Beginner's questions

Fzoul · Post by **Fzoul** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 5:39 pm

Order some Cremo Cream for the wife and she'll forgive you for what you spend. Remember: light touch with the DE and the rest will be easier than you think.

There are videos out there on the "how to" portion of holding and shaving;

Dr. Moss, have a Butchers at your files - I think that's where I've seen it. (I think Wiltshire is Southwest and not London - just couldn't help myself). Got to go, my plates are killing me!!!

Pomination · Post by **Pomination** » Thu Sep 14, 2006 5:49 am

Hi all, how is the going ?

Well, a few questions yet. For the moment I'm shaving with a Wilkinson 3D razor. It's 3 blades cartridge.

The thing is the blade is quite dull after only two days.... so i'm wondering if my beard is not a bit strong and if the Merkur HD will suit for me ?

Few months ago I've been offered a straight razor, a Thiers-Issard. The exact model is this one :
http://www.knifecenter.com/kc_new/store ... html?s=J65

So I read Dr Moss guide and it seems I need hine and strop but they are quite expensive for me.

According to you, should I start with a DE or the straight ?

Thanks.

ScottS · Post by **ScottS** » Thu Sep 14, 2006 7:12 am

The risk of buying a straight from a vendor like that is that they are often not sharpened to a "shave-ready" condition, and this can be very frustrating. There are some vendors who sharpen up new blades and some who recondition and sell vintage blades. This is actually less risky than using a razor off the shelf. I suggest the forums at straightrazorplace.com if you're considering a straight.

Pomination · Post by **Pomination** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 10:21 am

OK now this is done !
I bought the full set at ClassicShaving :
- Merkur HD
- Vulfix #405
- Taylor's rose.
- a bowl and stands.

I will first try with all of this and maybe later (months...years) will try to use my straight and buy hone and strop.

I hope this will give me smoother and closer result than Wilkinson (Shick ?) Protector 3D and Mennen Sensitive foam in can

Thanks again for all your advices.

erekose · Post by **erekose** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 8:40 pm

Hi there !!

I just jumped into here yesterday (I also happen to be French, is there an invasion starting ??

)

I'm also waiting for my new toys to be delivered. Maybe you can have a look at here where you can have a sampler pack of 5 brands of blades to check which one you prefer (50 blades for 28$ shipping to France included)

Julien

texasPI · Post by **texasPI** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 9:06 pm

erekose wrote:Hi there !!

I just jumped into here yesterday (I also happen to be French, is there an invasion starting ?? )

I'm also waiting for my new toys to be delivered. Maybe you can have a look at here where you can have a sampler pack of 5 brands of blades to check which one you prefer (50 blades for 28$ shipping to France included)

Julien

Darn those French guys! As if they didn't already get all they women but now that you'll exquisitely groomed we Americans don't stand a chance!

WelcomeJulien!

EDIT: Darn typos! I won;t fix them because my I hurt my left elbow so it hurts

erekose · Post by **erekose** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 3:06 am

texasPI wrote: Darn those French guys! As if they didn't already get all they women but now that you'll exquisitely groomed we Americans don't stand a chance!

WelcomeJulien!

Hurry up, you still have time left while we learn how to use this torture stuff

Julien

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 6:47 am

Pomination wrote:Well, a few questions yet. For the moment I'm shaving with a Wilkinson 3D razor. It's 3 blades cartridge.

The thing is the blade is quite dull after only two days.... so i'm wondering if my beard is not a bit strong and if the Merkur HD will suit for me ?

I had the same problem as you. My beard is extremely tough and I would destroy a cartridge blade after two shaves. But since switching to a safety razor and using Israeli blades I can now go for four shaves then change the blade. It's great.

I see you bought a razor that many, many guys around here recommend newbies to start with. Good job. I don't know much about the brush, but most any brush will do the job. It's all about finding the right brush for your personal tastes.

GregPQ · Post by **GregPQ** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 7:54 pm

Salut!

Un chalereux bonjour à tous les Français qui lisent ce forum..

Pomination (what a name?!), I have the Merkur HD and it is a great razor. I love its weight. It is definitely a man's razor.

I was in Paris in April and saw several DE razor blades in a Monoprix, including some French Gillettes. You can't go wrong with Merkur blades. Many on this forum, including myself, have very good luck with the Israeli Personna blades, which can be purchased on an eBay "store" for around $20 USD for 100 blades.

Your choice of brush and shaving cream is excellent.

For me the biggest difference between a DE shave and a cartridge shave or an electric shave is this: it lasts much, much longer. Even if your DE shave is not BBS

(doux comme les fesses d'un bébé: Baby Bottom Smooth) you will find that it will last much longer than a Mach3 or electric.

Bonne chance et n'oubliez pas de nous tenir au courant. Votre anglais est superbe!

A vous,
Greg

erekose · Post by **erekose** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 12:34 am

GregPQ wrote:Salut! Un chalereux bonjour à tous les Français qui lisent ce forum..

It's always a pleasure to be so warmly welcomed

GregPQ wrote: I was in Paris in April and saw several DE razor blades in a Monoprix, including some French Gillettes.

That's something funny, almost every supermarket sells at least 1 brand of DE razor blades (Usually french Gilllettes, but also Wilkinson), but it's impossible to find the razor itself except in luxury or specialized stores ($$$). I'm now waiting for my razor and a little experience to compare the franch Gillettes to the other blades of the sample pack from letterK

GregPQ wrote: Bonne chance et n'oubliez pas de nous tenir au courant. Votre anglais est superbe!

Your french grammar is far better than most french forum guys'.

erekose · Post by **erekose** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 12:38 am

GregPQ wrote:Salut! Un chalereux bonjour à tous les Français qui lisent ce forum..

It's always a pleasure to be so warmly welcomed

GregPQ wrote: I was in Paris in April and saw several DE razor blades in a Monoprix, including some French Gillettes.

That's something funny, almost every supermarket sells at least 1 brand of DE razor blades (Usually french Gilllettes, but also Wilkinson), but it's impossible to find the razor itself except in luxury or specialized stores ($$$). I'm now waiting for my razor and a little experience to compare the french Gillettes to the other blades of the sample pack from letterK.

GregPQ wrote: Bonne chance et n'oubliez pas de nous tenir au courant. Votre anglais est superbe!

Your french grammar is far better than most french forums guys' ... congratulations, that's not the easiest thing in the world

Julien

GregPQ · Post by **GregPQ** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 6:02 pm

/-- =right

T =wrong

Chris,
You are truly a gifted emoticon artist. This is so clear, so concise, so...RIGHT. I've been using a DE for over a year now, and I used your symbols to correct my angle. It works!

Carry on doctor.

Greg

Pomination · Post by **Pomination** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 1:59 am

Thanks for the welcome Greg.

Well concenring the time it takes, well.... it already takes me half an hour to shave with a cartridge...I simply don't press the blade to avoid cuts. So I already need to make at least 3 passes.

With the electric one, it's about 15 minutes but 6 hours after I can shave again

I did not receive yet ma razor and all the stuff. That's not a suprise, it takes about 8 working days to come from USA to France.

I'll probably receive them next week. Too bad ClassicShaving do not ship through UPS or FedEx.

As Julien said, it's quite impossible to find DE razors except in luxury stores in Paris (yes Monoprix in Paris is far luxury than in suburbs

) and for a dement price.

Prices are higher when stuff comes from England too ! this is EEC....

Pomination · Post by **Pomination** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 2:09 am

TADAA !!!! The great day has come.

I've just received my full set today. Very nice stuff. The badger is very soft and well built.
Well I couldn't wait trying it so I went on. To be honest I was frightened with having a terrible shave and to finish like Scarface because of all the "newbie's" posts I read there.

Anyway, I did everything like I learned here. The lather was very easy to obtain. In half a minute, my bowl was full of beautiful and scented lather. I'm afraid m bow is a bit too small....

So I lathered up. Badger is very useful. The lather is so better applied than with hands. I then started my 3 passes like I always do.

I had no problem with the angle. I didn't really mind about it, I found it natural to do. That's what surprised me the more. It was so easy to shave...

The shave was really smooth. So smooth I wondered if it really cuts my hairs..

Well after 3 passes I was completely BBS. Awsome !
The against the grain was so smooth....
And it only took half an hour to shave, just like with the 3-blade.

It was so amazing that i thought I found the definitve razor

But quite a quarter of hour after, my skin reminded me I maybe have played a bit too much with the razor.....

My neck is quite red and jaws a bit painful despite after shave balm.
Well maybe my skin will have to get used with this new razor.

Overall, I'm very impressed. The shave is not that hard and even very easy to do. And so smooth. I think this is due to the lather, what a difference with a can !!!

So many thanks to all of you who gave advices and for this fantastic forum. I don't regret my buying. Very happy man here

Gatorade · Post by **Gatorade** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 7:05 am

Very nice! Yeah the razor does have a little more bite to it than the cartridges. So it will take a little time to get used to it. Also small changes in the angle of the razor will also make a difference but you will have to play with that on your own. When you find a good angle you will know it both during and after you shave. Now go have some great bread with some great cheese and some great wine for me!

That was one of the things I notice when I visit France is that even the cheap table wine for $3-$4 USD was great compared to the same price over here. The customs people must have thought I was nuts bringing back 5 bottles with a declared value under $20. That trip was a few years ago and I still have some bottles with the green seal on the top!

GregPQ · Post by **GregPQ** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 8:31 am

That was one of the things I notice when I visit France is that even the cheap table wine for $3-$4 USD was great compared to the same price over here. The customs people must have thought I was nuts bringing back 5 bottles with a declared value under $20. That trip was a few years ago and I still have some bottles with the green seal on the top!

Not to hijack this thread, but my wife and I had the same experience with wine, specifically Cotes du Rhone red wine, in Paris this April. Every glass ordered in a cafe was excellent. One night I bought a bottle from a local convenience store, a very SMALL convenience store, for 5 euros. It was excellent, the equivalent of a $18 USD wine in the US.

Back to thread: sounds like pretty good results for first DE shave. No blood? I am satisfied with 2 Nord-Sud passes, that is to say, WITH the grain. Maybe for a beginner you could try that for a couple days if you face is sore!

En tout cas, vous n'etes plus une vierge dans le monde des DE!

Regards,
Greg

Pomination · Post by **Pomination** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 10:39 am

No no blood at all. As I said, I was very surprised how easy was the shave, I found it quite natural.

The redness went over after 1 hour. Definitely a very good experience for me.
Finally the angle is something logic. You just have to align the blade with top and botom of the "plate" that keep the blade.

Concerning wines, yes we have very good ones at low price, especailly Bordeaux.

But the razors.....

Pomination · Post by **Pomination** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 1:22 pm

I don't know why, but my hairs seem to grow faster with that kind of shave.

Maybe because the skin is less dmaged by the blade.

Pomination · Post by **Pomination** » Tue Sep 26, 2006 8:22 am

Whoh ! the second shave is another story....
Bad shave and somewhat painful !
Lot of nicks and really bad shaved.

Maybe I put too much pressure, don't know. I'll let my skin having rest for one day.