Hi from Melbourne SE suburbs

Welcome to the insanity.
Hope your stay is long and mutually beneficial :)
 
Normie said:
I wonder if they're better snapped in half for a shavette than a DE?
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Often you snap them in half for a shavette but not necessary if they fit okay.
 
Normie said:
I wonder if they're better snapped in half for a shavette than a DE?
Click to expand...
Not sure if I get this right but most shavettes are designed to take half blades while some are designed to take full and very few can do both.

The most important thing is, that the edge is really tight and doesn't come out much. It i generally believed that full blade shavettes are better in this regard...

Also please be careful when flipping a blade (if you use a full one) - usually the edge has been damaged...
 
Huzzah! Convinced the wife to let me purchase a new soap from Shaver Heaven! Have now got a tub of peppermint plus on its way! Thank goodness it's no longer going to be I production as that is what got me over the line. Very much looking forward to it showing up! Can't wait to try something other than proraso green... [emoji2]
 
So third shave in with the first merkur blade from my sample pack. In have to admit that I'm not sure why everyone is so negative about them. I could only manage 2 shaves out of the bluebeards revenge blades. Admittedly I haven't used any of the more highly regarded blades yet, but I'm more impressed with the merkur's than the bluebeards so far.
 
Had my first shave Friday morning with my new Shaver Heaven peppermint plus soap. Was a bit rushed, so I didn't get to enjoy the full effects of the soap. Not as convinced with the Merkur blades anymore. I'll have another shave tomorrow morning and try the next blade in the sample pack. Hopefully they get better and better as I move along! Loving the fragrance of the Shaver Heaven soap. I'm sure once I get some more time to experiment with it, I'll achieve that perfect lather.

As for ordering the soap, the whole process was great. And delivery was fast!
 
@Normie, I was never that keen with merkur blades, but you'll find most people throw away a blade after 3-4 shaves.
It may just have been the end of the line for that one.
 
Yeah, it was only the second shave. I'm also not sure whether I may have been rushing and using poor technique. I've only been going for about 3 weeks so far...

I'm also thinking I may have to upgrade my brush. What does everyone recommend? Should I go synthetic or badger?
 
Omega's are my brush of choice. Others will push you towards ever more expensive synths or badgers. You don't have to go that way, but many do
 
I've got an old omega. Apparently it's half synthetic and half badger? Not sure, but I've had it for a number of years. I'm sure my wife got it from the shaver shop.
Edit: it's losing a good few bristles each time I lather.
 
I second what @eggbert said... you won't go wrong with an Omega or semogue boar. They're cheap and do a great job. Same can be said for some of the synths nowadays as well, though the good & cheap ones sell out fast. Maggards have just released a cheap synth that seems to be getting some good reviews. Other options Stirling range (kong 26mm is popular), Razorock Plissoft, Shaver Revolution, Whipped Dog etc. You could spend $50 and get 2 great brushes, then decide if you want to step into badgers which are more expensive for your decent entry brush.

In the end though, DSDF... You may need to go through a few brushes to find the one that's right for you
 
I had seen the maggards new release stuff. Has anyone had dealings with with them before? They have a lot of stuff in their store. I reckon I could spend a few weeks wages easily!
 
One day I will write this mantra for a sticky - but here it goes again: if you are new to the lathering game and have only 1 brush, I would highly recommend a synthetic.

Why: they work perfectly out of the box without breaking in periods etc. AND are the easiest to lather brushes.

Why not boar, horse or badger?
Boar: breaking in period and before that the performance is sub par ESPECIALLY if you are still unsure what you exactly want.
Horse: they can be a bit tricky with the amount of pressure they take.
Badger: a decent badger costs money and cheap ones perform usually poor.

Are synthetics expensive? Definitely not - great ones can be bought in the 20-30 US$ range, some even cheaper than that.

Are you going to try out other brushes? Most likely - but again I think you are making your life unnecessary hard for yourself at the beginning by not starting with a synthetic.

And here 3 personal experiences:

1. my favourite boar is a 10$ omega (49) and it's a nice brush - but only now, because I know what I'm doing. For ~6 months I was giving my neck a rash, just because I mashed in the brush too hard.

2. I personally don't like synthetics, because they are for my tastes soulless - yet my travel brush is a synthetic, because they work so easily.

3. I can not get a great shave without perfect lather.
 
I'm finding my synths lack the ability to hold water.
Best thus far is the Plisson, yet trying to find who makes the knots, so I can source a bigger knot to try is nigh upon impossible.
 
Hmmm, has anyone tried the mens biz synthetics? I think that's the problem with wet shaving. When you start there are so many options it's actually hard to find a starting point.
 
Normie said:
...When you start there are so many options it's actually hard to find a starting point.
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Add in so many opinions and the impact of personal taste and you have a recipe for confusion. Might ponder how we can address this ...
 
I know. Since having my shavette and reading things on here and various other forms, I'm not even sure if I'm going to continue down the straight path or jump head on into the DE rabbit hole...
 
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