Would these be good starter options

colly10

I was thinking about getting a starter kit but see most people recommend an adjustable razor which dont seem to be included in the kits.
Would these be good to start -

Merkur Futur
Mehle black fiber ash brush
Taylor avacado cream
50 blade sample pack
Brush stand

Paulownia

Would you not use disposable razor?

hitemfrank

That would certainly work well as a starter kit. However, most people with adjustable razors probably do very little adjusting of it. When you first start using it you will adjust it to find a setting that works for your and then it will likely be left on that setting for the foreseeable future.

I would say though that maybe you will find that different blades work better for you on certain settings than on others so you may get a larger variety of blades that work for you.

colly10

hitemfrank wrote: »

That would certainly work well as a starter kit. However, most people with adjustable razors probably do very little adjusting of it. When you first start using it you will adjust it to find a setting that works for your and then it will likely be left on that setting for the foreseeable future.

I would say though that maybe you will find that different blades work better for you on certain settings than on others so you may get a larger variety of blades that work for you.

Thanks, just wasn't sure if the adjustable was worth the investment, seems strange that it's not offered with starter kits when it's the easiest to use

hitemfrank

I wouldn't say they are the easiest to use. In fact the are probably more complicated for a first time user as the they have to worry about getting the angle right, using no pressure and on top of that which of the multiple settings to put it on.

Do I put it on the most aggressive and go down in stages as you do multiple passes, leave it at the same setting for the entire shave, go from the least aggressive and work up etc.

Orion

Paulownia wrote: »

Would you not use disposable razor?

Because DE shaving is immeasurably better.

hitemfrank wrote: »

I wouldn't say they are the easiest to use. In fact the are probably more complicated for a first time user as the they have to worry about getting the angle right, using no pressure and on top of that which of the multiple settings to put it on.

Do I put it on the most aggressive and go down in stages as you do multiple passes, leave it at the same setting for the entire shave, go from the least aggressive and work up etc.

I'd agree and for a beginner I'd go for a fixed DE raxor. I use the Muhle R89 Grande which I love but started out with the Merkur 34c. The R89 Rose Gold is a lovely razor too.

Apart from that the rest of the picks are fine. Taylor are lovely soaps but I've moved on to T&F and GFT ones mainly now. Haven't tried the Avocado one but I believe it's a great performer. Definitely the sampler pack of blades - find the one that best suits you and then buy a year's supply of those. Not familiar with the brush but tbh you can't go too wrong with a Muhle one. Also consider the Semogue Owners Club brushes - I have the Boar Cherry and love it.

hitemfrank

The current generation fiber brushes are great. I've a Muhle one and a fiber knot I got from a Chinese seller on eBay (I think). Good backbone, super soft tips and dry really quickly.

mynameis905

colly10 wrote: »

I was thinking about getting a starter kit but see most people recommend an adjustable razor which dont seem to be included in the kits.
Would these be good to start -

Merkur Futur
Mehle black fiber ash brush
Taylor avacado cream
50 blade sample pack
Brush stand

I've never used a Futur but what what I've read it's not ideal for a beginner. Large, bulky head makes in hard to manoeuvre in tricky areas, changing blades is a pain with the pop off head and it's aggressive even on the lowest settings. Have you considered something like a DE89?

Everything else looks fine. The TOBS Avocado is not an especially nice scent but it is an incredible performer and very easy to lather. If you were looking to keep costs down for your first kit, the Palmolive shaving stick or cream in a tube is great stuff.

colly10

Thanks for the help, went for this in the end -
http://www.shaving.ie/products/luxury-safety-razor-starter-kit.html

mynameis905

Looks great. If you're looking for a nice aftershave balm, the Bulldog Sensitive Moisturiser is one of the best I've found and you can usually find it at half price in Tesco.

Orion

That's the same razor I use just with a shorter handle. Nice choice. Confused about the cream. Pic has sandalwood which is a lovely cream but either way tobs are good creams. Consider getting the 50 blade pack too to try out more blades.

Orion

I'd also recommend getting some proraso pre/post balm. I always use the red as pre shave. The shea butter gives a nice glide. The green gives a nice kick as post shave. I generally just use an AS lotion though. Old spice is fantastic.

mynameis905

How's the menthol and scent on the red Proraso pre shave Orion? I have a tub of the white proraso and a tube of Edwin Jagger preshave to work through but I might try the red or the green next time around.

Orion

Red is sandalwood not menthol. Green is Eucalyptus and Menthol. I prefer the red as a pre-shave as it also has Shea butter in it and helps with a lovely glide - it's a standard of my pre-shave ritual. I only ever use the green as a post-shave and even then not regularly. In fact I ran out of green and haven't replaced it yet.

One of my favourite shaves on a crisp winter morning is red pre-shave, green cream, green post-shave, then green AS lotion. Talk about a face freeze when you hit the cold air! Have another soap from The Italian Barber which is a lovely face freeze too.

I may be biased as I am a big fan of sandalwood. My favourite cream is GFT Sandalwood - much better performer than TOBS. GFT > T&H > TOBS imo. I also have a T&F sandalwood cologne which is fantastic.

mynameis905

Paulownia wrote: »

Would you not use disposable razor?

You're probably trolling a bit but in all honesty it's not a bad question.

I'm currently out of DE blades and waiting on a delivery from shaving.ie. Didn't fancy a trip downtown to pick up some Wilkinson Swords from Boots so I shaved with a Gilette Blue II disposable. Used high quality shaving soap and a brush and I still got an incredibly smooth and close shave within 3 passes. Not as nice as using my Feather or the 50s Tech but the end result was much the same.

A lot of the great results we get from wet shaving comes from technique & dumping the canned foam and gel. Unlike disposables and cartridges which have at least some redeeming qualities, the canned gunk is literally useless and completely unfit for purpose. Good prep, mapping beard growth and good quality lather properly applied with a brush together with a very light touch on your preferred razor and you're 80% there.

beardybrewer

colly10 wrote: »

Thanks for the help, went for this in the end -
http://www.shaving.ie/products/luxury-safety-razor-starter-kit.html

Good choice. The EJ89 is a great starter razor. I used mine years before bothering to try anything else.

colly10

Had my first DE shave earier. Did one pass WTG and one pass XTG. Went with the gillette 7 o clock green, gave a really good shave. Caught myself lightly beneath the nose but no blood drawn.
Turned out easier than i was expecting, took about 10 mins, the hard part will be getting out of bed that bit earlier in the morning

Thanks for all the advice, forgetting the shave it's a nice experience generally. Loved the alum block too, when the breeze hits your face after stepping outside you get such a refreshing feeling