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