Oh yes, depending on the blade and razor combo it is very noticeable. the example I have used before is Feather blades. cheese graters in my Merkur Future but silky smooth in my Gillette #66 whereas Gillette super platinum (Swedes) are awesome in my Gillette tech and Future as well as my Merkur Open Comb.
Well I'm looking quite keenly at the Merkur 38C. Should I be perhaps looking at a different razor for starting with? Any recommendations?
The 38C is a great razor. I'd get that one as it's both not too expensive and a nice weight. I've got about 12 different razors and still use the 38C quite often. Once you've mastered the 38C then you can look at other razors (it's almost a rite of passage) For soaps & creams I use Geo F Trumper, Taylor of Bond Street, Palmolive (you can get the shaving stick from Asda for 49p or the cream from Wilkinson for £2 or so). The blue tub Wilkinson Sword soap from the supermarket isn't bad but isn't great compared to the traditional brands. If you want to see any of the various blades, soaps, creams etc drop me a line & pop over to see the shave den. Also don't try Feathers for your first blade. They're as sharp as FCUK
I found what work best for me. My daily routine consist in taking a hot shower, scrubbing my face with Proraso Pre, using my Merkur 34c with a Crystal blade for the WTG pass, then I switch for my Gillette superspeed '56 with a Perma-Sharp super (The Russian one, not the turkish) for both ATG/XTG, some touch up & a splash of Old spice After shave. The result ? The epitome of manliness. BTW I'm happy to see that we are hooking peoples.
Why doesn’t anyone recommend the Edwin Jagger DE89? I got one a couple of weeks ago and it’s really nice although I need to learn how to use is properly after 20 years of shaving with a cartridge razor.
I personally have a merkur razor, been using it for a year or so. Shaves closer than anything else. I was sick and tired of the ripping of the hairs I was getting from my mach3 and even sicker to the stomach when I purchased a 5 pack of blades to only have them last a month and half for 25-30usd. Screw that. Every time I shaved with the mach3 my face was irritated and I always had a nick or two. I use a badger brush - stunk in the begging - cheap chinese one, but has been doing the job wonderfully. I use proraso soap - italian import but you can find them on amazon. I use astra blades - 150 blades for 12bux shipped. 1 blade a month for me. Good quality blades in my book. I use nivea cream as aftershave. I am not a person who shaves daily though, I shave more like every 3 or 4 days and like a light beard on my face. The safety razor fails if the beard is too long, so I keep a trimmer, other than that the most rewarding shave possible for me. I see no reason to go straight edge for now.
A question that's been brewing in my mind skimming over this thread: just what is the difference between different razors? My PC enthusiast mind wants to look for specs and details but I'm quickly learning that the differences are far more subtle. And what would drive a person to ever have more than one? I ask because this thread has sparked some interest. I'm not exactly discontent with my disposable razor, I shave every weekday and never have any problems but my barber includes a straight razor shave with all men's haircuts and, well, it just can't be matched. I wouldn't mind getting a similar experience every morning at home.
To the online bank balance sheet I go... I have been looking for a different razor for a while, I have really sensitive skin and my electric used to rip me apart, cartridges are better but time to become a real man, eh?
It's all about blade exposure and hair reduction. I use a 34c for my first pass because its more agressive (Not too) than swith for a Superspeed because its milder.
Another difference is that safety razor blades are sharper than those of disposable jobbies, due to that they need far less pressure to cut through hair meaning that your skin takes less of a scraping. Disposable or cartridge razors also hold the blades at what the manufacturer thinks is the correct angle, however this angle will always be a compromise as no two guy's hair will grow the same way, with a safety razor and even more so with a straight, you can vary the angle that the blade is presented to the skin and hair to optimise the shave to that particular region of your face. Some safety razors also have the advantage of being adjustable (Merkur do 3 like this as far as i can recall and some of the older Gillette ones also have this feature), this way you can expose more or less of the blade by changing the gap between the blade edge and the safety bar that runs along the bottom of the head (and where the safety razor gets its name from).
More than one? I've got 10 or so sitting on my rack. Every razor is different so it adds a bit of variety to the morning ritual. I also find it nice to change between razors (e.g. I can't use my Muhle R41 for more than a couple of days straight without risking irritation as it's such a clean shave the hair doesn't grow long enough to cut the following day but I need a shave if that makes sense). Once you make the switch RAD (Razor Acquisition Disorder), BAD (Brush Acquisition Disorder), SAD (Soap Acquisition Disorder) & CAD (Cream Acquisition Disorder) all kick in and you end up with a pile of stuff (mainly due to shaving becoming enjoyable rather than a chore)
Welp, I spec'd up a kit of supplies online and come down to $135 before tax. Merkur 34C as it seems to be a commonly recommended first razor, small pack of blades, lower end badger brush and some safely priced cream. Then I tossed on an alum block and some safe looking after shave for good measure. Bit of a steep buy in but some quick math says it'll be paying for itself in a year almost exactly, not to mention the value of the enhanced quality of each shave. Hooray payday!
It's totally worth it. I splashed out on an Edwin Jagger Georgian set with silvertip badger brush and stand, Mitchel's Wool Fat soap and Edwin Jagger Aloe Vera aftershave lotion and lately an alum block. What used to be an uncomfortable chore now is an almost meditative ritual delight. I look forward to shaving now, rather than trying to put it off. You can't put a price on that. Some research found that men who shave frequently are at lower risk of stroke, even when all other possible coincidental factors are accounted for. Now I know why. Oh, and frequent shavers also have more sex.
I'm been meaning to get into this too. I am running out of cartridges for my Gilette Fusion and instead of buying new ones I'd might as try this ritual of manliness. Would this set be a good starting kit? I don't have especially sensitive skin and not a lot of dough in the bank so I thought it would be a good starting place. Then I could always expand you know ^^
Five days a week must not be "frequent" because it ain't working! Maybe this is an opportunity waiting to be exploited. "I just switched to using a safety razor, feel how smooth I am".
I hope you are not suggesting shaving the nether regions with a safety razor because nothing that sharp is going anywhere near my manhood
Alum blocks are awesome, sometimes you just have a need for that sting but they tighten your skin up a treat afterwards. A lot of times I will just use one of those without anything else afterwards although most of the time I have to admit that it is the Nivea for Men sensitive balm that I go for.
