Gentlemen,
Okay, after getting my dad's old Gillette DE razor (a '61 fatboy, I think) I kind of waited a while to try it out. I watched a few shaving vids of youtube... and I tried some of the techniques using a Mach 3 razor. I added a little water to my Barbasol shaving cream, shaved lightly the first time, and then re-applied the cream for a second pass in the opposite direction: I was blown away. I have a very heavy beard; there is not an electric in the world that could give me even a reasonable shave. Well, with my Mach 3 and a few techniques of wet shaving, I got the absolute closest shave of my life. I was truly astonished!
Now, with a few super close, awesome shaves under my belt, I went to Walmart (Gunnison, by the way, has the world's smallest Walmart) and purchased 10 DE blades for $2.17, plus tax. Wow, much cheaper, MUCH, than Mach 3 blades!
But they did not have shaving "soap" or brushes. So, I went home and just sort of went for it. Uh, most disappointing. I used the regular Barbasol shaving cream, with a little water. I set the razor to "3" thinking I had to start somewhere. Well, I have shaved twice, and both shaves were pretty bad. Razor burn, several cuts, and a just barely acceptable closeness that was most disappointing.
So, with all that being said, here are my questions:
1) Do I need better blades?
2) Do I NEED a shaving brush/special soap or cream? Or can I use the commonly found basic old shaving cream? I am on a very limited budget: any suggestions on brushes that are affordable and/or cheap?
3) Perhaps my technique needs work (most probably)
4) What number should I set the adjustable razor on?
5) Will I be happy if I go out and buy a bunch of stuff to shave with? ie can I get that kick ass, super close shave that I managed to get from my Mach 3?
Thanks for the help!!
Okay, after getting my dad's old Gillette DE razor (a '61 fatboy, I think) I kind of waited a while to try it out. I watched a few shaving vids of youtube... and I tried some of the techniques using a Mach 3 razor. I added a little water to my Barbasol shaving cream, shaved lightly the first time, and then re-applied the cream for a second pass in the opposite direction: I was blown away. I have a very heavy beard; there is not an electric in the world that could give me even a reasonable shave. Well, with my Mach 3 and a few techniques of wet shaving, I got the absolute closest shave of my life. I was truly astonished!
Now, with a few super close, awesome shaves under my belt, I went to Walmart (Gunnison, by the way, has the world's smallest Walmart) and purchased 10 DE blades for $2.17, plus tax. Wow, much cheaper, MUCH, than Mach 3 blades!
But they did not have shaving "soap" or brushes. So, I went home and just sort of went for it. Uh, most disappointing. I used the regular Barbasol shaving cream, with a little water. I set the razor to "3" thinking I had to start somewhere. Well, I have shaved twice, and both shaves were pretty bad. Razor burn, several cuts, and a just barely acceptable closeness that was most disappointing.
So, with all that being said, here are my questions:
1) Do I need better blades?
2) Do I NEED a shaving brush/special soap or cream? Or can I use the commonly found basic old shaving cream? I am on a very limited budget: any suggestions on brushes that are affordable and/or cheap?
3) Perhaps my technique needs work (most probably)
4) What number should I set the adjustable razor on?
5) Will I be happy if I go out and buy a bunch of stuff to shave with? ie can I get that kick ass, super close shave that I managed to get from my Mach 3?
Thanks for the help!!