MadFlava81
Member
Try Noble Otter soaps available from http://beardandblade.com.au/ or Barrister and Mann soaps available from http://www.vshod.com/
just getting started
- Thread starter thatguy
- Start date
Try Noble Otter soaps available from http://beardandblade.com.au/ or Barrister and Mann soaps available from http://www.vshod.com/
Mark1966
Canberra dwelling Happy Clapping Bean Counter
Staff member
Site Moderator
Grand Society
2016 Sabbatical Fail
2018 Charity Auction Winner
2019 Charity Auction Winner
2020 Charity Auction Winner
... or Stirling Soap Co available from https://artisanarcade.com/ run by a member here, @Ozwhisker!
All three of these companies are generous supporters of our annual charity auction - so why not buy one from each, they are all great choices!
alfredus
Auctioneer-in-Chief + organises many group buys
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Grand Society
Group Buy Caporegime
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What he said
Welcome @thatguy
Sounds like you may be starting to look for quality over value and a have mentioned a couple of good starters:
FWIW:
Rockwell 6S - definitely worth a try. Many wet shavers stopped at R6S and use daily. Gives the flexibility of an adjustable and helps to hone in your preferred level
Merkur 34c - a favourite beginners razor and many wet shavers use this as their one and only razor using sharper blades to provide efficiency
RazoRock - Game Changer 68 or 84
RazoRock - Lupo 72 or 95
Merkur Mergress or Progress - affordable quality adjustable but Zamac not Stainless
Muhle Rocca - loved by many
Budget quality I am going to buy a Weishi 9306 for a mate who is looking to convert from carts
Seen them on AliExpress for $25 with stand, bowl, synthetic brush and 10 pack of blades GLWT
You wont regret digging a bit deeper and opting for Smart Helix Apollo, Monocero Husaria, Timeless Slim or Blutt but maybe wait until your are so far down the hole there is no turning back
Sounds like you may be starting to look for quality over value and a have mentioned a couple of good starters:
FWIW:
Rockwell 6S - definitely worth a try. Many wet shavers stopped at R6S and use daily. Gives the flexibility of an adjustable and helps to hone in your preferred level
Merkur 34c - a favourite beginners razor and many wet shavers use this as their one and only razor using sharper blades to provide efficiency
RazoRock - Game Changer 68 or 84
RazoRock - Lupo 72 or 95
Merkur Mergress or Progress - affordable quality adjustable but Zamac not Stainless
Muhle Rocca - loved by many
Budget quality I am going to buy a Weishi 9306 for a mate who is looking to convert from carts
Seen them on AliExpress for $25 with stand, bowl, synthetic brush and 10 pack of blades GLWT
You wont regret digging a bit deeper and opting for Smart Helix Apollo, Monocero Husaria, Timeless Slim or Blutt but maybe wait until your are so far down the hole there is no turning back
Hahaha, heard many things about arko. I think there is a stick on the way that came with a blade purchase. Do I understand correctly that it's a competent to good soap with a unique smell?
Welcome @thatguy
Sounds like you may be starting to look for quality over value and a have mentioned a couple of good starters:
FWIW:
Rockwell 6S - definitely worth a try. Many wet shavers stopped at R6S and use daily. Gives the flexibility of an adjustable and helps to hone in your preferred level
Merkur 34c - a favourite beginners razor and many wet shavers use this as their one and only razor using sharper blades to provide efficiency
RazoRock - Game Changer 68 or 84
RazoRock - Lupo 72 or 95
Merkur Mergress or Progress - affordable quality adjustable but Zamac not Stainless
Muhle Rocca - loved by many
Budget quality I am going to buy a Weishi 9306 for a mate who is looking to convert from carts
Seen them on AliExpress for $25 with stand, bowl, synthetic brush and 10 pack of blades GLWT
You wont regret digging a bit deeper and opting for Smart Helix Apollo, Monocero Husaria, Timeless Slim or Blutt but maybe wait until your are so far down the hole there is no turning back
Thanks, that's really helpful. I think the top 4 on your list are ones that I've seen the most glowing reviews for. Really tempted by the dscosmetics stainless clone with scalloped head for the GC68 and 84, and the 34C. Apparently finish is excellent, and I would prefer the longevity of stainless.
gthomas04
...was Drubbing's first. AKA Captain Tightarse
ARKO!!!!!!
...and don't forget our resident Aussie soap makers @CraigE from Blue Devil Shave Co. and @SchoolForAnts Squadron Soaps
Mark1966
Canberra dwelling Happy Clapping Bean Counter
Staff member
Site Moderator
Grand Society
2016 Sabbatical Fail
2018 Charity Auction Winner
2019 Charity Auction Winner
2020 Charity Auction Winner
True, true! MEA CULPA!
possumbelly
[No giant lemons here]
Welcome @thatguy. It’s a great place for advice here. You’ve already received loads I see. I’ll second the Merkur 34c HD recommendation. You can’t go wrong with that one. If you use it you’ll see that it performs differently with different blades. It’s still my go to daily razor when I’m in doubt about what to use.
TobyC
Member
Look at Speedy's avatar, his nose is worthless! I've been using nothing but Arko since the end of last year, but I use the hard puck, it's better than the stick.
TobyC
Member
The Wet Lord of Dark Shaving.I'll let you find out during your shaves, good luck.
TobyC
Member
Arko is second only to vintage Williams, which is hard to find and costs too much. The Stirling soaps are very good, but I wish they made a true hard puck.
TobyC
Member
As far as razors go, I say go vintage, new crap is crap. There is no such thing as a bad Gillette Tech. (or an OLD, or a New Improved, or a New, or a Super Speed, etc.)
https://www.theshavingroom.co.uk/community/threads/gillette-tech.56053/
https://www.theshavingroom.co.uk/community/threads/gillette-tech.56053/
Heh, listen to all these voices. Or rather, don't. There's an awful lot of partisan rubbish spouted here, as you'll find elsewhere. If you can find a soap you can stand the scent of in the first few attempts, you're doing very well. My strike rate is maybe 1 in 8 at best. 
Arko performs fine, but many hate the smell. But it's cheap, if that's important to you. Some razors will work for you better than others, and not necessarily the most expensive ones. Take your time, keep an eye on the BST and see what appeals.
For instance, you could do worse than buy @Holiday's Alpha Claymore Evolution if the idea of a SE razor appeals. (I'm not sure if you can see the BST yet, but if you're interested, ask him.) Or for a cheaper option, the Yaqi Raster. Another suggestion, if the idea of triple-milled soaps appeals to you, I'd suggest giving D.R. Harris a try. (My pick FWIW is Windsor.)
Arko performs fine, but many hate the smell. But it's cheap, if that's important to you. Some razors will work for you better than others, and not necessarily the most expensive ones. Take your time, keep an eye on the BST and see what appeals.For instance, you could do worse than buy @Holiday's Alpha Claymore Evolution if the idea of a SE razor appeals. (I'm not sure if you can see the BST yet, but if you're interested, ask him.) Or for a cheaper option, the Yaqi Raster. Another suggestion, if the idea of triple-milled soaps appeals to you, I'd suggest giving D.R. Harris a try. (My pick FWIW is Windsor.)
Actually, I think squadron was running as a top contender, but when I checked most of them were sold out
That's ok, there'll be another chance soonish I suppose.