One week in & First time poster

[calgarychris]

Hi,

I'm new to DE shaving, I've been using either an electric or Gillette Mach3 for the past 30ish years. I moved away from electric to Mach3 except when I absolutely needed to, however I can never seem to do a daily shave with the Mach3, due to irritation - hence my reason for trying DE. I have no idea if I have coarse hair or not, although a barber once commented that I had really coarse hair when I had a hot shave years ago. For me it's always been what it's been, blood and guts if necessary...get the job done. Waiting a couple of days and going with the Mach3 gets me a very close shave that last more than a day...but I like the idea of smoother, more often at a lower cost. And frankly, a bit of pampering would be nice, if I can say that...

I've bought myself a Merkur 34C and a sample pack of both razors and 18 or so TOBs. I am assuming that, with the exception of the ones that are for sensitive skin, the creams are all about the same, except for scent? I've been switching them up daily, mostly getting the missus' approval...

As for the blades, in my sampler pack I have the blades below. I recognise my technique needs a lot of work, obviously. I started by using the Parker Premium, then I decided to do a rapid fire, two swipes per blade to see what it felt like on the day and now I'm going back to do a full shave on each. My observations so far:

Parker Premium Platinum - my first blade I tried, which cause more irritation than I remember from my first shave 30 years ago. I've done a full shave, three passes, with a lot of rework. Didn't matter how many passes I did, I couldn't get a close shave. I would say absolutely awful for me and I'm shuddering thinking of working through the 5 blades I have
Merkur Platinum stainless - I seemed to struggle to find the right angle for some reason. On my full shave it performed "okay" but was sort of annoying in that it didn't seem to cut as close as I would have liked
Astra green - I know it's popular, it didn't irritate but it didn't seem to get that close. I want to experiment more with this one
Wilkinson Sword - this was used only one day after a shave, so I was expecting a lot of irritation but it went well. My second favourite so far I think
Gillette Platinum - irritated me a bit on the two-pass test and again on the full shave. It didn't seem to give me that close a shave, and have a bit of irritation, but nothing like the Parker
Derby Extra - I've only tested it with a couple of strokes, but I liked it. This will be my next blade to test
Feather - Provided the closest shave with the least irritation. I like it, but then it's for "experienced users" and maybe my ego wants me to like it. So far, it's my favourite

The above testing was done with the same pre-shave prep. Which is to say, little to none. I have shaved in the past with nothing but water before (desperate times, desperate measures), but I'm reading and learning lots. I've been going the shower, lather, shave route but I'm going to try adding in a pre-shave Proraso and see if that does anything...

Looking at the above, my favourite is the Feather, then Wilkinson Sword, Derby/Astra and then Gillette, Merkur and Parker. Do my blade choices suggest anything? I'm wondering if maybe I have coarse hair and I'm better to go with more aggressive blades and secondly if there are blades I should try other than those above. My plan is to work on technique over the coming weeks/months and then decide if DE is better than the ol' Mach3. Thoughts?


Thanks

 

[spacemonkey42]

I'd say it is too early to say which blade is best for you. It is one's technique that has to develop first. You may want to try the fixed four - same razor, blade, soap, and brush - for a couple of months to really focus on learning the technique. It is a skill that takes years to develop.

 

[Goblin]

The above testing was done with the same pre-shave prep. Which is to say, little to none...I've been going the shower, lather, shave route but I'm going to try adding in a pre-shave Proraso and see if that does anything...

A shower is absolutely the best pre-shave prep there is - 5 minutes under a hot shower softens the whiskers significantly, making them easier to cut.

The Merkur 34c is a quite a mild razor nowadays, but a Feather in a 34c is a good combo. When I was learning all this, many years ago, it took me about 6 months to work out that showering before shaving and sticking a Feather in 34c allowed me to make efficient strokes instead of hacking away ineffectually. That was when my shaves actually started to improve, as whisker removal was no longer a battle (and it shouldn't be) so if you have discovered this combo already you are off to a great start!

Platinums are probably the next down in terms of sharpness, but like you, I find them a little harsh. Excepting the fact that some are obviously sharper than others, blades are very much horses for courses. Stick with your Feathers and keep practising!

 

[musicman1951]

Welcome to the forum!

First, there is no rule about trying all 5 blades in the pack that you dislike with any level of intensity. If the first blade from a new sample seems nasty I immediately (mid-shave) change it out for the next blade down - sometimes you find a bad blade/edge. If that next blade isn't any better I throw it out and save the last three for a year or two down the road (it might work better for me by then - or not). But if a blade is not sharp enough for your beard it's not going to improve with age.

There are two things that generally cause irritation: too much pressure and incorrect blade angle. Coming from carts I can almost guarantee you're using more pressure than you need. Angle will probably take some practice to find and keep the best razor angle for your shave.

Good luck and enjoy the journey.

 

[BigJ]

First, CONGRATULATIONS on your progress!

Second, as you note there are many variables in play. The biggest is that your technique is evolving. Once that is reasonably stable then it is possible to really explore various hardware and software options.

Two suggestions:
1. Pick a ‘good enough’ set up for now.
2. Focus on improving your technique: prep, lather, NO pressure and proper razor angle.

Stick with this for a bit and your results will improve!

 

[NickCutlip]

Welcome to the forum !!

 

[EasyDoesIt]

Welcome to B&B!

 

[dmshaver]

Glad you've joined, welcome to B & B!

 

[calgarychris]

Thanks guys!

I'll definitely work on technique. This morning I gave the Derby a whirl...I got a passable shave from three passes. I don't have that blade, but I think I'll practice using the Feathers and Wilkinsons as I work my way through the TOBs scents. Didn't really enjoy grapefruit. So far tobacco leaf has been my fave...

Any other blades I should try or have I got most of the majors covered?

thanks for the welcome

 

[euro]

Astra SP's, Permasharps, Wizamet Super Iridium are also very good blades. You should wait 3-4 days before you shave again. TOBS creams are very good, I really like them and they're my favorite. You can't go wrong with TOBS. TOBS Jermyn Street was the first soap I ever had tried. Proraso is also really good.

Feather blades are one of the sharpest but you don't have to be scared of them, on my face they last very long I get 15-25+ shaves out of one blade.

 

[calgarychris]

Astra SP's, Permasharps, Wizamet Super Iridium are also very good blades. You should wait 3-4 days before you shave again. TOBS creams are very good, I really like them and they're my favorite. You can't go wrong with TOBS. TOBS Jermyn Street was the first soap I ever had tried. Proraso is also really good.

Feather blades are one of the sharpest but you don't have to be scared of them, on my face they last very long I get 15-25+ shaves out of one blade.

Thanks!

I will need to find a solution that allows for a daily shave.... Unfortunately, work...

I don't have any comparison point to TOBS, but I've enjoyed them so far. I just took delivery of Proraso pre-shave, so I thought I'd give that a whirl next time...

 

[Brian H Shaves]

Welcome to B&B !
You are doing the right thing testing different blades. I suggest you buy a few more variety packs and keep trying different blades. However, you don't need to test them all in a short amount of time. In my opinion, shave every 2-3 days and give your face a chance to rest. I made the over-shaving mistake when I first started using a DE, because I enjoyed shaving for the first time in my whole life.

Blades really do treat peoples faces differently and the blade/razor combination also makes a difference. Also, there are many great blades, you will most likely end up liking a lot of them. For example, I started with a Merkur 34c and shaved with it for a couple of months before I went down the rabbit hole. I bought a variety pack of blades and loved the feather blade in it, so bought 100 feathers. Now that I am many razors down the rabbit hole, I found that I only like the Feather blade in my 34c. I kind of regret buying them. The Feather is a very rough shave in all of my other razors.

The 34c is a good razor, especially for daily shaving but it is one of the most mild razors. Also, it is not terribly efficient. This is not a knock on the razor, I still love shaving with mine from time to time with a feather.

 

[Alexland]

I will need to find a solution that allows for a daily shave.... Unfortunately, work...

Work might be unfortunate but shaving shouldn't be. With some nice stuff and good technique it should be such a pleasure you will want to shave at weekends, in the evenings before going out, before bed, etc. Close and mild, not too many passes and your skin will look great.

 

[Jayson74]

Welcome to B&B.

I will second/third to pick a "fixed four" and stick to it for a time. Doing so really helped me.
Enjoy the journey
Jay