush on to dry and comes with little starter shaving soap (although I have no idea if the soap is any good). So thoughts on that set and any inputs on brushes would be appreciated.

I don't think that recommendation had many upvotes. The brush is a pure badger brush and it's also prone to excessive shedding. The soap is nothing special. A brush stand isn't necessary. After you are done shaving thoroughly rinse the brush with running water from the tap, shake out the excess water, and use a towel to dry the tips of the brush, leave the brush standing on its base in a open space to air dry. The apothecary mug is not necessary either. It's mainly intended to hold the soap puck. However most shaving soaps will come in their own containers. The mug can also be quite small so when you are loading your brush you end up banging your fingers against the sides. I wouldn't recommend this set.

> And then lastly, how important are aftershaves? Are they just to smell nice or does it help you skin take a breather after threateningly rubbing sharp stuff all over it? My main mental picture of aftershave never having used it before is the scene from Home Alone, so feel free to educate me.

There are many different kinds of aftershave products; alum block, afershave splash, aftershave balm, moisturizing cream, moisturizing oil like jojoba oil, unrefined shea butter, and witch hazel. You pretty much have to try which works for you, but I'd start with a cheap aftershave balm like the Nivea sensitive aftershave balm (if you get satisfactory results with it you don't have to explore the other options unless you want to).

In the Home Alone he used aftershave splash. I'm not really a fan of these, the alcohol can be too drying for your skin and they are often more heavily scented which can irritate your skin. Some users do love them though, but I'd say they are for normal to oily skin. I like to use the other type of products, such as the aftershave balm, it soothes/heals and moisturizes your skin.

Start with this.

It is a copy of the most mild DE razor ever invented (Gillette Tech), it is cheap yet well made, surprisingly. Practice with this and then branch out into high dollar (even then very cheap) razors. An EJ89 is a great place to start, as is a Merkur Classic (I use a Futur but they are $75 and require a bit of finesse).

Also get this

Seems expensive, but you get lots of different blades and you can try them and see which works best before you drop money. Feathers are known as sharpest, Derbys as the least. That does not mean one is better than the other--blade choice is the ultimate Your Mileage May Vary (YMMV). Try as many as you can to see what works for you.

Get a boar brush. Get this one and then branch out. Brushes are one of the coolest things about wet shaving. Once you get the hang of lather, you'll start collecting brushes. It's awesome. But that Omega is all you'll ever have to buy if you want.

Is there a Bath and Body works near you? If so, great! Proraso, one of the oldest and most respected shaving companies rebrands under CO Bigelow and it is dirt cheap. Their shampoo/body wash is great, and the shaving cream is fantastic. Very easy to lather. You can also get a tub of Taylor of Bond Street (TOBS) in any "flavor" and get great stuff. It lasts forever. I like the Avocado--it's very slick--and the Eton college--it smells amazing.

Go to your local drug store and buy Pinaud Clubman aftershave. It is cheap, and smells like an old barber shop--which is to say AMAZING. Apply this after you shave. It puts a bounce in your step like nothing else. While you are there get a styptic pencil, as you may nick yourself early on. Don't worry, nicking is painless but it can bleed a little and the styptic will halt it quick. Once you get the hang of tings you wont nick yourself at all.

And then you're set---but also FUCKED. Jade East aftershave rocks, as does Bay Rum (Pinaud or Captain's Choice), as does Old Spice...Merkur and Edwin Jagger make amazing razors, plus thrift stores and flea markets have old Gillettes...if the hobby bites you there is never enough!

Join us at /r/wicked_edge for more tips! We are a friendly bunch and can guide you through the early stages of enjoying a great hobby.

I got this

this is the one i got here

They are great! I have a sampler on the way. Amazon screwed my order so I had to re-order; only got the razor so far but should get the blades in today. I am also expecting this cream , this brush, and this nick relief. I am moving to another country so I wanted to have a complete set lasts me for a while.

I am looking forward to getting better at this whole thing!

I got that kit for Christmas this year. I'm not nuts about the razor, but it's a good start. The brush is awesome. I recommend this for blades.

the gillette tech is supposedly as good as it gets for a beginner. supposedly very mild, and you can up the aggressiveness by switching to feather razor blades. it's lightweight, so it doesn't apply much pressure while you're getting over the habit of shoving the razor into your face. plus, it's $10. that razor sampler linked by Rex Bearcock is great value for the money, but i went for straight-up variety of 13 types for $10

people also recommend proraso soap quite a lot, which you can get at bath and bodyworks, though it's rebranded.

i'm still waiting on my shit to arrive, so i am not speaking from personal experience.

more gillette techs. i also hear that the new merkurs aren't as good as the edwin jagger DE89, for about the same price, if you decide to go new, you should go with TheGrue's recommendation, imho.

I have the Merkur Futur and I really like it, but that smooth satin handle gets slickery when wet. If I had to buy another, I would go with something like this.

I also bought this blade sample pack. The difference in blades is huge and it's all personal preference. I would've never known which ones worked best for me without these samples.

Add a My Nik Is Sealed Styptic Pen to your order. It took me 10 shaves before I didn't have to close a wound when I was done :)

A good double-edge safety razor, blade sampler pack, shaving brush, and shaving soap can free the both of you from expensive cartridge razors and canned goo. It could take you a little bit to learn how to shave the "old fashioned" way, but as someone who recently took the plunge, it's worth it. Gives a much better shave for a fraction of the cost. (Replacement blades are usually $0.07 - $0.30 each)

If you have hard water, you may want to go with a shaving cream instead, or you could get a gallon of distilled water for $1 that will last you through about a month's worth of shaves.

Shameless plug for /r/wicked_edge. There are a lot of resources there to help you transition.

[edit] Here's a cheaper alternate razor - this is what I have. You can get them even cheaper if you want to wait a few weeks.

> Sorry to say I would recommend against both brush and razor

That's exactly why I asked. The DE is about the same price, and that Omega brush does look nice, and $25 was actually what I was expecting to spend.

Is there anything special about baldes samplers or should I just go with this that includes 13 packs of 2 blades or should I get one with more blades per brand to give myself more time to see what I like?

With this.

Edwin Jagger DE with the Blue Bird blade from this sampler pack.

Usually three or four strokes WTG and ATG.

Looking at the DE starter kit in the suggestions on the side-bar. The Sodial came down to $2.75 on Amazon, so I'll start with the full basic kit. Gonna grab a brush from Wal-Greens on my way home from work and wait for the rest of the stuff to come in haha!

Current shopping list:

• Sodial $2.32
  
  
• Arko Soap Stick $4.11
  
• Blade Sampler $21.49
  
• Bamboo Ecobrush $8.00
  
• TOTAL = $35.92
  
  All I need now is a soap cup for lathering...

This is the one I got. Sorry about the link, I cannot format from my phone...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003OL2LHC/ref=mp_s_a_1?qid=1331694026&sr=8-1

I thought about a sampler, and preferably, it's what I'd really want to order. Amazon is making it difficult by having only a small selection of samplers. I don't want (or have the funds) to buy a sampler more expensive than about $10.

So do you think this sampler is alright? I know there are some good brands in there like Derby, Feather, and Astra, but are the rest of those blades even worth getting this sampler for? I feel like many of those blades will really suck. On the other hand, I will be getting at least 3 good brands to try out.

So should I get the above sampler or stick with the 30 pc of Derbys?

I personally found the Feathers to be great. You might try a sampler pack yourself.

Here is the pack I bought, although it was about $8 when I bought it. About half have been fair, then 25% awesome, and 25% absolute garbage.

Also I can't speak for your technique, try /r/wicked_edge.

I decided to stay cheap on buying a razor until maybe the holidays so this is what i'm excited to buy....
Concord Double Edge DE Safety Razor


either these blades from Maggard Razor [(http://www.maggardrazors.com/index.php/product/double-edge-razor-blade-sampler-50-blades-9-types/)
or these on amazon [(http://www.amazon.com/FEATHER-Oclock-BLUEBIRD-Blade-Sampler/dp/B003OL2LHC/ref=sr_1_4?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1356207881&sr=1-4&keywords=blade+sampler)]

and this shaving soap [(http://www.amazon.com/Famiglia-Bergamot-Neroli-Shaving-Razorock/dp/B009VZNR3W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368764081&sr=8-1&keywords=RazoRock+La+Famiglia+Shaving+Soap%2C+Don+Marco+Bergamot+Neroli)]
Probably going to head over to a local store and find some splash aftershave too.
Thanks for the help guys!!! Really excited to start my actual wet shaving experience! Will post how the shaves go (:

Edit: I'm terrible at posting links lol.

Personally I use:

• Razor
  
  
• Blade
  
  
• Shave Soap
  
  But wet shaving is very much a YMMV kind of thing. You may find that a different razor/blade combination works better for you. I got the cheap razor and a blade sample pack to start. The razor is cheap $$ wise but it's good quality. I've had no issues with it.
  
  /u/LeisureGuy over in /r/wicked_edge is the ultimate shaving guru IMO. Here's his guide for a shaving kit under $50. It's a very friendly community overall, and accept women as well. Most of the guys there that have wives/girlfriends pressure them to switch because it's so much better than cartridge (and cheaper!). I've seen various posts by females saying they've been converted and absolutely love it.
  
  Edit: I do not shave my legs yet. But when I do, I will absolutely be using my DE razor to do so.
  The blade sampler pack is essential in the beginning to try various blades to see which one works best for you. They all have various levels of aggressiveness/sharpness/etc.

I can't seem to find the Omega brush on Amazon. How about this Badger Hair one? It's also 1/2 the price. Any reason you suggested artificial rather than real?


How's this one for a beginner? Here.


Plus, some blades.


The beard is pretty normal, regular thickness, hair tends to curl when growing longer (hence the in-growns, I presume). This looks like a natural choice.


Finally, the pre-shave soap.


Could I get a final "OK" and I'll go ahead an order. Hoping to start finally enjoying shaving rather than just existing through inevitable experience every 2 days.

http://www.amazon.com/FEATHER-BLUEBIRD-Oclock-Blade-Sampler/dp/B003OL2LHC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323656312&sr=8-1

Has anyone ever used one of those and reviewed it? I get that you don't need to spend 100 bucks on a DE razor, but 2.25 seems like it wouldn't even be a good razor.

brush/cream, also on Amazon there are...Van Der Hagen
http://www.amazon.com/Van-Der-Hagen-Premium-Shave/dp/B001A3HPT0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370312930&sr=8-1&keywords=shaving+kit

it's about 15 bucks for a brush and soap to start out with. I haven't used it so I cannot vouch good/bad, but it's worth a try.

I prefer long handles, but there are some cheaper EJ short handles.
http://www.amazon.com/Parker-99R-Handle-HEAVYWEIGHT-Butterfly/dp/B003NTHWLU/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1370313036&sr=8-9&keywords=double+edge+razor

30 bucks for a razor plus a few blades.

As far as blades in the future, I got this sampler pack myself:
http://www.amazon.com/FEATHER-Oclock-BLUEBIRD-Blade-Sampler/dp/B003OL2LHC/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1370313141&sr=8-11&keywords=double+edge+razor+blades+sampler

But there are smaller versions (something like 10 blades). I have that one, but I would suggest going with the smaller ones. There's a 16 pack for about 12 bucks.

It isn't cheap, but in...3 months? Maybe 4? You're already less than with cartridges and canned goop.