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Moving from the 34C, what next?

I started with a 34c. It was a good razor. I've enjoyed doing what you're doing, which is exploring more options not because you need to but because you can. The Timeless, Blackland, Karve and Wolfman WR2 are all amazing razors worthy of being the end game. Some others that are more off the radar that I also really like are Carbon, Yates Precision, and Muhle Rocca. Then there's different metals! SS, brass, Cooper, Titanium, bronze, aluminum. No end of fun. Then there's brushes. And then soaps. And then aftershave. If you're in to cars, this will be a modest hobby.
 
Appreciate the extra info. The 34c was my first DE razor and the Feather will be my second. I don’t have much to reference or compare against. The Blackbird is on my list as well but don’t know where it falls on the aggressive scale.

I’m in the military and need to shave daily so comfort and ability to get small stubble without irritation is of most importance.

Never had the Feather razor so no idea how that compares, but I hear it's mild and a little picky about angle. I'm sure it's a great quality razor once dialed in. All the razors I listed previously are very efficient and can be used daily.....just to give you reference.

Thank you for your service.
 
I really wanted to like the ASD2. I bought it after the Timeless Bronze. They were my first nice razors. I had the Feather for maybe three months before I sold it on the BST. It was very mild and not very efficient for me. I find a moderately aggressive razor is more comfortable. You do less passes and touch up. With a mild razor I never get a irritation free shave. I inevitably feel over shaved. My razor acquisitions are a little out of hand. Out of all my razors if I could go back to the first nice one, I would have bought the Karve Christopher Bradley Razor. It isn't pretty. It isn't the most expensive. You can buy the plates you want and skip the ones you don't or you can buy a set. I have plates C, D, and, G in SB, and, I just ordered the F OC plate. I may as well sell the lower plates because I have other razors I want to use as daily shavers. WR2. Plate D SB and maybe the C in OC are all you need for daily shaving. It is like the 6S on steroids. In Brass, Stainless, or Aluminum. It is a work horse not a show piece. The Feather is gloried Gillette Tech, and, it takes me twenty passes to get a DFS with a real Tech, what do I want with a clone. Not worth the effort.
 
From following Youtube Shavers plus reading their comments sections the most loved respected razor of all is the Rockwell 6S. There are others such as Feather ASD2 close behind. But after all my time searching I never came across one put-down on the 6S. Gotta be someone unhappy with it but I never came across any negative comments myself. Not one negative remark or blemish on it's reputation. Even the ASD2 I came across a couple of disappointed buyers posts.
 
I really wanted to like the ASD2. I bought it after the Timeless Bronze. They were my first nice razors. I had the Feather for maybe three months before I sold it on the BST. It was very mild and not very efficient for me. I find a moderately aggressive razor is more comfortable. You do less passes and touch up. With a mild razor I never get a irritation free shave. I inevitably feel over shaved. My razor acquisitions are a little out of hand. Out of all my razors if I could go back to the first nice one, I would have bought the Karve Christopher Bradley Razor. It isn't pretty. It isn't the most expensive. You can buy the plates you want and skip the ones you don't or you can buy a set. I have plates C, D, and, G in SB, and, I just ordered the F OC plate. I may as well sell the lower plates because I have other razors I want to use as daily shavers. WR2. Plate D SB and maybe the C in OC are all you need for daily shaving. It is like the 6S on steroids. In Brass, Stainless, or Aluminum. It is a work horse not a show piece. The Feather is gloried Gillette Tech, and, it takes me twenty passes to get a DFS with a real Tech, what do I want with a clone. Not worth the effort.

First, let me say thank you for taking the time to share your experiences! I’ve heard a few recommendations now for the Karve which is now on the list, just don’t know where in the ranks. What would you consider the luxury equivalent to the Karve?
 
Today was my first shave with the ASD2 and Feather blade. Monday tends to be a shave where I typically get the least amount of irritation. Every morning I shave right after a shower. Prep includes hot water on my face and Maggard’s pre shave oil. Soap today was an A&E sample, which I really liked. I started my first pass with the grain, that removed much of the stubble. No nicks so far. The next pass was against the grain. I wasn’t able to get a BBS shave on the first pass against the grain. It left several patches that I had to re-work. This is where I ended up getting a few nicks. Nothing terrible and a pass with the alum block stopped the bleeding quickly. Ended with some AoS aftershave balm. Overall it was a good shave but took extra time to get it BBS.

I’ll say that my beard is full and hairs are coarse. I usually don’t use a blade twice for this reason because I’ve noticed I’m more prone to weepers if I do. I’m starting to see why people say it isn’t efficient for people with coarse hair. I might be in this category.

Tomorrow will be the true test, since second day growth after a Monday is small. It’s usually harder for me to get an irritation free shave in that situation. So we will see.
 
From following Youtube Shavers plus reading their comments sections the most loved respected razor of all is the Rockwell 6S. There are others such as Feather ASD2 close behind. But after all my time searching I never came across one put-down on the 6S. Gotta be someone unhappy with it but I never came across any negative comments myself. Not one negative remark or blemish on it's reputation. Even the ASD2 I came across a couple of disappointed buyers posts.

I agree with your comment about the 6S. Haven’t ready one bad review about it. What would you consider a nicer upgrade to the 6S but with similar performance efficiency wise? Trying to skip as many lower tier options to find my everyday favorite. Would you have the Timeless .68 or Wolfman .95 on that list?
 
The Karve holds the blade very rigidly. The Timeless Razors are also very clampy. From Timeless I'm most interested in the Slim .95. The .68 is too mild for me. My Wolfman WR2 1.15 SB also holds the blade rigidly, and think ultimately I will get a 1.25. The 1.15 is as low as I would go on a WR2. Others that clamp the blade rigidly would be the Razorock razors, but, I have never had one. I would like to try the Lupos at some point, but, out of these razors my suggestion remains the Karve. You can cover all your bases. The individual plates are $30 Canadian. It is a razor that will grow with you. IMG_20210804_234847.jpg
 
My knowledge of DEs is from searching not using. I'll toss in two you probably ain't got listed that seem to be loved / respected by those who use 'em.
Muhle R89 TWIST
LEAF Thorn (bet this is not listed)
 
Lately all I've been mainly using is a 34C & a 33C. These razors when paired with a sharp blades like a Nacet or Feather worked really well. Or use a Kai blade to make it even more efficient.
 
After shaving this entire week with AS-D2, I determined this isn't a good razor for me. I found myself having to do multiple passes over the same areas to get a close shave, which caused lots of weepers and irritation (regardless of adding more soap lather or other preshave products).

I ordered a Rockwell 6S and it arrived today. Looking forward to testing it out next week. Starting off on plate 3 and working up from there to see what works for me. Any other advice is appreciated!

Also got my order from Phoenix Artesian today. Trying out the full array of scentless products from Tube 2.0, shave soap, and Mysterium Serum aftershave balm.
 
Razorock has a ton of choices to stepup

1) GC 84 and Lupo as already advised
2) BBS standard or A plate
3) Mamba 70

Karve ChristopherBradley C or D SB plate
Rockwell 6S
Edwin Jagger 3one6 (fantastic razor)
ATT Windsor medium or H plate

And newly discovered yesterday on its first shave the Pearl Blaze razor

Adjustable razors
Pearl Flexi (my current modern adjustable favorite in DE)
 

Iridian

Cool and slimy
Before shelling out big bucks, you will have to try some more razors.

Otherwise you could just stay with the 34C, after all.

The really good stuff usually comes in steel, titanium, aluminum. The shiny stuff comes with a high price.

I wish Badger and Blade would develop a guide which mild and which aggressive and which mid-aggressive razors to try to establish a ballpark.

Maybe some posters here can give some ideas.

I would try the Alpha Shaving/Executive Shaving Outlaw. Or the Blackland Blackbird with a safety bar. Please don't try the OC, this one made me wary and I like aggressive razors, so going with the SB version first might work out better.

It's shiny and fancy, comes with nice handles and I will post a Shave of the day with it in the next hours.

It's considered aggressive. It's so much YMMV.

If you don't mind zamac and are American, you can try various razors of Maggards or West Coast Shaving. They offer a range of aggression levels.

I love my Timeless 0.5 Slim OC. Pricey, but unlike Wolfman without waiting list.

Karve is not too expensive, particularly for Americans, less shipping and customs, and you could try various plates.

The Rockwell 6S is also always an option. I still rate the Game Changer .84 SB and OC way higher.

But that's me.


The problem is, you know one razor. The Merkur 34c is very mild. Experimenting is well worth it. I am afraid I am not helping. 😎
 
I tend to favor my vintage Red Tip. While considered medium aggressive, it may be a good step up from your current setup without filling out pay allotment forms. The Red Tip is aggressive enough that different blades will be much more noticeable, but everything I've loaded in has still been approachable. And who doesn't like vintage?
 
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