Reddit reviews OMEGA Pennello Da Barba 100% Fibra Sintetica

You can do better for less money shopping on sites other than Amazon, but you can do okay there if you're careful.

For a razor I'd get an Edwin Jagger Kelvin. The Parker 24c is another viable option; I just don't like the way it looks. And if you're the clumsy type, the Merkur 34c is less likely to break if you drop it or knock it off the counter. In terms of shave quality, I'd say Merkur < Edwin Jagger < Parker, but the differences aren't huge. For build quality EJ is a big step above Merkur and Parker.

There are some great synthetic brushes on the market, but AFAIK none of them are available on Amazon. Which means, in your price range, that boar bristles are the only viable option. The Omega 10049 is a big brush that will break in quickly. I actually prefer the small Semogues such as the 1460, but they take a ton of time (or a fair amount of work) to break in.

For shave soap, I really like Pre de Provence. It's a big puck of hard soap, so it'll last you a very long time. Cella is another top performer (far better than, say, Proraso) for an affordable price. I've also heard good things about Soap Commander and Wet Shaving Products' "Rustic" line. Whatever you do, stay away from Col. Conk and Blades Grim.

For blades, just don't. Go to Try a Blade and get a double helping of their top ten sampler. Once you've found your favorite blade, go back to Amazon and see if you can't get a good price on 100 of them.

If there's anything else you need from Amazon, get it and pick up your shave gear elsewhere. For example, the Maggard Razors budget starter kit is outstanding, and is about to get better with the inclusion of their self-branded synthetic brushes. For $40 you can put together a kit that's a step up from the $60 worth of stuff I recommended on Amazon. But if it's gotta be Amazon, you at least have some viable options.

Edited to add final paragraph.

Omega 10049

Basic Kit - under $50:
Razor: $10.99
Brush: $10.69
Soap - $3.59
Blade Sampler - $22.99
Nivea shave balm for sensitive skin - $5 at walmart

Take a look at the sidebar - there are some good sets for less than $50 and online shops are the way to go unless you get lucky and find a good antique razor.
This set was just released my Maggard Razor and is a good start for $38. You don't need to buy a bowl - any will do, even a mug. Also, stands are not necessary .

You can also buy the Sodial razor (and look at the pack with razor, soap and styptic pencil below for only $11.64)
As a starter brush you could choose a standard Omega with boar bristles which is a great brush. I have also seen the Ecotools Bamboo brush recommended a lot - you can find that in places such as Wal-Mart I believe for less than $10. (I'm not American, I'm not sure).

Also, it's strongly recommended that you get yourself a blade sampler, the importance of which you can read more about in an article by Leisureguy.

Edit: if you are looking for an aftershave, you can try out Nivea Sensitive aftershave balm -very cheap and available everywhere.

• Utopia razor $10.99. I haven't super closely followed threads about this razor. But those that I did see, people reported that it shaved well. The problem is quality control. As sometimes the razor has arrived with a bent baseplate which makes the razor unusable. But if that happens Amazon should replace it.
  
• Omega 10049 boar brush $9.75. Quality boar brush. There's a black one from another seller for the same price. This post has general information about shaving brushes. But basically boar brushes need to be soaked and there's a break-in period.
  
• Arko shaving soap pack of two $4.35 Here's a post about how to use Arko shaving stick.
  
• Blade samplers in Amazon are overpriced. So buy the blades from Tryablade.com The below blades should cost $6.10 with shipping.
  
• 2x Astra Superior Platinum
  
• 2x Personna Lab Blue
  
• 2x Feather New Hi-Stainless
  
• 2x Personna Platinum (Israeli reds)
  
• 2x Gillette 7 o'clock SharpEdge
  
• 2x Derby Extra
  
• 2x Shark Super Chrome
  
  Total: $31.19

• Razor: Shaving Factory Double Edge Safety Razor
  
• Blade: Derby Extra Double Edge Blades
  
• Brush: Omega Professional Boar Brush 10049
  
• Lather: Williams Mug Shaving Soap
  
• Aftershave: Pinaud Clubman Aftershave
  
   
  
  The Shaving Factory razor is also known as a Ming Shi, a mild razor but gives a really close shave when you ride the cap. Williams paired with Clubman is the quintessential barbershop shave and is one of my favorite pairings.

There are no good "kits" on amazon. Buy you can easily build your own kit. There are plenty of budget razor recommendations in the double edge kit/gift suggestions page. From there you'll need a brush. A good badger brush costs about your whole budget. The most common recommendation for a beginner brush is an Omega boar brush. Here is a great guide on boar brushes. You'll need a shave soap. There are a billion options on amazon. A good starting point is Proraso's shave soap. But there are plenty of other options on amazon. Just find a review here or on another wet shaving forum. The only other item you'll need is razor blades. If you can spare some other cash get a sampler pack from Tryablade That should get you started.

A little over a month ago, I picked up a Frank Shaving Pur-tech synthetic brush, and so far I love it. Some people scoff at the notion of a brush made in China, but my experience has been extremely positive so far.

It uses 4th generation fibers, so it's very soft, but also has a nice bit of backbone. The brush is the perfect size for my medium-large hands, and it's very well made (it hasn't shed a single fiber yet!).

Also, the brush is a lather monster--I loaded from my HTGAM Cavendish puck for about 7 seconds this morning, which resulted in enough rich lather for about 5 passes. I get similar results with creams--a dab of cream about the size of a pea creates way more than enough lather.

Finally, the FS brush is $30, which is a fraction of the price of the Muhle synthetic silver tip. You could pick up the FS brush and an inexpensive Omega boar brush (like this one) for less than $40.

I started about one month ago with my Gillette Tech. I love it, it was cheap (ebay has them for about $15),

I use WSP Hypoallergenic Luxury Rustic Shaving Soap which is ~13 bucks with Amazon Prime.

And I use a [Omega Professional Boar Bristle Shaving Brush] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004HJ6CFM) for ~$11 on Amazon Prime.

I thought I bought a sampler pack of blades but instead bought a 100 blade pack of Dorco ST301 for $8.

This combo was $47 for me and it worked well for me. Again, it worked for me - maybe your skin and comfort is different - and is less than half of your budget. I do recommend to not do what I did, and actually buy a sampler pack of blades to try out.

edit: I also shave every day and only had irritation when I first started out because I was using too much pressure. Now that I have a much better technique, I don't have any irritation at all - in fact I've only nicked myself twice (so far).

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004HJ6CFM/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I love it

> I can't comment on boar brushes, but maybe someone else can. Boar brushes are pretty different, in that you have to soak them before use.

I have this brush as a noobie getting into this. I do soak it, but putting it in hot water while I shower is no big deal. It lathers well, keeps its shape well, and has a decent price tag. My only qualm is that I didn't expect the smell at first...this thing had a funky hair smell at first. After a week of it sitting out of packaging that went away, but it was a bit off putting at first.

Thanks for your input!

Edit: Something like this for a brush instead?

10049/10048

I started with a 10049 and still have it. Just a fine brush. There is a bit of a break-in period on boar, but it doesn't take long and isn't difficult. Once the hairs split at the tips it becomes plenty soft.

I'm assuming you're sticking with the Merkur, which is a good choice I think.

Shopping at Amazon, I'd buy:

a Brush Omega boar brush

A blade sampler with some well loved brands.

Shaving Cream TOBS Avocado is a well liked, easy lathering cream.

Optional:

Alum Block to rub over your face after shaving, recommended.

Also optional is a glycerin-containing soap or facewash to use right before you shave.

I'm assuming you already have an after shave, otherwise Nivea Sensitive Balm is a good choice.

Just get a bowl from the kitchen to lather and you're set.

A ten buck Baili razor.

Omega brush.
12 sticks of Arko 100 Dorco Blades.

$40, all Prime shipping, and you're good for 2-4 years. Dollar per month-ish. Yeah, it's not a blade sampler, so if you hate the Dorcos, You're out $7 but can hand them out as party favors or macabre business cards.

I need a fancy new shave brush to go with my fancy new razor!

One of my current favorite songs is This Year by The Mountain Goats. It always makes my day brighter!

• Edwin Jagger DE89
  
• Omega 10049
  
• Proraso Sensitive
  
  You pay a premium for certain things on Amazon, but those are good options. The price of blades is quite high on Amazon, so get a couple of packs of Astras (or a sampler pack) on Maggards before sampling a larger selection from tryablade.com.
  
  Maggards also has build-your-own DE starter kits which you may find to be better value. Also they sell excellent artisan soaps which are better quality than massed produced soap like Proraso, (and much nicer on the skin). Their own soap is very good quality and affordable.
  
  Brands to avoid on Amazon are Escali brushes and Van der Hagen.

Big Daddy Strop : $40

Shave Bazaar Straight
or message /u/RVMaster or /u/RocTraitor: $45

Omega Brush: $10

Shave soap: $2 to $40+

Styptic Pencil: $2

Alum Block: $6.00

Mineral oil at the pharmacy aisle: $2

Total price for the basic set up: $100 or so

http://www.amazon.com/Omega-Professional-Bristle-Shaving-Handle/dp/B004HJ6CFM/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1394750418&sr=8-3&keywords=omega+brush