Thread: first DE shave

Good on you cromagnum, some people seem to think that they'll be in danger of cutting their heads off. My Fatboy stays on 9, which makes it maybe slightly more aggressive than an Aristocrat Junior - not such a big deal really.

What I should have mentioned here is what I generally say about Feather blades, that they have a track record of causing irritation if you use them all the time - sorry about that. It's certainly the case for me, but then again I generally stick with a straight which never gives me any trouble, and save the DE for the occasional novelty shave. If you're going to be using the DE on a daily basis it may be a good plan to lay in some milder blades so that you can chop and change: 7 o'clock yellows (Obie's blade of choice) or Super Iridiums (mine) are both sharp but smooth blades.

I usually keep my fatboy at 4. For me it can quickly get too aggressive as you crank up the adjustments. Actually my EJ Chatsworth out shaves the fatboy no matter the setting so that's what I use these days. I like the feather blades but they can be hard to get at times. Now I'm using Wilkinson which are pretty good but I still prefer the Feathers. My son uses the Iridiums and thinks they are pretty good. He uses them in his fatboy.

Hi Crom,

Ok.....here's the deal about the fatboy/Feather combo. It's an ok set up for a new DE user, but you're right about the blade choice maybe not being the best. The idea is to start with a milder blade and see what ends up suiting you best. It may well be that a Feather might be a good blade for you, but right now you need some sorta reference point. You need to try a middle of the road blade first and take it from there. Some people prefer milder blades than others.....it's that simple. No sense in using a sharper blade than needed, since the chance to mess up is easier with a sharper blade.

The reason for having an adjustable razor is to be able to tailor the tool to your comfort level. The fatboy will shave from very mild to extremely aggressive, with most users settling at somewhere between 3-6 as the magic setting number. The concept is to use the most aggressive setting without overdoing it. To me, a comfortable shave is as important as a close shave. I want no feeling of the blade maybe taking a little too much off my face, even if the shave is gonna be closer than usual.

Almost no one shaves with a fatboy wide open......not with any blade. It can work for some people, but not the vast majority. If using a fatboy set on #9/Feather combo was the best set up, you can believe almost everyone would be using that. That's not how this DE thing works. Set the razor on #3-4 and leave it there for 10 shaves or so. By then you'll have a reference as to how effective that was, and maybe take it up or down from there. I won't talk about matching up blades with razors, but that's also a large part of successful DE shaving.

Good news is it won't take long to catch on, compared to a new wet shaver. Personally, the fatboy is one of my very favorite razors. It shaves differently than almost all other Gillette adjustables I've tried. The rounded head may work well for you. Oh, if you like, use the pm feature and let me know about sending out some blades to try.

Hope that helps,

Martin

Originally Posted by De Layne

Hi Crom,


Hope that helps,

Martin

Very helpful post. Thank you very much for that long and very informative post. I think you are correct in trying different blades, I will give it a shot and crank down the setting to 5, I had it on 4 and it was a good shave but I had trouble feeling the blade and not sure if that what I want in a shave. I will keep all you up to date.


Thanks

Crom

+1 on Martin's advice. If you are a new DE useer you may want to try some of the milder blades first and work your way up to Feather. Not that Feathers aren't great DE razor blades. They are the sharpest blades around, imho.

Originally Posted by jhenry

If you are a new DE useer you may want to try some of the milder blades first and work your way up to Feather. Not that Feathers aren't great DE razor blades. They are the sharpest blades around, imho.

Some good advice from jhenry. I'd say try a blade like Derby, a smooth blade which can still be aggressive at the higher settings on a Fatboy

Do a progression with the FB. 7-5-3 etc. Great Shave, BBS

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

I usually keep my fatboy at 4. For me it can quickly get too aggressive as you crank up the adjustments. Actually my EJ Chatsworth out shaves the fatboy no matter the setting so that's what I use these days. I like the feather blades but they can be hard to get at times. Now I'm using Wilkinson which are pretty good but I still prefer the Feathers. My son uses the Iridiums and thinks they are pretty good. He uses them in his fatboy.

The EJ or TH Chatsworth is a great shaver. Purddy too.

Hello, Crom:

I have an Edwin Jagger "Chatsworth" barley and a Muhle-Pinsel R89 (the rich cousin to the EJ L89). Both are lovely razors, and give great shaves. They are kept in rotation along with the straights. Feather is my blade. I also have a Gillette "Red Tip" and never use it, because I am not a fan of Gillette. I go with what works best for me, and so it should be.

Regards,
Obie

Originally Posted by Obie

Hello, Crom:

I have an Edwin Jagger "Chatsworth" barley and a Muhle-Pinsel R89 (the rich cousin to the EJ L89). Both are lovely razors, and give great shaves. They are kept in rotation along with the straights. Feather is my blade. I also have a Gillette "Red Tip" and never use it, because I am not a fan of Gillette. I go with what works best for me, and so it should be.

Regards,
Obie

Obie:

I have both razor I have EJ L89 and the Muhle R89 I consider them both fantastic razors.

Richard