I've been using my Merkur for over a year and I always seem to cut myself. Also I never get a close shave compared to the modern shaving blades such as gilette mach 3 so I recently switched back to them. I want to go back to the merkur but I don't want to cut myself and have a close shave. Any suggestions on how I can do so?
If you could post some more info about your shave routine and gear, that would help. Which Merkur you using, and what blades have you tried? What is your shave prep routine? When you do shave, what direction or directions do you shave in? (eg: WTG, XTG, ATG)
Hi dridecker. My routine would be putting hot water on the area where I would like to shave. Then I lather on some shaving gel. I don't use a brush. I shave upwards on my sideburns to get that close shave and I used to do it under my chin but I was getting a lot of cuts so I started doing it downwards. I still get cut but not as much. I bought this merkur http://www.fendrihan.com/merkur-classic-1904-doubleedge-safety-razor-p-78.html and I've only tried derby blades.
The 1904 is a fine razor, and should serve you well. To me it sounds like you are rushing the shave. Remember that with a D/E, you are going for whisker reduction with several passes, rather than trying to get it all with only one or two passes. And it sounds like you are going against the grain right from the start, and that can be painful! Abbreviations: WTG, With The Grain : XTG, Across The Grain : ATG, Against The Grain When I started back to using a D/E, I went with a four pass routine until I got my technique down. I went from top down (WTG), from left to right (XTG), from right to left (XTG), and finally from bottom to top (ATG). I have since been able to go with two WTG passes, and one ATG pass, and a little touch up since my neck hairs swirl. If you can swing the price of a cheap Omega boar ($10 - $15) and some Van Der Hagen Deluxe soap ($2.00), you would save some money over the gel with the passes you should make, and probably enjoy the shave more. Also, if you haven't watched Mantics videos, I really can't recommend them enough! Have a look at the Shave School Master Sticky, you'll find the videos and a whole lot more info there.
+1 This post right here should be required reading for every male over 13...Nicely done Bill, so concise yet so informative...
:sihns011 +1 more. When I read what you said, I thought of exactly what Bill said. But I'm no expert so listen to someone who is. That would be Bill.
Unglop My Heart :whacky098 Pretty murky, Mr. Merkur.. We should hire Toni Braxton to sing an alternative version of her hit song "Unbreak My Heart', just for the wet-shaving communities! I would ditch the shave gel (it's the kind that foams up with fingertip face lathering, right?) in preference of a real shave cream (lathering or not) or go the full wet-shave route and get a soap in a bowl/mug with brush. I recently gave myself a very close, nice shave with no irritation with a Gillette Goldtech razor loaded with a generic supermarket blade and J.B. Williams soap puck. The glide and cushion of a real soap or cream is a qualitative level(s?) beyond most of the canned glop/foam on the shelves in ubiquitous drugstores/supermarkets today.
