Hey, I opened my mail today to see my Merkur 34c (amazon) finally arrived. I opend the package and found the razor to be quite small. The length is the size of my pinky finger and the top goes over my finger. I guess I will have to get use to that, but I may buy another that is little longer (not big deal). I took a nice hot shower lathered up with Clubman Shave Cream (that sucks by the way). I ended up using dove bar soap instead and began shaving. Note this is my first DE razor so bare with me, it was fairly light, little heavier than my BIC 4 blade dispobales that I'm use to using. I used a Personna blade and was not very impressed, I completed 3 passes (with/across/against) the grain with 1 day of growth. I have a 10 pack of Personnas that I will finish and move on my a 5 pack of Derby and then Wilkinsons. I did not cut myself at all (Not gonna lie I was little scared to shave with a DE because of it being new). The more I shaved the more comfortable I felt with each pass. Once I completed the 3rd pass, I noticed the shave was rather close, not as close as my BIC disposable (which I wanted to get a little closer than that but did not happen). I will see how the next few shaves go and will better my selection for 100ct of blades! Thoughts/Comments? Thanks, Steve
My 1st thought was. Dove as shaving soap, that definitely could be a start to an uncomfortable shave. I'm glad you felt comfortable, that is so important. I believe once you get a solid soap/cream it'll be great!! Get a blade sampler, it may take a few blades to get the right one or two, or three you like. Great job Steve! Kerry Did you shave in the shower? You can get a better handle. Check out Weber Bulldog.
Great first review. It's only up from here. The first shave isn't going to be the best you'll have. Make sure your angle is right and don't use ANY pressure.
Also, look into the forum more for an eye opening soap/cream experience. Check out the TSD shop. Westcoastshaving Maggardrazors theitalianbarber bullgoose to see your varieties.
I think you might enjoy your shaves more with a better shave soap. A good $2.50 hard soap that I started with (for over a year) was Van Der Hagan. I picked it up at Walgreens but Walmart has it too and some Targets carry it now. A good cream I found locally is Kiss My Face from Whole Foods. I got a tube for $6 or so and it is amazing.
Steve, I prefer longer-handled razors myself and find many standard-sized modern & vintage razors a bit small in my hands. My first Merkur was the 38c 'Barber Pole' that is 4" long and has some weight. The downside to many Merkurs is one can't switch out handles. Big Boy Toys: The 34c is comparable in size to the razor in the middle of this lineup (the Shake Sharp). I much prefer the size of the others. More importantly, before judging a razor's qualities, if to make sure you are using a decent shave soap or cream. I agree a god blade match helps, but a crummy soap will make any razor/blade combo a challenge.
The 34c was my first DE and it was a good shaver. I prefer shorter handles, although I found them weird when I first made the move from cartridges. Enjoy it. If you are looking for locally available soap or cream, check out CO Bigelow from bath and body works or Real Shaving Co. shave cream available from RiteAid. Both are good quality products.
Good choice to go with a Merkur! I've got a Merkur 23c and a 1904 open comb, and enjoy them both. Like others have said, get a decent soap before you try again. Van Der Hagen deluxe sets are about $10 and available at a lot of places. It comes with a decent soap, a bowl and a brush. Get a decent lather, grab that Merkur and go slowly and enjoy.
Steve, I'm a beginner myself and have been using nothing but the TOBS shave creams. Maggards sells a complete set of samples (14) for all the scents. You can get 2-3 shaves per sample.
Thanks for all the replies guys, my next cream/soap will be "Taylor of old bond street - Saddlewood" -
Just to see the difference in size to what I was use to shaving with. (Not gonna lie, the BIC 4 blade disposable is great shave). You can go 1 month on same razor and then just toss it. 4pack is $6.99 not too bad. Definitely right call by going with 2pc vs. 3pc/butterfly. I feel that its strong razor that will last my lifetime ( I take good care of my sh*t) so I'm not working about it breaking.
TOBS Sandalwood wont disappoint you at all as I have to say the Dove soap bar is definitely asking for trouble. What persona blades you use also, there are many different kinds, blues lab and hospital, reds, barber's and maybe one or two others that carry the name.
I want to try these on Ebay, but cannot find 5pk http://www.ebay.com/itm/Personna-St...t=US_Shaving_Hair_Removal&hash=item3cdc0969bf
Yea the ones you liinked are called the barber's version and I honestly would avoid them. You can also wprd search safety razor sampler or search tsd and other sites for samples also. Try this sampler http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=291096354635
whats the difference between these 2 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Personna-St...t=US_Shaving_Hair_Removal&hash=item3cdc0969bf http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0077LAJT2/?tag=thshde-20
I would trust amazon more and I believe that is the same 100ct I bought. So the picture shows the arrow marked blades even on the actual box but the blades actually look like the picture above I pasted. Though I know you probably heard this a lot that to buy a sampler is a great idea and money to blade ratio seems better with the 100 pack but try the blades out first.
I've never heard Lab Blues called the barbers version before. They've been one of two blades I bought 100 counts of without trying before hand and the only ones I still buy regularly. They can be found in quite a few sampler packs though if you look at different vendors.
Sorry to dissapoint but it wont last anywhere near your lifetime. Unless your expiration date is a couple of years. My Merkur lasted only 6 months after I merely dropped it in my sink the soldered thread post came off the top plate. They are made of pot metal once the plating is gone the razor is gone. Not to mention the pot metal can rot from the inside out. It wont be lasting anywhere near a vintage solid brass razor.
The linked picture he put up contained the 5/10 pk you would see on the shelve or for sale on a certain barbers site indicated by the actual arrows on the blade. From what I understand these are considered barbers blades and I believe they are not made in VA like the Med Preps and Lab Blues. In the picture I linked you will see the for hospital use this blade is the med prep made in VA. The second blade is the lab blue you will see both contain a blue wrapper but one says for Hospital use and neither have the arrows on the blade. Personna blades are weird you even have two red wrapped blades but one is made in Mexico and one in Israel they even cut different.
