Thinking about putting together a strategic kit for my dad.

thisISjoel

thisISjoel

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Jun 23, 2015
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Australia
Visiting my dad for Chrissy and I saw a crappy bic two blade disposable on his bathroom sink! He used to keep a short beard, but his trimmer carked it a few months ago and he's been clean shaving since them.

I'd considered trying to get him over to a DE before, we've talked about me using one and he actually used one as a teenager so I think he might be willing to give it a try.

I'm thinking a TTO razor, maybe one of the parkers since I live my 97r, 100 voskys (or maybe a blade sampler), a reasonably priced synthetic brush and a decent soap or two.

Any suggestions?
 
An Omega pro 48 brush is relatively cheap and so is Proraso cream - together a great combo. Have you searched for a vintage Gillette TTO?
 
Synthetic sounds great to start with - I'm sure the Plisson is/will be soon on sale again.

Other razors to consider would be the Merkur 34c and the Edwin Jagger 89DE.

Voskhods are IMO always a great choice, but maybe add some others as well, so he can "discover" them for himself ;)
 
rm71 said:
An Omega pro 48 brush is relatively cheap and so is Proraso cream - together a great combo. Have you searched for a vintage Gillette TTO?
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I'm hesitant to go vintage, mainly because I'm not confident that I can choose something that's good. I think I'd rather go modern, just for that reason. Like I said, I love my parker 97r and if the TTOs are similar shavers I think they'd be great for the old man.

alfredus said:
Synthetic sounds great to start with - I'm sure the Plisson is/will be soon on sale again.

Other razors to consider would be the Merkur 34c and the Edwin Jagger 89DE.

Voskhods are IMO always a great choice, but maybe add some others as well, so he can "discover" them for himself ;)
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I agree about the blade sampler, although knowing my old man he'll end up on the cheapest blades on his own ☺

I'm pretty set on getting him a TTO, I'm pretty sure the razor he used when he was young was a TTO and I think he'll find it more convenient than a 3 piece.
 
This might also be a good excuse for me to put an order in somewhere (like Maggard or somewhere) and grab a few things for myself, you know, to make the shipping worthwhile :)
 
I did the same for my Dad, got him an Omega 48 boar brush, Proraso cream tube and aftershave he said he had forgotten what real shaving was like and how his face felt post shave.

He will never go back to electric shaving which he took up in the late 80's.

Regards
cranky
 
@thisISjoel if you are looking for a cheap brush the Razorock Plissoft from Italian Barber is dirt cheap and surprisingly very very good. If you get one for your dad you'd best get one for yourself to. A blade sampler would definitely be the go. Why not grab him a Parker 22R? Shaver Heaven sells them and you could get him a nice soap and balm to go with it? Don't forget that they have the 15% off Boxind Day sale ATM.....
 
I got a couple of the Crown King Synths from PAA as the shipping was better priced than pretty much everyone else in the synths. Stirling was a cheaper brush but the postage far more expensive, The last Fine Brushes order I had got lost (untracked postage)... and Italian Barber postage to AU is also high unfortunately when the Plissoft is not sold out.

Not that these were for myself, but I checked the brushes carefully when they arrived and I must say I was impressed with the build quality of them. One was a "Checkmate" Suave 24mm Synthetic in faux Ox Horn which was a really good size and quite weight actually, and the other was a "The Troubadour" Suave 22mm Synthetic in the faux Ivory. I also threw in a tub of RR 'Zi Peppino' for a few backs extra. I'd also note that there is a 'firmer' version of the knot available in these brushes which is more 'boar-like' which I am sure some here will love. I was actually going to order the 24mm in that but got confused and ended up with the softer one.

And I will just add to the conversation that I am far and away no fanboi of @D_Smythe in any way shape or form, probably slightly against him if anything based on previous behaviours and on my direct experiences with the soaps. But that said I do pay credit where it was due - the package went into the post quickly, tracking worked and apart from a week in customs here while Border Security had its head up its arse, I am pretty happy with things so far.

Haven't used them, but I will check out how the 22mm goes when my nephew lathers up later this week.
 
Agree with @Monsta_AU about the postage costs. You can always use a forwarding service such as Shipito top help with this though. I have heard good things about the Crown King synthetic as well and they are on my radar for a possible future buy. Shavebusta recently reviewed them on Youtube and he was impressed. @thisISjoel it might be worth checking out the review...
 
As nice as the Crown Kings are, considering postage the plissoft is still half the price. Maybe they'll be in stock soon, so there's a great option there.
As for the razor I'd probably vote for the Merkur 34C too, especially since you can snag it for 15% off today at Shaver Heaven for $51, and while you're at it you can buy a fail-safe Shaver Heaven soap or two and reach that free shipping threshold. You can also snag good prices off of tvbshaving if you have a preference for Muhle's R89 razor and STF2 brush.
I'd personally avoid TTO and even two pieces to an extent, just because I'd rather not have mechanisms that can degrade or break over time. All those vintage TTO and adjustable gilletes with worn mechanisms... *shudder* I'd never wish that on any razor.
 
I'm more inclined to go for a TTO, and if I wasn't I'd probably go to Stirling and get the 22mm synth, one of their razors and a couple of their soaps.
 
Just checked ItalianBarber postage costs, seems to have reduced significantly since the last time I checked. That's a good thing.

pyrokov said:
I'd personally avoid TTO and even two pieces to an extent, just because I'd rather not have mechanisms that can degrade or break over time. All those vintage TTO and adjustable gilletes with worn mechanisms... *shudder* I'd never wish that on any razor.
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I have killed more modern razors made of Zamak than I have vintage. The Gillette Brass is damn tough stuff and I would back it anyday.
 
Gillette made millions of TTO from the 40s to the 70s. Many still selling online. So long as they've not been dropped or abused, which should be fairly obvious, they are bulletproof. If they made them to the same specs today, we couldn't afford them.
 
I find shaving.ie usually has pretty competitive prices if you're buying enough to make the shipping worth while.

Grab something like a merker 34C or muhle 89, an Omega Bore, some TOBS Jermyn St and Proraso green a/s splash and you're onto a winner right there for a newbie. Shouldn't cost an arm or a leg either.
 
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