Getting Started?

[Michael J. Spangler]

alright i looked into this a while back... i kind of faded away from it. but the new job has me clean shaven every day. and i've read Tim Zowadas article in the new blade magazine a few dozen times. so i think i wanna persure this again.

where do you guys buy your stuff from? i'm trying to find a reasonable place to buy from, since its a good deal of money to invest i wanna know i'm getting the best bang for my buck.

i have a ton of old razors sitting around, and a few badger brushes. a mug and soap are easy enough. but what brand soap?

thanks a lot

 

[xChris]

I get alot of my stuff from online, but there are still plenty of places to get it locally.

Drug stores (e.g., CVS, Walgreens, RiteAid, Walmart, etc.) will probably have Williams Mug soap or Surrey (aka Van Der Hagen) soap. These are quite inexpensive, but lack luxury. They may also have some shaving cream available -- Palmolve (i think the red tube is for brush lathering).

The malls... Look for a Crabtree & Evelyn store, as they will have a few of their scents in both soaps and creams. The Body Shop will have some choices of scents in a cream, and [I believe] carry Proraso (Italian, eucalyptus scent) re-branded as Bigelow. Some tobacco shops might carry the Col Conk shaving products (mostly glycerin soaps). L'Occitane may have a store in your area too; their stuff is on the pricier side though.

Now for online. It's a smorgasbord of shaving soaps and creams. You can get shaving products from manufacturers from anywhere around the world. Also, a lot of cottage/home-based soapers sell some great soaps and creams. Here's just some of the websites to check out:

http://www.qedusa.com/
http://www.vintagebladesllc.com/
http://www.classicshaving.com/
http://www.leesrazors.com/
http://www.saintcharlesshave.com/
http://www.bear-haven.com/

There is so much more online than I can list. Maybe based on checking out some of these websites, you can help narrow your selection down. Good luck!

 

[Michael J. Spangler]

thnks man. great info. i like all that i've read so far.

i looked into a few places and started pricing, i have a dealer in the area for norton... maybe they can get water soluble diamond lapping compound for me. i sure hope so.

can i use my old strop? its old but isn't dry and cracked.... but what about the old compound on it? is there a way to clean it and still use it? (i have no clue whats on it, the last time it was used was before i was born)

if not i'm going to get a paddle strop and get some 1 micron and .5 micron paste. sound right?

you mentioned a lot of soaps, but what one is a good fool proof easy to work with top of the line good soap? i don't wanna work with the cheap stuff and find its just not worth it. is there a good way to judge if its a good soap or not? what about creams? any preference over the soaps?

thanks a lot man. i just wanna but this tuff and get it right the first time.

now if i can only sell a few knives to pay for this new stuff:thumbup: