Thread: How'd I do?

First off, I'd like to say hello to everyone on the forum. I've been lurking and reading everything I can about straight razors and finally pulled the trigger and just made my purchase. I guess that's why its never a good thing to have free time at work; I end up buying new things.

I just wanted to get an opinion on if I bought good products or not.

Razor:
Dovo "Best Quality" Half Hollow 6/8"

Strop:
Vintage Blades 2" Red Latigo with D rings (Being from NC and a State fan, I had to go with the red)

Brush:
Rooney Pure badger (and to think, I usually associate a badger with the lady of the house )

Drip stand

Shaving Mug

Soap:
Col. Conk in lime

Cream:
Vintage Blades Luxery Brand Cream in Sandalwood

and styptic pencil for the cuts I'm sure I'll get.

I hope I did alright with the purchase and can not wait until it gets here so I can dive into the world of straight blades.

Originally Posted by MrBurgundy

First off, I'd like to say hello to everyone on the forum. I've been lurking and reading everything I can about straight razors and finally pulled the trigger and just made my purchase. I guess that's why its never a good thing to have free time at work; I end up buying new things.

I just wanted to get an opinion on if I bought good products or not.

Razor:
Dovo "Best Quality" Half Hollow 6/8"

Strop:
Vintage Blades 2" Red Latigo with D rings (Being from NC and a State fan, I had to go with the red)

Brush:
Rooney Pure badger (and to think, I usually associate a badger with the lady of the house )

Drip stand

Shaving Mug

Soap:
Col. Conk in lime

Cream:
Vintage Blades Luxery Brand Cream in Sandalwood

and styptic pencil for the cuts I'm sure I'll get.

I hope I did alright with the purchase and can not wait until it gets here so I can dive into the world of straight blades.

Sounds like you did well....just remember that its the indian not the arrow....also, you may have issues lathering with that Col Conk Soap...if so then shoot out to Bath/Body works and get a tube of Co Bigalow cream...my 2 year old could lather with that.

Originally Posted by volleykinginnc

Sounds like you did well....just remember that its the indian not the arrow....also, you may have issues lathering with that Col Conk Soap...if so then shoot out to Bath/Body works and get a tube of Co Bigalow cream...my 2 year old could lather with that.

Will do. I was gonna get the Castle Forbes collection, but I've already spent enough money today. I figure I may as well get technique down before blowing more money on better creams. Maybe when I run low on the other soaps/creams...

Originally Posted by MrBurgundy

Will do. I was gonna get the Castle Forbes collection, but I've already spent enough money today. I figure I may as well get technique down before blowing more money on better creams. Maybe when I run low on the other soaps/creams...

Understand totally but the lather you build is going to be vital in this process so well worth the money to get some that is easy to lather and works well....the Bigelow stuff is also only $7 a tube. You may not have any issues so it could be irrelevant but don't skimp on this part.

Please please get some better soap or cream. IMO, Col Conk produced mediocre lather. I got decent shaves with it, but is decent all you want? Good lather is 90% of the battle.

Plus Col. Conk's lime smells horrible :P Okay okay I think I've ranted enough. You don't need to spend a whole lot of money to get a vastly superior product. Check out mamabearssoaps.com and try her unscented soap or something out of her EO category.

Most important is, will the blade come with a factory edge or did you pay extra for a shave ready edge? If it's factory only there is a 99.9% chance it will not be shave ready.

I agree with the soap. There are many to try. Mitchells woolfat would be a good choice.

You'll have to see with the brush. Pure badger can be very prickly but if you like it then it's right for you.

Nice choices, but I agree, The soap stands out like a sore thumb, You may want to get anything else...MWF, Tabac, SRD's line to name a few...
Remember, That soap or cream is the only thing between your face and a razor blade...

KissMyFace vanilla shaving soap is one of my favorites, and is found in most health food stores.

And yes, if the razor only has the factory edge, it needs to be honed by a professional. Where did you get it?

If you bought your razor from Vintage Blades also it should have been honed by Lynn himself according to their web site. That's where I bought mine and it was shave ready. I agree on the soap--I tried that exact soap when I picked up a DE several years ago and I was less than impressed. All of the previous recommendations on soap are good. My personal favorite is the unscented cake from Classic Shaving (their own brand). www.classicshaving.com
My two cents.

Got my kit from them in Sept. Got the Dovo silver steel razor, Col. Conk in bay rum and no cream. I have to say that I liked the Col. Conk soap. I have tried 4 soaps so far. Williams, Col. Conk, Tabac, and Mitchells Wool Fat. The only one that I do not like is the Williams. That stuff is horrible. Col. Conk and Tabac are very easy to build a lather, and MWF is a little picky about the amount of water to add. All three seem to give good shaves and leave my face filling great. I like the smell of Tabac, but it seems to really irritate my nose and throat. If I don't have the bathroom door open and vent fan on I start to cough.
Hope your first shaves go great.