Lots of people like the taller blades, but my preferences are solidly in 4/8 - 6/8. I find taller razors harder to manipulate in a lot of areas of my face. Still, an unclean result seems more likely to indict the edge than the shape. I'm assuming your technique is fine because, if I understand you correctly, you've been shaving with smaller razors for 20 years.
Not me, never the least bit of interest. DE shaving is as effective but you don't really need much skill, it's safer, and extremely low maintenance. Straights are for guys with way more testosterone than I have remaining...
Muhle makes some very nice stuff. The set I posted in post #161 is just awesome. I opted for they synthetic bristles in that brush because I have a few silvertip badger brushes already and wanted to try the synthetic bristles. I'm slowly coming around to them and boar over badger. I find Astras to work as well as anything else I've tried. And I think you mean Taylor of Old Bond Street? I freakin' love their Sandalwood Cream. Smells nothing like real sandalwood but it's one of my top 2-3 shaving creams out of the 15+ I've got in my cabinet.
I don't think it is an edge issue. My previous ones have always been 4/8's and I'm just having steering/manipulating probs with the new one. Guess it is just part of the learning curve
I think earlier in the thread I said I used Colonel Conk cream, when it's actually Taylor of Old Bond Street Sandalwood. Taylor container is there staring me in the face every time I shave, while the puck of Colonel Conk soap is in the bottom drawer, still unopened after about 10 years.
I think in fairness two years ago when they did their market research, and thought they had a product price it was decent. They've since found that their MSRP is not something they can hit easily with the options they thought they could, it happens, I don't think you are missing anything. That having been said, the older companies have not been innovating, not trying new things on the market, and sort of letting things ride, so I'm happy when anyone shows up to try to at least get some life into the space. I know there are limits to the market, for example guys who one-bag travel cannot fly with a DE without a logistic tail on the other end, but that said, there are few travel sets on the market and the ones that do exist are not really "gym locker" or "world traveler" kind of rigs. Another factor is that although these guys didn't hit their price point, as soon as you get outside CONUS, most of the boutique makers basically double or triple in price based on poor shipping optimization even before the exchange rate, so a more international option is good since a lot of the boutique stuff is just not marketed out here in the wasteland.
It has been done, often, but my impression is that many straight razor shavers switch to a DE razor for their head.
Friend, you're doing it all wrong.
No hedge trimmers?
Straight razors do not clog. It doesn't matter how long your beard is, you can't clog a single blade with nothing around it.
