Early Christmas Present
- Thread starter SEMI_287
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I bought me one of these back on Father's Day 2010, and have been using Shark blades recently...400 blades for $40
http://www.royalshave.com/p/401-024-00/merkur_progress_chrome.html
Given that we've emergency kitchen renovations taking place, I've upped the ask to one of these to cook Christmas Dinner
http://www.royalshave.com/p/401-024-00/merkur_progress_chrome.html
Given that we've emergency kitchen renovations taking place, I've upped the ask to one of these to cook Christmas Dinner
Originally Posted By: SEMI_287
Anyone have any tips on how to use this thing without cutting myself to bits?
Until you get used to it, start shaving after your morning shower, down grain only...Works fine without soap or anything.
Then as you work it out, try extending the experience.
Anyone have any tips on how to use this thing without cutting myself to bits?
Until you get used to it, start shaving after your morning shower, down grain only...Works fine without soap or anything.
Then as you work it out, try extending the experience.
Merkur's are nice.Be careful with the feathers they have a rep for being VERY sharp(in fact you may want to get some personna's or derby's).You cannot use a safety razor in the carefree manner of disposables.Try to keep the head close to a 30 degree angle to the face.
For prep- wash the face,apply a warm wet facecloth for a minute or two or shave after showering,apply foam and massage in a minute or two.Shave with the grain until you get used to it.Use short strokes.Then go against the grain for your second pass.After a while you will end up with better shaves than most get with disposables ,it just takes a little longer,15 minutes instead of 7.
For another treat to yourself.Go buy a shaving brush and some pucks of soap and a tube or two of cream.The soaps are usually available locally at most drug stores (usually Williams or Van Der Hagen) ,brush type creams are a bit harder to find usually in higher end stores and some places like Bed &Bath or Indian or Turkish markets.But all types are easily found on the net.
I warn you though.Many AD's may result.(AD's-acquisition disorders,ex: RAD-razor acquisition disorder).Go hang out at Badger&Blade or the Shaveden.
For prep- wash the face,apply a warm wet facecloth for a minute or two or shave after showering,apply foam and massage in a minute or two.Shave with the grain until you get used to it.Use short strokes.Then go against the grain for your second pass.After a while you will end up with better shaves than most get with disposables ,it just takes a little longer,15 minutes instead of 7.
For another treat to yourself.Go buy a shaving brush and some pucks of soap and a tube or two of cream.The soaps are usually available locally at most drug stores (usually Williams or Van Der Hagen) ,brush type creams are a bit harder to find usually in higher end stores and some places like Bed &Bath or Indian or Turkish markets.But all types are easily found on the net.
I warn you though.Many AD's may result.(AD's-acquisition disorders,ex: RAD-razor acquisition disorder).Go hang out at Badger&Blade or the Shaveden.
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I saw Merkur and thought of this:
Thanks guys, looks like I have to do a little learning here. I hope I can get a better shave.
I tried a soap tonight with my Schick and it was like World War Three on my face. Not sure soaps would work for me.
What soap did you try?If it was a hand soap,most will not offer enough "glide" although a few will be acceptable.Did you use a brush?The amount of water in the brush and bowl make a huge difference.Each soap has it's own preference.Williams shave soap is an entry level type and takes a bit of experimentation to get a get good lather,Van Der Hagen is a bit easier esp the glycerin puck.
If you have some brush type cream add a little bit to the top of the soap puck and then hit(swirl it around) it with the wet brush and then use the bowl (or add the cream to the bowl)to build your lather .
Which Schick do you have?
Believe it or not razor blades are not all the same.They are just like spark plugs (for an automotive comparison) and certain ones work better than others in certain razors.
Also as I said feathers have a rep for being very sharp and chewing up your face if you do not have good technique.Go to the drug store or a dollar store and get some other blades American Safety Razor makes a lot of house brand blades and have a decent rep,Sally Beauty stores have Derby and Personna blades.Derby has a very good rep as a mild blade and Personna's have a good rep for the most part.
I usually use Derby's in a Gillette SuperSpeed black handle or a Gillette Fatboy adjustable.
Also do NOT press the razor down on the skin .The weight of the razor head is designed to keep the head in contact with the skin,light pressure is all that is needed.You usually need to do several passes to get a good shave.After your technique gets better you'll get to the level of--BBS(baby butt smooth) or DFS([censored] fine shave).Don't look for a one pass shave after all, that is why most disposables have multiple blades.You are actually doing multiple blade applications at a single pass.
It takes a little experimentation but you will end up with a better shave in the end.
Good Luck.
P.S. you tube has some videos by a fellow-- mantic59 that give tips.he has a channel there.
If you have some brush type cream add a little bit to the top of the soap puck and then hit(swirl it around) it with the wet brush and then use the bowl (or add the cream to the bowl)to build your lather .
Which Schick do you have?
Believe it or not razor blades are not all the same.They are just like spark plugs (for an automotive comparison) and certain ones work better than others in certain razors.
Also as I said feathers have a rep for being very sharp and chewing up your face if you do not have good technique.Go to the drug store or a dollar store and get some other blades American Safety Razor makes a lot of house brand blades and have a decent rep,Sally Beauty stores have Derby and Personna blades.Derby has a very good rep as a mild blade and Personna's have a good rep for the most part.
I usually use Derby's in a Gillette SuperSpeed black handle or a Gillette Fatboy adjustable.
Also do NOT press the razor down on the skin .The weight of the razor head is designed to keep the head in contact with the skin,light pressure is all that is needed.You usually need to do several passes to get a good shave.After your technique gets better you'll get to the level of--BBS(baby butt smooth) or DFS([censored] fine shave).Don't look for a one pass shave after all, that is why most disposables have multiple blades.You are actually doing multiple blade applications at a single pass.
It takes a little experimentation but you will end up with a better shave in the end.
Good Luck.
P.S. you tube has some videos by a fellow-- mantic59 that give tips.he has a channel there.
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Originally Posted By: SEMI_287
I tried a soap tonight with my Schick and it was like World War Three on my face. Not sure soaps would work for me.
Haha... reminds me of my experience last year. I tried shaving with a DE razor for about a week, and then gave up. My skin was getting extremely irritated, plus I had to be slower and extra careful to not cause a blood shed. In the end, I went back to the trusty Gillette Fusion. It allows me to shave quicker, and honestly the end result (after shaving once with the grain and then against it) is comparable to DE, in my experience.
I do use a proper badger shaving brush and good shaving cream/soap though. And I also started using a pre-shave oil. Ever since I started using it, my problem with developing ingrown hair diminished to nearly zero.
If you're looking for shaving cream recommendations, Proraso/C.O. Bigelow makes great stuff. You need to use a proper brush to build up the lather though. Doing it by hand is just not going to cut it. Art of Shaving also has some good creams, as well as the pre-shave oil that I mentioned.
I tried a soap tonight with my Schick and it was like World War Three on my face. Not sure soaps would work for me.
Haha... reminds me of my experience last year. I tried shaving with a DE razor for about a week, and then gave up. My skin was getting extremely irritated, plus I had to be slower and extra careful to not cause a blood shed. In the end, I went back to the trusty Gillette Fusion. It allows me to shave quicker, and honestly the end result (after shaving once with the grain and then against it) is comparable to DE, in my experience.
I do use a proper badger shaving brush and good shaving cream/soap though. And I also started using a pre-shave oil. Ever since I started using it, my problem with developing ingrown hair diminished to nearly zero.
If you're looking for shaving cream recommendations, Proraso/C.O. Bigelow makes great stuff. You need to use a proper brush to build up the lather though. Doing it by hand is just not going to cut it. Art of Shaving also has some good creams, as well as the pre-shave oil that I mentioned.
My wife has been taking rain checks on birthday, valentines day, Christmas, anniversary presents for years and now cashed in for a treadmill.
I use a Schick Hydro 5. I have a brush, but after watching mantic59's videos I did not do it right. The soap I used was a shaving soap I found in Walgreens. It starts with a V, I threw the box away already. My skin is sensitive so maybe some pre-shave oil would be helpful.
So I thought I'd post a little update. I just shaved with this magnificent razor. I didn't use the Feather blades yet as I'm a beginner. It came with a Merkur blade so I used that. Gentleman that baby gives one CLOSE SMOOTH shave. Absolutely no irritation, my face feels like heaven. It's surprisingly easy to use. It gives you feedback, if your blade angle is high it tugs and when you got that sweet spot it's a seamless feeling and you can hear the whiskers being shaved right off.
I did not cut myself! I do have a little bleeding. On the bottom of my neck those [censored] cartridge razors left irritation bumps which my Merkur found. But other than the few places I forgot my face feels like a babies bottom. Sure, it takes a few extra minutes but why the heck didn't my dad teach me this?!
I did not cut myself! I do have a little bleeding. On the bottom of my neck those [censored] cartridge razors left irritation bumps which my Merkur found. But other than the few places I forgot my face feels like a babies bottom. Sure, it takes a few extra minutes but why the heck didn't my dad teach me this?!
Get yourself a styptic pencil and an alum block and you're all set. I shave with a 1957 Gilette Superspeed every morning during the week (straight razor on the weekend) and they just can't be beat for quality.
Originally Posted By: SEMI_287
So I thought I'd post a little update. I just shaved with this magnificent razor. I didn't use the Feather blades yet as I'm a beginner. It came with a Merkur blade so I used that. Gentleman that baby gives one CLOSE SMOOTH shave. Absolutely no irritation, my face feels like heaven. It's surprisingly easy to use. It gives you feedback, if your blade angle is high it tugs and when you got that sweet spot it's a seamless feeling and you can hear the whiskers being shaved right off.
I did not cut myself! I do have a little bleeding. On the bottom of my neck those [censored] cartridge razors left irritation bumps which my Merkur found. But other than the few places I forgot my face feels like a babies bottom. Sure, it takes a few extra minutes but why the heck didn't my dad teach me this?!
I have a Merkur similar to the model you have and yes they are far better than disposable razors! Id never go back to disposables.
So I thought I'd post a little update. I just shaved with this magnificent razor. I didn't use the Feather blades yet as I'm a beginner. It came with a Merkur blade so I used that. Gentleman that baby gives one CLOSE SMOOTH shave. Absolutely no irritation, my face feels like heaven. It's surprisingly easy to use. It gives you feedback, if your blade angle is high it tugs and when you got that sweet spot it's a seamless feeling and you can hear the whiskers being shaved right off.
I did not cut myself! I do have a little bleeding. On the bottom of my neck those [censored] cartridge razors left irritation bumps which my Merkur found. But other than the few places I forgot my face feels like a babies bottom. Sure, it takes a few extra minutes but why the heck didn't my dad teach me this?!
I have a Merkur similar to the model you have and yes they are far better than disposable razors! Id never go back to disposables.
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