first DE shave

[cromagnum]

Hello all:
Well a while back my father in law was telling me he was having some issues with his straight razors. I have sharpen them for him when he needs it, but I think he is having the most trouble with his stropping, anyway I asked him if he would like to try a DE for a while. He said he has a nice old one somewhere but can't find any blades. Well it just so happened that I purchased a nice fat boy with some feather blades a year and a half ago the same time I picked up a straight razor. Well I liked the stragtht so much I did not try the DE. One pack of feather to my father in law the other 9 for me.

Well yesterday I gave her a go. I loaded up the gillette fat boy with a feather and let her rip. Well I must say it was very nice. I still think I can get a better shave with my straight, but I still have some learning ahead of me, so one can not be sure of that. I had one weeper, and a feather might not of been the best choice for my first blade. I set the fat boy on 4 and it was smooth, not as much blade noise as a full hollow straight though. I only use my right hand, will have to give it a go with trying both hand. I think I will put this into my rotation.

I did like the experence though, my technique with face stretching and lathering came in very handy. I have 90 feather blades most people say they get 4 shave from a blade. If I use my DE once a week, I should be good for 90 months.

Crom

[zib]

I just ordered my first DE and blades. I'm looking forward to it. I hear it's the next best thing to a str8 razor.

[Arrowhead]

Fatboy + Feather is a good combination in my estimation, the sharp blade and the weight of the razor make things effortless. If you feel confident I really recommend that you try cranking the setting right up (yes, to 9) and see how that suits you.

[cromagnum]

Fatboy + Feather is a good combination in my estimation, the sharp blade and the weight of the razor make things effortless. If you feel confident I really recommend that you try cranking the setting right up (yes, to 9) and see how that suits you.

ok second shave. You bet straight up to 9. I tried using 2 hand like I do with a straight.

WTG no problem was nice good result.
ATG with the left hand. That was asking a little too much for the second shave a hand full of weeper, but stopped with cold water, may of been some hand issues
XTG someone turned on the stove!!, had to back on down to 6 and use just my right hand.
Was a good shave all in all, not just ready to grab the cat by the tail. Will get there I am sure.


Crom

[Arrowhead]

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.

[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.

[cromagnum]

OK I tried a different razor today with the same feather blades, don't have anything else yet. I believe this is a gillette aristocrate, see attached image. The shave was very nice, did not feel the blade after the first WTG cut, took off most of the wiskers with that first pass. Zero irritation, one small spot on the left jaw angle after three pass, deceided to leave it along so there would be no irritation. I believe I will leave Monday as my DE day, for a while to get my skill up. I am on a quest to be a well rounded wet shaver........


Crom

[RKP]

The Fatboy is a nice razor. I have a '59 Fatboy, but I have not used it yet. I think its time to give it a try. I do have a slim I like to use it on 5 or 6.