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My story of falling in love with Wet Shaving

All,

After a long time of using the cartridge, I decided to gift myself a DE razor (Merkur Futur) this birthday. In part because of the allure of changing the aggressiveness.

I would in part credit 'badgerandblade' for convincing me in taking the plunge, the awesome discussion around the use the DE were eye opening.
My story thus far. Maybe this will help other newbies who are just starting.

My Beard / Skin Type :: Think hard beard, moderately sensitive skin (neck area)

Getting Started (Getting the supplies).


1. I started off with buying a Merkur Future after going through tonnes of sites / forums. -- went back
2. Got a few sampler packs (of Amazon) to get a piece of all top blades (feathers, astra's, personna, perma-sharp, gillette etc)
3. Got the Prorosa pre-shave
4. TOBS - Sandalwood shaving cream
5. Badger Brush ( Chinese - Anbbas) -- Went back
6. Alum Stick



Initial Hiccups

1. Started with the Merkur Futur (started at L2) & an Astra Green, this was not a particularly good way to start. I found the razor to be a tad on the heavier & aggressive side and the shave to be very uncomfortable with lots of weepers.
2. For the second shave I swapped the Astra with a Feather. This was also a very bad idea, the feather gave me weepers, cuts even when i was going super slow; an unforgiving blade .

Back went the Futur. I don't think I am ready for this yet, it felt very aggressive even at the lowest level.

The Badger brush was very stiff and prickly, that also went back.

Lesson Learnt :: Future is not a beginners razor and Feather is not a beginners blade. The combination is very unforgiving & should ideally be avoided for starters.



Not giving UP

But i was hell bent of getting the DE experience to work for me.
Next I got the Mühle razor and in hindsight this was a very good decision.

Paired the Mühle with a Astra green, got a decent shave and then went on trying different options.
Got a few more supplies

5. Normal shaving brush from DM. This works like a charm.
6. Clinique for men post shave soother (this is a must have).


Astra Green :: Decent shave, nothing special, some weepers & not very smooth.
Derby :: Bad shave, a dull blade.
Feather :: Super sharp blade, great shave, but i was too careful while going ATG and did not get a super close shave. Took too much time.
Perma-Sharp :: Now this was a step in the right direction. I got my first great shave. Now i could get good shaves again and again and started shaving 5 days a week.




IMG_6879.jpg


Finding my Groove


After a few months of hit and trial & settling on Perma-Sharp & Mühle combo I wanted to try out new things.

Acquired few more razors (the ones on the inexpensive side)

Picked up from the local supermarkets, a King C Gillette (from DM), Wilkinson Sword (from Muller) & a Fatip Grande (online).

Paired them with different razors for different levels of success, but as I was already getting very good shaves with the Mühle & Perma combo, nothing stuck and I was not going to next level.






Reaching my best Shaves

I then found the Personna Reds (from Israel)
They were the game changers, paired with the Mühle R89 they now give me the perfect shaves. Absolutely amazing, no irritation, no cuts, no weepers.

I found my perfect match.

While i keep using the Fatip (very good razor) & wilkinson butterfly once in a while. The King C Gillete is kinna no good for me.

but the best shaves are still from Mühle and the Personna & lately even with feather. But the Personna is my go to blade now.



Whats Next - Looking for suggestions.

Am looking for suggestions for whats next ? Should I go for a R41 or some twist. at this stage whats the best possible option to explore ?
 
Last edited:

Iridian

Cool and slimy
I assume the Mühle is a R89. If you find the Futur a bit aggressive, the R41 could top that. But then, I went from the R89 straight to the R41, which is in hindsight still madness. I also loaded it with a Feather, bad mistake, particularly early on.

Some more blades for you to try:

Voshkod - cushioning of aggressive razors is what I like them for.
Gillette Nacet - one of the most popular blades on the forum for a reason. Try some other Gillette blades as well, e.g. the Platinum.
Gillette 7 o'clock from India, my current favorite

Give Cella crema da Barba a try. I hope you love almond scent. But America has more readily available superb artisan soaps I can barely get in Europe.

You already have fairly mild razors. A RazoRock Game Changer .84, a Mühle R41, or if you want a super mild yet hyper efficient razor, the Henson AL13 work nicely, too. Or a RazoRock Lupo 72.

The Rockwell 6C or S are also an option, I personally prefer the game changer models.

The Alpha Shaving Outlaw is also interesting when you tried some mid aggressive razors before. Otherwise it's a bit much, I don't know how the mild head shaves.

The thing you have to figure out is it you are in the mild, the medium or the aggressive camp. You can't even know yourself till you tried.

Right now I would guess mild to medium to be most likely after your Futur experiences.
 
I am in complete agreement on the Futur, but the Futur clones IMO are far better and less aggressive (and considerably less expensive).
 
Great post!
Agreed, excellent! And this is your first post, so welcome, sir! Congratulations on starting to dial in what works for you. I suggest sticking with the Muhle & Personna's for a month straight to really focus on technique. It sounds like you're already developing good technique, but if you use the same gear every shave for a month you will not be having variables to cause hic-cups in your learning. When you're ready to try some new gear, check out the vintage Gillette razors. Especially consider the NEW SC (short comb) or the NEW LC (long comb). Both of those razors can be found in good condition for a reasonable amount of money. And the shaves are wonderful! But beware, once you jump into the razor rabbit hole, no one can pull you out!!!!!

Some other blades you might like are Nacet & GSB. Both are sharp but smooth.

Welcome to B & B. Post any questions, we're here to talk with each other about this great pastime of shaving.
 
I read this with great interest since I am about to go on the exact same route as you with the R89 Twist and Astra. I will now take some time to research technique! Thanks!
 
Similar story here, would not give up my 41 that I use every day BTW. The Red pressona are one of my favorites especially for their smoothness.
 
Thanks for the welcome :), feels good.

My current daily driver is a Mühle R89 and i use the Fatip Grande once in a while.
While Fatip can occasionally give great shaves with the Red Personna, they are unfortunately not very well made in my opinion & not very consistent either.

Here is a pic of the two razors that are in my current rotation.

IMG_6882.jpg


As i have a thick hard beard, I definitely feel that there is a need to move onto more efficient razors.

So after a lot of analysis I have honed on these few options, but am unable to decide.

Would appreciate if I could get some pointers / suggestions

1. Mercur 37C -- 40 €
2. Razorock Old type -- 30 €
3. Rockwell 6S -- 110 €
4. Mühle R41 -- 34 €


I am fairly confident about my technique, & need a efficient and a consistent razor.
 

Iridian

Cool and slimy
Would appreciate if I could get some pointers
No chance to get a Game Changer or Lupo in that list? They are CNC machined 316 steel and keepers, imo!

The Rockwell 6C would be the same in zamac, but half price.

P.S. I am typing this on my new smartphone, woohoo!
 
Great post with a lot of good info for newbies! I'd suggest not adding anything new right now. You've already got a lot of variables in the mix. Keep working on your technique and getting great shaves with the items you have.
 
All,

After a long time of using the cartridge, I decided to gift myself a DE razor (Merkur Futur) this birthday. In part because of the allure of changing the aggressiveness.

I would in part credit 'badgerandblade' for convincing me in taking the plunge, the awesome discussion around the use the DE were eye opening.
My story thus far. Maybe this will help other newbies who are just starting.

My Beard / Skin Type :: Think hard beard, moderately sensitive skin (neck area)

Getting Started (Getting the supplies).


1. I started off with buying a Merkur Future after going through tonnes of sites / forums. -- went back
2. Got a few sampler packs (of Amazon) to get a piece of all top blades (feathers, astra's, personna, perma-sharp, gillette etc)
3. Got the Prorosa pre-shave
4. TOBS - Sandalwood shaving cream
5. Badger Brush ( Chinese - Anbbas) -- Went back
6. Alum Stick



Initial Hiccups

1. Started with the Merkur Futur (started at L2) & an Astra Green, this was not a particularly good way to start. I found the razor to be a tad on the heavier & aggressive side and the shave to be very uncomfortable with lots of weepers.
2. For the second shave I swapped the Astra with a Feather. This was also a very bad idea, the feather gave me weepers, cuts even when i was going super slow; an unforgiving blade .

Back went the Futur. I don't think I am ready for this yet, it felt very aggressive even at the lowest level.

The Badger brush was very stiff and prickly, that also went back.

Lesson Learnt :: Future is not a beginners razor and Feather is not a beginners blade. The combination is very unforgiving & should ideally be avoided for starters.



Not giving UP

But i was hell bent of getting the DE experience to work for me.
Next I got the Mühle razor and in hindsight this was a very good decision.

Paired the Mühle with a Astra green, got a decent shave and then went on trying different options.
Got a few more supplies

5. Normal shaving brush from DM. This works like a charm.
6. Clinique for men post shave soother (this is a must have).


Astra Green :: Decent shave, nothing special, some weepers & not very smooth.
Derby :: Bad shave, a dull blade.
Feather :: Super sharp blade, great shave, but i was too careful while going ATG and did not get a super close shave. Took too much time.
Perma-Sharp :: Now this was a step in the right direction. I got my first great shave. Now i could get good shaves again and again and started shaving 5 days a week.




View attachment 1348606


Finding my Groove


After a few months of hit and trial & settling on Perma-Sharp & Mühle combo I wanted to try out new things.

Acquired few more razors (the ones on the inexpensive side)

Picked up from the local supermarkets, a King C Gillette (from DM), Wilkinson Sword (from Muller) & a Fatip Grande (online).

Paired them with different razors for different levels of success, but as I was already getting very good shaves with the Mühle & Perma combo, nothing stuck and I was not going to next level.






Reaching my best Shaves

I then found the Personna Reds (from Israel)
They were the game changers, paired with the Mühle R89 they now give me the perfect shaves. Absolutely amazing, no irritation, no cuts, no weepers.

I found my perfect match.

While i keep using the Fatip (very good razor) & wilkinson butterfly once in a while. The King C Gillete is kinna no good for me.

but the best shaves are still from Mühle and the Personna & lately even with feather. But the Personna is my go to blade now.



Whats Next - Looking for suggestions.

Am looking for suggestions for whats next ? Should I go for a R41 or some twist. at this stage whats the best possible option to explore ?
My favorite is the Futur on the lowest possible setting-great, smooth shaves. Don’t need it set any higher.
 
I'll have to give my usual recommendation: Merkur 37c slant.
Some folks think these are aggressive razors, but I have found mine to be more efficient, and surprisingly mild. I'm not a sloppy shaver, but my slant seems rather indifferent to blade angle, and I get BBS shaves with two passes and a touchup, without nicks or weepers. And I'm on blood thinners.
My standard blade is Astra SP, which I find very mild, but YMMV really Vs with blades. Good results with Feathers and GSBs, but with fewer shaves. The latter two will cause weepers after 6 or so shaves, whereas the Astra just gets less efficient, but with little or no damage even after ten or more.
 
Razorock Lupo .72 or .95.I prefer the 95 but a lot of people seem to prefer the 72.I can't tell any difference in blade feel between them the 95 just seems to give me a bigger blade angle to play with.Very efficient and very smooth razors for me.
 
I am in complete agreement on the Futur, but the Futur clones IMO are far better and less aggressive (and considerably less expensive).
Well that depends on what are you looking for in a razor, doesn't it. The main difference between the Futur and the Chinese imitations is the lack of tight clamping in the Chinese razors that results in a less rigid blade. The Futur clamps it much tighter and the rigidness adds to the aggressive feeling many users are afraid of. Second difference - The Futur @5 equals @6 on the Ming Shi (on most of the Ming Shi's, not all). Third difference - the Futur has more exposure compared to the Chinese imitations. Need I say this adds to the aggression. Last, but not least - The Chinese razors are at least 25-27 grams lighter. Don't get me wrong, I like very much the shave of the Ming Shi 2000s and use it quite often. The Chinese manufacturers just made the Futur a bit milder, because otherwise it wouldn't have so many sales worldwide. I am one of the few users who appreciate very aggressive razors and have a slight preference toward the Futur.
The OP did one of the worst mistakes indeed. A Futur for a first razor. That's why you shouldn't believe everything you read on shaving forums. Take it always with a grain of salt. After many years of reading and trying many razors and blades I'vr read about, I now take most of it with a few grains of salt.
 
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