Gillete Fat Boy and Merkur Progress

[nshirk]

Hi all,

I'm fairly new to DE shaving and this site. So consider me a n00b

I started DE shaving about 5 weeks ago with a Merkur Progress. All fine enough but was getting irritation on my neck (right side only). Most of this I'm sure is technique. So been playing around and finally came up with what works pretty well:

Slow and short strokes and NO pressure
Merkur Progress
Derby Blade
2 passes
1st pass on 2
2nd pass on 1​

Working well, but room for improvement.

So lots of people seem to like the vintage Gillette’s. So..... I vested Ebay and picked up a fatboy. Received the razor this week and cleaned it up. My first shave was less than spectacular. Irritation on the Rt. side of my neck. Not horrid, but not great either.

Does anyone know how the settings equate between these two razors? I certainly can tell that a Gillette 2 is NOT equal to a Merkur 2.

 

[mrob]

I don't have a Progress, but I find that I can shave with my Vision--also a Merkur--opened up wide with no problems. . .

. . .where as if I did the same with my Fat Boy I'd pay for it!

 

[With The Grain]

...

 

[TheYoshi]

I'm newish also, I have to tell you the neck irritation thing is not an easy thing to escape.. I still have the occasional rough shave where my neck is a red mess. Usually when I try to get super close which kind of sucks because the time I want to be super close are also the times that I need to not look like a dolt who can't shave... unfortunate how those things seem to go hand in hand.

Oh, and for what it's worth 2 seems fine for me on the fat boy... although maybe I'll try 1 tomorrow just for the hell of it.