First DE Merker 43c HD

I have been shaving with a sr for about a year and decided to jump to the de side. I bought a merker 43c hd that came with a merker blade. The razor is shorter than I thought it would be but it's still a nice razor.
I shaved with it this morning and I'm quite impressed. My first pass I thought it couldn't be shaving I can't feel anything. I did my sr 3 pass routine and this evening I can feel the whiskers nervously trying to come back :). I got a couple of weepers and some razor burn but I'll take it as I'm new to de's. Angles, angles, angles.
I also bought a variety pack (2each) feather,Astra, shark, derby, wilkinson, crystal, Gillette sb, and personna. I'm looking forward to using the different blades and see how different they all are. A lot like my different sr's.
Chris

I'll be interested in your impressions of blades as you move along. I followed the same path you have, and got a Merkur 34c after shaving with a SR for a while...forever losing the cartridge world. I got a couple different sample packs pf blades and have been using them only one of each brand at a time. My favorites so far are the Wilkinson Sword (German made), the Feathers, the Astra and the Israeli Personnas. I have several I can't stand, but I'll wait and see how they all work for you...YMMV. Enjoy!

Welcome to the DE side. I love my DE's. The HD merkur was my go to favorite for a long time. Then I got hooked on restoring old gillettes. I have found that I really really like my red tip Gillette. As for blades I have found certain blades work better in certain razors for me. If you want a near straight experience the feathers are SHARP! IMO. A lot of guys don't like the merkur blades. I on the other hand like them an get a nice shave from them in certain DE's. Good luck an keep us posted on your choices an shaves. :gl:

Thanks for the replies. I checked my face this morning and my whiskers must still be skeerd. I could get away with not shaving but may still anyway.
Heroldg48- did you change you blade every time or use it until it went dull?
Rollincoal69- I'm thinking about getting a fatboy also but they are going for a pretty penny on the bay

I wait for signs of dullness. Usually that means after one pass if I feel like it's not cutting closely I switch blades. So far that's been 2 shaves for some of the blade brands and 5 for others. I also use it to touch up after SR shaves so it's really 2 1/2 shaves or 5 1/2 counting the clean-ups.

Decided to shave again this morning. Razor burn and weepers on the right side of my neck. I think I'm taking sr strokes ( letting the lather and hair build up on my de) and the de gets clogged. The de starts catching and jumping right where the razor burn and weepers appear. My sr also catches there also so stretching might be the prob.

I found if my lather was not moist enough or had dried out a bit it would clog my DE more easily. It would also cause skipping with a straight or DE.

Bob

Clamup I agree with bob. Sounds like lather drying to me but stretching an angles could also be in the mix. Same as anything takes a bit of practice to get it right. As far as the fatboys go, if you want a TTO adjustable you can get a Gillette slim for a lot less an its basically a skinny version of the fatboy. I personally want a toggle. But those are way up there in price.

Ill loook up the Gillette slim on the bay. Ill also check my lather, i think im rushing and not washing my de often enough but one never knows. so many variables...:).

I think it is a pretty common mistake to treat a DE with less respect than a straight and be a little sloppy with technique by rushing things. Like straights, you have to concentrate on learning a technique and speed comes later. Good luck.

Bob

The razor you're using may be too aggressive for your skin. Also use absolutely no pressure just the weight of the razor itself. Try holding the handle nearer the head on those areas where you are getting irritation. Start with the top of the head against your skin and slowly lower the blade edge until it stats cutting your beard this will give you the exact angle to use.
Don't continually go over the same spot make sure you religiously do WTG, XTG maybe East West and West East, ATG. Finally try missing the ATG pass on the areas causing you problems.
As others have said keep your lather well hydrated and rinse the blade often.

I had to change the blade, 3 seems to be the limit for my beard. I'm using the crystals now. Making sure I don't put any pressure and choking up on the razor has helped a lot.
I'm not seeing much of a difference b/t the Merker blades and the Crystals. Both shave equally well leaving me with a Bbs shave that lasts all day. My wife is actually impressed so that's a plus.
I have a Gillette fatboy on the way I sniped from someone pretty cheap. Hope it wasn't anyone from here. I feel a pretty bad case of de rad coming on :(

I'm glad to see that you're "choking up" on the handle. I think that especially with the weight of this razor, it's capable of doing the work with almost no pressure from the person holding it. Longer handles sometimes are used by novices to get more pressure...it just doesn't work that way, if you're looking for a close and comfortable shave.

Congratulations on your purchase and your success with it! By the way, 3 shaves is about all I can get with any blade. Personally, I like other blades better than Merkur, from which I get only 2 shaves plus a post SR touch-up. On Wilkinson Sword German-made blades and Feather I can usually get 4...but truth is I'm better at shaving than keeping track of the numbers, so who knows :shrug:

The fatboy came in and I loaded it with the wilkinson blade. I would of shaved with it but I checked usps and it didn't look like it was coming in today. So I did my pre shave routine ( 3 s's) and shaved with one of my straights. Got done shaving and checked usps and it said out for delivery. Oh well there is always tomorrow lol

The Gillette slim came in, yeah I got it bad :). I have been looking at some of the new de's and I def prefere the vintage ones better so DERAD might be over for me, hopefully.
Anywho, I believe Anthony1954 was correct, the Merker was too aggressive. I've moved the fat boy up to 5 though so it might no be now :). I really enjoy the adjustable DE. Start out at 1, get your technique down and move up.
So far I like the wilkinson blades the best but I have to try the crystals again in the fat boy or the slim as I tried them in the merker and got razor burn.

Depending on how many days growth I have I adjust with each pass. Normal for me is start on 5 or 6 wtg 3 xtg 3 atg then touch up normally around 7. Works great for me. Once you get bit by the vintage DE bug its tough to kick. As much as I love my SR's I still keep buying vintage gillettes smh.

I have come to the conclusion that my face doesn't like the crystals. I always get razor burn on my neck, even after choking up on the razor and letting the razor do the work. It's amazing how ones face reacts to different blades.
I think I'm going to put the merkur and the slim away and use the fat boy. It's my favorite, at least for right now:)

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Originally Posted by RollinCoal69

Depending on how many days growth I have I adjust with each pass. Normal for me is start on 5 or 6 wtg 3 xtg 3 atg then touch up normally around 7. Works great for me. Once you get bit by the vintage DE bug its tough to kick. As much as I love my SR's I still keep buying vintage gillettes smh.

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Yes, thought so myself! Thanks!

I figured it would make sense to adjust the setting depending on what area of the face you may be shaving and the thickness of your beard on that particular day.

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Originally Posted by clamup1

I have come to the conclusion that my face doesn't like the crystals. I always get razor burn on my neck, even after choking up on the razor and letting the razor do the work. It's amazing how ones face reacts to different blades.
I think I'm going to put the merkur and the slim away and use the fat boy. It's my favorite, at least for right now:)

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Clamup I too have found a few blades that just don't agree with me. The personnas I can not use. They burn me up. The Gillette 7oclocks don't burn me up they just don't give me the best shave. Its all personal preference really. Find what works an what you like an stick with it. good luck.

Nice first DE razor! My first was the Merkur 38 HD "barber pole". The handle is pretty long and it's nice and heavy.
I think most folks would put your razor in the medium aggressive range. Compared to a Gillette Super Speed, it's way more aggressive. I have sensitive skin and the Merkur can skin me up if I don't prep really well. It seems to work better with a gel shaving cream than shaving soap.
Just my experience!

Do you guys who get burn with a DE prep tha same way you would for a SR shave? I find that and the angle and pressure (weight of razor) are the the key. Aggressive to me is in my hands based on angle and pressure that I use. For blades it really is "what works for you" or YMMV. I love the Israeli Personnas and German Wilson Sword, but can't STAND the Merkurs....bad and irritating shave. Others love them.

Heroldg- I prep the same for both. I'm working on making sure I get whipped cream shave soap to make sure I don't get burn. Also trying to take my time when I shave. I'm having good results with the wilkinson blades and the fatboy.
I'm really kind of torn b/t my sr's and the de. I get better shaves quicker with the de. But I love my straights. I don't know what to do.