Thread: Interested in Getting a DE

I have to confess that I have decided to start gently! I just purchased a Merkur DE from the lovely people at The Gentlemans Shop.

It arrived this afternoon, and I have to say it looks like a peice of art!

I left it a couple of hours and then went up and had my first shave with it. Now please bear in mind, I have only ever used Mock 3's and similar.

Wow, what a shave! I have never had such a close shave! I must admit I got a few nicks, especially around the chin and top of the neck, I suspect that was a combination of having the setting wrong, not keeping the skin taught, and poor technique with the new brush and Wilkinsons own soap bowl.

I have changed the setting on the razor to a more face friendly one, but does anyone have any suggestions or tips for foaming and general use of a DE?

TIA

Skills

[QUOTE=Skilly]It arrived this afternoon, and I have to say it looks like a peice of art!

I have changed the setting on the razor to a more face friendly one, but does anyone have any suggestions or tips for foaming and general use of a DE? /QUOTE]You didn't say which Merkur you got, but based on your description, I would say it's either the Futur or Vision, both excellent.

My first caution is not to use the blade that came with the razor. Second, since you are fortunate enough to live in the UK, get some British Gillette blades (made in Sweden). They're second only to the Feathers, which you should not use for the time being.

Make sure you prepare well. Soak in the shower for a while and try putting some hair conditioner on the beard.

There are 3 keys to successful DE shaving: no added pressure to the blade; Keep a flat to the face blade angle razor handle held high, and stretch the skin (just enough to give the razor a flat surface. Also, don't shave too aggressively. I mean don't try to get everything in the first pass. Shave gently! I use three passes: with, across and against the grain.

Learn the grain of your beard. DOn't make any assumptions. In most men the grain reverses from the cheeks to the lower neck. So, shaving with the grain means you will change direction. You are very likely to get neck irritation or nicks if you don't do this and end up going against the grain when the whiskers are long.

If you go to straightrazorplace.com and look in my gallery you'll find a few PDF files. One is a wet shaving primer and one deals with neck irritation. They are downloadable.

Joe makes some solid points there. Once you become familiar with your beard's growth pattern, you can develop the technique or approach that works best for you and use a razor with generous blade exposure, a surgically sharp blade (Feather), and no pressure to get a superb shave and minimize the number of passes needed to get it.

I find that I can get a close, comfortable shave with any DE. I use Feather blades and Israeli blades. I can crank my Gillette adjustables to 9 (and beyond) and not see a drop of blood or a tingle of burn. It just takes practice. The combination of blade exposure, a seriously sharp edge, and proper technique (taking into consideration beard-growth pattern and other factors) will give you a great shave.

I got a Gillette fat boy adjustable just the other week. I was very surprised at the difference it made to my shave. Actually that is what brought me here. I thought to myself "If DEs are so much better, I wonder if straights are better again?" If the rate of improvement continues with the age of the method, I'll find myself using a flake of obsidian before the year is out.

I've always had very sensitive skin, and I used to only shave about twice a week because that would be how long it would take the skin under my chin to recover. A combination of shaving products reduced the trauma, but I had almost an aversion to lather. Now, after a few short weeks I'm a changed man. DE's (by all accounts) are not straights, but they sure kick the snot out of those damned cartridge razors. Good for traveling, good for a hurry, good for a change.

The guys over at the Badger and Blade are not shy about referring people over here for straight advice, perhaps you should go over there and poke about. They are almost as friendly as we are.

Now as soon as my Kufmann Imperial gets honed to shave-ready...

Daniel.

I'm a little bit late getting in on this discussion but wanted to voice my thoughts. While there are some DE razors that I believe to be a little easier to shave with, I think you can purchase just about any of the Merkur razors or many of the old Gillette's and quickly accomplish a very good shave. As with any shaving tool, soap, cream, brush, etc., every gent will have "the answer". The key is picking one and sticking with it until you have learned to properly use it.

Having said this, it is my not-so-humble opinion that the Merkur HD and Merkur Progress are two of the most forgiving DE's available on the market. They can be had fairly cheaply and if you decide that DE shaving isn't for you, they can be resold for at least 2/3 your original cost.

Originally Posted by kyle

I'm a little bit late getting in on this discussion but wanted to voice my thoughts. While there are some DE razors that I believe to be a little easier to shave with, I think you can purchase just about any of the Merkur razors or many of the old Gillette's and quickly accomplish a very good shave. As with any shaving tool, soap, cream, brush, etc., every gent will have "the answer". The key is picking one and sticking with it until you have learned to properly use it.

Having said this, it is my not-so-humble opinion that the Merkur HD and Merkur Progress are two of the most forgiving DE's available on the market. They can be had fairly cheaply and if you decide that DE shaving isn't for you, they can be resold for at least 2/3 your original cost.

I'll second what Kyle says here. My first DE was a Merkur HD Classic, purchased used from a forum member at msn. I've since purchased one for my son (which he gets in his graduation dopp kit in a week!) and believe that due to it's head design (and the Progress is pretty much identical, just adjustable), it is easier to learn than the Gillettes. That's just my opinion.

RT

I seriously considered getting a Merkur HD, but decided to get a Gillette Fatboy instead, because, basically, it was less than half the price. I nearly went for a Gillette Superspeed, because they are suposidly a nice shave and go for even less.

I picked up my Fatboy for US$15, and spent nearly as much as that on postage. Can't really whine though. It made the 10,000 odd miles to my door in about three days.

Borrow one of Lynn's DE's and give it a test drive. If you like it, get one of your own.

I have an old Gillette and also a Murker Future, I like the future best because it feels substantial. But they both shave about the same, it all comes down to technique.

I use mine when time is limited. I mainly use it in the shower and the shave is very close.

I use Wilkinson Sword blades they are better in my opinion than Gillette or Murker.

So I guess I'm saying it is personal preference, I got my last Gillette from ebay for £1.50 so you can try it for almost nothing at all.

Peter

Well, I saw a brand new Merkur in a store today and bought it. I got an obsessively close shave with the straight this morning, so using it will have to wait, though.

Okay, so I've fooled around with the Merkur a bit. I really like it. Stainless steel; very weighty; unlike anything I've tried before.

When I used the cartridge razors, I used the two-bladed ones for the slim, plastic Gillettes. They got me through my first few years of shaving okay. But this is something else. I can tell I'm going to get some good shaves out of it.

I hope my straights don't take a back seat to the ease of this, though. How do you fellas avoid playing favourites?