I tried a Feather blade in my Merkur 1904/1906 tonight. It was probably the best shave I've ever had. I have never tried Feathers before, I bought a sample pack and there was a 5 pack of them included. At first I thought I forgot to put the blade into the razor, it was incredibly smooth. I had no irritation at all and was a very close shave. It is pretty sweet when you find that magic combination, it is such an individual thing.
Nice! I think it's important to find the right setup that works for you early on, it not only will help build technique but will help keep you from over spending. That comes from my experience.
After literally years of trying different combinations in DE's I came across the Weber. Four Webers later I have settled on the Polished Head as my Holy Grail razor. Blades went through a similar filter and what came out the bottom were the Personna Reds & Blue Med Preps. It's deadly consistent, smooth, close and comfortable shave. So much so that it took all the fun and challenge out of shaving... so I all but gave up DE's and took up straights. I now use DE's once or twice a month, if that much.
