Thread: First shaves with Topher and AF Davis razors

This review is long overdue but here it is. I received Topher’s Newbie kit and have my first couple of shaves under my belt. The supplies in the kit are awesome! I have a few items (brush and soap) to compare them too but I really didn’t know what to expect. I am extremely satisfied with what I received for the price I paid.

So first thing I did was pull out the instructions for the Heirloom Strop. Yes, there are instructions for a piece of hanging leather and I needed them. No, I do not have below average intelligence, I think. I could be wrong. So after reading up about the strop and the “do’s and don’ts” I proceeded to strop my new Edgar Allen from Sheffield. I lost count but I probably stropped it about 80 or 90 laps just trying to get the technique down. I made a few mistakes, put a few tiny nicks in the strop. Lesson learned: Go slow and don’t slide the razor sideways when you roll it (hard to explain, but that’s what happened.)

I opted to try the shave stick first as I really loved the smell of lavender and peppermint. I was concerned that my new brush wouldn’t be able to hydrate the soap on my face. I had never used a Shavemac so I had no idea that I was worried about nothing. When I soaked the brush in water and then picked it up about of the sink I thought there was a water hose hidden in it somewhere. I had no idea it held so much water. Further more it held enough of soap for three passes from a shave stick. My previous brush wouldn’t be able to do that.

So I took Topher’s advice and only shaved my cheeks with the grain and did the rest with my DE. My technique needs a lot of work but I think I’m hooked. I can’t wait to get to where I don’t need the DE at all. After finishing up I splashed some cold water on my face and tried out the Ice after shave balm. WOW!!! Apparently I had nicked myself in a few places but they didn’t bleed. I sure found them when I put the balm on, though. I was beginning to think I had made a mistake by not skipping the balm altogether as it was stinging quite a bit. Then like a switch my whole face and neck went totally cool. It was very nice. And the smell was pretty good too, it complimented the lavender/peppermint very well, I thought. All in all it was a very positive experience with a lot of room for improvement on my part. Which is why it was so difficult to wait a full 24 hours before trying again.

This time with a different razor, one sent to me by AF Davis. When I had posted on the forum that I was looking to buy a new razor AF Davis elected to send me one free of charge as a started. It is a very good looking razor and it shaved as well as the Sheffield in my inexperienced hands. I repeated the same process with Davis’s razor that I did with Topher’s. I even used the same soap and balm as I really enjoyed the scent. The burning did not occur this time with the balm as I assume I was more careful and did less damage to my skin. To AF Davis I extend my heartfelt thanks for being a shining example of the giving nature of the members of this board. You are a very welcoming bunch and you do not just talk the talk, but you walk the walk. And if anyone out there is still on the fence about buying one of Topher’s kits I encourage you to take the plunge. The items in the kit are top notch and his honing touch with the razor is top notch. As I said before I am very pleased with it and look forward to getting many years of use out of it. Thanks for reading! Take care.
-Aaron

Thanks for posting this Aaron, I'm glad you had such great shaves.
Like I always say, it just keeps getting better from here

- Scott

Thanks alot Aaron and if you need anything you let me know. Here was his kit.

Nice read .....
And as always GO SRP!!!!

So I have a few more shaves under my belt now. I am sticking with Topher's advice and taking it slow, and in sections. I still use my DE to clean up areas here and there. An interesting thing I had overlooked was the angle. My shaves weren't getting any closer regardless of how many passes I did with the straight, then it dawned on me. I started increasing the angle of the blade slightly from pass to pass. Starting our really shallow, almost parallel. Then as the hair got thinner and thinner increasing the angle. Things are progressing along very well. Now I just need to set some money aside in the budget for a Norton combo stone. More to follow, thanks for reading!
-Aaron

Good for you. Nice going.
Topher has a terrific kit.
Good luck.
The best advice I received on str8 shaving was...Focus on technique. Don't worrry about the shave.