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hey I'm a new commer to wetshaving

Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2015 11:21 am
by mrjediconsular
Hey everyone my name is mrjediconsular I've been thinking of making the switch from cartridge to de shaving for about a year now recently my brother bought the micro touch one razor and I asked if I could try it I loved it it was one of the best shaves I've had. I've been reading about what razor to get I've been struggling with all the choices out there so my question is what razor is best for a medium to heavy beard and sensitive skin. P.s I'm wheelchair bound and I do get leg muscle spasms that do shake my upper body, thanks for any advice

Re: hey I'm a new commer to wetshaving

Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2015 12:49 pm
by mrjediconsular
Did I post this in the wrong place

Re: hey I'm a new commer to wetshaving

Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2015 12:55 pm
by Squire
Hey mr.jedi, welcome aboard. Medium-heavy beard with sensitive skin is a fairly common condition and I wish things were scientific enough to recommend a specific razor/blade combination. Unfortunately that's not the case. It's not the tools that vary so much as the highly individual way we use them. A razor that's mild for me may be slightly aggressive for another, and vice versa.

So tell me what razor(s) you're considering and I'll be glad to comment on how they worked for me. Feel free to jump in, we like talking about this stuff.

Re: hey I'm a new commer to wetshaving

Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2015 1:19 pm
by Big Swifty
Hello Mr Jedi and welcome to SMF!

Re: hey I'm a new commer to wetshaving

Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2015 1:20 pm
by mrjediconsular
I've been think of merkur 34c and 23c Edwin jagger DE89 muhle R89

Re: hey I'm a new commer to wetshaving

Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2015 2:05 pm
by ShadowsDad
Welcome to the forum!

I can't help with your intended razors, but you're in good hands with Squire, and others will jump in.

I will suggest a vintage Gillette adjustable as you can dial in the amount of "aggressiveness". It will change as you might need it to in the future. Lots of times one starts with a less aggressive razor and decides that one wants "more" later on. An adjustable will allow you to dial that in. A vintage adjustable doesn't need to break the bank.

Re: hey I'm a new commer to wetshaving

Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2015 3:19 pm
by brothers
mrjediconsular wrote:I've been think of merkur 34c and 23c Edwin jagger DE89 muhle R89
Welcome to SMF mrj. I almost posted earlier to say if you are thinking about getting a new razor I'd recommend the Merker 34c, and it looks like we're on the same wavelength. Also, as Brian points out, if you go with a vintage Gillette, the adjustables are very popular and versatile. Looking forward to seeing how it works out.

Re: hey I'm a new commer to wetshaving

Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2015 6:07 pm
by CMur12
Welcome to SMF, mrjediconsular!

I think the Edwin Jagger or Muehle - these two brands share the same shaving head - would be a little gentler than the Merkurs, which I have always considered to be on the aggressive side.

I have a coarse beard and sensitive skin, and I normally go with a gentle razor and one of the sharper blades. My general rule of thumb and starting place is to choose the razor for the skin and the blade for the beard. From there, experimentation will tell you what works best for you.

Brian suggested starting with an adjustable DE and I think that is a good idea. This way, you can start at a gentle setting and change to a more aggressive setting if needed after your technique has evolved. You don't have to try a bunch of different razors to see which one is "right." Vintage Gillette adjustables, such as the "Fatboy," Slim," and "Super Adjustable" are all good choices. Among razors in current production, I like the Merkur Progress adjustable. The Progess varies from quite mild to very aggressive, and I use mine at the lowest/gentlest setting.

I would suggest buying one of these adjustables, which at least in theory could mean that you would never have to buy another razor. Get some blades, such as Israeli Personnas ("Crystal" or "Red Pack Personnas") or Personna Med Preps ("For Hospital Use") blades, and stick with that combination of razor and blade until you get your technique developed with a minimum of variables. Once that is accomplished and you can distinguish between blade performance and issues of technique, you might consider getting a blade sampler pack to try different blades and see which works best for you.

I wish you the best!

- Murray

Re: hey I'm a new commer to wetshaving

Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2015 6:24 pm
by mrjediconsular
How much should I pay for a new razor and how much for a vintage. If vintage is there anything I need look for

Re: hey I'm a new commer to wetshaving

Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2015 9:38 pm
by ShadowsDad
If you keep an eye on the b/s/t section you might find one eventually. Or you can hang a WTB shingle there and see what turns up. It's been quite some time since I bought a Gillette adjustable but you can certainly get quite a good one for $30, and it wouldn't surprise me if you could find one for $20. Buying it from a fellow shaver you might not get a better deal, but the description of condition and the usability will be assured. They can be had on ebay also, but lots of times it's just being sold by someone who knows nothing about shaving and wouldn't have the foggiest notion of what a good useable razor even looks like.

You may have figured out by reading here that technique is what makes one a successful blade shaver. You will need to learn lather making. It's not difficult, but the lather needs to be at least good, and better is better yet. It's pretty simple to recognize good lather. It's dense but not dry, composed of bubbles so fine that they can't be seen by the naked eye and might even appear to be iridescent. That lather should be slick and provide "cushion" to protect your skin from the blade, you can feel that with your fingers. Put on the skin it should last without drying out into nothingness for a good 5 minutes; then you know that it's properly hydrated. You can get soap and a brush and practice making lather for your cartridge shaves now. You'll find the lather that you make to be superior to anything that comes out of a can. When your razor comes in you'll be that much ahead.

On a par with the razor in importance are blades. The best razor on the planet isn't worth spit with a terrible blade. The only way to tell a great blade from a terrible blade on your face is to try a bunch of them. So figure on buying a blade sampler. We can tell you what we like with our razors, our lather, and faces, but that really means nothing to your face, using your lather and gear. Once you figure out what sort of blades you like we can suggest other blades with similar characteristics.

When you do get started don't be a stranger and think that you shouldn't "bother" us. It's no bother at all, in fact we wouldn't be here if we didn't like to help. We can shorten your learning curve quite a bit if you let us. When you begin there is no such thing as a stupid question. No one was born with shaving knowledge and we all started at the beginning knowing nothing.

Re: hey I'm a new commer to wetshaving

Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2015 5:52 am
by brothers
mrjediconsular wrote:How much should I pay for a new razor and how much for a vintage. If vintage is there anything I need look for
Mrj, scroll down to the Shopping forum. There you will find posts by vendors whose websites probably list the new razors with prices. Scroll onto the adjacent forum Selling and trading, where you can "search forum" for razors in order to view examples of prices for previously listed used razors. Hope that helps. Good luck!

Re: hey I'm a new commer to wetshaving

Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2015 11:07 am
by TheMonk
Welcome to SMF!

Re: hey I'm a new commer to wetshaving

Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2015 2:53 pm
by mrjediconsular
i'm still kinda stuck on pricing from what i gather it's $20-$60 for a vintage Gillette

Re: hey I'm a new commer to wetshaving

Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2015 4:14 pm
by brothers
Yes sir, I'd say that general range is about right, give or take. I'd hope that you don't spend $60 on a razor (unless it's a new razor and well known brand from a reputable vendor) this early in the game.

Re: hey I'm a new commer to wetshaving

Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2015 4:41 pm
by CMur12
Vintage Gillettes in collector condition, especially in the original case, have gone way up in price. On the other hand, the market for vintage common Gillettes in user condition is depressed and these generally go for low prices.

It used to be that safety razor users on these forums either used vintage Gillettes or new Merkurs, so there was a good market for used Gillettes and the prices were still low. Since then, so many new DE razors have hit the market that today's wetshavers have largely forgotten about the old Gillettes.

Posting a WTB (Want to Buy) ad in the SMF Selling & Trading forum might be a good way to find a desired vintage razor. A lot of us have them but just haven't made much effort to sell them because of low interest.

- Murray

Re: hey I'm a new commer to wetshaving

Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2015 5:08 pm
by Squire
Murray makes a point sometimes overlooked, a using vintage razor doesn't require a box, pristine condition or anything like that, just be in good working order.

Re: hey I'm a new commer to wetshaving

Posted: Mon Sep 14, 2015 8:58 pm
by mrjediconsular
what would you pay for a vintage Gillette?

Re: hey I'm a new commer to wetshaving

Posted: Mon Sep 14, 2015 10:38 pm
by CMur12
I bought all my vintage Gillettes a long time ago, so I'm not altogether up to date on current prices. It also depends on the razor and the condition.

I would expect a common Gillette (Tech or Super Speed) in decent user condition to go for around $20.00. Maybe up to $30.00 in really nice condition. In collector condition with case, it would be way more. A Gillette Adjustable would be more, maybe $30.00 and up. These are prices I've seen on the shaving forums. I have no idea what these razors are going for on eBay. A lot of the value will also depend on what it is worth to you to get it at a convenient time, from someone you trust, in the condition that you want.

I caution you that these are very rough ideas for prices. Prices asked on these forums are usually fair. EBay, not so much.

- Murray

Re: hey I'm a new commer to wetshaving

Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2015 7:57 am
by ShadowsDad
After a few years of buying no razors, I'm now on ebay buying a few for a friend in the UK. Now these are SE razors that I'm buying, not vintage Gillettes, that needs to be understood. They are also definitely user grade which means that they work for shaving but might not be pretty. So far I've bought 7; one Flying Wing, 5 OCMMs, and one Neilite 400. No razor has gone over $10 yet. Of course the final delivered price is higher due to shipping cost. Oh, and one of the OCMMs was missing a required blade stop, so the seller and I worked out an arrangement where I keep the razor rather than send it back, and he refunded some of the purchase price. So ultimately my friend got the razor for about $5. All isn't lost with it as I can turn it into an OCMM SEvette for him. I think that the Neilite brought the total up to near $90, but shipping on that was as much as the razor itself; the delivered price didn't go over $20 though.

MFC, if you have time, spend some time on ebay if that's where you'll shop. Start a watch list and pay attention to auction prices and shipping. Pay special attention to condition and if you have a question ask the seller. If it isn't stated in the auction description specifically ask if it is shave useable with all parts in working order. That puts the sale directly on the seller. If the seller beats around the bush with the answer look elsewhere, if the photos are out of focus look elsewhere. You probably won't want to advertise the auction by putting the link here, even if it's allowed (I don't know if it is or not), but pick someone knowledgeable with DE razors to look it over and give advice. Maybe you'll find someone generous enough to help. Understand that who you pick won't be able to see everything going on with a razor and shouldn't be held responsible for a lemon being bought. That's where the questions for the seller come in that you will ask. BTW, you don't want to pick me to look over the auctions. I simply don't know enough about DE razors.

OK, now having written all of that I still think that your best bet is to hang a WTB (want to buy) shingle up in the appropriate section below. A previous user of a razor knows all about it. You still shouldn't be shy about asking questions, even there. I've had nothing but good experiences in the selling/buying sections. Most shavers on these forums are decent folks and if a lousy deal is given word gets around. The point is that rotten apples are extremely few and quite rare. There might be a qualifier that needs to be met to sell, but I've never heard of one to be a buyer on any forum. But check the qualifications required in the appropriate section below. One advantage of hanging a WTB sign up here is that you'll have the eyes of a lot of people automatically watching.

Re: hey I'm a new commer to wetshaving

Posted: Thu Sep 17, 2015 6:46 am
by jww
I'm with Murray on this. I haven't had to get a new razor in at very long time -- probably 6 or 7 years. Except, of course, for the GEM SE Featherweight which I got on a PIF last year. :wink: