Gday everyone,
I've been lurking here ever since I started shaving with a DE early 2009. And I think i'm one of the people that has saved money since ditching the cartridges. I've even dragged my brother into it... he shaved with a DE for a couple months, then (as younger brothers are want to do) one upped me by switching to a straight. Funnier still, this christmas we both gave each other shaving brushes as gifts.
Anywho, long story short, I'm looking to upgrade from my merkur HD.
Here is my story...
I used to shave with a gilette sensor, or a mach3. I moved to a DE blade, and bought a "promax" or "premax" (not sure, the shavershop here in australia is dodgy...) (similar to this http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?ltr=P&t=87585And that did OK... Then I bought my HD, and it performed much better.
Proraso white has proved to be the ultimate shaving cream. I've tried C&E soap and cream, and while they did the job, they were not as slick as proraso. Faulding smells like sh**.... Trumper violet is pretty good, but much dearer than proraso. And The body shop macca root one was ok, but again, not better than proraso.
Blade wise, I got a sampler pack. Merkur blades are like cheese graters. My face nearly fell off. Astras and Derbys are sharp but tend to give me razor burn. Wilkinson was... average. Feathers i thought at first were the be all and end all, but now I just cant shave with them without taking off a layer of skin too. the Personnas however seem to be my fav. They tend to tug a little more than others, but leave me with NO weepers or burns. (I would go as far as to say I can't get quite as close a shave with them, but the better condition of my skin makes up for it) I am currently testing Treet and Dorco blades. So far the Treet ones seem on par with Astra.
My face is... sensitive. I can't shave overly close without burn or ingrowns. I ALWAYS used to get ingrowns with a cartridge.
SO have you read this far? Are you totally bored?
Well here is my question. Based on the above info... where do I go from here. I'm seriously looking at a merkur Vision. I like the idea of an adjustable. But what about the slant? Am I missing out if i dont give that a crack? I have the money atm to buy ONE new razor. Im willing to spend the obscene amount on a vision, but this will be my last purchase for years. What do you guys think??
I've been lurking here ever since I started shaving with a DE early 2009. And I think i'm one of the people that has saved money since ditching the cartridges. I've even dragged my brother into it... he shaved with a DE for a couple months, then (as younger brothers are want to do) one upped me by switching to a straight. Funnier still, this christmas we both gave each other shaving brushes as gifts.
Anywho, long story short, I'm looking to upgrade from my merkur HD.
Here is my story...
I used to shave with a gilette sensor, or a mach3. I moved to a DE blade, and bought a "promax" or "premax" (not sure, the shavershop here in australia is dodgy...) (similar to this http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?ltr=P&t=87585And that did OK... Then I bought my HD, and it performed much better.
Proraso white has proved to be the ultimate shaving cream. I've tried C&E soap and cream, and while they did the job, they were not as slick as proraso. Faulding smells like sh**.... Trumper violet is pretty good, but much dearer than proraso. And The body shop macca root one was ok, but again, not better than proraso.
Blade wise, I got a sampler pack. Merkur blades are like cheese graters. My face nearly fell off. Astras and Derbys are sharp but tend to give me razor burn. Wilkinson was... average. Feathers i thought at first were the be all and end all, but now I just cant shave with them without taking off a layer of skin too. the Personnas however seem to be my fav. They tend to tug a little more than others, but leave me with NO weepers or burns. (I would go as far as to say I can't get quite as close a shave with them, but the better condition of my skin makes up for it) I am currently testing Treet and Dorco blades. So far the Treet ones seem on par with Astra.
My face is... sensitive. I can't shave overly close without burn or ingrowns. I ALWAYS used to get ingrowns with a cartridge.
SO have you read this far? Are you totally bored?
Well here is my question. Based on the above info... where do I go from here. I'm seriously looking at a merkur Vision. I like the idea of an adjustable. But what about the slant? Am I missing out if i dont give that a crack? I have the money atm to buy ONE new razor. Im willing to spend the obscene amount on a vision, but this will be my last purchase for years. What do you guys think??
I personally wouldn't spend the money on a Vision but that's without having ever tried one. The Futur might be another option. I personally don't get on with my slant very well but many, many people do. Is there something you don't like about the HD? Have a look at these reviews; they'll give you a good idea of what people are saying about each razor. (And someone will be along shortly to recommend the vintage Gillettes.) 
Good luck! 
. I suppose at the end of the day I'm not UNHAPPY with my HD. But I am far from getting BBS shaves every day, or even DFS every day. I can manage a DFS every 4 days, and a BBS once a week or so, but I tend to get ingrowns afterwards. I was kind of hoping an adjustable would let me change to how I felt at the time... IE. if I just wanted to remove the serious stubble I could dial down, or If I wanted to go for BBS if I had a date or something. (ha... right... well, here's hoping...) Then I could load in a feather and really do my best?
). Actually, johnmrson beat me to it, but my suggestion is a bit different. For the money you're looking at spending, you could pick up: A 40's and a 50's style Super Speed, a Slim Adjustable (satisfies that adjustable urge you're feeling), a Tech, a New and an Old Type of some sort. With that collection, you are nearly certain to find one (or more) that works for you, and you get to try the majority of the Gillette platforms that have worked for so many, for so many years.
Just my two cents but you might want to give it a try.
