Newbie: My experience so far

[mkatsimpris]

Hi wet shavers,

I started the last week to wet shave. So my equipment is:

1) Merkur Futur
2) Merkur Solingnen Blades
3) Hawkins and Brimble pre-shave scrub
4) Hawkins and Brible shaving cream
5) Lucky tiger after-shave and face tonic.

First time that I tried to shave it was a disaster. I set up the futur in level 4 and did the first two passes with level 4 WTG, ATG. After that I set it up on level 1 and did the last pass against the grain. I had a lot of cuts and weepers.

Second time, I set it up in lower level 2 for the first two passes and level 1 for the last pass. Still I got some cuts, and my skin was irritated especially in the area of the neck.

Third time, before I started shaving, I started mapping my hair growth because I noticed in the first and second passes I got a lot of small cuts. I set up the futur in level 1 for all the passes and I can say that my shaving was more pleasant and I get less irritation and cuts. Maybe that comes from the better hair growth mapping, and the low level of my adjustable.

Still I got some cuts but less than the last two times. Main problem to solve is the neck area where I get some irritation.

Any advice is welcome

(I am also thinking the next days to buy a gillette 5 blade and do a shave in order to compare with my DE shaving. Maybe it fits better for me. I don't know.)

 

[pwheeler]

I would say that your issue may be technique. Just starting, you may be applying too much pressure. With de razors, just let the weight of the razor do the work. Don't push and apply pressure as you would be inclined to do with a cartridge razor. Another thing I would suggest is getting some samples of different blades to see if any agree with you better than the Merkur blades. Lastly, go slow and easy until you get your technique down, and just keep practicing. It really will get much better.

 

[mkatsimpris]

I would say that your issue may be technique. Just starting, you may be applying too much pressure. With de razors, just let the weight of the razor do the work. Don't push and apply pressure as you would be inclined to do with a cartridge razor. Another thing I would suggest is getting some samples of different blades to see if any agree with you better than the Merkur blades. Lastly, go slow and easy until you get your technique down, and just keep practicing. It really will get much better.

Thanks for the reply.

You are right. I noticed that Merkur Futur has some weight, so less pressure is required. In my last shaving I tried not to push so much towards the skin. I will try more shaves and I see how it goes.

Regarding the blades, I read that merkur blades are pretty mild blades.

 

[Stuart Ganis]

Welcome from West Tennessee..

Sent from my SM-T387V using Tapatalk

 

[mkatsimpris]

Welcome from West Tennessee..

Sent from my SM-T387V using Tapatalk

Greetings from Zurich!

 

[BigJ]

Welcome aboard!

Your set-up seems fine. So, the likely culprit is technique. Three suggestions:
#1. Read through the Wiki and watch a few videos.
#2. Focus on NO pressure and maintaining an optimal razor angle.
#3. DE is a skill that takes awhile to acquire, so give yourself a bit of time.

Stiick with this and you will get the results you want!

 

[ajkel64]

Welcome to the forum from Australia. Sounds to me like you might be using too much pressure. I would also second the advice from @BigJ it will take some time to dial everything in, but when you do it will be a wonderful feeling.

 

[Altonius]

I also use an adjustable razor. Starting up I used 3-5 setting and eventually increased up to 7 for better efficiency. Yes, it worked, but a bad shave was horrible. I have now found I get a better shave at 1-3 because it encourages me to maintain a better angle. Therefore, better results

+1 for a blade sampler pack!

 

[mkatsimpris]

Welcome aboard!

Your set-up seems fine. So, the likely culprit is technique. Three suggestions:
#1. Read through the Wiki and watch a few videos.
#2. Focus on NO pressure and maintaining an optimal razor angle.
#3. DE is a skill that takes awhile to acquire, so give yourself a bit of time.

Stiick with this and you will get the results you want!

Thanks a lot for the helpful advice. I will post my progress. Maybe I will try also different blades, to see what fits me better.

 

[mkatsimpris]

I also use an adjustable razor. Starting up I used 3-5 setting and eventually increased up to 7 for better efficiency. Yes, it worked, but a bad shave was horrible. I have now found I get a better shave at 1-3 because it encourages me to maintain a better angle. Therefore, better results

+1 for a blade sampler pack!

Which adjustable do you use?

I also use an adjustable razor. Starting up I used 3-5 setting and eventually increased up to 7 for better efficiency. Yes, it worked, but a bad shave was horrible. I have now found I get a better shave at 1-3 because it encourages me to maintain a better angle. Therefore, better results

+1 for a blade sampler pack!

Using also different blades is an option. Which one do you suggest?

 

[djh]

Greetings from Zurich!

Technique will trump equipment. Keep things as constant as you can in the initial stages - learning to shave a different way takes time.


Shoot me a PM with your name and address and I will send you a few other blades to try. Although Merkur razors are quite well thought of, their blades are overly expensive and not well regarded at all.

 

[mkatsimpris]

Technique will trump equipment. Keep things as constant as you can in the initial stages - learning to shave a different way takes time.


Shoot me a PM with your name and address and I will send you a few other blades to try. Although Merkur razors are quite well thought of, their blades are overly expensive and not well regarded at all.

Thanks a lot! Really appreciated. I will send you a pm.

 

[NickCutlip]

Welcome to the forum !!

 

[Altonius]

Which adjustable do you use?

I found a 1961 Gillette Fatboy in an antique shop for under $20. Some say these are overrated due to popularity. I truly find it to be the most comfortable shaver of all 4 of my vintage razors (New Improved, Red-tip Super Speed, Pre-war Tech).


Using also different blades is an option. Which one do you suggest?

I found a great blade sampler on Amazon of 8 different 5-packs, ranging from smooth Shark/Derby to sharp Astra/Gillette Platinum. After improved prep, lather, angle, and pressure, I found the sharp blades performed best for me. The Gillette Platinum I like better than the Astra Superior Platinum.
I then found a focused "sharpest" sampler of 10 different 2-packs. There are some I absolutely love and others which leave wild irritation.

Stay consistent. I'm trying to maintain the same everything for 30 shaves. Keep a log. It's been almost 4 months, and I'm just starting to figure this out.

 

[ackvil]

Welcome to B&B.

The Futur, in my humble opinion, takes time to master. I had been shaving for many years and used a Fat Boy and Slim during that period. Then I bought a Progress and Futur. Every razor - except the Futur - worked fine for me. I eventually gave up and sold the razor. I liked the way it looked - but not the way it felt on my face!

 

[mkatsimpris]

Today was the fourth shave with the Merkur Futur.

What I did was not to take a hot shower before because I noticed that hot water dries my skin. Besides that I tried to use argan oil as pre-shave. It keeps the skin oil and moisturised between shaves. It was the only oil that I so I choose this, later I will buy a proper pre-shave oil.

I started soaking my skin with cold water instead of hot. I did two passes WTG, ATG, and I paid attention in my technique. Constant angle and not pressure.

I have to say that there was only two minimal cuts and irritation free shave

Maybe with better oil and better shaving soap I will get better results in the future. Who knows....

 

[GaryTha]

Drawing blood is almost always caused by too much pressure. Irritation is usually caused by too much pressure combined with too steep a shaving angle. If you use a "one" setting and ride the top cap, it will be difficult to cut yourself. Only increase the setting when you aren't drawing blood anymore or if your whiskers are clogging the gap.

Keep riding the top cap even when you increase the setting.

Almost everyone draws some blood when they are new.

YMMV

 

[hydro-magic]

+1 to all the advice above. I really like my Futur. It's one of my closest shaving and most comfortable razors. It also seems to work well with about any blade I throw in it. Merkur blades are definitely not one of my favorites though. To the suggestions already given, I'd add to try just doing one pass WTG for a few days. Once you can do that with no irritation, then try adding a second pass. The Futur can give a pretty good one pass shave even on a low setting. It won't be BBS but it'll be socially acceptable. My usual setting on the Futur is between 2.5 and 3 but if you want to keep it on 1 for a bit there's no harm in it. Even on 1 there's still a sizable gap and if you use pressure it can still give you irritation.

 

[Ron R]

Lots of good advice, Mapping your beard grain growth is another good way to reduce irritation regardless of what razor using.
Understanding some Shaving terms also help WTG,XTG & ATG and some fellows can not shave Against the Grain because of sensitive skin.
Here is some illustrations that might help you on your learning curve.

Have some great shaves!

 

[mkatsimpris]

Thanks a lot for the reply guys. I noticed that the pre-shave oil make also noticable difference during the shaving.

Riding the cap what does exactly mean?