Hey! I'm Barry and I live in the Tidewater area of Virginia. Retired Navy, got a couple of Alfa Romeos in the garage (they actually run too!), collect stamps, married, two boomerang kids... you know, life. During a trip to Turkey many moons ago, I got my first barber shave and after not having to shave for three days I have been in pursuit of a good shave every since. Took the straight razor plunge last week, but I'm no stranger to wet shaving. I've been using a brush and soap for years and have owned one electric (hated it). I'm the neighborhood kitchen knife sharpener (Will that be sharp, or scary sharp?), so I think with a little time and practice, a SE is not too much of a stretch.

I think I bought my first brush 25 years ago in York, England during a military deployment. After many years of usage, several sneak attacks from a series of Labradors (bad dog!), grandson with a pair of scissors, etc.. it is sadly been relegated to scrubbing our bird's food and water dishes. It was replaced by a Semogue boar bristle brush. If anyone has any questions about that, I'll be glad to give them a rundown, but I think it's a very fine brush. Been using Col Conk for a while, but I just bought some Taylor's Lavender and like it. Also got some Cremo cream- heard good things about that too.

In the same purchase was a Dovo Shavette. OK, OK, I know... boar bristle, disposable straight edge.. It seemed like a good idea, and I'm happy with it because it is a good starting point. I took the great advice here and started easy with the Shavette- sideburns only for a couple of days, get a little bit more every time. I connected the two sides of my face the other day. Not too much blood. I use the long blades- the short (normal) tore my face up more than I thought they should. The wife is fascinated and horrified at the same time, like watching a car wreck. Not quite sure on the right side-left side transition, but working on what will work best for me. Do you guys actually switch hands? I have trouble picking my nose left handed, much less handling a deadly weapon for shaving.

Grandad's J.A. Henckels' is sitting in the drawer, still in the box. Waiting.

Great site- excellent info, great people. Hope I can contribute!

Barry