How do you pick your DE razorblade?

[jmartins]

Ya that is generally what I am looking for. Nothing to extreme but not to soft either. I have a thick beard so I have to have something solid to learn with.

 

[dscl]

Ya that is generally what I am looking for. Nothing to extreme but not to soft either. I have a thick beard so I have to have something solid to learn with.

I've done a fair amount of research on this topic and the following modern razors are generally considered best for beginners. (well balanced & not overly aggressive)

Merkur HD (also known as 34C and 178)
Edwin Jagger DE89 (All of the Edwin Jagger DE8* razors utilize the same head it's just the handle that varies.)
Mugle R106

 

[jmartins]

Ya that is generally what I am looking for. Nothing to extreme but not to soft either. I have a thick beard so I have to have something solid to learn with.

I've done a fair amount of research on this topic and the following modern razors are generally considered best for beginners. (well balanced & not overly aggressive)

Merkur HD (also known as 34C and 178)
Edwin Jagger DE89 (All of the Edwin Jagger DE8* razors utilize the same head it's just the handle that varies.)
Mugle R106

Well thank you good sir. That right there is the perfect response that I was looking for. I need a direction to begin in and that is bang on what I needed.

How do the blades work are there more or less aggressive blades or is that a preference thing?

I am hoping to order soon and I will post up my slope kicking haul lol

 

[dscl]

Ya that is generally what I am looking for. Nothing to extreme but not to soft either. I have a thick beard so I have to have something solid to learn with.

I've done a fair amount of research on this topic and the following modern razors are generally considered best for beginners. (well balanced & not overly aggressive)

Merkur HD (also known as 34C and 178)
Edwin Jagger DE89 (All of the Edwin Jagger DE8* razors utilize the same head it's just the handle that varies.)
Mugle R106

Well thank you good sir. That right there is the perfect response that I was looking for. I need a direction to begin in and that is bang on what I needed.

How do the blades work are there more or less aggressive blades or is that a preference thing?

I am hoping to order soon and I will post up my slope kicking haul lol

So please take everything I'm about to say with a grain of salt. I'm new to Wet Shaving as well, but I don't do anything half-assed and I've done a lot of reading and research.

The items you will need are: razor, brush, cream/soap, blades, and post shave product. There are preshave creams, oils, soaps, etc, but they are not required. Some people swear by them, but YMMV.

Razor: Merkur HD or Edwin Jagger DE89 or Mugle R106 are the way to go. All are quality razors that are well balanced and not overly aggressive.
Brush: Get a Boar Brush. Two very reasonably priced and excellent brushes are the Omega 10065 and Omega 13564
Cream/Soap: There are a lot of great options here, but stay out of the Drugstore and order a quality product. I also recommend a cream or soft soap over a triple milled soap until you have some experience building a lather
Blades: ORDER a sampler pack. If you're in for a read go here, but at the end of the day the shaving experience comes down to a lot of variables and one man's trash is another man's treasure - so go out there and order some blade samplers! Maggard Razors has great samplers and also allows you to build your own.
Post shave: There are a ton of options here (alum block, afershave splash, aftershave balm, moisturizing cream, moisturizing oil like jojoba oil, unrefined shea butter, and witch hazel), but starting with a product like Nivea Sensitive is a safe bet.

Now that you have the gear check out the great videos that Mantic59 and Geofatboy have done to learn the proper techniques.

Lastly here is a message I received when I expressed interest in shaving

Since you are new to the Traditional Shaving world, here is the advice I received when I started and so I freely give it to new users. The most important things in shaving are, your skin and technique. All other things fall in line behind those two things and to support them. Since the skin is a given fixed item, the next major item is technique. It is called THE 30 DAY RULE.

THE 30 DAY RULE is as follows: Find a razor, then a blade that will not cause issues with your skin (that may take a few different blades in a sampler pack to find a suitable choice or it maybe the first out of the gate) and select a soap or cream that is easy to generate good lather. Once you find those, and it may take a couple of weeks to find this combination, order a quantity of that blade enough for 30 days, and then spend 30 days using nothing else until you build up your technique. (Note that only one brand blade is used for 30 days after each blade in the sampler pack is tested to make the decision on the blade brand to use for 30 days.) The 30 day clock starts when you have the right blade for you.

After 30 days, change one and only one variable and work for another week then change another after another week. At that point you should be able to make better decisions because your technique is now in place.

This will help you to avoid buying too much gear and stuff too soon without having the technique down to enjoy it all.

This really does work.

I hope this has been helpful to you!

data compiled from /r/wicked_edge, Leisureguy, The Shave Den, and numerous other online sources

 

[NCost]

you can find a ton of samplers on Amazon. I bought everything I needed there...already had the brush.

 

[bdc30]

How was the shave Brent and what blades did you use. I am trying to get as much info on this before jumping in.

The shave was decent for my first go at it, but I was scared shitless of slitting myself open I probably didn't get it as close as I would like. I used the Merkur blade that came with the razor initially for my first shave. Absolutely no irritation or razor burn for me and only one extremely minor nick on my neckline.

Now that I got the first one out of the way, I'll be much more at ease with the razor on the next go. I plan to shave every other day or maybe every 3rd day depending how things grow back in, but if every shave goes nearly as well as this one, I can easily say I've bought my last cartridge razor for life.

I checked that site you linked but didn't see any 100pk blades for $4, do you have a link for that specifically? That's a hell of a deal even if it's more blades than I would use in a year.

 

[dscl]

Damn you credit card stay in the wallet!

 

[Fallinher0]

I use a DE89 and love it... I will be looking for something a little more aggressive soon. Any recommendations as a next razor to try?

 

[Monsterdg]

In general, I've found that Merkur's are more aggressive than Jaggers. I have the Futur adjustable, and setting 1 is pretty darn aggressive. You could also try Feather blades, if you haven't already, they are pretty aggressive in their own right.

 

[rdomfoto]

Damn you credit card stay in the wallet!

Is that the 89?

 

[jmartins]

How was the shave Brent and what blades did you use. I am trying to get as much info on this before jumping in.

The shave was decent for my first go at it, but I was scared shitless of slitting myself open I probably didn't get it as close as I would like. I used the Merkur blade that came with the razor initially for my first shave. Absolutely no irritation or razor burn for me and only one extremely minor nick on my neckline.

Now that I got the first one out of the way, I'll be much more at ease with the razor on the next go. I plan to shave every other day or maybe every 3rd day depending how things grow back in, but if every shave goes nearly as well as this one, I can easily say I've bought my last cartridge razor for life.

I checked that site you linked but didn't see any 100pk blades for $4, do you have a link for that specifically? That's a hell of a deal even if it's more blades than I would use in a year.

Alright to be honest that puts me at ease and a lot more likely to pull the trigger. I am terrified of slitting myself so that is my big panic.

I will get the link for you and send it to you when I get a chance. You know that chaos we live it is riding me hard right now lol.

 

[dscl]

Damn you credit card stay in the wallet!

Is that the 89?

It's the DE86811BL. Same exact head as the 89 (all 8*) series are the same hard, but with an octagonal handle

 

[rdomfoto]

Damn you credit card stay in the wallet!

Is that the 89?

It's the DE86811BL. Same exact head as the 89 (all 8*) series are the same hard, but with an octagonal handle

(just re-read what I wrote and turns out it sounded more asshole-ish than funny - as it was intended)

The handle looks like it's only 3 or 4 inches. Is that right?

 

[dscl]

Damn you credit card stay in the wallet!

Is that the 89?

It's the DE86811BL. Same exact head as the 89 (all 8*) series are the same hard, but with an octagonal handle

First of all brother, if you're going to take close-ups like that, you may wanna think about a manicure! :rofl:

The handle looks like it's only 3 or 4 inches. Is that right?

The handle on DE Razors are, traditionally, very short. This one is 3.3" (handle not counting the head) and I believe that's the same length as the DE90LBL you're interested in.

 

[rdomfoto]

Can't wait to hear your first review/report on using it. More to the point, how many little pieces of tissue are stuck to your face to stop the bleeding? That's what I'm worried about

 

[bdc30]

Alright to be honest that puts me at ease and a lot more likely to pull the trigger. I am terrified of slitting myself so that is my big panic.

I will get the link for you and send it to you when I get a chance. You know that chaos we live it is riding me hard right now lol.

Definitely go for it man.

Just had my second DE shave. This time I used a crappy Williams Mug Soap that I got at the local drugstore for a buck fifty (still waiting on my AoS cream/kit to arrive so had to make do), but was able to work it in to a pretty good lather by wetting it before I went for my shower. Was able to get a much closer shave this time using the same merkur blade. I figure I'll do 2 shaves per blade, they're so cheap that I'd rather try out a few different ones and keep a fresh blade instead of trying to save .09c by getting an extra cut or two from each one although I'm sure it would be fine. This time I was much more free with shaving across or against the grain since I was more comfortable with the razor, which resulted in a far closer shave than my first. I did get a few weepers on my neckline, in the same spot pretty much as on my first go around so I will have to keep an eye on that area after a few days of growth to make sure I am familiar with how the hair comes in to be able to do the first pass with the grain.

All that being said though, I so much enjoy the ritual of the shave and taking my time. I imagine anyone who can relax and appreciate the experience of smoking a fine cigar would transition pretty seamlessly in to the world of wet shaving and vice versa.

 

[dscl]

Can't wait to hear your first review/report on using it. More to the point, how many little pieces of tissue are stuck to your face to stop the bleeding? That's what I'm worried about

First shave will be tomorrow - I'll let you know how it goes!

 

[rdomfoto]

Can't wait to hear your first review/report on using it. More to the point, how many little pieces of tissue are stuck to your face to stop the bleeding? That's what I'm worried about

First shave will be tomorrow - I'll let you know how it goes!

Do you still need a brush?

 

[dscl]

Can't wait to hear your first review/report on using it. More to the point, how many little pieces of tissue are stuck to your face to stop the bleeding? That's what I'm worried about

First shave will be tomorrow - I'll let you know how it goes!

Do you still need a brush?

I got one sent to me and practiced making lather with it yesterday. Seemed to do the trick. Pretty sure it's a boar brush.

 

[NCost]

Prepare the styptic pencil and band-aids....DSCL is going under the scalpel.