New to all this

Welcome fellow Canberran. Looking forward to your contribution to the P&C community :)
 
Welcome @iamacup . Good luck with choosing a razor. I would advise against starting wet shaving with the idea of saving money, but you will get better shaves (y)

I've only started recently, so I invite anyone to correct me if I'm wrong on the following.
A DE would be my recommendation to start with simply because it's going to be the easiest to move to from something else. Plus if you're moving from an electric you probably still want something quick and easy. If you jump into a straight the learning curve and time commitment might put you off.
 
Welcome to the forum @iamacup :)

As most people have already said, start out with a DE - vintage or new depending on your preferences, and a mixed blade pack so you can try different blades. I think the big difference for me was using soap and a brush instead of the canned goo shaving cream. The lather from a good soap is just superb and is very good for your skin, and for the quality of the shave.

I used to use cartridges, then moved through DE, single edge, shavettes and straights. They are all fun to master and use, and add variety. There is something significant about using a beautiful vintage DE/SE or straight razor, often 80 years old, and still functioning perfectly - as opposed to the plastic cart which you chuck out after a few uses.

The fascinating thing about the whole wet shaving concept is how it transforms a mundane chore (i.e. the shave) into a interesting and enjoyable few minutes of zen shave time before the mayhem of the day begins :)
 
Damn, I just about spat coffee on the monitor!
It’s hard cause they are beautiful things but it’s just silly..
Look at reasonable things like $650 pocket knives like me...
I’m not a brilliant man.
 
Welcome :)

I don't think it's necessary to start with a DE rather than jumping right into a straight, the skills are really not that transferable. The most important thing to keep in mind is ZERO pressure and maintaining correct the correct angle, so I say if you want to shave with a straight just grab one and get started. (Especially since your wife is going to have a DE you can borrow for clean ups while you're learning).

I'm a big fan of synthetic brushes so I'm going to suggest you look into those as well.

Also, get around "TAWSE - The Aussie Wet Shaving Enablement" on Facebook. There's some very experienced straight razor shavers there and one of the blokes just posted a few straights for sale this morning.
 
OK, people are getting silly here as usual!

Welcome @iamacup !

Your timing is good as we have a meet-up this Saturday - Canberra January 2018 Meet Up - on the lake! No cost except an hour of your time on the lake talking shaving. PM me if you are interested :) I'm sure that a couple of blades will come your way if you come along too.

I use DEs so cannot help you with straights. There are lots of options for good vintage DEs at a very reasonable price. B/S/T here is good buying when something comes up or eBay. There are a couple of antique stores in Fyshwick but generally slim pickings. I'd suggest a Lady Gillette for your wife, long handle is very useful and any number of DEs for you.




 
Actually @iamacup if you can make it to the meet I’m sure I can dig up a razor.
May just be a crummy soluna or something to that effect as I have given away / sold many of my good but not permanent collection razors.
 
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