looking to elevate my shave, kamisori vs western

[legato1]

Hello, I have been getting breakouts recently after each shave with a cartridge. I am going to switch to straight and am wondering if I should go western or kamisori. I am hoping to keep total expense under 250 including razor and maintenance stuff. I am a knife nut and steel snob so id rather put more money into the razor than the brush etc.
Where is a good place to start? Can anyone recomend a good razor within my budget? I was thinking boker or a kamisori from the bay. Thanks

 

[gadgetgeek]

I would avoid the bay at the moment, unless you can find a seller you personally trust. with the recent rise in popularity of straights, there is a lot of crap out there. There are a few american razor maker doing eastern style razors, so you should be able to find a good one if you look at the other popular razor forums. They are also a good place to look for good antique razors, or reviews on new ones (dovo and thier issard are ones to look at as well). Although at your price point, you would be looking at antique probably (whippeddog would be a good start). As for cost, brushes can be had fairly cheap, I would question the sanity of anyone starting out who spent more on their brush than on the blade. I've got a couple cheap antiques, but if you count in my hours spent restoring, they are quite a bit more valuable than my brush. Strops are quite reasonable, but its generally recommended to not spend a huge amount on the first one as many guys nick it while getting the hang of stropping. Again, reviews and vendors can be found on the other forums. I found that unless you have a very good supplier for leather, and work with it already, its not really economical to DIY a strop.

You should be able to get started within that 250 since you would able to find someone close by with experience and stones to hone up a razor for you (saves you the initial cost of adding to your stone collection) The very first thing you should do is get a brush and soap, and start getting used to that. That is by far one of the more important skills, and by starting with that now, you will be farther ahead when you start with the straight. Another thought, while straights are awesome, they are fiddly and time consuming. So you might want to also look into a DE (you can get a decent used or new for not too much, and blades are very cheap) That might be a good option regarding the breakouts. Change one thing at a time, and see what works. Straights are not magic, and there is quite a learning curve, so minimize your variables, and you will have much more success.

 

[legato1]

Sounds good, i considered the de safety razor but read that if im going to learn to shave with a single edge i should just skip the safety razor and invest the time and money in a straight. I will probably end up picking up a safety razor this weekend locally to hold me over while i find a good straight.

 

[Bob6794]

I am going the other route and looking into the safety razor after taking a look at straights a little bit and trying to convince myself to buy one. I am starting off slowly and just bought a Van Der Hagen premium set for $12 at a local store which had the bowl, brush and soap and a set of bic sensitive disposable razors to relearn how to shave properly instead of relying on the 4 blades in the fusion before buying my safety razor. Quite a wake up call on what actual shaving is after years of just trimming my beard. Sadly I can't get as close as a shave with my disposable right now but that's due to technique as I relied on the 4 blades before and kept having issues with in grown hairs, etc.

Be sure to buy something like a pre-oil, and a brush and soap as it makes a world of difference, and aftershave. They don't have to be expensive to get something of quality from the research I've done. The set I bought (brush, bowl, soap) was bought more out of how broke I am so I got the best I could, had I had a little bit more money (till next payday) I would've bought an Omega Boar brush or a badger brush, cheap bowl and probably the same soap as I could pick it up for $2 at a local store all for a little bit more then I paid and from my research I would've ended up with something better but I honestly couldn't put up with my setup for a day longer.

I only have a few shaves with this new setup but it's superior to my old multi-blade cartridge setup I was using last week due to less in grown hairs, irritation, etc. And the razor feels like it glides over my face know which is something I have never experienced before. So I hope you enjoy your new single blade razor experience whether it be straight, disposable, or safety razor.

 

[stargawker]

A safety razor is easier to use. Look for old Gillettes in antique shops. My favourite razor blades are Astras. Proraso and Geo Trumper are great shaving creams. I made my own preshave oil with 2 parts castor oil to 1 part olive oil (optional can add essential oil drops for scent.)

My best shave so far is with a Gillette Aristocrat 46/47. Much better than cartridges.

 

[Vegas Blade]

Right now I have 6 DE safety razors. Mine range from the very early brass Gillette "New Model", up to a 1970 Gillette "Super Speed". I have one Schick "Krona", and a Merkur slant. Since I started using the DE razors, I have NEVER looked back or missed any Gillette Super Mach 1000 Rolling Ball blades that cost $8.00 each. I buy Feather blades that are insanely sharp. The cost is about .50 cents a blade. Two or three shaves per blade means I'm out less than .20 cents a shave. The shave is amazingly smooth, close, and most importantly, irritation free. Not one ingrown hair or rash since I switched. I will never go back.

I recommend a nice Gillette Super Speed as a starter razor. They are very forgiving. Once you get the feel and the technique down, you can go to more or less aggressive razors.

If you have any questions, feel free to PM or e-mail me. I would be happy to share anything I have learned over the last few years.