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Another DE Convert

JayDee

JayDee

Member
Hi Guys. Just thought I'd check in and say hello. I suppose a little background info is in order. I'm 51 and except for today the last time I shaved with a DE would have been about 35 years ago when I knicked Dad's old razor to remove a bit of bum fluff :embarrest:

I have an unusual beard in that it is quite light on the cheeks but rather gnarly on the chin and mustache area, so much so that I've spent the last 10 years with a goatee as Mr Gillette and Mr Schick just didn't do it for me in those areas. As I didn't realise there was a real alternative to a Mach 3, I just lived with it... However about a year ago, SWMBO convinced (threatened) me to lose the goatee and since then I've been putting up with "the worst a man can get" :)

I've been lurking here and at B&B for a couple of weeks learning all about the old school way of shaving. Yesterday I decided to dip my toe in the water. I went strictly poverty pack as I wasn't sure it was for me. Off to the Shaver Shop for a cheapie Weishi and their cheapest boar brush and down to the local IGA for a palmolive shave stick. This morning I followed all the recommended pre shave practices, loaded a (supplied) Astra blade in the Weishi and away I went on a 3 day growth. 2 passes and a slight touch up under the chin and I'd just completed the best shave of my adult life! :omg:

Only 1 shave in and I'm hooked. Already looking for a new shaver... As all reviews say, the Weishi is VERY mild, great on my teenagers cheeks but not quite cutting it (pun intended) on the heavier stuff. I see a Gillette vintage adjustable in my very near future. If anyone has one surplus, let me know.
 
JayDee said:
..............If anyone has one surplus, let me know.
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Hello and welcome. Now you've done it! A possible avalanche of razors and blades and soaps and.......coming your way I'm sure.
 
Pjotr said:
Hello and welcome. Now you've done it! A possible avalanche of razors and blades and soaps and.......coming your way I'm sure.
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Thanks Pjotr. Funnily enough, while I was waiting for my post to be approved, I was looking at the Razor Revamp webpage just in case I snagged an ordinary Slim.. :)
 
Yeah, watch out for Mr Razor rescue! The man's got razors everywhere.
 
Welcome mate. I picked up a Weishi recently on holiday, and I'm enjoying it when combined with a fairly sharp blade (Perma-Sharp Super). What boar did you get from the Shaver Shop? One of the Omega ones?
 
Hi JayDee, it's great to have you on board.

Sounds like you are discovering shaving for the first time. Great times ahead for you.
 
Nothing wrong with Omega boars.

A good DE razor is worth it though. Old Gillettes can be picked up for cheap, and a decent choice in new as well.
 
JayDee said:
Yeah, $24 with a stand, seems to work fine.
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There are a few Omega fans on this board, myself included. They're great brushes. How do you like the Palmolive stick? I was reading something yesterday about the sticks here being different to the European ones, different formulation or something.
 
Mong. said:
.........How do you like the Palmolive stick? I was reading something yesterday about the sticks here being different to the European ones, different formulation or something.
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The European one has got tallow in the formulation. There are lots of Palmolive fans out there. It's available absolutely everywhere.
 
Vintage razors, did I hear somebody say vintage razors?

Hmmm, I might just be able to help when I get back home (away on holidays at present)

Anyway, welcome to P&C and the world of DE shaving.

At 51 my maths makes your year of birth 1961 (or thereabouts) which was during a period where Gillette date coded their razors using a letter for the year and a number for the quarter (see chart here).

So you should be able to pick up a razor made in the same quarter of the same year as you, which I think it pretty cool (and was the start of my collection but that is another story). Which a birth year around that time you should have the choice of a Fatboy or Slim adjustable (or the Aristocrat, the gold-plated Slim) or the flare tip SuperSpeed TTO - some nice razors and I'd recommend getting ALL of them :)

Anyway - happy shaving!
 
Mong. said:
How do you like the Palmolive stick? I was reading something yesterday about the sticks here being different to the European ones, different formulation or something.
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Well with my massive amount of experience with two DE shaves under my belt now (I even did better today than yesterday), I can say that the palmolive stick does the job, just. I don't know if it is my lack of experience/technique or that the brush is still breaking in but I can only get enough lather for at best two passes with face lathering. As an aside, I had to go down the shops today so I dropped into Woolies and splurged $2.50 on 75g of Fauldings shave cream. I don't usually bother shaving on Sundays but I'm going to have a lash with that tomorrow morning to compare it to the shave stick. :)

Mark1966.

Your maths is impeccable :) I was born September 1961 so if you have anything with a G3 stamp I would be very interested!
 
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Mark1966 said:
you should have the choice of a Fatboy or Slim adjustable (or the Aristocrat, the gold-plated Slim) or the flare tip SuperSpeed TTO - some nice razors and I'd recommend getting ALL of them :)
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I'm sure you could supply our fresh meat errr, convert an example of each!

Welcome to P&C. A sense of humour is about the only requirement here.
 
Welcome Jaydee.

I think one expectation to dismiss is that you won't *always* get a shave that is much better than the evil cart of which you speak, but DE shaving is certainly cheaper.

Unless you end buying multiple soaps, razors, blades, brushes, aftershaves, alums or colognes that is.

While I still find it a pain in the arse neck at times, I appreciate the ritual of a good shave with a DE much better than with carts.

You will make mistakes, you will nick yourself, you may get razor burn, you will wonder why you got a perfect lather yesterday but can't make even bubbles today, your face will burn occasionally, you will wonder if that other razor/brush/soap/cream will help you get a better shave but overall we all reckon its worth it.
 
JayDee said:
Well with my massive amount of experience with two DE shaves under my belt now (I even did better today than yesterday), I can say that the palmolive stick does the job, just. I don't know if it is my lack of experience/technique or that the brush is still breaking in but I can only get enough lather for at best two passes with face lathering. As an aside, I had to go down the shops today so I dropped into Woolies and splurged $2.50 on 75g of Fauldings shave cream. I don't usually bother shaving on Sundays but I'm going to have a lash with that tomorrow morning to compare it to the shave stick. :)
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Brush break-in is largely a big forum myth IMO. I've a number of Omegas and they all rock from the box, it's just knowing how to use them and getting enough soap on them. When new, they could use a bit of a soak to soften up. Really depends if using a cream or soap, and whether you want the extra scrub.

With soap, really load up a damp brush and use plenty of water. It should be pretty easy to load a stick on your face, or grate / mush it in a bowl, and load the brush from there.
 
kjparker said:
**Cough ** cough** Semogue Portugese mind tricks.... **Cough**
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That's a nasty affliction to have in the summer.

Yes, I used to be a Smog junky, but I'm better now. They're still rubbish IMHO. The only thing that got them working was sheer bloodymindedness I dug out the 1305 the other week and thought 'how bad can it be'? Not making a 2nd pass of lather that's how bad. I gave away, sold, or reknotted most of the rest.
 
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