Hi KM,Hot Shower
While todays shave is smooth, my inability to get a good technique down with this bad@ss Astra SP blade is hurting me.
I have no idea which Flare Tip model you have but I am lead to believe that the razors are color coded and vary in aggressiveness. If you have an aggressive razor, it might account for some of your nicks and cuts. When I started shaving with my first DE razor (a Merkur 34C), I was never quite happy with the results regardless of the blade I used. The 34C is (IMO) a very mild shaver and while I experienced little irritation and infrequent cuts I rarely achieved the closeness that I wanted. I considered ditching the 34C and picking up a more aggressive razor but like most people, the skin on my neck and around my mouth is more sensitive than my cheeks and I wasn't looking forward to undue razor burn or cuts. I considered using an aggressive razor on my cheeks and using the 34C in the more sensitive spots but this option seemed too clunky and complicated. I did some research and decided to pick up an adjustable razor so that I would have the flexibility to adjust aggressiveness as needed and on the fly. For me anyway, the adjustable razor was the "Goldilocks" answer to my shaving conundrum. I now get consistent, BBS close shaves with little to no irritation.
Happy shaving!