I've been wet shaving for a couple weeks now, and I have to say, my face (and head BTW) have never been this baby smooth at any time since I began shaving decades ago. I've been using the Merkur 23C (long handle) for the first week and a half or so, and my first couple shaves were extremely slow and careful, and caused a few nicks and some razor burn; as my learning curve has shortened, I have found that I am shaving more confidently and at a quicker pace, with extremely good results - and the nicks and razor burn have faded into the rear view mirror. I was not happy with the handle on the 23C, and after inquiring here about different handles, recieved my Weber Bulldog handle in the mail a couple days ago. I installed the Bulldog, and it made a HUGE difference in how the shave felt; the heft from the new handle transformed my Merkur into an amazing instrument - kind of like moving from an used Pinto to an Italian sports car. I also have been using a new blade every few shaves to see what works for me, and have found that - so far - Astra Platinum and Stainless, as well as the Gillette Silver Blue have all worked great for me, whereas the Derby Extra really didn't (I'll revisit it since it was the original blade I used, and it might have been due to my lack of technique at that point). I have used a number of sample shaving creams, and find that, so far, Cella is my favorite, and as far as after shaves, Captains Cat O' Nine Tails is my absolute favorite. To finish up this long post, I have found that my shaves are getting better, as I use an alum block after my shaves, and the sting has become nearly non-existant. I realize that the conventional wisdom is not to go ATG at the beginning, but as I have always gone ATG, I have been doing that since my DE beginnings - though I also use XTG passes - something I never did with cartridge shaving. All in all, wet shaving has become an oasis for me in a world of hectic day to day events, and I can say without condition that I will never go back to cartridge shaving...though single edge shaving is on the horizon in the future, and I may even eventually wander into straight edge shaving. I want to thank all of those on this forum who daily provide advice and experience for those of us who are newbies, and I hope one day to join the ranks of the experienced, and PIF for those who find themselves at the starting line of wet shaving.
Welcome to the wonderful world of DE shaving. I'm glad that things are going well for you. The most frustrating thing to me is that there are are so many wonderful products and out there and it takes so much time to try them all. I've only been traditional shaving now for about 3 months and there are just so many creams, soaps, and aftershaves that I still want to try. Good luck with your shaving adventure!
