Scotto's Musings on DEs

[Scotto]

Well gents, after spending my entire "enlightened" (non-M3/gel) wetshaving career with a single razor - a Merkur Progress - I have finally received a few others. I thought it would be fun to post my trials and tribulations with each. Hopefully some other folks might find something useful in here. I see this evolving as a multi-week (month?) thing, since I am going to use each razor for two weeks straight, as well as iterating through both Merkur (my usual), and Feather blades (never tried them). This week I received a Merkur Futur and a Merkur Vision courtesy of some other gentlemen on this board. I also have an injector that I would like to cycle through again, since my first experience was mediocre.

First some background. I am very used to my Progress/Merkur blade combo. I get irritation-free, decent shaves with it whilst using a variety of soaps and creams. I say "decent" since I have a very heavy beard, and my chin area is almost impossible to get stubble-free without causing major irritation, whiteheads, etc. Usually I do the best I can and leave it be so I don't cause myself discomfort. If I can find another razor/blade combo that would help this area, I would be major-league psyched. I should also mention that since my beard is so heavy, even after a good shave where I can feel no stubble in any direction, my face still appears dark.

I shave with three passes: N-S, ear-chin, S-N (against the grain). With my Progress, the first two passes are on "5" (most aggressive) and the against the grain on "2" (least aggressive on my razor, since it doesn't go to "1").

OK here we go. Today was my first shave with the Vision and a fresh Merkur blade. Man is this one big honkin' razor. It weighs considerably more than a Progress - 4 1/4 oz compared to 3 oz. It is also longer by a good 1 1/2". You can see pictures of all these razors, of course, in the Pictorials Forum. I also notice that the way in which the razor exposure is set between the two razors is a bit different. The Progress, which adjusts the razor exposure by a screw mechanism, bends the blade more or less as the distance from the safety bar is varied. Thus the different settings are altering two variables. The Vision, on the other hand, simply adjusts the height of the blade while keeping the angle the same.

Anyway, being a tough guy who shaves with his Progress on "5", I figured I would be brave and shave with the Vision fairly aggressive - about 2/3 of the way open. I should mention this was with QED pine and cedarwood soap. Well, let's just say that I had to dig out my styptic pencil for the first time in a long while. I nicked myself on the first two strokes down, which never happens to me with the Progress. After this, I sheepishly dialed it back to about 1/3 open and proceeded without further incident.

The shave was decent, but it was my first day with it. In retrospect, I probably should have started out with a cream today to give my face a bit more buffer than the soap. Tomorrow the Taylor's Avocado is coming out, which is like the kevlar vest of shaving. Stay tuned for lots more as the saga continues

 

[Austin]

Thanks for the interesting musings Scotto.

 

[rtaylor61]

Scotto,

If you're gonna run the Vision wide open, just go ahead and get a straight!

Randy

 

[Rik]

Scotto,

If you're gonna run the Vision wide open, just go ahead and get a straight!

Randy

There's more truth to this than you would imagine. It was my using the Vision wide open that gave me the confidence to jump into using a str8.

 

[Scotto]

Well, my face is definitely disagreeing with running this puppy too open. I had it dialed back somewhat today for the first two passes (on the "O", or ~1/3 open), and I still had some issues. Interestingly, the N-S pass was very uncomfortable, with a couple of nicks on my lip area, but the across the grain pass (ear to chin) felt real nice. Kinda strange. I am definitely at the low end of the learning curve with this razor. For me, it is harder to get the angle right since the blade is much straighter than the Progress (less bent downward towards handle). We shall see. Goes to show you how different razors can be. That is why I am going to give each of these razors two full weeks to get adjusted.

As for a straight, that may well be in my future, but I am a little apprehensive given my first couple of shaves with the Vision. I'll keep you guys posted.

 

[Austin]

Scotto, it took me a week to become accustomed to the Vision. Hang in there.

 

[guenron]

Scotto, it took me a week to become accustomed to the Vision. Hang in there.

Greetings Scotto and Austin,
Call it being a slow learner or what have you, but it took me the better part of a month to really be comfortable with the Vision. I ended up using it wide open on the N-S and the Ear to Chin (First part of the V-cut). I throttled it down to S*I for the two remaining passes. The key to true happiness with the Vision is absolutely NO PRESSURE. On the neck, a steady hand to keep the razor from sliding down your neck on the left to right and right to left passes (the neck portions of the two halves of the "V").
Enjoy, it's a great razor if you have the patience to master it.

 

[Scotto]

Well, I am slowly getting accustomed to the Vision. It is quite a different beast than the Progress. The Progress, even wide open, can't hold a candle to the Vision in terms of how much blade exposure there is. It takes some getting used to - I have to go very slow and pay extra-close attention to the blade angle. I have to say I have gotten some of the closest shaves of my life with this monster, and I am still learning.

On the more wide open settings, I find the safety bar almost superfluous, since to get the proper angle for cutting, the bar is almost not in contact with my face. Very odd.

Anyway, I think it will definitely take at least another week to get used to this thing, but I can see the potential already. In the meantime, pass the balm.

 

[guenron]

Scotto,
I had fallen in love with the Futur after having been away from the Vision for somewhere between 2 and 4 weeks. Now I am back to the Vision for the second or third shave and am wondering how I could have been so fickle...
Hang in there buddy, you'll get it.

 

[joel]

Scotto,
One thing to keep in mind.... the vision is a lot heavier, and longer, so you are far more apt to "bear down" on the razor, and tear your face up...... try the vision WIDE open and be so light to touch that to a certain extent you are holding the razor OFF of your skin, and you will get superb results.

The vision certainly is a monster, so be careful!

 

[Joe Lerch]

Well gents, after spending my entire "enlightened" (non-M3/gel) wetshaving career with a single razor - a Merkur Progress - I have finally received a few others. I thought it would be fun to post my trials and tribulations with each. Hopefully some other folks might find something useful in here. I see this evolving as a multi-week (month?) thing, since I am going to use each razor for two weeks straight, as well as iterating through both Merkur (my usual), and Feather blades (never tried them). This week I received a Merkur Futur and a Merkur Vision courtesy of some other gentlemen on this board. I also have an injector that I would like to cycle through again, since my first experience was mediocre.

First some background. I am very used to my Progress/Merkur blade combo. I get irritation-free, decent shaves with it whilst using a variety of soaps and creams. I say "decent" since I have a very heavy beard, and my chin area is almost impossible to get stubble-free without causing major irritation, whiteheads, etc. Usually I do the best I can and leave it be so I don't cause myself discomfort. If I can find another razor/blade combo that would help this area, I would be major-league psyched. I should also mention that since my beard is so heavy, even after a good shave where I can feel no stubble in any direction, my face still appears dark.

I shave with three passes: N-S, ear-chin, S-N (against the grain). With my Progress, the first two passes are on "5" (most aggressive) and the against the grain on "2" (least aggressive on my razor, since it doesn't go to "1").

OK here we go. Today was my first shave with the Vision and a fresh Merkur blade. Man is this one big honkin' razor. It weighs considerably more than a Progress - 4 1/4 oz compared to 3 oz. It is also longer by a good 1 1/2". You can see pictures of all these razors, of course, in the Pictorials Forum. I also notice that the way in which the razor exposure is set between the two razors is a bit different. The Progress, which adjusts the razor exposure by a screw mechanism, bends the blade more or less as the distance from the safety bar is varied. Thus the different settings are altering two variables. The Vision, on the other hand, simply adjusts the height of the blade while keeping the angle the same.

Anyway, being a tough guy who shaves with his Progress on "5", I figured I would be brave and shave with the Vision fairly aggressive - about 2/3 of the way open. I should mention this was with QED pine and cedarwood soap. Well, let's just say that I had to dig out my styptic pencil for the first time in a long while. I nicked myself on the first two strokes down, which never happens to me with the Progress. After this, I sheepishly dialed it back to about 1/3 open and proceeded without further incident.

The shave was decent, but it was my first day with it. In retrospect, I probably should have started out with a cream today to give my face a bit more buffer than the soap. Tomorrow the Taylor's Avocado is coming out, which is like the kevlar vest of shaving. Stay tuned for lots more as the saga continues

Your sin with the Vision is the old pressure story. It's so heavy that the razor's weight is more than enough. Also, it purrs when you run it at the flattest angle. Until I started using Feather blades I used to love to run it wide open. When I switched to the Feathers, I got my first nick with the Vision and dialed it down. That's fine, but you still need to focus on the technique. In time, it will become so smooth that you'll wonder how it ever could have been a problem. While the Futur beats it out for sharpness with the Feather blade, it is still my favorite DE all around.

 

[guenron]

Greetings Scotto,
How about a status update BUCKO! We are all patiently sitting and waiting for the next installment of The Perils of Scotto! or Real Men Tickle Themselves with Feathers.

 

[roughrider]

Let us know how the Vision is treating you so far.

I own an HD, Progress, Slant Bar, and FUTUR. The Vision is the next sucker on my list.

 

[Scotto]

Wow, you guys are impatient.... I was going to drop an update tonite anyway.

I can appreciate what Ron said about it taking about a month for him to be really comfortable with the Vision. Though I haven't mastered it yet, I feel as though we have come to an understanding. First off, I can say that in terms of closeness, this thing is thus far unmatched (we'll see how the Futur does in upcoming weeks). The advice given in this thread is dead on - you really have to have a light touch or it will be burn city . Actually supporting some of the weight has been key in getting good results.

I have gotten to the point where I am comfortable using this thing pretty wide open. There are some issues still, however. First, the head is huge, and it is indeed troublesome to get under your nose with it, especially my huge schnozzola. Also, since it is so big and heavy, I find that the head can twist a bit as it is headed toward your face, thus putting down one edge in front of the other, leading to a nick. That being said, it is a really fun razor to use, and has unparalleled flexibility. I look forward to getting even better with it.

I am travelling next week, so I think the Vision is going to get a rest while the injector gets a workout. Thanks for all the support!

 

[DoubleE]

Scotto:
I can verify your your finding that the head can twist a little as you head towards terra dermis. I have a nasty nick on the corner of my lip to show for it.

I've been using my Vision off and on for a couple of months. It's been a love/hate relationship. I really liked it when I first got it and used it dialed down pretty tight. I could tell immediately I was getting a closer shave than with my other razors, mostly Gillettes. I then bought a Progress, then a long-handled classic Merkur and the Vision got pushed aside. I picked it back up last week, got brave, and dialed it up considerably because I was able to open up the Progress significantly. Ouch! For me, if I use it on a pretty conservative setting, help support the weight of the razor, and go slow, I get great shaves, some of my best. I don't have a tough beard at all so the lower setting works great for me.

I've gone to using a small Gillette to get up unde my nose when I use the Vision. I just haven't figured a way to get underneath the snoz to my satisfaction!

It's a great razor and everyone should try it if they can justify the expense.

Jerry

 

[Scotto]

Well, I have been traveling, and while I was away I brought along my Schick Injector loaded with a fresh Personna blade. No two week learning curve here - any moron can use this thing. Interestingly, the last time I used this thing I had a lot of irritation. After toughening up my skin for a few weeks with the Vision, it was smooth sailing.

In a nutshell, you can get a perfectly adequate shave with this razor. It is very fast, no worries about angles, and won't irritate you. However, in terms of closeness, it can't even come near the Merkur bunch.

This razor will never be anything but a travel razor for me. It is barely one step up from a Mach 3, and has no artistry about it. For those that want a decent shave without the hassle of a DE, it is probably a good choice. For an obsessive guy like me, though, give me a big honkin Vision.

That being said, I haven't tried this with a feather blade, which I am told is a very different experience.

Next up: the Futur

 

[roughrider]

That being said, I haven't tried this with a feather blade, which I am told is a very different experience.

Next up: the Futur

The Feather is the next blade to go in my FUTUR as soon as I am done with the Merkur blade.

 

[Nick]

Thanks for the mini-review Scotto.

-Nick

 

[Scotto]

Well, this is one razor with a split personality. I gotta say, the Germans must have outsourced the industrial design of this puppy, because it is terrible. It is way too slippery in the hand, and downright dangerous when attempting to change the settings or replace the blade. I like to dial down the razor when switching to an against the grain pass, and I really felt like I was about to cut my hands when doing this. Really annoying.

That being said, this razor can shave. It is not nearly as scary as the Vision (interstingly, despite its reputation as a bad-boy), but gives very close, effortless shaves. The head is a bit smaller than the Vision, which I like, and even wide open you can shave without fear (as long as you are experienced). All in all a good shaver, though the design flaws really bug me. The Vision is still the king of DE closenes and adjustability, but if you are looking for a cheaper alternative (and are willing to overlook some safety features), this razor is for you.

 

[joel]

Well, this is one razor with a split personality. I gotta say, the Germans must have outsourced the industrial design of this puppy, because it is terrible. It is way too slippery in the hand, and downright dangerous when attempting to change the settings or replace the blade. I like to dial down the razor when switching to an against the grain pass, and I really felt like I was about to cut my hands when doing this. Really annoying.

That being said, this razor can shave. It is not nearly as scary as the Vision (interstingly, despite its reputation as a bad-boy), but gives very close, effortless shaves. The head is a bit smaller than the Vision, which I like, and even wide open you can shave without fear (as long as you are experienced). All in all a good shaver, though the design flaws really bug me. The Vision is still the king of DE closenes and adjustability, but if you are looking for a cheaper alternative (and are willing to overlook some safety features), this razor is for you.

Scotto,
The safety/poor design ruined the thing for me.... really wet the bed. Have you acquired a slant bar yet? Many fellas (myself included) who were die hard Vision users - sold their Vision after a week of Slant Bar.

Once you go slant.... you never go back!