I have never every shaved with Safety Razer before. I Need advice on the following options for a Mercur razer 1) Adjustable or Non-Adjustable? for a newbie? 2) Short (standard) handle or Longer Handle models any advantage for a newbie either way? 3) I prefer to eventual shave in the Shower (like i do with Mach3/5) after I get some experience.. so I'm concerned about non-slip Grips in the long term. Is it better to get a cross-hatched (grated) handle instead of a smooth finish. 4) What type of blades for Newbie? I have normal skin (maybe slightly oily), very tough/strong beard, and have a 2.5 inch scar along my right-side jaw-line that is 38 years old (my scar tissue NEVER nicks or cuts using Mach 3/5 blades even when shaving fast).. I had an expert plastic surgeon that did a very good job. I need to make a decision soon.. My wife is bugging me on my choice for xmas. Thx, Heston.
First off, Welcome to The Shave Den! A great community of guys and gals that enjoy wet shaving, I hope you enjoy your stay! Be sure to sign up for the November Newbie Give-Away for a chance to win some great shave gear! While its not required, how about you hop over to the Newbies Section and give yourself a proper introduction thread, I'm sure you'll receive many warm welcomes from the friendly folks of this community.
Gillete Must Die... Thanks for the comment.. but the Gillette corporation is the last company I want to give another dime to. I am so annoyed with the whole "disposable razer" industry.... its my motivation to give Safety Razer's a shot. I was considering a Parker brand for a while..... but i'm German, drive a German Diesel car.. .. so I may as well stick with what works and go with a German Razer as my first choice. its the details of choice that makes it hard to decide on specific model!
I kinda felt that way when I first got into the hobby too, so I understand. But really with a vintage they aren't getting a dime. Which is probably why they stopped making high quality razors with a resale value. But I digress. The Merkur HD 34C is very popular and was also the razor I started with. I really like mine and would recommend one to anyone interested in the hobby/life skill. TSD Reviews of the HD Welcome to the Den and enjoy your shaves!
Hi, Heston! Welcome to The Shave Den :signs046 You might want to consider about the vintage Gillette razors........ They are top notch for a beginner, especially the Fat Boy or a Slim Adjustable. Further are the Mühle razors to consider And the blades.... That's in the eyes of the beholder, but you might think about a sampler pack Enjoy your stay here :happy088
hi welcome to the shave den have you considerd parker razor,s the 72R has a black handle which give,s great grip and derby blades,the merkur,s ar great i have a couple of them but this parker razor is top,s work,s well with me .hope you find what you ar looking for.
I'm a noob and this is the razor I bought. I like it a lot and seem to be getting better with each shave. I've only on my third shave, but I'll never go back to the Dark Side.... You can find in on Amazon for $37. I believer they call it the #178 if I'm not mistaken. Also, be sure to lurk in this forum for info and watch Mantics videos on Youtube. I'm still learning, but my third shave was MUCH BETTER than the previous 2. We are slaves to the Gillette Corporation no longer!!!
If must be a new or Merkur, I started with the HD and still use it in my rotation and get fine results. If other vintage razors are an option a 40's SuperSpeed is the key. Truely one of my fav shavers I use a good deal.
Can't go wrong with the 40's Super Speed. Also a Tech is a sweet little razor. My rotation consists of a '48 Super Speed, a vintage Tech & a '40's Aristocrat. Love those vintage Gillette's.
Let me give you my thoughts on your questions: Since you said you wanted to try Merkur, I'd try the 34C HD first. It's a good, basic DE razor that you can use for the rest of your life. Learn to shave properly with a non-adjustable, then go adjustable. I'm quite partial to Merkur's Futur, which is my main razor, followed very closely by a Gem push button. (I have some vintage Gillette's that are fine shavers, but like the Futur and the Gem best) Totally personal preference. I have both and it doesn't really matter to me No basis in my own experience to answer this question. I shave over the sink in front of the mirror. I have the polished chrome version of the Futur and if I hold it by the indentation in the handle, and be careful to keep the soap/cream off of my hands, I have no problems with it being slippery. I'd say get a sampler pack. I didn't do that and got a bunch of Derby's and got lucky that those have turned out to be the blade for me (I did eventually try other blades, and I still do because it's fun). I hope that helps.
As a newbie myself I started with a weishi gun metal(my next razor is gonna be merkur adjustable) I love it and I use it in the shower. Also you can find them with sampler packs of blades. I would suggest trying a semogue 1305 boarbrush and a cheap badger brush like tweezerman and get two or three different soaps from TSD. These soaps come in a soap dish already. All of these items together cost about about seventy five bucks except for the merkur.
Gillette Tech, very mild and smooth, low profile head. If you need something more aggressive later on try a Feather Portable head with a Tech handle.
I'm still fairly new ( about 6 months) and I'm very happy that I got an adjustable. Start it on a low setting the first few days, and then slowly ramp it up till you hit the sweet spot. My first razor ( and still my favorite, although I'm getting a slant in a couple of days, so... we'll see) was a gilette slim, and I'm very glad that I got it instead of say a merkur HD. It let me start out really gentle and then, still using the same razor really experiment to find how high a setting was best ( for me, it seems to be a 7) personal preference again. Some people find short have better control, and some prefer long for the added weight and hand size fit. You'll probably have to try both kinds eventually and just see which you like. more peopel tend to prefer short to long, but long razor proponents tend to REALLY prefer the longer handles. from what I've seen. it's mostly personal preference, but I've never heard of any oen complaining that their razor had a less slippery grip. Since yowu ant to shave in the shower, I'd say go for the cross hatched. I agree 100% on getting a blade sampler pack, but if you have a thick beard, you probably want blades on the sharper end of the spectrum: Red IP ( a little less sharp than the others but very inexpensive and smooth), Astras(medium smooth, very sharp, also quite inexpensive.. mayeb the best blade for your buck), Yellow russian gilettes (probably my personal favorites both sharp and smooth), or even feathers( the sharpest but they are very aggressive and not very smooth, though not as bad as people would have you beleive), so try and get a pack with most of all of them, imo.
