A few beginner questions (UK member)

The_Judge · Post by **The_Judge** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 8:28 am

First off, hi guys. New to the forum but not new to wet shaving. I am new to DE shaving though. I've been a dual-blade (FX Diamond) guy my whole shaving life pretty much but now stores have stopped stocking blades for it it seems so I'm having to move on.

I've ventured into the whole brush and soap scene before but I purchased cheap Wilkinson Sword stuff and was turned off quickly. I've since learned the error of my ways and am going to put some money into it this time.

I am pretty set on getting the Merkur Futur to be honest. I know some don't recommend it for a beginner but I have a very light and steady hand and I'd rather just buy one good razor now than to 'upgrade' again in a while. Also the price of the Futur is essentially the same as the Barberpole over here so I figure I might as well.

Anyway, my questions are with regards to storage and what brush you guys recommend.

Can I just shake the water from the razor and leave it lying down or should I grab a stand?

What stand can I get? Apart from the Merkur Futur and Brush set I'm not sure what stand will fit it.

Lastly, what do people think of Men-U brushes? They are a decent price and seem to be mentioned here and there. Alternatively I'd be willing to spend around £20-£30 for one.

Cheers in advance.

PS - I'm from the UK so if you guys know of any decent UK men's/shaving store sites, I'd love to hear about them.

Squire · Post by **Squire** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 8:50 am

Hey Judge, welcome aboard. I like the Futur very much and will go so far as to say I believe it's the best designed shaving tool of all my razors. It is a bit heavy for my taste though.

notthesharpest · Post by **notthesharpest** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 9:05 am

There's no need for a stand for your razor. You need a place to put it that is safe, clean, and dry, that's all. I have a thin cotton rag (a scrap of old dish towel) on my shelf to protect razor and shelf from each other - it also soaks up any drops of water left on the razor when I put it away.

Big Swifty · Post by **Big Swifty** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 10:54 am

welcome to the board Judge!

Mr. Spacely · Post by **Mr. Spacely** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 10:59 am

Welcome !

I started on a Futr for the same reasons and love my Futr. A bit of a learning curve was overcome with the help of the members here.

Enjoy

PeterS · Post by **PeterS** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 11:20 am

I've got the Men-U bristle brush from Boots and I think it's excellent for a beginner, about £8-9 (and it comes with a stand and a small tube of shaving cream).

I've also looked at the brush most people recommend for a beginner, the C&E best badger but it's £42 and the stand is £12.50!

Also have a look at these online shops, I recommend both of them

http://connaughtshaving.com/

http://www.gentlemans-shop.com/

Jusy my opinion but get yourself a HD and a blade sample pack. Have a look at the Proraso stuff.

Whereabouts are you in the UK?

cheers

Pete

brz90 · Post by **brz90** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 11:35 am

The C&E Best badger brush that everyone raves about is tucked away on their website - presumably because it's cheaper and better than their other brushes. I've got one and it lives up to the hype. They don't seem to have it in the stores. If they do have it they hide it!

It's at the bottom of the page on this link. It only costs £19.50 and it's cheaper than the pure badger brush on the same page! The stand is only £5.

http://store.crabtree-evelyn.co.uk/icat ... eeevelynuk

John Lewis stock a decent Vulfix travel pure badger brush for £15. They also have a Kent for £26. The Kent brush stand is only £2.50. The Body Shop synthetic brush is OK and it's also cheap.

John Lewis are also good for blades £1.25 for 5 Gillette Platinum (Swedes).

PeterS · Post by **PeterS** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 11:47 am

Hey I didn't notice those when I looked at their site!

I was looking at:

http://store.crabtree-evelyn.co.uk/invt/130291

and

http://store.crabtree-evelyn.co.uk/invt/130277

The £19.50 looks a much better deal.

cheers

Pete

The_Judge · Post by **The_Judge** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 11:56 am

Thanks for the welcome guys. Appreciate the input too . It's quite sad how I excited I get when I embark on a new 'hobby'. I'll probably order my stuff some time tonight. I've run out of damn razors and starting to look like an ape. Good thing I'm at home this week!!

How's this order list look:
Merkur Futur
Popular Sample Blade Pack from Connaught Shaving
C&E Best Badger Brush + Stand
T&H Lavender Shaving Cream

I'm looking forward to shaving now! Haha.

By the way, Peter, I'm from London.

PeterS · Post by **PeterS** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 12:09 pm

Judge

Good selection there to play with!

If you get the chance go down to St James there are loads of shops down there. Can be a very expensive day out but there's loads of stuff to sample and look at.

cheers

Pete

notthesharpest · Post by **notthesharpest** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 2:21 pm

The_Judge wrote:How's this order list look:
Merkur Futur
Popular Sample Blade Pack from Connaught Shaving
C&E Best Badger Brush + Stand
T&H Lavender Shaving Cream

I'm looking forward to shaving now! Haha.

And well you should. A nice line-up.

- There are those who find the Futur too aggressive. You will need to keep it on a low number and use a very light touch, along with holding it at the correct angle.

- Sample packs of blades are nice, but I suggest choosing just one brand and sticking with it for quite a while at first, so that you have a reference point. The blades sold in Boots are not bad at all, apparently - it might be good to go through a pack of those first, and then try the sampler.

- For the price, your brush is a good choice.

- For any price, your cream is a good choice.

bernards66 · Post by **bernards66** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 2:48 pm

Welcome aboard. Just for the record, let me say that I don't think that the Futur is necessarily an 'upgrade' from anything. Some people like them, and that's fine...but that's about it. Personally, especially as a new DE shaver, I think that the slightly less expensive Progress is a better bet, and it has a much better track record here on the shave forums as being a successful newbie razor than does the Futur. In 45 years of using a DE, I've never owned a razor stand, so, clearly they're not neceassary. They are decorative only. As far as brushes are concerned, I'd suggest a Vulfix Super, a Kent BK4, or if possible, a Simpson Best. Again, welcome, and, enjoy.
Regards,
Gordon

Squire · Post by **Squire** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 4:37 pm

Good start Judge, keep us posted.

Thalay Sagar · Post by **Thalay Sagar** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 5:34 pm

Welcome Judge. You'll love the T&H Lavender. The C&E brush is a nice choice; as for the brush stand, if it isn't part of the kit, you don't need it. I use my toothbrush holder for my razor. Just have to pay attention to which I pick up when.

The_Judge · Post by **The_Judge** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 6:49 pm

Thalay Sagar wrote:Welcome Judge. You'll love the T&H Lavender. The C&E brush is a nice choice; as for the brush stand, if it isn't part of the kit, you don't need it. I use my toothbrush holder for my razor. Just have to pay attention to which I pick up when.

Not sure if it would fit in my toothbrush holder. All I know is I've heard you should keep it pointing down. Is that correct?

BTW, I read somewhere on here that you should swap edges for each stroke or something to that effect. I've watched a number of videos but not seen anyone do that. Can someone perhaps enlighten me as to the reason or at least point me to a video? Cheers.

notthesharpest · Post by **notthesharpest** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 7:22 pm

The_Judge wrote:
Thalay Sagar wrote:Welcome Judge. You'll love the T&H Lavender. The C&E brush is a nice choice; as for the brush stand, if it isn't part of the kit, you don't need it. I use my toothbrush holder for my razor. Just have to pay attention to which I pick up when.
Not sure if it would fit in my toothbrush holder. All I know is I've heard you should keep it pointing down. Is that correct?

BTW, I read somewhere on here that you should swap edges for each stroke or something to that effect. I've watched a number of videos but not seen anyone do that. Can someone perhaps enlighten me as to the reason or at least point me to a video? Cheers.

You only turn the razor over in your hand, to take advantage of the fact that the blade has two edges - you don't modify the razor between strokes. This is the easiest way because it lets you shave twice and rinse once, and you never have to remember which edge is which.

Direction of razor storage is not important, as long as the blade is kept safe and the water is shaken off.

As long as you get your brush dry by shaking it out well, storage direction for it is also meaningless. It is however necessary to store your brush out in the open air, not inside a cupboard.

jww · Post by **jww** » Mon Jun 02, 2008 6:50 am

Welcome, Your Honour - we're happy to have you aboard.

Not sure from your posts, but if you haven't seen Mantic'sshaving videos, then you need to check them out. Very good instruction, and fine entertainment to boot!

Sounds like you have a decent handle on what you are looking for. Of course there are plenty of traditional shave shops all over the UK - and many of them stock the standard Trumpers, Taylors, etc. - but I understand that traveling to London for a shaving junket is well worthwhile (alas, on my one London trip there was no time to do this - so I feel quite deprived

).

Insofar as your razor is concerned, while I do not own a Merkur, I know that there is quite a following for many of their razors, although I think the Futur gets possibly less positive press than the fixed-head razors. YMMV, of course. Have you considered a vintage Gillette yet? If not, I am sure that eventually you will.

For a brush I am a traditionalist, and think that starting with a decent badger brush is worth the spend. There are plenty of good Vullfix brushes as a starter - they even make OEM brushes for many niche apothecaries across the UK (The Rose and Co. Apothecary being one of them).

Come back often with questions and commentary - we love to continue the banter!