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Howdy from Downunder (on a particularly bad shave morning!)

Hi All,

New here, but decided to take up the hobby of DE shaving about 6 months ago, in the sleepiness of a Melbourne lock down.

This morning was particularly terrible, but my story so far:

I've always enjoyed wet shaving. I already had a horse hair brush I liked, and always got a good result using cartridges. As I travel a lot, my skin was also used to my Braun S5 foil electric.....so I'm not particularly sensitive.

I started with an Edwin Jagger DE89 and a range of blades to start with. It got off to a rocky start with me ignorantly trying a feather first, but eventually after many a YT video and nicks, I settled on the Personna Red as my favourite, followed by the Astra SS and thirdly the German Wilkinson Sword. All was going well, I got good shaves, sometime great shaves, although the bottom of my neck is particularly difficult, and I regularly need to clean up with a cartridge as the hair grows every which way down there......I'd love to be good enough to get it but just can't quite work it out yet.

Then last week I thought I'd step it up. Purchased a Merkur Futur and a Simpson Trafalgar T3 brush. The brush is a dream. Like seriously amazing. The Futur.......hmmm

Used only 5 times so far, yes I know, not many shaves yet! It just seems like the blade gap is too large even on 1 and the blade itself flexes and drags. The Personna on 2-3 has given me the best shave so far, the Wilkinson Sword today a horrow show, even at 1. It barely gave me a respectable shave. My prep was the same as always, and I generally use cold water as I find it more comfortable.

I'll persist......but I just don't know where to go with it. Maybe back to the DE89......happy shaving!
 
I feel you completely, same problems concerning my mid-lower neck area as hair grows 360. Start from the lowest setting and apply the lowest possible pressure - assuming the blade is not a dud - it should smoothly mow through your stubble, no matter how stubborn your stubble is; alternatively, try and moderately stretch the skin in certain areas of concern as it prevents undesired skin folding. I've had positive experiences with the Wilkinsons regardless of the razor used, granted now as it might be more suitable for certain razors than others. Advisable is also to take your time and 'understand' the combo at hand, and never skip on prep, a pre-shave might also help.
 
Would it be appropriate to persist with the Personna Red if that’s given me the best result thus far?
Of course, find your stride however you see fit. Though I'd imagine that from time to time you might feel the need to experiment and discover a bit, the same rules apply. Take your time and as @Lefonque said, it take a while to understand the beast you're shaving with.
 
Hi All,

New here, but decided to take up the hobby of DE shaving about 6 months ago, in the sleepiness of a Melbourne lock down.

This morning was particularly terrible, but my story so far:

I've always enjoyed wet shaving. I already had a horse hair brush I liked, and always got a good result using cartridges. As I travel a lot, my skin was also used to my Braun S5 foil electric.....so I'm not particularly sensitive.

I started with an Edwin Jagger DE89 and a range of blades to start with. It got off to a rocky start with me ignorantly trying a feather first, but eventually after many a YT video and nicks, I settled on the Personna Red as my favourite, followed by the Astra SS and thirdly the German Wilkinson Sword. All was going well, I got good shaves, sometime great shaves, although the bottom of my neck is particularly difficult, and I regularly need to clean up with a cartridge as the hair grows every which way down there......I'd love to be good enough to get it but just can't quite work it out yet.

Then last week I thought I'd step it up. Purchased a Merkur Futur and a Simpson Trafalgar T3 brush. The brush is a dream. Like seriously amazing. The Futur.......hmmm

Used only 5 times so far, yes I know, not many shaves yet! It just seems like the blade gap is too large even on 1 and the blade itself flexes and drags. The Personna on 2-3 has given me the best shave so far, the Wilkinson Sword today a horrow show, even at 1. It barely gave me a respectable shave. My prep was the same as always, and I generally use cold water as I find it more comfortable.

I'll persist......but I just don't know where to go with it. Maybe back to the DE89......happy shaving!
Welcome.

Sent from my SM-A102U using Tapatalk
 
Welcome!

with certain razors I’ve also had a rough go with the Wilkinson Sword. Tried an Astra blade today which was pretty smooth, however, couldn’t get the closeness I was looking for. Trying to avoid irritation from too many passes, I put down the razor. Next, I finished the shave with my Braun electric to polish off the rough spots. Perhaps an uncommon approach but worked for me.
 
Had another crack this morning. With the grain on 2 and against on 1 with the Personna red. A much better result, very good on the face and decent on the neck. Still a lot of work to do to get the neck area smooth. Nil claret. A little bit of irritation on the neck but nothing the alum didn’t fix.
 
Had another crack this morning. With the grain on 2 and against on 1 with the Personna red. A much better result, very good on the face and decent on the neck. Still a lot of work to do to get the neck area smooth. Nil claret. A little bit of irritation on the neck but nothing the alum didn’t fix.

I had been shaving with electric, injector and cart for 35 years, and still had problems with my neck starting out with a DE. After I switched to DE, I would sometimes finish with my cart for a final ATG to avoid irritation. It wasn't long before I figured it out and got the angle right.
 
Welcome! Stick with it, you'll get the hang of it. The Futur is a mighty good razor but needs a lot of skill to get good shaves. That's just my thoughts on the Futur after having one & using it for a while. If you're feeling down, switch back to your EJ de89, which is an excellent razor, in its own right. Work on developing your technique. Be patient, it takes time. But the good news is that the more you practice, you should start enjoying your shaves more. Take your time, no pressure, & join in here on B & B where there are a lot of good folks that like talking & sharing about this great pastime of ours, wet shaving.
 
Had another crack this morning. With the grain on 2 and against on 1 with the Personna red. A much better result, very good on the face and decent on the neck. Still a lot of work to do to get the neck area smooth. Nil claret. A little bit of irritation on the neck but nothing the alum didn’t fix.
Brilliant and keep at it ! Another point of interest is the razor head angle of attack, try shaving by keeping the handle high - or higher in relation to the head - as to reduce the blade incidence until you can repeatably reach your desired comfort level. Aside from providing comfort it also increases/maintains blade longevity by reducing the blade bevel lateral stresses which cause premature chipping.
 

ajkel64

Check Out Chick
Staff member
Welcome to the forum from Australia and thanks for checking in with us and sharing your experience. It does take time to dial everything in. You will get there. Keep at it and when it all falls into place it will be a wonderful feeling.
 
Welcome to B&B, another Melbournian here. My opinions are that Personna Red are a great blade, one of the best I've. Astras are decent, but when I tried the modern German Wilkinson blades I found them not sharp enough for my tastes.
I had issues with the DE89 head not being able to shave lower neck properly as well. Hopefully the Futur comes good!
 
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