So, it's been a while everybody! I've been coasting along with my shaving routine for at least a year. I found what I considered my desert island razor: the 1948 Gillette Aristocrat. But I think I found something that may even be far better for me!
My challenge is that I shave once a day, my hair is coarse and it doesn't grow just super fast. That means I have to take off a layer of incredibly short sandpaper off of my face every day and try to do so without destroying my skin. Especially now with the coronavirus, it's even more important that I shave for work in my healthcare job to be able to fit an N95 mask if I need it.
So the trick seems to be finding a mild razor with a very sharp blade. My Gillette safety razors always seem to scrape me in one spot or another. I don't even know if it's an issue of mildness so much as an issue of the safety bar design. Even my beloved Aristocrat seems to get me on my upper lip a lot of the time. Major burn with the aftershave! And what's worse, the irritation seems to build up day after day. That's been to cost of being constantly beardless.
So I tried something new. I've had my Merkur 1906 for a while and didnt love it. It was way too mild, so I put two shims in it pretty much the day I got it. Well, the other day, I took the shims out and tried the razor just as is with a Feather Blade.
Man what a difference! The Merkur can take down my iron sandpaper without even a mark on my skin! The next day I tried it with a Gillette Ruby and I felt no burn with the aftershave whatsoever, BBS with 24 hours growth. That has been my shave goal since I started in the Summer of '18. Apparently the design of the 1906 is for my exact shave scenario.
I have had to choose between irritated skin or 5 o'clock shadow for more than half my life. Now at the age of 40, I can actually shave every single day without tearing up my face in the process!
Have you guys tried the 1906? Is it similar to the 34c? The cap has a number 1 stamped into it.
My challenge is that I shave once a day, my hair is coarse and it doesn't grow just super fast. That means I have to take off a layer of incredibly short sandpaper off of my face every day and try to do so without destroying my skin. Especially now with the coronavirus, it's even more important that I shave for work in my healthcare job to be able to fit an N95 mask if I need it.
So the trick seems to be finding a mild razor with a very sharp blade. My Gillette safety razors always seem to scrape me in one spot or another. I don't even know if it's an issue of mildness so much as an issue of the safety bar design. Even my beloved Aristocrat seems to get me on my upper lip a lot of the time. Major burn with the aftershave! And what's worse, the irritation seems to build up day after day. That's been to cost of being constantly beardless.
So I tried something new. I've had my Merkur 1906 for a while and didnt love it. It was way too mild, so I put two shims in it pretty much the day I got it. Well, the other day, I took the shims out and tried the razor just as is with a Feather Blade.
Man what a difference! The Merkur can take down my iron sandpaper without even a mark on my skin! The next day I tried it with a Gillette Ruby and I felt no burn with the aftershave whatsoever, BBS with 24 hours growth. That has been my shave goal since I started in the Summer of '18. Apparently the design of the 1906 is for my exact shave scenario.
I have had to choose between irritated skin or 5 o'clock shadow for more than half my life. Now at the age of 40, I can actually shave every single day without tearing up my face in the process!
Have you guys tried the 1906? Is it similar to the 34c? The cap has a number 1 stamped into it.
