You could wait until you buy another razor, unless the first one you bought was a slant. It is all hype. Even the R41 can be used by newbs. Maybe not without a little blood in the case of any razor (including a Gillette blue tip or tech, or plastic cart even). The faster you learn to "hear" what the razor is telling you, the faster you learn not to bleed from your face.
If the razor you've got is a decent quality one, I'd stick with it for a month or two before moving to others. Did I do that? No. But I would have probably been getting really good consistent shaves sooner if I did.
I think I'd listen to Bob.......look at the face on that Munky..........I think thats a trust worthy face, rasberry and all............ Besides that...He's right, IMHO.....I sincerly believe razors like the R41 or GEM Open Comb Micromatic would make excellent razors for noobs....and in using them you would develope much quicker and the learning curve would be accelerated. You want a slant...Thats an excellent razor and has proved itself for generations...Don't use pressure and like Bob said listen to your razor. Practice your basics, which is true for any razor......Go for it!!!
Thanks all! Ive been using the Merkur 34c for the past few weeks and have about 20 shaves under my belt, I am addicted to DE shaving... I really wanted to try an adjustable, as I figured theres more blade exposed, at a greater angle so I could get a closer shave quicker!? or, is that incorrect?
Incorrect - I've found that with proper technique and the right blade, even the very mild Ball End Tech can give me a great close, comfortable shave. And I take the same amount of time with all my razors, str8s being the exception.
I started out with and adjustable. If you want a slant or an adjustable then I suggest buying them. I find that every razor I use handles a little differently so why wait. If you really enjoy DE wet shaving then jump right in.
The Gem Micromatic is a fine example or mondo aggressive but still newb-able; I completely forget about the SE's Lloyd. I too started out with an adjustable (still have it in fact). It gives you a good range of options you can use to figure out what level of aggression you like/want. I think they are also a hindrance in some respect as well since, if you are like me, you'll want to start messing with the adjustment before you have your technique nailed, but I survived and so have many others, you just may not get it nailed down.
Excellent advice all, many Thanks... So, I think I am going to take a closer look at some of the razors suggested. I will most likely get an adjustable but use it in the "easiest" of settings until I really nail down the technique! At which point I will start moving it 1 position at a time until I have tried each and have figured which suits me best!?
All I would say to the above Bobby is to start on 3. 1 is verrrry mild. You can try it, but you'll probably be off 1 before you finish the first half of your face.
I would also suggest he start on 3 if he gets a Fat Boy or Slim but if he gets a Futur I would suggest a 1.
Agree 3 or 4 on a FatBoy,Slim or Super Adjustable....I've never tried a Futur.... You can also run a couple of shims in your merkur 34 if you'd like to up the aggressiveness...Just like an adjustable start slow (1 shim) and work your way up....
Nope. Take some scissors to a few used blades and trim off the edges. Put them under the cutting blade to raise them up from the base plate to make it more aggressive. I currently have a shim in my 89, it does give the extra oomph you need. as with everything, too much is too much, so add a single shim at a time.
No, just increasing the blade gap and thus increasing the aggressiveness of the razor. A Slant is just that - it has a head that is slanted, or slight twisted. In my opinion, if you want the same results as a slant, just slightly turn the angle of the blade to your face. Or just use the technique called the Gillette Slide (see Mantic's videos). I've said it before, the Slant is the solution for a problem that doesn't exist. Folks get great shaves from 'em and love 'em. Ain't a thing wrong with that.
I think you will get more possibilities for variations and experimentation out of an adjustable for this stage of your journey than a slant can offer. The only variability I can muster in my slant is to use different blades.
