Thread: First DE safety razor on the way

After reading many reviews, "how to"/ beginner guides, and forums I just ordered my first safety razor and blade assortment. Actually it was info from Christian and others here that ultimately helped make my decision on which razor or type of razor to start out with . Christian's comment to me about "HD" or heavyweight models made sense so I ended up with a Merkur 33C (instead of my original thought of the Merkur 38C Barber Pole) and assortment of Wilkinson Sword, Gillette Silver Blue and Derby blades to start. I received a free 10pack of Astra blades with a previous brush and shave cream order so I have a good variety of blades to start with. Nothing fancy but it seems the 33C lightweight compared to the HD models and standard Merkur head angle seem to make it a favorite newb or beginner model, at least according to countless reviews and sites.

Thanks to all for suggestions and info offered.

Natty

Congrats. I see you didn't mention brushes and soap. You may know this, but making your lather with a shave soap is a key component to wet shaving success. Enjoy.

good purchase. the 33c is an excellent 'baseline' shaver and ive never had any trouble pairing it with any blades.

Originally Posted by Wayne1963

Congrats. I see you didn't mention brushes and soap. You may know this, but making your lather with a shave soap is a key component to wet shaving success. Enjoy.

Thanks Wayne. Yes, I've been a Proraso fan for about a year now and last order I included a nice "Best" badger brush. I was on the fence about trying any of the pre-shave lotions or balms and ultimately decided not to bother. I don't have a particularly thick/heavy beard so I'll see how it goes without and take it from there.

Excellent choice in a first razor..... And it probably won't be your last if you have good success, and I'm sure you will.

As Wayne1963 mentions, soap/cream and brush are part of the equation! No canned goo, it's called *wet* shaving for a reason. A basic soap/cream and a simple boars hair brush will suffice if you don't already have something.

Good luck!

Christian

I like the merkur razors. the 37c is my favorite

Originally Posted by Natty

Thanks Wayne. Yes, I've been a Proraso fan for about a year now and last order I included a nice "Best" badger brush. I was on the fence about trying any of the pre-shave lotions or balms and ultimately decided not to bother. I don't have a particularly thick/heavy beard so I'll see how it goes without and take it from there.

I don't have a heavy beard either. I tried pre-shave oils and found no discernible effect from them. Proraso rocks and has a great price. For a really cheap, but good soap try Arko.

New Merkur 33C and blade assortment arrived today. For such a relatively low cost DE razor I have to say I'm impressed with the initial quality finish. Giving it a thorough looking over I don't see any finish imperfections and it is mirror bright. The only thing that concerns me giving it a dry (no blade) test run is I think I should have gone with the longer handle version (i think that is the 23c). For the last 25 years I've been using a very long custom Track II handle and have grown accustomed to it. That and my fairly large paws made handling the 33C's short handle kind of awkward...I was constantly re-positioning the razor in my hand and struggling not to lose it at the bottom end. I'm now debating whether to keep it or return it for the long handle version. .

Congrats! Merkur makes a fine DE. Enjoy your first razor, I'm sure there will be more to follow!