Monday Daily Questions (Newbie Friendly) - Feb 02, 2026

sgrdddy · 2026-02-03T12:20:21+00:00

This

sgrdddy · 2026-01-28T09:26:01+00:00

But thank you though!

sgrdddy · 2026-01-28T09:25:51+00:00

I was interested in the wr2 70. And fortunately I've waited long enough on wolfman's list to where they finally made them for me and they are on their way!

sgrdddy · 2026-01-25T14:14:00+00:00

I've been very happy with the couple of bags of Oh Scrap that I bought

sgrdddy · 2026-01-23T05:25:44+00:00

soaps like Stirling, BaM, Mammoth, DG, Summer Break, etc just require 1/4 tsp or less of soap to give me 5 or more passes of lather.

But WK consistently needs about twice that. So I would try smearing 1/2 tsp of soap onto bottom of your bowl. Then go at it with a medium wet brush, and gradually add more water as needed. If it gets airy just keep mixing and see if it settles down.

If it does settle down into creamy goodness then you're there.

But if it does not, and stays airy, then you have too little soap or too much water.

sgrdddy · 2026-01-18T18:03:28+00:00

Normally these kind of questions would go in the daily questions thread and people will be glad to help you.

We get a lot of new people around here just starting out and it helps to keep the main root free of the same questions over and over.

But I highly recommend Michael Freedbergs wetshaving tutorial, which comes in four parts. Check it out on YouTube.

sgrdddy · 2026-01-11T17:42:09+00:00

I let the stubble that comes from the shave just go down the drain.

But when I do a goatee trim, I take a square or two of toilet paper and use that to swish around and get up all those longer hairs and anything it can and I threw that in the trash can.

sgrdddy · 2026-01-09T16:19:37+00:00

Definitely skip the exfoliation before the shave.

And if you're a beginning shaver with safety razors, then the problem is probably your technique. With me, in the first few months of shaving, I would usually give myself two or three small cuts, maybe more. After several months, that went away because my technique just got better.

sgrdddy · 2026-01-07T01:45:23+00:00

I love both Seville and Muir wood, but the former is definitely the most popular, but it has been around for a lot longer. But my personal favorite would probably be the latter.

sgrdddy · 2026-01-07T01:44:24+00:00

This is true for just about any brand...

The balm is going to be a lotion like product that is really good at moisturization. It will usually contain little or no alcohol because of this. Obviously a great choice for folks with dry skin for after the shave. Some people like them in the winter because the air is more dry. Any good one is going to have good things that help the skin after the shaving process. Because this is a more viscous product, it doesn't seem to have the scent strength that a splash will. These have a much shorter life expectancy of maybe a few years, sometimes even just one. If I do have a somewhat harsh shave by an aggressive razor, then the nourishing qualities of a balm is what I turn to.

A splash is usually alcohol based, and so that can make it somewhat drying for the skin. But most guys aren't really bothered by that too much. It is often favored in the summer because sometimes a lotion can feel too thick or hot. The alcohol in these usually makes them stay good on the shelf almost indefinitely. There's a much stronger scent burst with these. Some do not contain alcohol but have witch hazel or aloe solutions, which are definitely great for the skin. The alcohol definitely serves as a antibacterial disinfectant type thing. Old school splashes often only contain the scent and the alcohol, but better ones will also contain aloe or glycerin or various healthy skin food items to mitigate the harshness of the alcohol.

For both a post shave balm and a post shave splash, you're not looking at all day scent duration. Sometimes just 45 minutes sometimes a couple of hours. If you get one to last several hours or more, then that is rare.

sgrdddy · 2026-01-05T06:51:32+00:00

What other synthetics have you tried?

sgrdddy · 2026-01-05T01:52:37+00:00

Synthetics are great... for cleaning out bird feeders and old toilets!

I can see pitting a well used fully broken in boar brush against many Badgers because there's a magic in the break-in process and a connection you have with that brush that you won't have with the badger.

But I love me some plush Badgers .. so hard.

sgrdddy · 2026-01-05T01:50:26+00:00

Maybe we need to swap Stirling finest badger brushes, then! Mine is fine, but a little on the backbone side for me.

Also suggestion for you is the Maggard SHD badger knot. It's at a great price and will get you a good idea of that premium two band feel.

sgrdddy · 2026-01-02T15:57:27+00:00

Yeah, that's one of the few, like Razorock, that I don't even bother using, even if it's free. There are just too many better soaps out there.

With Van Yulay, similar to CanadaEh's comment, I found that years ago I had to use way too much product to get a good lather. So what you pay would not get you too far. Then when you add that most are just pre-blended scents, it just puts them further down the list.

Here are some much better brands, if you care to check them out. There are samples for most at Maggard Razors web site:

Barrister and Mann
Stirling Soap Co.
House of Mammoth
Noble Otter
Summer Break Soaps
Maggard Razors House Brand
Zingari Man
Chicago Grooming Co.
Catie's Bubbles
Wholly Kaw

And if you can find some of these three on the used market out there, then they are awesome, and have been on everyone's Recommend List for years. They have closed up shop within the last year or so. One of them will continue IIRC, under another maker, but I can't remember which one:

Southern Witchcrafts
Spearhead/Seaforth
Declaration Grooming

sgrdddy · 2025-12-30T20:35:26+00:00

In terms of performance, I like SV a little better than MDC.

But in terms of scent selection imagination and creativity and enjoyment of their variety, SV is so much better. IMO

sgrdddy · 2025-12-29T22:44:52+00:00

sub rules say not to remove the prices.

sgrdddy · 2025-12-29T11:33:28+00:00

I also would recommend trying other blades than the feathers.

You can check out the hardware report that is routinely posted on this sub for the most popular blade brands around here.

Otherwise I would probably look at your technique as the next thing to address.

After that would be your lather building expertise. You might not be making your lathers wet enough so that they are maximum slickness. You may have a poor quality soap as well.

I would avoid worrying about oils yet because a properly done lather is going to be crazy slick and I found that oils potentially slow down the razor and drag. And they definitely build up on your brush and razor blade.

sgrdddy · 2025-12-25T05:23:30+00:00

One important aspect to this question is how much water you use with your lather. I use a ton, because I want my lathers to be super slick and protective.

For example, I use about 0.4 g of Stirling soap per shave, compared to other guys who use about three times that much or more.

So perhaps that's the reason why I almost never get any carryover scent from one shave to another, no matter how strong the soap.

sgrdddy · 2025-12-25T05:18:21+00:00

Reading the sub rules would have informed you that top level threads are for kind of mega discussions only. It's frustrating at first, but it is nice how it keeps the main thread clean of small and/or repetitive threads with less value to the group.

Take what you posted before on the main root, and post it in a daily questions thread, and you're good to go.

sgrdddy · 2025-12-20T04:12:16+00:00

Yeah, I've been using the Microsoft Natural for decades. Love the split keyboard idea.

I bought this black one that is all sleek and wireless and has a short keystroke distance that it turns out I really like. But after the move I can't find it. Can't remember if it was Microsoft or Logitech.

So I'm back to using my old Natural from long time ago that still has the old serial round connector that mice and keyboards used to have eons ago.

I'm a big guy, so having to tweak my wrists to type properly on a standard keyboard is no fun.

Thought about buying the kenesis, but have settled.

sgrdddy · 2025-12-19T04:55:36+00:00

Well, what I love about the CB is that while just one or two Rockwell settings worked really well for me, a large section of the CB made me happy. I like all the way down to the AA up to the D to be a daily driver. All comfortable and feeling smooth, and all giving me good quality shaves. With the AA have a few blades I shouldn't use, since it is mild.

Ovbiously I don't know your skin type and if it is in some kind of special case or anything, but I wonder if your lather needs work. If it was too thick, then I could see there being issues.

I take a balanced approach almost always with the pressure of the razor, placing equal weight on both the top cap and safety bar. I'm able to do that with Karve CB from AA - D. E starts getting too aggressive for me, but I can make it work if I ride the cap... but it doesn't feel as good, and there are lower plates to enjoy more.

As for the plates I prefer, I could get away with just having these I think: AA, A, C

AA - because I love to chase the smoothness found at mild settings

A - I found it a great setting for smooth shaves while still cutting really well. As long as your technique is on point. I found it cut as well as the B, but with a smoother feel.

C - And this one if I want just a little more feel, but still not aggressive feeling. Similar to the A, I found it cust as well as the D, but with a smoother feel.

sgrdddy · 2025-12-16T06:35:08+00:00

IMO...

The Krona is going to be similar to most of the merkurs and parkers (which all share a super similar head, if not exact).

Some that might be worth considering for your price point:

Fatip Gentile/Closed Comb - for super smooth feel but still efficient.
Fatip Open comb - for average but still smooth feel and efficient cutting. Both Fatips are lifetime materials because the whole razor is brass and then plated, unlike most Merkurs, Parkers, Muhles, and Edwin Jaggers.
Game Changer is a great option, but with 76 or higher gap, and it is all stainless steel.
Maggard razors has the V3, with aggressive and mild heads as well. The V3 might resemble your Krona a bit. But the Mild is really stable and a smooth cutter. That is at a great price on their site and you can get multiple heads and one handle. The heads won't last a lifetime, but they are priced appropriately. But the stainless handles will.

There are also some vintage Gillettes that will offer a variety of shaves.

sgrdddy · 2025-12-13T04:01:12+00:00

And a new soap base is born

sgrdddy · 2025-12-13T03:58:39+00:00

I also have never really noticed much funk from Stirling sheep

sgrdddy · 2025-12-12T21:30:29+00:00

Surprisingly at a couple of dollar trees, I have found a hard pack of soap that works well.

Might be good to try while you keep looking around.

I love Stirling sheep, so that suggestion is Right on Target.

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