I received my Matador Open Comb in the mail yesterday. I removed the black handle (a nice handle), and added a Bulldog. This morning it went like this:1.) Filled scuttle and added SOC, showered, emptied and refilled scuttle.
2.) Applied hot washcloth to face and then applied Proraso Pre-Shave.
3.) Placed a Black 7"O'clock (two 7 packs came with the razor from RazorBlades & More).
4.) Loaded SOC with Proraso Green and whipped up a really good lather.
5.) Applied lather and began to shave.
6.) Right away I adjusted the angle (one for cheeks and another for jaw and neck). Much like my Muhle R41 you can tell you are using an open comb by the sound of the blade cutting; more blade contact more, cutting. It amazes me when I think I have less pressure on the head to face, I find I can go even lighter; the Bulldog makes a difference. The WTG was good on face and neck. The XTG was also really good. On the neck and jawline I do XTG and DTG and only AGT lightly from center bottom neck up to and over chin.
7.) I applied cold wash cloth, alum bar (only a little sting on the upper neck as I tend to work more there).
8.) Applied some Speick on neck. But used a new bottle of Proraso Green Aftershave on face and neck.
Conclusion: This is a great razor especially with the addition of the Bulldog. I had a real BBS first time with no nicks, cuts, bleeders or burn. I find it to have the same but positive aggressive nature as my R41, but perhaps not as much as my Merkur Slant. I would say this is one of those great bang for your buck razors. And while I often recommend a Jagger or Merkur closed comb for the beginner, I think there is more value for dollar with the Matador series.
