having read the threads in the past, then prompted by i-aches thread the other day, i ordered up a £2.50 lord razor from the shaving shack.

what a revelation; i had good stubble, no brush, just cheapo shaving foam, did’nt bother to watch any youtube ‘how to’ clips, just went for it. great shave! one minuscule nick on an old scar that i often catch anyway with a mach3 and thats about it.

in-fact my biggest prob was my glasses misting up as i hoped out the shower and to the sink to shave.

so good call guys, de-razors are a good thing.

now, what ‘decent’ blades to get, oh and a brush, soapy stuff yes…

soap – cheap -> arko, expensive -> mitchell’s wool fat. used both, both excellent, arko edges it for me though
brush – i use a wilkinson’s from a supermarket, took a couple of months to soften, but softened nicely and I wouldn’t swap it
blades – i use gillette 7 oclock and happy with them, occaisionally getting a box of derby’s to use the plasic case as a disposal box. blades are a very prsonal choice, best advice is probably to get one of the mixed packs and acceptt hat some aren’t going to work for you
aftershave – i really, really like proraso as an everyday splash – fresh smell feels great
and for max shaving niche-ness, shaving mug – a tin mug from alcatraz (mitchell’s fits just so) or an old oyster shell (arko is soft and can be moulded in to anything)

I find Arko soap excellent.

Astra or Feathers blades for me. Some people find feathers too sharp mind, it’s easier to catch yourself with them.

Just ordered an Edwin Jagger razor, Derby and Feather blades, Taylor of Bond St badger brush and shave cream from Shaving shack. I have to say after shopping around their service and response to questions was great, MUCH better than any of their competiton. Just hope the kit works nicely as it cost £50, but then gillette razors are crazy money (I recently started with a cheap Boots DE and do ocasionally nick myself but getting better)

nacho – any chance you can let me know how you get on with the new razor compared to your current cheapie. i’m curiuos to know how much/if any difference there is between a cheap one and the better ones. for instance are they more efficient and do you get a better shave, or is it just the build quality and weight of the razor thats the difference.

gavtheoldskater – I’ve just moved from the cheapo Wilkinson Sword DE, that Boots stock, to a Merkur 933 Travel razor. I used the Wilkinson Sword one for about a year before deciding to change, main excuse was to get one a bit more compact for travelling, and I can honestly say there was an improvement in closeness of shave but it wasn’t a gigantic leap forward in performance. I tried the new razor first with the same blades I’d already been using which may explain it, since then I am on Israeli blades which are way better so next I may put these blades in the Wilkinson Sword razor and see what happens.

Use either feathers or Astra/7 o’clock in my Gillette Tech razor with Blue beards wool fat soap. EJ badger brush.