Looking back, what advice would you give your newbie self?

[sonofgaladriel]

I'm trying to not jump too far down the rabbit hole with the plethora of options out there when it comes to razors, brushes, bowls, soaps, creams, blades, ect...… but I am already tempted with so many 'nice, shiny, new things to try' that I've already come across in the few weeks I've been researching this hobby/grooming necessity!
Help me 'try' to avoid any missteps or splurges as I venture in!
So, looking back, what advice would you give your newbie self when it comes to hardware, software, and other purchases/pursuits?

 

[R181]

It is not the gear that is important in getting a good close comfortable shave but your technique with the razor and lathering. The vast majority of products are capable of giving you a fine shave if you know how to use them. There are some exceptions but generally it is the person looking back at you from the mirror that is deficient not the gear. You really can't buy yourself a hugely better shave. Only excellent technique will get you there.

Once you can get consistently close comfortable shaves from basic inexpensive gear then there is nothing wrong with going down whatever rabbit hole of acquisitions that pleases you.

Bob

 

[p.b]

just spend as much as your comfortable with and don't worry about advice - its a journey of discovery that's almost entirely personal. Have fun.

 

[JoeLr]

Yeah, have fun with it. Every decision isn't do or die. Maybe come up with a bottom line total amount you feel comfortable spending over a certain amount of time. Accept that you'll buy stuff you will end up not liking, and will need to eat it or sell at a significant loss. It happens.

 

[les24preludes]

Depends how much of an obsessive personality you have......

Many of us lack self control when it comes to new toys.

 

[TobyC]

"Looking back, what advice would you give your newbie self?"

Nothing, I started with a Gillette OLD and German Wilkinson Sword blades, and the shaves were perfect and incredible from day one.

And I still say the OLD is the best DE razor ever made.

I do wish I had started gathering all the old razors I could find back in the '70's. They had little value then, could've had Double Rings for a quarter a pop, nobody knew what they were.

 

[sonofgaladriel]

I'm going to try to limit myself to perhaps another nice SE razor, hopefully the Vector, and perhaps invest in a better brush down the road. I can already foresee many different soaps/creams and after shaves in the future.

 

[N0ggie]

its a journey of discovery that's almost entirely personal.

So true, just a great quote.

I would just say do what makes you happy, go for it. When the fun stops, stop as they say.
I will certainly look forward to that (defiantly upcoming I sense) post of your first outing with that Vector!

 

[Chris]

Stay off the forums.

Technique is king, not equipment. Pick up a Gillette Tech, a decent brush and a soap you like and that’s all you need. Anything after that is fripperies and trinkets. By all means buy fripperies and trinkets if you fancy but you’re not going to buy a better shave.

I started with a Merkur 34 and TBH I could have saved a ton of money by just sticking with it and I’d still be getting a great shave.

 

[Pattorashu]

Slap myself and tell me to start DE shaving earlier.

 

[Steinmetzify]

Stick with one razor, blade, soap and brush for as long as it takes to get consistently great shaves.

I fell down every rabbit hole there is when I first started.....as a result, I have more soaps and brushes than I can ever use.

I decided to try this advice, and used the same blade and soap for about 6 weeks.....as a result I can shave pretty comfortably with almost any gear I own; I know when I haven't used enough water in the lather or too much, how long these blades will last in this razor, etc.

I got that advice a great deal when I first started and it took me almost a year to take it. Wish I would have done it a lot sooner...

 

[Ventastic]

When you feel the need to try something new, the BST is a great way to save some money. If it doesn‘t work for you, you can resell at a comparatively small loss.

 

[Boycie83]

"You'll need more storage space than that, son!"

 

[Steve Bowles]

If you find something that works, don't look for something 'better'. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

 

[les24preludes]

If you find something that works, don't look for something 'better'. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

So true. But how do we know that something better isn't just round the corner? When I started collecting I believed there was a good chance I'd come across something better. But after getting a Micromatic Clog-Pruf, a R41 and a Karve OC E plate I became convinced that any gains would be of the order of 5-10%. A couple of Timeless razors came and went fairly speedily. At that point I stopped collecting.

Soaps are different - new fragrances can be stimulating. Brushes...... Two or three of each, synth, boar and badger are probably enough for most, though not all of us!. Razor blades can always be sharper, that's an endless quest. But fortunately they're the cheapest item. I don't use AS or perfume, but that's another currency ambush.

You'd be surprised how little time it takes for £1,000 to disappear from your life.