I might need a more aggressive razor

[olegunnar]

Hey and hello from Oslo, Norway!

I have been lurking here for a couple of months reading the forums for information on what DE razor I should buy. Like many before me I have made the switch from the Mach3.
As the post title suggest I am in the market for a more direct or aggressive razor. I have read you dont like to use the word aggressive but you know what I mean

The gear I have now is the cheap Wilkinson Sword classic safety razor made of plastic.
I am getting used to it now, after circa 4 months. The problem is that I think it is too mild so I have to «work it» kind of with an inproper blade angle to get the closeness I want. Atg with the proper angle shaves "nothing", and leaves kind of a shadow on mye face. My atg pass with the Wilkinson Sword using tricked blade angle has also led to some irritation and some red spots which are symptoms that are completely new to me. I am also thinking maybe I will get an ingrown hair one day also, which I have never encountered before.

So my normal routine is. Shower, make lather then wtg,xtg,xtg and it is presentable and feels nice. It is fairly close after alot of touchups. But I want bbs!

Normally with the Mach3 I was one of those one pass atg guys. No problem, I am (was after wilkinson) propably the only one in my group of friends that could pull that one. Never any red spots, never ingrowns, seldom irritation (atleast if I changed the blade after 6 shaves). I feel like I have tried everything with the Wilkinson Sword, no pressure ofcourse, right blade angle etc.
It is a great shave, really great hence I am still interested in pursuing this hobby. But no atg or bbs without irritation.

I shave every other day, I propably should shave everyday. I have quite dark hair and I like to think it grows quite «normal» North-South except for a couple of spots near the adams apple. I have mostly been using Derby blades which I have found are not that popular here. I want to like them since I have bought a hundred. I think they are more than ok with my wtg,xtg,xtg routine and they last very long for me. My only comparison is Mach3 and the Wilkinson Sword blades.

I really hope you can help me in the right direction of my first purchase of a nice DE razor. I will be very thankful for replies.

Ole Gunnar

 

[Gissy]

Velkommen Ole Gunnar! For me Derbys worked ok for the WTG and the XTG pass, but it just tugged when I tried going ATG. And getting BBS without ATG is not to easy. Have you checked out barbershop.no? They have Mühle razors at really good prices actually, much cheaper than all american vendors. And they ship really fast since they're in Norway.

 

[olegunnar]

Hey, thanks for the fast reply. I am aware of barbershop.no and even have a tab open in my browser looking at their products right now. Its really nice to have incountry place to buy since as you said it can take ages to order international. Prices seems good aswell. I am really eager to try the "local" Fitjar soap. I will check out the Mühle razors, but the reviews tab on badger and blade are not showing for me at the moment.

 

[Sledgehammer39]

Welcome Aboard!

 

[Niles]

Welcome!

 

[wallstreet77]

How about a Merkur progress? Its adjustable so you can adjust aggressiveness depending on your mood. check it out on youtube if you like.

 

[ackvil]

Welcome.

 

[Optometrist]

Welcome to B&B!

 

[lennyn]

Welcome!

"It seems like your face can take quite a beating! Good to know." - Leela from Futurama

Anyway, have you tried getting a blade sample pack? Your face seems to be fairly durable so you can likely go for a sharper blade. Dont feel bad about the 100 or so blades as you can PIF (pay it forward) it to someone. Also, I hear a Muhle open comb is a fairly aggressive razor (and also on my wish list). You can also try an adjustable or a slant. Good luck.

 

[random-hero]

Welcome to B&B

 

[Mad Man]

Congrats and salut.

Olegunnar.....solkjaer???

Man United fan by any chance?

 

[olegunnar]

Hey,

Thanks for all the nice welcoming replies!

From your replies I am thinking I should get an adjustable or a more aggressive open comb. If I get a fixed razor I would still have the mild wilkinson and have it in a rotation of some sort.
Muhle R41? I have seen much talk about that razor here. Maybe it would be too hardcore to get that one?

I understand that I have to get my hands on a sampler pack aswell, I just did not know that blades where so different.
I could pay forward the Derbys or use them to make grid patterns on our christmas dinner.

DE Razor blades are perfect for this, almost as if they were designed for this task.

Mad Man: No I am not Solskjær nor a fan of Manchester. Not very interested in football to be honest.

Thanks for all the replies guys, I will keep you informed on whatever decisisions I make. Nice forum!

 

[Useless shaver]

Many wiser gents here have praised the Muhle R41 (especially the 2011 head) as very good aggressive razor. BUt they have also warned a newbie like me to get flawless shaves first, before trying it!

Regards!

 

[StripeyType]

Welcome aboard. I'm sorry to hear that you are having difficulties. Hopefully they will be a thing of the past soon.

 

[djh]

Welcome aboard! I think that most metal razors would be a step forward for you at the moment- the weight of the razor is important during shaving (as is blade angle and lack of pressure). FYI- I tried the Mühle41 and didn't really enjoy it. It has been passed on to someone else.

 

[Nando]

Welcome aboard! I'd give the Merkur HD 34C a try -- it's aggressive, but still a great razor to learn with.

 

[talibeard]

Welcome to B&B.

I suggest you pick a rather mild DE as your next one; the Wilkinson Classic (made by Treet) is so mild I find it almost useless. Even the very mild post war Techs have more bite to them. So I would not jump yet to razors that are seen as aggressive around here.

Stick to middle of the road Mühles, EJ's, Merkurs or Gillettes. And don't forget about the Lord LP1822 when you can get a 'new' version somewhere.

 

[redbike]

My recommendation would be for a vintage Gillette adjustable razor, specifically the Slim Adjustable, since they are easy to find and are usually less expensive than the other adjustables: Fatboy and Super Adjustables. You can dial it up or down for a closer or milder shave, as you prefer. I have all three and get good results with Derby blades but, as you've noted, not everyone does. Good luck.

 

[RonV]

My recommendation would be for a vintage Gillette adjustable razor, specifically the Slim Adjustable, since they are easy to find and are usually less expensive than the other adjustables: Fatboy and Super Adjustables. You can dial it up or down for a closer or milder shave, as you prefer. I have all three and get good results with Derby blades but, as you've noted, not everyone does. Good luck.

Ah the slim-- can't go wrong with that if you want a vintage razor that is balanced so well and versatile as hell- new to forum but have too many razors now but the slim is a great choice IMHO.

 

[Mad Man]

+1 on slim.

2 weeks since I picked it up and I've gone from 3 to 7 on a first pass (today was my first on 7 and it was almost late arvo before I noticed stubble that's there about midday)

Trust me it has PLENTY of aggression when you open it up.

Having said that I did have some "hot face" (forgot the balm this AM) and will dial back tomorrow.

But that's the beauty of the slim.