Need help with Gillette Tech...

mmortus · Post by **mmortus** » Sun May 17, 2009 1:32 pm

Welcome to SMF Carlos!!! As far as mugs and bowls are concerned it is mainly preference. I use a large style cappuccino mug and it works great for me. One thing you will find in the DE shaving world is that something that works for someone else might now work for you.

Squire · Post by **Squire** » Sun May 17, 2009 2:44 pm

Carlos, the large cup is what I use.

gil3591 · Post by **gil3591** » Sun May 17, 2009 6:33 pm

carlos, you're moving along quite well!

you may want to take a look at www.dirtybirdpottery.com they make a wonderful shaving scuttle. keeps your lather and brush nice and warm. it's a quality product.

Timpac · Post by **Timpac** » Sun May 17, 2009 11:48 pm

Any good ceramic or glass bowl or something similar, ie the cappuccino mug, works great. Those scuttles are cool but generally pricey. And just to throw it out there, on a regular basis, I use the Headblade Sport with Sensor Excel twinblade carts for headshaving due to the convenience of adding only 5 minutes to my shower. Every now and again, I later the dome and rock the DE at the sink. Takes way longer, but very enjoyable on occasion.

los7883 · Post by **los7883** » Mon May 18, 2009 4:38 am

Why would it not be good to start out with a sharp razor? Would I be more prone to nicks and cuts since I'm bearly starting out?

kpf1979 · Post by **kpf1979** » Mon May 18, 2009 7:24 am

Why would it not be good to start out with a sharp razor? Would I be more prone to nicks and cuts since I'm bearly starting out?

More prone to nicks and cuts, yes. Also more prone to irritation. It takes some time to find a proper blade angle, and amount of pressure (almost none) to get a nice shave from a DE. Very sharp blade like the Feather are not very forgiving of mistakes. You might want to start with something more mild; my go to mild is a Derby.

The best advice I can give is find a blade that’s comfortable for you, and work on getting your technique down. Have fun, and good luck

-Kevin

los7883 · Post by **los7883** » Mon May 18, 2009 7:28 am

Off the top of your head do yall know who sells the derby blades, as far as stores like walmart, target, bath and body works or something like that...

Rufust445 · Post by **Rufust445** » Mon May 18, 2009 8:07 am

The only blades available in retail stores that I'm aware of are U.S. Personnas, basic Gillettes at Rite Aid, and Dorcos at K-Mart. None of these are as good as Derbys.

For about what you'd pay for 10 U.S. Personnas at Walgreens, you can get a basic sampler pack from westcoastshaving.com which will give you 20 good blades, including 5 Derbys, 10 Crystals, and 5 Red Personnas.

IMHO the Crystals are comparable to the Derbys, and the Red Personnas and even the Dorco 300's are good for a newbie just starting out.

Squire · Post by **Squire** » Mon May 18, 2009 5:50 pm

Carlos there is a pack of Derby along with a few other brands of blades that were tossed into the container that Erica sent today.

los7883 · Post by **los7883** » Mon May 18, 2009 5:58 pm

Squire wrote:Carlos there is a pack of Derby along with a few other brands of blades that were tossed into the container that Erica sent today.

LOL, man if I woulda known just ten minutes ago...I just ordered a 40 blade sample pack from one of the vendors...

but hey thanks!!! You've hooked me up nicely....I owe ya one!

Squire · Post by **Squire** » Mon May 18, 2009 7:28 pm

Can't have too many blades.

gil3591 · Post by **gil3591** » Mon May 18, 2009 8:44 pm

Squire wrote:Can't have too many blades.

i just ordered the bay rum cream from paul and couldn't resist ordering another 250 super iridiums! that will bring my total to 750. think that will do me for a while?

Squire · Post by **Squire** » Wed May 20, 2009 6:53 am

Better order a few more just to be safe.

desertbadger · Post by **desertbadger** » Wed May 20, 2009 7:20 am

Welcome to SMF Carlos! You're off to a good start, better than most newbies.

los7883 · Post by **los7883** » Thu May 21, 2009 1:00 pm

Well i got the LORD razor today along with the 5 sample razor packs...thanks again Squire!!! I put one of the derby blades in it and contemplated shaving now with my 'canned shaving cream' or waiting till 6:00 when the ups guy drops off my new brush and cream...well i decided to wait, but i did dry shave some of the hair off my arm just to see how the angles work and how close it gets...needless to say it was very smooth, but that dry shaving didn't agree with my skin too much, was burning a little, and i wasn't applying hardly any pressure to the blade. well that was kind of a given since i didn't use any kind of lubricant, just wanted to see what kind of shave i'd get. Waiting on the ups guy then i'll do it right, later tonight when i can have all the time i need, dont wanna rush through it. Just wanted to let yall know i got my stuff and to say thanks again to Squire...that razor's got a pretty good little weight to it!

gotsumoves · Post by **gotsumoves** » Thu May 21, 2009 2:25 pm

congratulations on your first DE, that Squire is quite a gent.

Just from your little experiment you can see that you need time and patience at first. No pressure at all, let the weight of the razor do the work.

Always maintain the proper blade angle and proper lubrication.

Make sure that your lather is not only creamy but very slick.

It wouldn't hurt to watch a couple of Mantic's videos and read a few posts for tips right before you shave.

Play with the lather a bit to try to get the right ratio of water and soap. And the most important thing, HAVE FUN and enjoy your first DE shave.

los7883 · Post by **los7883** » Thu May 21, 2009 4:42 pm

Well i couldnt wait till tonight, i decided to go ahead and do it now

Well here's what i found...

It requires very little cream to create your lather...i used maybe a nickle's size maybe even a little less and i was still able to get four good passes out of it, i probably coudl have gotten another two more passes out of it. The cream was a really nice scent, it is the Rose one from Taylor. I got my Rooney size 3 today, washed it like you guys said, then soaked it in some hot water and Borax. Didn't smell like anything after that, so good. But i must admit it was a little more rough than i thought it was gonna be. I know i didn't get the most expensive one out there but still, it may need to get broken in i'm assuming. The shave itself...man yall weren't kidding when you said watch your angle and dont use any pressure. I'm used to rocking the razor when i shave, i guess because of the way the cartridge ones work, not so with the DE's i assume...so I need to work on keeping the angle the same no matter what. And again no pressure on the blade, i nicked up the left side under my neck a bit, but i can say that was because i wasn't paying attention what i was doing, maybe pressing too hard and rocking the blade. I made four passes and decided to stop at that. It was a pretty good shave but i didn't wanna overdo it. I rinsed with warm water to get rid of the cream then with cold water...oh my gosh that cold water really is COLD...i never used to rinse with cold. Well let me tell you, the bleeding i did have stopped dead in its tracks with the cold water. I then grabbed my aftershave cream...and yes i had alcohol in it and i know that those aren't the best but its all i had. I will admit that it didn't burn as much it does when i use a cartridge razor...so lets see, less bleeding, less burn...SOLD...good enough for me. I washed all my stuff out and set it aside...I like the shave, i think it came out pretty darn good considering it is my first shave...look forward to the next one...thanks again to everyone for their help...see you guys around here on the forum!!!

Squire · Post by **Squire** » Thu May 21, 2009 5:19 pm

Good news Carlos, but maybe just two passes until you get the hang of it.

los7883 · Post by **los7883** » Thu May 21, 2009 6:12 pm

I usually shave once every two three days...should I keep to that routine?

bernards66 · Post by **bernards66** » Thu May 21, 2009 8:24 pm

It will no longer be necessary to do that. The movement is toward daily shaving. You'll get there with a little practice and patience.
Regards,
Gordon