Grew up using DE safety razors.  Switched to cartridge types in the AF, then disposables and electrics.  All those years after switching I had post-shave irritation, burning, itching - no matter the brand of razor or type of electric.  As the years went on, the irritation worsened until the last few years where it looked and felt like a chemical burn on my throat.  Tried DE once last year, just as bad irritation, cuts, etc... started just using the trimmer followed by a travel electric once a week.

Spent the last few months slowly reading over at Badger and Blade, Shaving 101, this forum, etc... and spent some money on proper products and a trial supply of blades.  What a difference it made.  Just finished the first return to shaving a few minutes ago.  Pre-shave prep with a beard soap and hot washcloth in the shower, lathered, shaved, rinsed, alum block, post-shave balm.  No irritation or pain or itching, no nasty red splotchy neck.  Even the alum block after the shave only had two very slight stings.  First time in almost 40 years I've been able to shave and not look and feel like someone threw a caustic chemical on my neck.

Still need better technique on making a good lather, keeping my skin tight and the razor at the right angle, etc...  but it feels so much better.  

Any one used the Stirling Soap Co. DE3P6S 3-piece razor?  Decent?  Any real need to upgrade to something like the Merkur 34C?

Opinions on 2-piece vs 3-piece handles/ heads?

I have several DE razors and found most handles were a little short for my hands. Now I use an old Schick Krona for it's mild blade exposure and long handle.
Another I found has a good handle length is the Lady Gillette.
Tried several soaps including local artisan brands, but found Arko is the mildest and leaves my skin much smoother after shaving.
Forgot to add, prefer TTO over three piece, easier for me to handle. YMMV.

I've been a bit surprised at the lack of options for modern TTO.  I'd prefer one after putting together that 3-piece yesterday.

Had an old hand-me-down Gillette I got rid of when I quit using it in 1980.    I've seen some of the same for sale used, but either they are old and worn, or the price is through the roof.

I have a few razors but my 34C is my go to razor.  I just get a better shave with it.

It may help to bloom your shaving soap if its a hard soap or a puck.  It makes it much easier to whip it up and it seems like it lathers up better for me if I bloom it.

There are so many good soaps out there, but one of my favorites is Mikes Natural Soaps.  Its super slick and I think he makes one with no scent for people that have sensitive skin.

Yeah, the soaps are hard.  I'll try blooming this next shave and see how it works for me.  Thanks!

I just ordered an open comb Stirling  DE3P7S.   Currently using a Merkur 34C and a 1951Gillette Suoer Speed.

Maggard Razors will let you choose your head and handle separately, so you can mix/match to build what you want. They also have pretty good deals on blems from time to time.

Not sure if I'll be able to use open comb heads.

I'll look at Maggard.



A couple of observations after the 4th shave...

Razors.  After growing up with a super speed, I really don't like messing with the 3-piece heads.  I'll try a 2-piece if I get a Merkur.  I found a 50's vintage super speed, it should be here tomorrow.  I'll see how things go from there.

Blades.  Whatever happened to the metal dispenser packs?  Why is each individual blade wrapped in paper?  I think Derby blades are only going to give me one good shave, single pass.  Second time I shaved, I had several scrapes that bled.  Third time I made sure to keep skin tight and concentrated on technique best I could, and I had even more scrapes.  Fourth time, I changed the blade, and had no scrapes.  If the second shave on the second blade comes with scrapes again, I'll move to the next pack of blades.

Soap.  Blooming helps.

Still doing the single pass until I have my technique down.  Even with one pass, going 2 days before shaving again feels less scruffy than 1 day after electric.  Still having just the slightest hint of redness at the front base of my neck, no noticeable itching or burning.  My neck feels so much better now.


edited to fix wonky formatting

One thing I would suggest is try more / different blades.
A member here (Fish223) hooked me up with an assortment of blades and I was able to find a couple that I preferred.
A website I've found but not used yet is: http://tryablade.com/ you can buy individual blades there.
2 of the most popular blades I've used are Feathers and Astra Platinum,
Feathers are considered one of the sharpest blades you can get, (they didn't work for me lots of nicks)
Astra's turned out to be my primary go to blade.

I've turned coworkers on to DE Shaving and they have mostly enjoyed it.
As Iv'e read here online, everyone's face is different what razor / blade combo that works for me may not work for you.
Proof of this was when one of my coworkers ended up liking and using one of the blade brands that turned my face to hamburger.

As for Modern TTO razors, Maggard has some ranging from $8.99 to $31.50.  (I restarted my DE shaving with the Parker 96R, until I found my Fathers Gillette Fatboy surprisingly made the same year I was born)
Amazon seems to also have a wide variety
Badger and Blade,
The Art of Shaving may have some options.
Using my googlefu, I found these: http://www.razoremporium.com/gillette/ they have several "clasic" 1947 though 1978 models in various prices.

Hope this helps.

Thanks

The super speed arrived yesterday - will try it out tomorrow.  Looks
almost new, operates fine, but slightly loose twist until full closed.  Not bad at all for
a 57 y/o razor.  Handle seems a bit smaller than I remember, but those memories are from my teens.  I may need a large handle for comfortable use.

As for blades - I have sample packs of Derby,
Shark, Voskhod, Astra, Gillette 7 O'Clock, Gillette Silver Blue, and
Feather.  Next time I order some sample soaps/ creams I'll order some
different samples.

Derbys are currently going to be one, maybe
two use blades for me.  Third shave was rough, a little more blood, a
little more more irritation, and a lot of stinging with the alum block.
Will try a new blade with the super speed for two shaves, then move on
to a different blade and work my way through the samples.  I'll go back
through the ones that work well for at least one shave and start
narrowing it down.

NIVEA FOR MEN Cool Sensitive Shaving Gel is really nice! Super slick and foams easily. You can spend a ton on hard soaps, mugs, brushes, etc. but, the Nivea Gel for me is a great solution when I just want a shave and to get on with my day.

For Razors, the Edwin Jagger and Muhle R89 Double Edge Safety Razors are super nice and have a relatively modest cost. Edwin Jagger shipped out of England (Englishshaving.com) is pretty cheap and Badger and Blade has a discount for TVBShaving.com which I have used several times to get European products at a modest price. Both places shipped relatively quickly for a reasonable shipping fee.

The Fatip Piccolo Open Comb Razor and Muhle R41 are both really good open comb razors that aren't super aggressive. I find they work better when I have a couple days growth I need to remove.

I've tried a few of the old school Gillette razors and they were very aggressive and I nicked/cut my face with them, compared to my Merkur 34C.  I just got a West Coast Shaving razor on sale and its super nice too.  From my experience, they aren't as aggressive as the old Gillette razors.

Some blades I've tried work better than others for me.  I like the Astra and feather blades.  They dont cut my face as long as I used a good soap.

The soap is important too for scraping and cutting your face.  The best soaps for me that are super slick that I dont cut myself are:  Mikes natural shaving soap, Kells original, lucky tiger (its a cream), I just started using Arko shaving stick and its slick too...but those are my favorites that are really slick and ones I dont nick my face.

Nivea after shave balm is great after shave, that really works well to cool your skin.

Thanks for the additional info.  I'll keep doing research on soaps, and handles and heads, as I see them mentioned.

The super speed works fine for me, but I do prefer a slightly larger handle.  The one I first picked up from Stirling when I ordered a batch of samples works and the handle fits me better, but I really don't like the three-piece head.  Will probably try a Merkur 34C sometime in the next month or two.

Shave routine is becoming a bit more routine.  Getting better at producing lather.  Technique is better, no more cuts/ scrapes except when a blade should have been changed out.  Been using the Nivea sensitive after shave balm for a few years now, and it does work quite well for me.

Derby blades are definitely a one-time use for me.  After shaving with a few more blades, each begins to hack at my face progressively worse at the second and third use.  Will be moving on to another pack of blades for the next few weeks of shaves.

TTO's tend to have a fatter head to them, and for me at least it puts the razor at too sharp an angle on the skin.  Between the old first gen Superspeeds and the flare tip style they made from the 60's on, there's a pretty big reduction in the head height but still not quite enough.  I'm of the opinion that razor tech peaked with Gillette's 1930's line and then spiraled into silliness as they kept needing to sell more razors.



Or if we're feeling fancy...

I can definitely feel the difference in blade angle between the superspeed and the Stirling 3-piece, but I don't feel that the superspeed is too aggressive.  Will be looking at a Merkur soon, and see how that goes.

Blades.  Tried the Sharks next.  One blade in each razor was enough for me.  Felt like they were pulling my stubble as much as cutting, I had quite a few weepers and lot's of stinging with the alum block, and a batch of red irritated skin after each shave.  On to the Voskhods.

Sharks and Derbys both I found inconsistent at best.  I've been using up a large batch of the "Israeli" grey market Personna Reds but I don't know much about what's current.  Heard good things about the Russian blades.

It's hard to really dial in what works for you because there's so many variables, the blade, the razor, the soap, the prep, etc.  You'll get it though.    For me it's the open comb New, the Reds for blades, and Arko soap.

I'm working through a small trial stack - still have to try the Voskhods (tonight), Gillette Silver Blue and 7 O'Clock, Astras, and Feathers.  I'll be looking at another order of samples next month.  I rarely have patience for detailed and lengthy trial periods, but this isn't bothering me for some reason.  It's almost relaxing.  

I have a Merkur 34C and a 1950’s Gillette Super Speed. I prefer the Super Speed. Nothing wrong with the 34C but the Super Speed just gives me an easier time. My favorite blades are Israeli Personna in the red packaging and Speick shave stick.

Thanks - I'm finding I get a better shave with the Super Speed and Sterling 3-piece than the 34C, but the handle on the Super Speed is almost too small for me.  Just got a trial pack of the Reds and Platinums.

As for an update with how things are progressing - pretty much dialed in on getting a good lather from the soaps.  Both of the Gillette blades gave me a good first shave, second not so great.  The Astras left me with multiple nicks.  The Voskhods gave me two decent shaves.

Start with the Feathers tonight, then on to the Reds and Platinums.

Gillette put the Superspeed head on a longer handle. Then they called it the Gillette Lady and put sparkles on it.

A somewhat similar head was available in the last generation plastic handled adjustables.  They had both standard and long handled models.

Zombie thread.  

Anywhos, worked through the various different blades with my three razors and settled on Persona Platinum Chrome (Blue) and Voskhod.  Best all-around performance, for me, so far.  Found some blades in a dispenser at Walgreens, will be trying them and see how they do.  Have been pretty consistent with generating lather.  Done buying shave hardware for a bit.

Got my annual stack of stuff.  With the leftovers I'm currently using I probably now have about 2 years of the shaving stuff.  Will still need to order shower soap every year.  Not shown is the other 15 bars of soap.
Attached File

I'm liking Mitchell's Wool Fat Soap. Also the Gillette's 7 O'clock blades.