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Newbie from California

studdmstr

studdmstr

Hey everyone,
Been thinking about changing the say I shave for a few years now. I've always been an electric or cheap disposable shaver since I started shaving (20+ yrs) and have never really been all that satisfied with the closeness or longevity. I've been going back and forth between a straight razor or DE, so I recently took the plunge and invested in a Merkur Progress #500, a tweezerman badger hair brush and some Derby blades. I've only had two shaves with it and have been pleased so far, but see that I still have a lot improvement to go. Definitely need to work on my technique and finding the right blades for my sensitive neck area as well as working on my preshave routine to get the really close shave I'm hoping for. Looking forward to getting alot of information and becoming a part of the community here.
 
Quigg

Quigg

Welcome from San Jose! For me, it took a while to get the pressure right and sort out the prep and equipment, but it sounds like you are on the right track.
 
Stampede

Stampede

Welcome, to the BEST forum (IMHO) on wet shaving. Good luck on finding that magical blade & razor combo, I am still searching myself. I thought about getting the Merkur Progress myself, (still might) but for now I went with a vintage Gillette Slim & Fat Boy. Love both of them.



Bill
 
M

mdw15

Welcome!

I started with a Progress; it gets aggressive pretty swiftly, so be sure to start mild enough before leaving the beginners' trails.

I'm a very mild razor guy so take my comments (if at all) with that in mind. . .although others at B&B with a better basis for comparison make similar comments.

The fatboy gets a little more use than my slim, Mergress or '47 superspeed, lately, but I rotate them all constantly.

Since I go mild, I like the mild razor/sharp blade combo. My blade is the 7 o'clock blues, but I've used and enjoyed other sharp blades, such as the med preps and the 7 o'clock yellows and blacks. The "try different blades" approach is boring but no one has quite identified what someone else needs and therefore no one can really guide another toward the right blade or blades.
 
studdmstr

studdmstr

Thanks for the welcome! Let me add a little more information. The Merkur seems to be zeroed in, but with my initial blade (the Merkur that came with the shaver) I did not make sure it was centered. I have been shaving on the 1 - 2 settings and not changing them during the shave. I'm trying to get my blade angle correct before making any other changes or introducing too many variables. My preshave routine is to take a hot shower, dry off and immediately apply the shave soap and let it sit for a couple minutes prior to shave. I have been using regular canned shaving gel and applied it by hand, while I wait for my shaving cup and soap to arrive. I have a lot of room for improvement as you can see.
 
Marco

Marco

B&B's Man in Italy
After a few shaves you will automatically find the proper angle, it's quite easy with a DE razor. Your prep is good and you'll notice a huge improvement when adding a good brush and soap. Welcome to B&B!
 
ThePatrician

ThePatrician

Welcome to B&B, and since we're stating where the welcome is coming from, welcome to B&B from Cambodia!

Marco said:
Your prep is good and you'll notice a huge improvement when adding a good brush and soap. Welcome to B&B!
Click to expand...

Marco beat me to it. Using a soap will make a huge, huge improvement over the canned gel. As others have said your initial setup is quite nice.
 
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