The Manly Shaving Thread

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Edrof said:
What is the significance of the tips? Do they do anything?
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Essentially they're a more aggressive 50s fliartip with a wider, heavier handle and nicer knurling (imo) Rarer too... I'd love to find a decent cheap one :D
It came in three variants throughout the 50s, a US made superspeed, UK made rocket and UK made superspeed (best?) as per Spacemans pic :cool:
They were replaced by the adjustable in the late 50s/early 60s.
 
Well ive pretty much been using feathers since August last year when I first got my DE razor. Anyway I ran out so tried some astra blades I got in a pack with my razor and I was really impressed. I felt it didn't take so much hair off in one pass but left my skin a lot less irritated. I feel it would be better for my skin to do 2 passes with a astra than one pass with a feather.
 
I went and tried the ToBS Avocado for the first time today. As said by most people, the smell is fresh. It doesn't smell so much like avocado and more like cucumber instead. ToBS never fails to create good rich lather. However, I still think the Aaran Aromatics makes a better lather and I prefer its fragrance to the ToBS Avocado and Sandalwoods. I think Arrans will be my go to cream from here on in.
 
Need some advice chaps. Its my dad birthday later this month and he fancies a Merkur type razor. Neither he nor I have any experience/knowledge of this style of shaving so I have a few questions.

I have my eye on the Merkur 34c for no other reason than its been mentioned a lot in this thread. The main questions I have are how do you chose which blades to buy as there seems to be a baffling amount of choice. Also, is it absolutely vital to also buy an expensive brush, cream, aftershave stuffs etc etc?

My budget really cant stretch past £50 which doesn't leave much after spending 30 on the Merkur. Any advice would be most welcome.

Thanks
 
Ahhhhh, thanks Sarge.


Goose, I couldn't find the 34C in stock recently so I went for the much cheaper 23C so consider that to help your budget. It has a longer handle than most (the same length as your everyday Mach 3 type thing, roughly) so it feels familiar to the beginner. It has excellent looks, quality and feel. I asked the guys at Shaving Shack whether there was much difference between the two shavers and they said that, despite the 34C being more popular, you really can't go wrong with a Merkur and the 23C is a good choice. I haven't tried the 34C, so I can't comment on that, but the 23C is great and I can't see why you would need anything more expensive - at least until you really get into it or fancy a change in years to come.

I haven't got a brush or 'proper' creams/soaps/gels yet but I certainly feel the need to get them.
 
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theres a good seller on the bay who sells complete kits for starters, or intermediates or experts. his username is soll1969 he owns his own barber shop and he is very helpful.

I like the taylor of old bond street sandalwood cream, feather blades or astra blades and i just have a cheap boar brush which works fine.

He sells a badger brush for 9.99. Have a look on the bay for shaving kits theres some nice sets out there, you will not find a merkur 34c anywhere they are very hard to get at min, so much so that a 2nd hand one sold on ebay last weekend for £35 which is more than they are new so it makes sense to get a 23c.
 
Is that £9.99 brush going to be terrible, though? He also sells a Taylor of Old Bond Street SANDLEWOOD Shaving Cream and Shaving Brush set for only £11.50. Are these a false economy?
 
I had a go shaving with a electric shaver last night and it's bloody horrible! It was a brand new Braun my mate bought, the actual shave was crap and uneven with the shaver getting rid of some hair and leaving tufts of hair in other places. I took my time, went slow and at different directions cleaning it now and again but it was still horrid and afterwards my face felt tingly and crap.

Don't know if it's because that was my 1st time with a electric shaver but i'd never use one again. Sticking to my trusty, beautiful DB89 that does the job right.
 
Goose said:
Need some advice chaps. Its my dad birthday later this month and he fancies a Merkur type razor. Neither he nor I have any experience/knowledge of this style of shaving so I have a few questions.

I have my eye on the Merkur 34c for no other reason than its been mentioned a lot in this thread. The main questions I have are how do you chose which blades to buy as there seems to be a baffling amount of choice. Also, is it absolutely vital to also buy an expensive brush, cream, aftershave stuffs etc etc?

My budget really cant stretch past £50 which doesn't leave much after spending 30 on the Merkur. Any advice would be most welcome.

Thanks
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Here's what I'd go for.

Razor: Edwin Jagger DE89/DE86 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Edwin-Jagger-De89bl-Chrome-Plated/dp/B003LW4L2W
£20 delivered. Similar shave to the Murkur and made in the same factory, great value for money. They hold their value really well too.

Brush: Vulfix 660 Super badger.http://diamondedgeltd.com/acatalog/Progress-Vulfix-shaving-brushes.html#a4647
£16 Delivered. Miles better than anything else in the same price bracket.

Blades: Derbys come with the razor, they're OK but you can get better Personnas from Asda for £1.70ish. (Your Dad can start to think about all the others later)
Soap: Palmolive shave stick. 50p from most supermarkets. Awesome way to learn how to use a brush/face lather and DE razor, super product.
Aftershave: Most products from the supermarket will do tbh. I've been using Groomed Post Shave Balm from Asda over the last few days. Another good product from Creightons.

Total: £40. Spend the rest on a TOBS cream or a fancy aftershave splash?
 
Captain Planet said:
I went and tried the ToBS Avocado for the first time today. As said by most people, the smell is fresh. It doesn't smell so much like avocado and more like cucumber instead. ToBS never fails to create good rich lather. However, I still think the Aaran Aromatics makes a better lather and I prefer its fragrance to the ToBS Avocado and Sandalwoods. I think Arrans will be my go to cream from here on in.
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Ohh interesting, another one to keep an eye out for... They had a sale on recently > http://www.arranaromatics.com/listcategoryandproducts.asp?CategoryID=16
(Thank goodness it's finished, I don't have enough space :p)
 
Captain Planet said:
Had some new creams arrived and today I tried the Arran Aromatics Citrus Bay. First impressions, the packaging is quality and the cream smells very nice and fresh. The quality of the lather is excellent, I preferred it to ToBS. It performed well and left my skin without nicks or irritation. Overall, I do recommend! :D
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Damn you ;)

I've nearly finished one of my tubs of ToBS Shaving Shop and it's totally irrelevant that I've got about 15 other tubs of various different creams on the side!
 
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