So I'm going to Buy a DE Safety Razor

Vote 4 Pedro

Hi all,

I've been thinking of giving this a try for a while now, never tried it before, been watching youtube and reading the threads and reviews but i'd like a little advice first if possible please.

The thing is i'm skint (aren't we all) and i don't want to buy the wrong thing and then have to replace it later as that only costs more in the end.

The other thing is that i'm on the larger side and i have large hands so does that mean i need a safety razor with a long handle ?

Here are my options (going by some reviews) so fare but i'd welcome any suggestions.

The Edwin Jagger DE89bl, the Merkur 34c, the Muhle R89,
and then some long handle ones, The Merkur 23c, 25c and the 39c,

I'm wanting to order the essentials soon and i have a list of the things i'm wanting to get.
Please could someone advise me if they would be right and maybe help choosing a razor.

1, The Safety Razor itself, yet to choose one,
2, Razor Blade Sample Pack,
3, Edwin Jagger Badger Hair Brush or the Taylors of Old Bond Street Badger Hair Brush,
4, Taylors of Old Bond Street Shaving Cream,
5, Styptic Pencil, yet to choose one,
6, Osma Bloc Alum Block,

I have a good size bowl with a handle on to use, it's one of those soup bowls that could be a large mug, i think this will be fine for mixing a lather up in ?
anything i'm missing,

Thanks.

run_Forrest_run

good on ya, jump over to the DE side, you won't regret it.

OK, if money is tight then you could do worse than go for the The Edwin Jagger DE89bl as you suggested, it's a great daily razor, it's a mild razor that still gives close results.

Initially I purchased the Merkur Progress Long Handle and even though it's good I always struggle with its weight and aggressiveness.

I purchased the Edwin Jagger for less than half the cost of the Progress and I rarely use the Progress now.

In terms of soaps/creams I have used Taylor of Bond Street and other 'olde mens brands' but really, you cannot go wrong with a tube of Proraso cream. You can also get the Proraso soap, you might get slightly more mileage from it but all in all Proraso is a great brand and very reasonable. There is also a Shea butter Proraso cream, it's excellent.

Brushes - I bought a middle of the road Muhle badger brush, around €35 and 4 years later it's going strong, I have no need for any other brush.

Bowl -I picked up a nice cheap bowl when on holidays in Portugal, I think it's a sugar bowl or something...anyway, it's cheap and side enough to swirl the brush and get the lather going. No need for fancy €20 shaving bowls.

Blades - go for the sample pack if you want to get a feel for blades but I found the Gillette yellow or Green packs to be very good daily blades, spend a bit extra and get a Feather blade, they are superb..and sharp, they will force you to perfect your craft in no time

I never bothered with alum block, just rinse the face with cold water after the shave should help with nicks.

I purchase Nivea for Men Sensitive After-shave balm in Boots (usually on offer).
As a treat I get the odd bottle of Speick Aftershave (with Witch Hazel), I love the smell and it conditions the skin nicely.

That's it!

Oh, and by the way, if you think you will save money on DE shaving think again, granted you won't be spending money on over-priced multi-blade carts anymore but you will be hooked on creams, soaps, blades, razors etc

Enjoy!

Buddy97mm

+1 on Proraso, you cannot go wrong with any of their products. I would in particular consider their pre/post shave cream, which I found to be excellent when I started DE shaving.

I currently have a number of brushes - horse, badger, boar, sythetic, and all have their good points. Many will say the badger silvertips are best, but personally, I would not spend too much on a brush at starting point. You will get a decent boar brush for about €15, I myself started with the Vulfix 404 badger/boar mix, which I purchased from Amazon for around that price and gave me years of great shaves.

Vote 4 Pedro

run_Forrest_run wrote: »

OK, if money is tight then you could do worse than go for the The Edwin Jagger DE89bl as you suggested, it's a great daily razor, it's a mild razor that still gives close results.

It's not really that money is to tight to buy a decent Razor, it's just to tight to waste it if i were to make the wrong choice, I'd be stuck with it for a while is all.
Do you think the Edein Jagger DE89bl would be suitable for me with me having large hands though ? I was a little worried the handle might be to short to be comfortable.

Oh, and by the way, if you think you will save money on DE shaving think again, granted you won't be spending money on over-priced multi-blade carts anymore but you will be hooked on creams, soaps, blades, razors etc

I'm not really in it to save money, although it would help, it's just i've being fed up for years now with the cartridge type razors, time to change.

oscarBravo

Vote 4 Pedro wrote: »

Do you think the Edein Jagger DE89bl would be suitable for me with me having large hands though ? I was a little worried the handle might be to short to be comfortable.

It really shouldn't be a problem. You're not going to be holding the handle of the razor in a clenched fist, after all. I pretty much just use fingertips to hold mine.

Vote 4 Pedro

OK thanks for the replies,
I'm ready to order later today or i might leave it till Monday but basically i'll give the 'olde mens brands' a miss and go with the Proraso with the Edwin Jagger DE89bl,
Really looking forward to this although a little nervous.

run_Forrest_run

no need to be nervous, just take it nice and handy and over time you will master it.
You can also check out some great videos on DE shaving from the likes of mantic59 and geofatboy on youtube.

Vote 4 Pedro

run_Forrest_run wrote: »

You can also check out some great videos on DE shaving from the likes of mantic59 and geofatboy on youtube.

I've seen them all that's the problem. I'm hooked before i've even started.

Vote 4 Pedro

My order arrived today, I've been waiting for it to arrive so.....
first DE Save tonight.
I'm going to give a go tonight so if i mess up it will have the night to recover and the weekend maybe.

run_Forrest_run

Vote 4 Pedro wrote: »

My order arrived today, I've been waiting for it to arrive so.....
first DE Save tonight.
I'm going to give a go tonight so if i mess up it will have the night to recover and the weekend maybe.

good call & good luck

banie01

I use the Edwin Jagder de89b and I find it excellent.
Very comfortable in the hand, and not too aggressive against the skin.
As for worrying about it size and ease of use if you're on the large side.
I'm 6'5'' with correspondingly large hands and I've always found it comfortable to use/handle.
Good luck with your foray into DE shaving!
My 1st week or 2 was a bit tortuous with plenty of redness(was using a very aggressive razor, some chinese yoke!) but it was worth it!
2yrs since i switched to DE and aside from the money saved on ''system'' blades I find the shave to better too.

Vote 4 Pedro

So i had my first ever De shave last night....It was not as scary as i thought it would be.
I was all ready to go and strangely excited about it.
I used a Gillette 7 O'clock blade from the multi pack i got as i thought it might be a little scary to go with the feather straight away ?,
At first it seemed like there was no blade in the razor and i was just taking the lather off my face until i got the angle right..i think, so i was probably going over the same area to much which has caused a little redness but i'll get the angle right when i get used to things a little more.
I didn't really cut myself but i did scratch myself once, not deep and nothing really to bad, it didn't bleed anyway.
I did the 3 pass method seen on youtube and although it was not as smooth on my jaw line as i had hoped it was reasonably ok. I was very red faced after i had finished and a little worried about it
I'm sure i'll improve with time and for the first time i'd say it went ok.
This morning all the redness and soreness had gone so i was very relieved about that.

Heres what i have so far,


The multi pack of blades is a great idea i think, the extra Derby's came with the Razor and i bought extra Feather blades,
The E.J. DE89BL Razor feels better than i was expecting for the price so that's good,
I got the Bulldog Aftershave balm from Amazon after reading the reviews i thought i'd try it and it was very good and nicely soothing although i have nothing to compare it to,
The Yardley balm was a Christmas gift from an old aunt a while back but i've not used it yet, not used the pencil or the gel yet,
The Proraso shave cream and pre shave were good i think, again nothing to compare them to but i'll stick with them and they look like they'll last a while.
The E.J. brush was very soft, a lot softer than i imagined it would be but again i don't know what i thought it would be but it is very soft.

The two bowls below are what i used, i was going to try both for lathering up in and see what was best but i ended up using the blue soup bowl for holding the razor in very hot water and used the white bowl (a freebee from a Uncle Ben's rice giveaway) for the lathering up which worked out ok but i'm not sure if it's a keeper just yet, I'l try the other way round next time and see how it goes.



All in all i was pleased with my first attempt, any pointers or advice ?

Thanks

Andy.

hitemfrank

The only real thing I would say, and you probably realise this now, is to not got over areas if they don't have lather on them. It's probably the reason your face was so red when you finished.

Vote 4 Pedro

So i had another go last night, this time i use a Feather blade.
The whole shave was a lot better,
I wasn't as nervous and nowhere near as red faced afterwards, really nice smooth finish, apart from a small bit under my chin i just couldn't get right.

The only problem i had was with the lather,
I mixed it up to what i thought was a nice, thick and creamy lather and applied a good amount spending a few minuets applying to my face before each pass but it seemed to dry into my face leaving the razor with a little drag, i did spend a good few minuets washing and preparing my face and also used the Proraso pre shave balm.
Overall the shave was very good and a few more attempts and i should have it sorted.
Any idea what i'm doing wrong with the lather, i think it might have been a little dry.

hitemfrank

Just sounds like the lather may have needed a bit more water or it may have been sitting on your face for a while. The longer it sits on your face the more it will dry out.

Don't be afraid to reapply lather if it's needed.

Vote 4 Pedro

Only a couple of weeks in and i seem to have the hang of it now,
no cuts, no rashes, I think it's been a very easy transition for me and i wish i'd done it years ago.
Might try a different cream, i was thinking of getting a soap to try ?

MojoRising

hi gang, got to the stage where I'm sick of dishing out crazy money for gilette blades so decided I'd start the old fashioned shaving way as my dad used too.
Just need some advice on where to start as in what one to buy etc, all new to me so forgive my ignorance

Rosahane

MojoRising wrote: »

hi gang, got to the stage where I'm sick of dishing out crazy money for gilette blades so decided I'd start the old fashioned shaving way as my dad used too.
Just need some advice on where to start as in what one to buy etc, all new to me so forgive my ignorance

Just get one of the startup kits from shaving.ie.
Then read all the threads on here which will give you enough information on what soaps, blades and brushes to try out.
I'd also get a brush and razor stand at the outset, it lets the brush dry out properly and protects the blade in the razor from being assaulted by the toothpaste

MojoRising

thanks for that, any particular one you'd recommend ? thanks Jon

Vote 4 Pedro

The kit i bought from Shaving.ie and Amazon.co.uk seems fine to me, i haven't felt the need to buy anything else yet,
The Edwin Jagger DE89BL and the EJ Badger brush seem very nice for the price, I don't know what extra you would get by spending more money but as i said they seem fine to me.
One thing that was said to me that has been 100% is to get a blade sample pack as the difference between the blades is unreal, some you will like and others you wont.
I will be buying a soap to try soon rather than the cream but that's just because i want to try something different.
Hope you give it a go and stick with it as once your over the first few shaves with the DE you wont look back.

Rosahane

MojoRising wrote: »

thanks for that, any particular one you'd recommend ? thanks Jon

Shaving.ie seems to have dropped the starting kit I bought but you can easily make up one.

- Muhle R89 or Edwin Jagger DE89 razor, same head but different handles.

- a shaving brush priced to your budget, any of the Semogue Boar or more expensive badger - shaving.ie own specials are said to be good value badger

- a sample pack of blades. I got the 50 pack

- soap or cream, maybe both to see the difference. All are reasonably good, some better value than others. Proraso is very popular, Mitchell's Wool Fat is my favourite so far.

- the Proraso pre shave cream in the green jar is excellent, I haven't tried any others.

-Post shave balm - Nivea available in supermarkets or try a more expensive one if the budget stretches that far.

- a razor and brush stand is nice but you really only needs a cheap plastic brush stand

- a styptic pencils will stop cuts and save your shirt collars. You will probably have a few nicks starting out. Using the styptic pencil hurts so much that your technique will improve dramatically :eek:

Get a cappuccino cup to use as a shaving mug.

Once you get going Put aside about €50 weekly to buy more soaps, brushes, blades, colognes, skin foods, razors, bowls etc as shaving with a proper blade is so enjoyable and addictive that you will be hooked

Gran Hermano

50 quid weekly????

Even the worst of us wouldn't spend that much :-)

Corkfeen

Gran Hermano wrote: »

50 quid weekly????

Even the worst of us wouldn't spend that much :-)

Would have a mortgage worth of stuff by the day you die.

Rosahane

Gran Hermano wrote: »

50 quid weekly????

Even the worst of us wouldn't spend that much :-)

I know. It was meant as a joke.

However, it's easy to spend money on all the nice gear that's available

Kimbot

Rosahane wrote: »

Shaving.ie seems to have dropped the starting kit I bought but you can easily make up one.

this it perhaps?

http://www.shaving.ie/products/the-basic-essentials-safety-razor-starter-kit.html

waraf

In my experience you don't need all of the fancy pre/post shave balms and fancy creams to make lather. Don't get me wrong, they're very nice to use and all that but they're not necessary to achieve a smooth face and comfortable shave (for my face at least).

For what it's worth I would highly recommend using an adjustable DE razor. Adjustables are great for beginners because you can start out with the razor almost closed and then increase the opening to suit your shaving style or as you become more proficient with using the razor.

I got my second world war era adjustable Gillette safety razor on ebay for about 20 euro and I buy feather blades in bulk once a year on ebay too (usually costs about 15 euro for a years worth including delivery) so you don't need to spend huge money if you don't want to.

Having said all that, everyone's face reacts differently to shaving so you will just need to do a bit of experimentation to see what works for you.

MojoRising

would that be a good kit to start with? sorry for the ignorance just so knew to me even at 46!!!!:rolleyes:

Rosahane

MojoRising wrote: »

would that be a good kit to start with? sorry for the ignorance just so knew to me even at 46!!!!:rolleyes:

I think so but other people will have different opinions. You obviously don't need to get everything - at least initially.

You could just try experiment with a Wilkinson Sword plastic DE from Boots or amazon.

MojoRising

hi gang, was thinking of going for the starter kit with the Edwin Jagger DE89L razor, though someone else said an adjustable is better to start? I'm lost a bit I'm afraid, any help advice really appreciated.
thanks
Jon

Raoul

MojoRising wrote: »

hi gang, was thinking of going for the starter kit with the Edwin Jagger DE89L razor, though someone else said an adjustable is better to start? I'm lost a bit I'm afraid, any help advice really appreciated.
thanks
Jon

I would definitely go with the adjustable if possible. When I started off I used the "safest" setting (basically where the blade isn't showing too much and it would be nearly impossible for you to cut yourself) but as I got more confident I adjusted it (this is a simple twist on the bottom of the razor, not a big deal) and it allowed the blade to become more visible. This gave me more control and I was able to achieve a better shave.

The starter pack is great but as someone said you can make your own. I got the luxury starter pack though which doesn't appear to be on the site anymore.

MojoRising

thanks for that, is there one you'd recommend that wouldn't break the bank? thanks Jon

MojoRising

I see a lot of gilette fat boys online ? really need some advice here on which adjustable as all new to me, appreciate all the help

MojoRising

also found this one on line, year i was born what do you think? 1966 Gillette SLIM Adjustable Safety Razor L-3

hitemfrank

If you are going to get an adjustable I would say go for a new one. While the Gillette Fatboy is an adjustable, it was made in the late 50's and early 60's so there has been plenty of time for them to pick up problems such as the adjustments getting stuck and the head geometry getting messed up by someone not storing it in a good manner and parts get bent. This is more a warning of buying one on eBay than if you use one of the shaving forums.

Also buying a Fat Bot on eBay you are unlikely to get great value. The cost of them has pretty much doubled in the last 12 -18 months. I always thought the Slim was the better razor anyway, but that's personal preference.


If you can get that Slim for that price, you will have done well. It will probably go towards the $50 mark though.

That's all just my opinion...

MojoRising

thanks for that really do appreciate the help and advice, you think i should try for the slim? really lost here, if i was to buy a new adjustable I take it it would be mad money? thanks Jon

jpb1974

The Merkur Progress is a modern adjustable that people rate very highly.

Merkur Futur would be another very good 'un.

hitemfrank

Merkur Progress is €54 on Shaving.ie. The Futur is €67 and has an interesting look to it.

Here is the link to the adjustable DE razors on Shaving.ie: http://www.shaving.ie/adjustable-safety-razors/


I would say send the seller a message and see if he will ship to Ireland. If he does keep an eye on it or put in an offer you are willing to go to.

MojoRising

thanks a million, for that he said he could post for $15 which sound ok, what you think? does it mean you can only use gilette blades in it? a newbie so forgive my ignorance yet again !!

MojoRising

I could get it with postage for $65 , what do you think? or am I better to go for new? also can you only use Gillette blades in it? thanks again Jon

Raoul

jpb1974 wrote: »

The Merkur Progress is a modern adjustable that people rate very highly.

Merkur Futur would be another very good 'un.

I have the merkur progress. It's great. Been shaving with it for three years I think. No complaints

hitemfrank

MojoRising wrote: »

I could get it with postage for $65 , what do you think? or am I better to go for new? also can you only use Gillette blades in it? thanks again Jon

If you can get it for $65 including postage, I reckon you will have got a pretty decent deal. Once it works as described in the listing it will work just as well as a new adjustable.

It will take any blade designed to be used in a double edge safety razor - gillette do happen to make a large number of blades.

Once you get a razor make sure you get a sample pack of razor blades. There is quite a difference between different brands of razor blades so try as many as you can until you find the one you like.

If you want, PM me the link to the razor. I'm pretty sure I found the one you are on about so my advice is based on the one I found.

MojoRising

thanks I'll pm it on to you and also take your advice on sample pack of blades, must get a brush next and cream? thank a mill for all the help, Jon

MojoRising

is that the one you were looking at too? thanks jon

hitemfrank

It wasn't. I sent you the link to the one I was looking at.

After the razor and blades, a brush and cream or soap would be worth the investment. I'd say go for a badger brush and a cream as it will be easier to get used to than a hard soap.

MojoRising

thanks mate

hitemfrank

No worries Jon, happy to help!