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Post by dickdekoko on Apr 10, 2012 22:57:25 GMT -6
What is the minimum I should include in my sons first shave kit?
I want to start him off right with an SE. I really like the Slim V and thought about buying one for him but I have to say SE prices on eBay have gone way up in the last 6 months.
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ShadowsDad
Gem Star
None boring shaver!!
"It's not the bow, it's the Indian"
Posts: 4,534
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Post by ShadowsDad on Apr 10, 2012 23:34:35 GMT -6
Is price an object? I'm going to assume it is and stay on the low road.
Brush) A really good boar is much less expensive than a really good badger, so I'd get him a boar. You might want to break it in for him though to prevent frustration. He'll have enough on his plate w/o the expalantion thathe needs to break the brush in. Or you could just give it to him as is, and help him make test lathers and over time it'll break in and he'll do the deed and learn lathering at the same time. Italian Barber has some decent Omega boars for under $10. I got one of their 10019 brushes and it's pretty awesome for the price.
Soap) VDH deluxe operates way above it pay grade and is available most everywhere. If he's heavy into scents it might not be the best soap, but it works pretty fine for the actual shave. A step up in price and a slight step up in quality would be Kiss My Face cream soap ($8 for the big pump jar) from pretty much any natural food store, and Bath and Body Works has Bigelow ($10), right now I think they have a buy 2 get 3 sale on. That doesn't necesssarily mean buy 2 soaps get a 3rd soap, just buy 2 bigleow products get a 3rd. That could mean buy their cream soap and after shave and get a face balm; you choose. (If they make all those products- I only use their cream soap)
Blades) I'd go to CVS or RiteAid and get a pack of SE blades from there. Also visit Walgreens and get a pack from there. That'll give him a "sampler" of GEM SS and carbon steel blades to try. Walgreens has the SS version.
He will want a styptic pencil and maybe an alum block, and for after shave you can do a lot worse than generic witch hazel. You can get all of that at the pharmacy. If they don't have an alum block then go to the deodorant section and get a "crystal deodorant" stick. It's the same chemical, just in a slightly more expensive form.
Again if he wants scent he'll need to decide on that. I'm only discussing shave products.
The brush will run you $10 and shipping will be added to that, the VDH is $2, the blades might be $5/pack, but that's a guess. The WH is $3, $4 if you insist on a name brand. The styptic pencil and deodorant crystal should be about $10 for both.
I have a Featherweight that I'm in no hurry to get rid of, but I could part with it for $12 and that includes CONUS shipping. It's not collector grade, but it's in pretty decent shape.
If the razor interests you PM me. If you want photo(s) that will highlight the flaws that I know of with the razor I can provide them. I will absolutely intentionally make the razor look worse than it is so that you have no negative surprises when it arrives. He'll be tickled with it, and it's the model of razor I learned on. Same head as the HFT.
Those would be my picks of essentials and they won't set you back much. Of course you can spend a great deal more if you wish.
Edit: if you go to Italian Barber check out their starter kits. You may find one without a razor, otherwise it'll have a DE. You wouldn't want to buy him a DE razor if you want him to start with a SE.
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Post by wchnu on Apr 11, 2012 5:33:32 GMT -6
If you would like I can help out here. I have a damaskeene in good shape. New VDH boar and VDH Puck that I would be happy to send.
I know the VDH boar gets a bad rap, but i have used the same one for a few years now. After it is broken in the thing works great I think.
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Post by dickdekoko on Apr 11, 2012 8:12:41 GMT -6
wchnu, that is very kind. I'll pm you.
Good suggestion on the aftershave Shadowsdad but I can't help wanting to buy some Aqua Velva for him.
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Possum
Master Shaver
Cast Iron Marsupial
Look out you "Fuzzy" wabbit!
Posts: 1,274
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Post by Possum on Apr 11, 2012 14:01:28 GMT -6
Hi dickdekoko,
You are a lucky guy having a son to teach how to shave with a vintage razor and traditional equipment.
I think that you need to let him play around a bit with your own equipment. I assume that you do have more than one SE razor, brushes of several kinds meaning boar and badger, a few soaps or creams, witch hazel etc.
Let him practice making some lather using one or maybe all your brushes and soaps/creams as well. You know doubt have your favorite blade for the SE so let him try those and maybe some others that you have tried and did not like.
As he practices and then learns how to get a decent shave with your equipment he may find a razor and blade combo that he likes. Same goes for the after shave stuff too. Then you just gift him that favorite razor and get yourself another like it. You two can settle that.
If do want to got out and get him his own kit (think of it this way, your parents did not get you a car the minute you got your driver's license, so why get him a shave kit that he may not even like before he has had some practice).
But on the other hand if he wants some of his own tools then I would suggest getting him a best badger brush (my first one was a C&E BBB and I still use it more than the other badger and boars I own), get a decent soap, something like Tabac (I know the scent is not something universally liked), or even some Williams (Fuzzy may send you a sample puck of that! ;D ). Maybe some MWF. Just get the soap refills for the Tabac or MWF and I will gladly send you free of charge an empty and thoroughly cleaned shave cream container that will hold one or the other. That is how I store my MWF.
I think the rest of the stuff is pretty much obvious as you have been shaving awhile. Also do not forget to get him a shave mug. I have a large latte type mug I got from Target works wonder for both creams and for storing the brush between passes.
Yep, do rush out and buy stuff he may not want, let him see what you have and give it run or two and see if he likes that. After he has settled in then let him pick what he wants and you pay for it.
Did I forget, get him signed up for TOST and let him read about SE shaving as well.
Good luck.
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Post by dickdekoko on Apr 11, 2012 16:32:40 GMT -6
You are probably right Bryce, he may not like what I buy him, but I'd like to surprise him with it. I do have a few SE's but he has shown interested in getting one that "dad hasn't used." lol
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RocketMan
Gem Star
RazorAddict
Welcome To The Sharp Side!
Posts: 4,167
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Post by RocketMan on Apr 13, 2012 8:35:07 GMT -6
Some great ideas here!!! Any thoughts firming up on what you are going to do for your son DickDekoko???
Just a note from my end - the soap prep is something some folks don't catch on to right from the get go - and poor soap prep can cause some pretty crappy shaves leading to a loss of interest. My son comes to mind for me. We did a bunch of totally cool 'father and son' shaving lessons on cream - I had a blast anyway! But, a couple of months later (my son lives fairly far from us now) he popped by and was complaining that he was getting a lot of nicks and had started using a cartridge again. We went over his soap prep - and it sucked. He was putting bubbly horrible soap on and scraping away. Yikes!!
So my contribution - think carefully about the soap and brush choice. SD suggested VDH - and WCHNU wants to toss some in - that is a nice easy soap to learn with in my opinion. A broken in brush, that could make quite a diff depending on the brush. The C&E badger Possum talks about works straight out of the box. The boar SD suggests, when new requires more breaking in.
Good luck - looking forward to hearing how your choice process is going!
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