Okay, so today I finally got my birthday present to myself. My new Merkur 23C and Vulfix 660 super bader brush, as well as sampler pack of blades. So 
I'm pretty happy right now. Anyway, this kid at the candy store waited for two days and had some serious growth and well, I couldn't wait any longer so....here it is, my first time...step by step.
Pre: Before my shower I applied Noxzema Deep Cleansing Cream to my face and allowed it a chance to work as I went over some emails and set up my razor. I was rather blown away with how thin exactly DE blades are.....but then coming from the cartridge world I was used to "blades" that looked thicker but not a true razor in shape...if you follow. I'll get into the blade later....
After 5 minutes or so it was time to rinse my face of the cream and get my shower going. which I did....kept my face wet but didn't apply any other products to the face yet. After the showever however, I did apply Myrsol Antesol to my face and massaged it into my beard area and neck.
I then grabbed the 660 and my bowl and began, my USUAL thing of soaking the brush and warming the bowl well before hand. I noticed that the 600 does need to take on a new smell but the badger hair did not smell overpoweringly funky. Just musty, like it had been sitting on a shelf for a few years. Anyway, once the bowl (a cheap soup mug with handle and plastic top, that was excellent for keeping heat in my old Wilinson Sword Boar hair brush) and brush were getting acquainted. I ran my hot sink water and prepped the razor for use.
The blade of choice to today was the Murkur Super tester balde that came with the 23C, so I decided to go with that, according to mantic59, Mekur blades are considered the baseline for blade sharpenss and use (B&B feel free to state your own opinions to that). I made sure the blade reveal was even on both sides and set it down till ready to cut. More on the 23C's rating at the end.
The cream today is the same on I use for my avatar...Proraso Red.....I love Sandlewood and well this cream may not be Mysore Sandlewood, but it smells and performs awesome for me. So dumped out the water in the bowl and shook out what I thought was the bulk of the water in the 660 and with a almond size dollop of cream I set to work. Oh! Well, badger hair DOES hold more water then boar hair after all! While the lather prep did not take as long as it used to. Say a minute compared to 2 with the boar hair, I did make note to shake out the brush a bit more next time as the lather was thinner then I normally like it to be. However, the brush itself is beautifully soft and applies lather far better then the poor Wilkinison Sword boar one after did,even after 6 years of break in. I'm glad I got it, but like I said, I'll have to watch the water in the brush a bit more, starting with a drier brush and adding in the water if I need it.
Ok, time to rock....first pass, with the grain:
I had practiced with my Mach 3 a few techniques to save myself from trouble with the DE, locking the wrist and using the arm to make the stoke and keeping the strokes short and deviding my face into flatter segments. The one thing, that I'm sure will come with muscle memory in time is blade angle. Somethimes I felt as though I wanted to over correctand shave on a steeper angle and sometimes i wanted to straighten the head. However, I did my best to pay attention to blade feel and cutting angle and was patient with the first pass. The singing of the blade appealed to me and with no pulling or tugging and the first pass went slower then i'm used to but without problems.
Second pass, across the grain,ear to nose:
This is was the only pass that gave me a problem on this shave but that was due to my stupidity rather then blade angle and pressure. I forgot about the small mole I have under my nose and well on that pass I nicked it pretty well. Oh dear.....learning curve but also just not paying attention to that facet of my face cost me. however apart form that and that feeling of wanting to overcorrect or undercorrect, the pass went well.
Third pass, across the grain, nose to ear:
I'm actually surprised at myself at this point. Desipte the muscle tendancy to want to use it like a Mach 3, I by now had the angle down and the shave went quicker now, a bit longer strokes byt now but no great swaths either.
Fourth pass: against the grain:
This was the pass that people are told to avoid while learning but I felt that by now, the angle issue was going to be far earier to control so I risked it. and my risk paid off, again I'm glad i was practising with grip and pressure with the Mach # or I'd have just stuck to the downward pass and that's it. This went well and I was surprised how weel the blade was performing by this point. and this pass,with a spoon hold type grip didn't take long at all.
Hot water rinse and check and well.....DFS.....dang...inpressive. Though I did crack out at this point, the Mach 3 to touch up the remaining rough spots with bladebuffing. I'm not even close yet to being confortable with my muscle memory to attempt J-hooking or bladdebuffing on the DE yet but I did want the rough patches gone. However I was very pleased to note, my troublezones didn't need nearly as much touchups as they required with the Mach 3 on full shaves.
Cold water rinse and now for the rest test to see how weel i did...apart from my weeper that was my fault. What's this....the alum block isn't singing to me as much as it used to? wow.....I'm very impressed at this point.
Proraso styptic gel for the weeper, cold water rinse, witch hazel, cold water rinse.
Proraso Pre/Post cream...the white stuff is my usual go to for a blam and today was no different so got that applied and then a spalsh of clubman bay Rum to finish and well.....mission complete.
The 23c is nice and weighty, good balance in the hand and the weight of the head does do the work, no pressure needed. The Merkur Super was nice and sharp but not biting into my face and 4 passes for a DFS on my first go I'll take anyday of the week. I've heard that the 23C is mild but heck, if it does this well for being mild, I'm not sure if I'll need or want an uber aggressive razor like the R41 or a slant bar just yet.
Final results: One happy Canuck
I'm pretty happy right now. Anyway, this kid at the candy store waited for two days and had some serious growth and well, I couldn't wait any longer so....here it is, my first time...step by step.Pre: Before my shower I applied Noxzema Deep Cleansing Cream to my face and allowed it a chance to work as I went over some emails and set up my razor. I was rather blown away with how thin exactly DE blades are.....but then coming from the cartridge world I was used to "blades" that looked thicker but not a true razor in shape...if you follow. I'll get into the blade later....
After 5 minutes or so it was time to rinse my face of the cream and get my shower going. which I did....kept my face wet but didn't apply any other products to the face yet. After the showever however, I did apply Myrsol Antesol to my face and massaged it into my beard area and neck.
I then grabbed the 660 and my bowl and began, my USUAL thing of soaking the brush and warming the bowl well before hand. I noticed that the 600 does need to take on a new smell but the badger hair did not smell overpoweringly funky. Just musty, like it had been sitting on a shelf for a few years. Anyway, once the bowl (a cheap soup mug with handle and plastic top, that was excellent for keeping heat in my old Wilinson Sword Boar hair brush) and brush were getting acquainted. I ran my hot sink water and prepped the razor for use.
The blade of choice to today was the Murkur Super tester balde that came with the 23C, so I decided to go with that, according to mantic59, Mekur blades are considered the baseline for blade sharpenss and use (B&B feel free to state your own opinions to that). I made sure the blade reveal was even on both sides and set it down till ready to cut. More on the 23C's rating at the end.
The cream today is the same on I use for my avatar...Proraso Red.....I love Sandlewood and well this cream may not be Mysore Sandlewood, but it smells and performs awesome for me. So dumped out the water in the bowl and shook out what I thought was the bulk of the water in the 660 and with a almond size dollop of cream I set to work. Oh! Well, badger hair DOES hold more water then boar hair after all! While the lather prep did not take as long as it used to. Say a minute compared to 2 with the boar hair, I did make note to shake out the brush a bit more next time as the lather was thinner then I normally like it to be. However, the brush itself is beautifully soft and applies lather far better then the poor Wilkinison Sword boar one after did,even after 6 years of break in. I'm glad I got it, but like I said, I'll have to watch the water in the brush a bit more, starting with a drier brush and adding in the water if I need it.
Ok, time to rock....first pass, with the grain:
I had practiced with my Mach 3 a few techniques to save myself from trouble with the DE, locking the wrist and using the arm to make the stoke and keeping the strokes short and deviding my face into flatter segments. The one thing, that I'm sure will come with muscle memory in time is blade angle. Somethimes I felt as though I wanted to over correctand shave on a steeper angle and sometimes i wanted to straighten the head. However, I did my best to pay attention to blade feel and cutting angle and was patient with the first pass. The singing of the blade appealed to me and with no pulling or tugging and the first pass went slower then i'm used to but without problems.
Second pass, across the grain,ear to nose:
This is was the only pass that gave me a problem on this shave but that was due to my stupidity rather then blade angle and pressure. I forgot about the small mole I have under my nose and well on that pass I nicked it pretty well. Oh dear.....learning curve but also just not paying attention to that facet of my face cost me. however apart form that and that feeling of wanting to overcorrect or undercorrect, the pass went well.
Third pass, across the grain, nose to ear:
I'm actually surprised at myself at this point. Desipte the muscle tendancy to want to use it like a Mach 3, I by now had the angle down and the shave went quicker now, a bit longer strokes byt now but no great swaths either.
Fourth pass: against the grain:
This was the pass that people are told to avoid while learning but I felt that by now, the angle issue was going to be far earier to control so I risked it. and my risk paid off, again I'm glad i was practising with grip and pressure with the Mach # or I'd have just stuck to the downward pass and that's it. This went well and I was surprised how weel the blade was performing by this point. and this pass,with a spoon hold type grip didn't take long at all.
Hot water rinse and check and well.....DFS.....dang...inpressive. Though I did crack out at this point, the Mach 3 to touch up the remaining rough spots with bladebuffing. I'm not even close yet to being confortable with my muscle memory to attempt J-hooking or bladdebuffing on the DE yet but I did want the rough patches gone. However I was very pleased to note, my troublezones didn't need nearly as much touchups as they required with the Mach 3 on full shaves.
Cold water rinse and now for the rest test to see how weel i did...apart from my weeper that was my fault. What's this....the alum block isn't singing to me as much as it used to? wow.....I'm very impressed at this point.
Proraso styptic gel for the weeper, cold water rinse, witch hazel, cold water rinse.
Proraso Pre/Post cream...the white stuff is my usual go to for a blam and today was no different so got that applied and then a spalsh of clubman bay Rum to finish and well.....mission complete.
The 23c is nice and weighty, good balance in the hand and the weight of the head does do the work, no pressure needed. The Merkur Super was nice and sharp but not biting into my face and 4 passes for a DFS on my first go I'll take anyday of the week. I've heard that the 23C is mild but heck, if it does this well for being mild, I'm not sure if I'll need or want an uber aggressive razor like the R41 or a slant bar just yet.
Final results: One happy Canuck
