New Razor & Stepping It Up

[eezee]

Hey Everyone,

Only been wet shaving since mid-July and am getting the first symptoms of RAD.

I started with a Merkur 47c. A month later I acquired an Edwin Jagger DE-89L. I love them both. Here it is in October and today I will probably get in a new Merkur 1904. Am having a grand time receiving great shaves and trying various blades.

All of these razors would be, I would think, in the mild-medium aggressiveness category. If I wanted to get more adventurous as to aggressiveness, what should it be? A Merkur 37c slant bar? A Merkur 39c "Sledgehammer? The Muhle R41?

Just curious and would love to get your recommendations.

Thanks,

EZ

 

[Icebear]

Everybody needs to have a Futur but that's about it for Merkur , eh maybe also a Mergress or two (short and long knob for good measure). Never use their blades, the worst I have tried. All the cheap Merkurs, that I started with are somewhere in a drawer and I should PIF them.

The final RAD step (in modern razors at least) is getting started with stainless steel razors. IKON and AboveTheTie are currently the top dogs in this area. A lot to explore, take a look at the B/S/T section, sometimes a good deal can be found for some pricey items, that you don't wanna buy new.

And of course you'll save a lot of money using traditional DE razors .

 

[Jeff_H]

The one razor no one should be without is the Gillette New long comb (or short comb), but definitely a New. Medium aggressiveness, but once you get the angle right it shaves like a dream. I still get a weeper or two every time I shave with it, but now they are done by the time I finish my shave.

The bonus is a new in decent user grade shape can be had for $10-$25 here on the BST and on eBay. Once you decide you love it (and you will), you can get it replated in Chrome, Nickel, Rhodium or Gold. Oh, and they absolutely shave best with a nice, heavy handle. Be it a Weber, Ikon, Shavecraft, UFO or any other variant.....do yourself a favor and pick up a New and a heavy aftermarket handle.

 

[eezee]

Thanks for the info.

 

[Meemai]

I don't like the Futur cleaning it can be a .....

 

[Bearded Buckeye]

I love my Futur...and, I actually enjoy taking it apart to clean it. It is an incredibly versatile razor which makes care and feeding worth the hassle in my mind. It makes me feel like I am cleaning a rifle.

As for the 1904, it is a good razor but you will probably get bored with it quickly. My biggest suggestion for the '1904' is to keep the box for a future B/S/T post.

 

[01HDFXD]

How big are your hands or, put another way, do you like long-handled heavy razors or more conventional size/weight? If you like big boys, as I do, I would try the 39c Sledgehammer. I think that's going to be my next purchase.

 

[engblom]

R41 is definitely very aggressive. It is a beautiful razor. I used mine 8-9 months. I was often skipping several days of shaving and had those times quite good shave even with my sensitive skin. I even shaved several weeks of growth with it without problem.

With that said, it is not a razor you want to shave daily with if you have sensitive skin and that is why I am going to sell/trade it once something suitable is coming up on BST.