Reddit reviews 80 BEST Double Edge Blade Sampler FEATHER BLUEBIRD ASTRA NACET BIC 7 O'CLOCK DERBY

My $.02 (For ease of use everything is linked to Amazon, prices will vary)

Razor: Merkur 180, $32

Brush: Escali 100% Pure Badger, $14

Shaving Cream: Proraso, $11

Blades: Sampler Pack, $20

And then that leaves ~$20 to play with to buy a a nice book on shaving, or a shaving stand, or some aftershave

Well, I'm also new at this, so take everything I saw with a grain of salt. I think you should get a different sampler, which includes a greater variety of blades. Everyone can link you to what they got, but you know what's in your budget, and what you want. Here's what I got. It's missing a few popular brands (namely, Sharks), but it does it for me.

As for everyone saying not to get that particular razor, it's the one I chose and I'm extremely satisfied with it.

As far as the aftershave goes, I don't use aftershave. I do use a facial moisturizer that I had laying around my bathroom. That being said, I'd probably get one if I wasn't really poor. But if you're satisfied without it, why spend more money than you need?

Lastly, have you thought about trying any soaps, as opposed to cream? You can get some Colonel Conk soap for very cheap (the general consensus is that it's a decent soap, but not special).

Get a Edwin Jagger De89 it's a very nice medium DE and comes with good blades, a franks shaving brush I like this brush more than the Edwin Jagger 1ej946sds, a blade sampler pack every face and razor is different so what works well for one person in a razor may not work well for someone if you don't like it else change the blade, once you find a blade you like order in bulk , and [Proraso Shaving Cream ](http://www.amazon.com/Proraso-Shaving-Cream-5-2-147 /dp/B000RI8BZQ) this will last you for a while. Now come join us over at /r/wicked_edge/.

blades http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0049ARM26/ref=oh_o00_s01_i00_details

ej razor http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001VSX0XY/ref=oh_o00_s01_i02_details

simpson brush (i think this is a great deal) http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002P9J1QS/ref=oh_o03_s00_i00_details

tobs cream http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001L6X522/ref=oh_o00_s00_i02_details

stand http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001XURHNY/ref=oh_o00_s00_i00_details

soap http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007MW6ZI/ref=oh_o00_s00_i01_details

as far as other tips, i scoured this and the badger and blade website for hours to try and figure out what would work. so my advice would be to replicate what i got. but the interesting thing is that everyone has different opinions -- even down to what razor pack to buy -- so at some point you just need to get something and see how it works. but, for instance, i got the edwin jagger de because i was about to get a muhle and realized they were identical aside from the $40 price difference.

Personally,

I'd skip the stand. It's not necessary. Go to a cigar store and find a nice cigar box for a dollar or two.

Take the money you saved and get this sampler instead.

The 180 is fine I'm sure, but I think a DE89 is the way to go. That or a vintage Gillette in good shape.

I just ordered my beginning DE set, so I haven't shaved yet. But based on my research:

I got this blade sampler $16 because it has a decent variety of brands, and I read somewhere it's better to have more than one or two blades per brand when you're experimenting. If you're willing to spend a little more, maybe try this $40 sampler with 21 brands, I'd say that's your best bet for finding a brand you like.

Split the difference with this $25 sampler, 12 brands to try.

Edwin Jagger De89

Omega 48

Blade Sampler

Ogalla bay aftershave, I have this sampler and it comes with five two ounce bottles.

Alum Block

Leisureguy recommended me this soap as a pre shave soap

I have this shaving soap and I love it

I would also recommend this book by Leisureguy

I have just switched over and have all of this but the brush and razor(I have a Merkur razor and Tweezerman brush) and I love it all.

As someone who just switched from cartridge razors about a month ago:

>The first is it takes a lot more skill and effort to use the safety razor.

I couldn't disagree more. I was terrified at first, and was almost shocked at how easy it was to pick up. I nicked myself once, the very first time - and haven't seriously since. And really, that's why god invented styptic pencils.

>With the safety I might be able to shave the time down to 15 but it's still with much greater effort.

...I don't know how you're shaving that it takes you 15 minutes. I mean, if you're using a brush and everything - yeah, probably - but I don't currently have the money to invest in one, so I've been using regular old shaving cream from a can (I know, blasphemy. I'm sure I'll switch eventually - but seriously, it works just fine.)
You have to make shorter strokes than you would with a cartridge razor, but that's it. It takes maybe a minute longer - but not significantly so, or I wouldn't do it. ~5-7 minutes, max.

>Third thing is cutting yourself is more common but it's not just easier to do, you can also actually leave a scar if you haphazardly use it on your face or rush.

Again, I was terrified of this, and find this to be incredibly misleading. You can nick yourself, but you honestly would have to try pretty damn hard to cut yourself any worse than you could with a cartridge razor. Maybe if you, like, sliced it horizontally across your cheek or something, but why would you do that?

In addition, while it does have a higher intro price - from that point on, your blades are dirt cheap. I mean, seriously cheap. Like, 100 blades for ~$15 cheap, though when first starting, you should spend a little more and get a variety pack to see what blades work best for you. Even still, it pays for itself inside a month or two.

For anyone looking to switch - this is the one /r/wicked_edge recommended me, and I've loved it so far. I'd never switch back, because I honestly haven't found a single downside. Blades are cheap, shaving is quick and close, and most importantly to me - my face doesn't constantly hurt anymore. If you're prone to razor burn, a safety razor will change your life.

Seriously, take a look at Leisureguy's book. It'll help you decide if wet shaving is for you (it's not for everyone).

Bought/read his book?

Good! Now go out and buy some things.

If you're one to go off the beaten path, look on ebay for vintage Gillette razors or check out your local antique shops. You should be able to get a "vintage" razor for between $5-$15 if you look hard enough.

Next get yourself a good, yet cheaper brush, a blade sampler pack, some soap and/or shaving cream, and an alum block. Have a Bath & Body Works nearby? Pick up this.

At this point, going for a pricey brush/soap doesn't make as much sense, IMO - you're just testing the waters here. There will be plenty of time later to buy a fancier brush (*cough*). The trick here will be to see if you like it more than using a multi-blade cartridge/electric razor.

Cheers, and good luck!

Well, let's see...

• Prep - While I don't do a stand-alone pre-shave face wash, I do use a glycerin soap in the shower immediately prior to shaving. It's not MRGLO, and it does get rinsed and dried before shaving. After the shower, I splash with hot water and leave it wet as I make my lather.
  
• Blade angle/pressure - I think I'm pretty conscientious about the angle and pressure. Usually I start with the cap against my skin and rotate slightly until i get blade contact. I try to use as close to no pressure as possible. There are a couple of spots that are tricky, and I do sometimes catch myself scraping a bit.
  
• Beard grain - I've got a pretty good handle on that. After switching to a DE, I spent so much time just feeling my face and neck marveling at the difference in texture from past shaves. For the most part, the grain runs downward with the exception of my neck, which runs to the right. I do WTG, XTG, ATG on my cheeks, chin and upper lip and get a wonderful BBS finish. On my neck, I just can't seem to get it. I get the best results with an XTG pass in each direction, with a couple more passes rotating closer to ATG each time. I can't manage to go ATG (Rt to Lt) on my neck without nicks and burning.
  
• Lather - I get pretty good lather: nice firm peaks in the bowl, fully opaque coverage on my face, brushed on in nice tight circles. I thought I had good lather when I was using the VDH soap I got starting out, but a new puck of TOBS really opened my eyes on that.
  
• Blades - I'm still working though my original sample pack. There are a couple of losers like the Trig I mentioned above. So far, I get the best results from the Astra Platinum, Feather and Gillette Goals.
  
• Post-shave - Prior to my latest purchases, I finished with a splash of witch hazel. I've now acquired and use an alum block, rubbed over the skin while still wet from rinsing. I let that sit while I brush my teeth, then splash with water, pat dry and rub on a little Pinaud Clubman.
  
  For the most part, I don't really get much razor burn unless I try to hard for BBS on my neck. I just can't seem to get good results there. The Fusion experiment the other night did give me a burn, but that's obviously a result of the dry scrub. I don't plan on returning to cartridge shaves, but I am frustrated that the cartridge was able to get me BBS on my neck where I've failed so far with the DE.

I'm still trying to decide which blade is best for me. I bought this back in august. I don't shave often. Just recently started using the ones from this order. I'm good for next year and a half I think.