Guys, I am only on my third DE wet shave, but last night we had an epiphany in my home. I made a nice batch of lather with AOS Sandalwood cream and I treated my wife's legs to her first DE shave. I dialed down my Merkur Vision to the + V-I-S-I-O-N - setting to avoid any nicks and cuts with its Derby blade. I'm glad it worked very well! I gave her a very nice and accident-free experience and she was quite pleased. Then I called in my 16 year old and he also got his first DE shave, which he also liked. Their modesty and shyness kept me from documenting this experience with pictures this time around... :happy102 To top it all, today I also had my own 3rd shave with the Vision in the "O" setting and I had an excellent, nick and cut free shave, although my skin still feels a bit tender afterwards. No rash, no cuts! My wife and son have no interest in using the brush, but they are ready to have their own razors. These are the options I am considering: WIFE: Merkur Progress Long Handle TEENAGE SON: Merkur 38c Long Handle with blue handle Blade-wise, I am considering ordering a 100 pack of the Iridium Super, since it has been so highly recommended. I'm going out on a limb since I have not tested them myself yet. Good choice? I want to thank everyone for their excellent advice thus far!!! :happy023
Overall it sounds like things are great. One issue though. I do NOT recommend order 100 of any blade untested. Order a sample pack of blades and try several (preferably all brands) before ordering any in bulk. You might not like Iridiums or you might find a blade you like better for half the price. Congratulations on some great shaves and remember it only gets better!
Man, I envy you! Three females in the house, all with various cartridges. Two of them use these Schick things that are surrounded by soap $15 for a pack of 3.
Get them to try DE, just make sure they have no fuzz 1st time up I made the purchase of a whole DE setup (expensive Merkur Vision 4 piece set) and thus willing to scrape my face until I got it right. But my family members had nothing vested in this new hobby thus I had to make CERTAIN verything was perfect for them. So I did it for them at a safe setting... and it worked! Try that with your girls!
Erik is giving you some great advice there Eliut. I know that you have had some suggestions to use the Iridiums, but they may not be for you, and I don't recommend buying 100 of them without trying them first either. The first time I had some Iridiums in the house, my then 16 year old son was the first to try them, and he complained they were too rough after his first shave with them. When I tried them a day or so later, my face found them too rough for me too. I have since PIF'ed all the ones I had out to other users. As it is, he has settled on Gillette 7 O'Clock Yellows and Feathers as his blades of choice, and I use mostly Astras/Derbys/Sharp brand blades interchangeably, though I still experiment from time to time with other brands.
I'll refrain from bulk then I was about to risk getting 100 Iridiums based on their fine reviews but I guess I better test them first. They have become fairly expensive also at WCS: $34@100! compared to $18 for 100 Astra Superior Platinum! I'll get a small pack and then decide.
Try them first Hi, yeah you should test them first, it seems like blades are a hit and miss for a a lot of people. whats works for me may not work for you. weird! I made a big buy with Derby and I really don't like them. maybe I got bootleg ones. cuz I got them on ebay.
I might suggest that you look into getting a Lady Gillette for your wife and a Tech or Superspeed for your son. Inexpensive and very nice razors.
A week into family DE shaving I can report that my 16 year old has definitely converted to the DE shaving mantra. For now he's using my Merkur Vision on a daily basis but I already sent for his Merkur 38c Long Handle. I also ordered for my wife a Merkur Progress Long Handle so that she can adjust it to her various needs. Neither of them seem interested in bothering with shaving brushes but just switching to DE razors is a big accomplishment on itself. I also ordered additional blade samples from WCS and hopefully we'll find a family standard for a future bulk order of razor blades. Thank you all for your advice!
