Edwin Jagger Chrome Double Edge Safety Razor (De89lbl) $23

• Razor
• Dual-edge Blades
• Shave Cream or Soap
• Technique

• Brush (for "whipping" up cream, exfoliating the skin)
• Shave Bowl (to assist in creating lather from cream/soap)
• Balm (to soothe your skin, totally worth it)
• Styptic Pencil (you WILL nick yourself at some point)

• Pre-shave oil (helps to soften hair)
• Razor / Brush Stand (allows for easier drying, and looks awesome)
• Fancy shaving bowls
• Scuttles to keep your rich foam luxuriously warm
• 20 different soaps and creams

DE blades range from about $0.08 to $0.30 each, and each blade will last you 3-5 complete shaves or so (depending on quality).
It is a well-accepted fact in the DE community that blades behave differently on different skin. It is generally recommended to buy a customized sampler pack of several different brands to see what works with your skin (usually sellers will let you pick the brands you want to try). West coast shaving is a great source.

$10 - 35 Blade Sampler Pack (Feather, Astra, Personna Red, Crystal, Derby) [westcoastshaving.com]
$21 - 65 Blade Sampler Pack (Feather, Astra, Personna Red, Crystal, Derby, Merkur, Gillette, BIC, Dorco) [westcoastshaving.com]

$8 - 100 Derby Blades (cheap and usable) [amazon.com]
$12 - 100 Astra Platinum Blades [amazon.com]
$13 - 50 Israeli Personna Reds (high-quality, not quite as unforgiving as Feathers) [ebay.com]
$17 - 50 Feather Blades (well known, highly-regarded as the "best" (i.e. sharpest), but also the most unforgiving) [ebay.com].

BOAR

$16 Omega Pro 48 [ebay.com] boar brush, used by pro italian barbers everywhere.
$14 Omega Pro 49 [amazon.com] if you prefer a bit of color.
And some great information on boars [bruceonshaving.com], and why should you try them.

BADGER

$12 Tweezerman Pure Badger [amazon.com]
$39 Parker Best Badger w/stand [amazon.com]

A decent badger brush will run you at least $40 (the Tweezerman on Amazon is bottom of the barrel as far as badger goes... "pure badger" means "badger hair that we've cut to make it curved". A decent quality badger brush will be "best badger" or "silvertip badger"), so most people prefer to save the money up front to make sure they'll stick with it.

SYNTHETIC

$12 Body Shop Synthetic (Nylon) Brush [thebodyshop-usa.com]

$11 Proraso [amazon.com] is the long time favorite. Smells great, produces amazing cream, and it's been around forever.
$10 C.O. Bigelow Shave Cream [bathandbodyworks.com], which is rebranded Proraso.

$2 Van der Hagen Glycerin Shave soap [drugstore.com]. This is slickdeals after all. You don't need to spend tons of money on expensive creams. (but you get what you pay for. this is like shaving with handsoap)
$33 Tabac [amazon.com] is one of the more well-respected soaps. Definitely worth the money. Keep checking http://www.fragrancex.com/product...ducts.html for really good deal on Tabac shaving soap.
$20 Edwin Jagger has a great line of soaps [amazon.com], most gents and ladies prefer sandalwood.
$10-13 Mama Bears home made shaving soaps [mamabearssoaps.com]

$6 - Nivea has a great alcohol-free balm [supermart.ae] that a lot of people love. You can get it almost anywhere.
$10 - Some people like Witch Hazel as an aftershave. Here's the alcohol-free version from Thayers [amazon.com]

You can use anything for a bowl... maybe a coffee mug, cereal bowl, etc. Most gents prefer largish bowls... maybe 5in diameter, with curved sides. Ceramic bowls will retain heat better, which warms your cream. I use a wonderful ceramic bowl I snagged at a Goodwill for $1.
Check your nearest walmart for a Berry Bowl from Corelle [walmart.com], not the regular dessert bowl which is quite shallow.

Or you can just get soap on the brush and work up the lather on your face. That can help to soften your beard up more, as well.

Styptic pencils are $1 at Walmart [walmart.com] (no plastic carry tube), or $3 at Walgreen's [walgreens.com] (with a plastic carry tube).
By the way, the "sting free" part is complete BS. It stings like hell.<<Truth, as verified by another user. It stings like a you know what

The forums at Badger & Blade [badgerandblade.com] are your friend.
If you have a question about a product, it has been reviewed on B&B.
If you have a question about technique, it has been discussed on B&B.
If you have a question about where to buy what for the best price, the answer is on B&B.

Mantic59's YouTube channel [youtube.com] has amazing videos for all levels of wetshavers, particularly newbies that know nothing.
Go here to find out how to make proper brush lather, proper shave technique, proper blade angle, etc. He's a master.
Sharpologist [sharpologist.com] is a website started by the same guy with info on shaving, along with other grooming topics.