New Member Experience

[Dcshaves]

Hi All,
I'm new to the forum and new to wet shaving. I done some homework before buying any equipment/soaps etc and had my first shave last night using a Merkur 34C with feather blades and Cella soap. What an experience!
I'm well aware there are endless amounts of options out there with soaps, brushes, creams, aftershaves etc but my first question in the forum is this....blade and razor wise... Can it possibly get any better from here!?!

 

[fhalden]

Hi All,
I'm new to the forum and new to wet shaving. I done some homework before buying any equipment/soaps etc and had my first shave last night using a Merkur 34C with feather blades and Cella soap. What an experience!
I'm well aware there are endless amounts of options out there with soaps, brushes, creams, aftershaves etc but my first question in the forum is this....blade and razor wise... Can it possibly get any better from here!?!

First of all, welcome! You made a great choice of first razor, and Feather blades in such a mild shaver make for a great combo. My advice to you is to stick with your current lineup for at least a month. You'll be surprised at how much better it can get as you develop muscle memory and you begin to move away from being hyper-vigilant and into just being present and in the moment. Shaving can become quite meditative. Once you've got that month under your belt, then you can decide if you want to become an explorer and try different razors, blades, soaps, and brushes. Be warned though, those pursuits can be very expensive! Congratulations on discovering a better way to shave!

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

 

[China shaver]

+1 on fhalden's comments

 

[Dcshaves]

First of all, welcome! You made a great choice of first razor, and Feather blades in such a mild shaver make for a great combo. My advice to you is to stick with your current lineup for at least a month. You'll be surprised at how much better it can get as you develop muscle memory and you begin to move away from being hyper-vigilant and into just being present and in the moment. Shaving can become quite meditative. Once you've got that month under your belt, then you can decide if you want to become an explorer and try different razors, blades, soaps, and brushes. Be warned though, those pursuits can be very expensive! Congratulations on discovering a better way to shave!

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

Thank you for your reply. I'm maybe too eager to expand my knowledge of all things wet shaving as there are so many options out there that I had no idea existed until I decided to take the plunge. I've no doubt I'm going to enjoy it going forward

 

[ajkel64]

Welcome to the forum forum and thanks for checking in with us.

 

[slybrewguy]

Stick with it! It's easy to fall into what we call 'acquisition disorder' where you simply buy pretty much everything you can, this is fine and fun but doing so early on can cause you to lose focus of technique. If you had results that were acceptable (or close to it) then don't change that set up for atleast a few months.

 

[JCarr]

Welcome aboard! Nice set up! You see that big black hole right in front of you with the bunny ears sticking out of it? Well...trust me...it's there right in front of you.

I'm glad to hear that you're having good shaving experiences with that kit. It's an excellent kit. Enjoy!

 

[Dcshaves]

Welcome aboard! Nice set up! You see that big black hole right in front of you with the bunny ears sticking out of it? Well...trust me...it's there right in front of you.

I'm glad to hear that you're having good shaving experiences with that kit. It's an excellent kit. Enjoy!

I've heard about the impending rabbit hole and will try and avoid going too far down it in these early days. There are just so many options! Thanks for the advice.

 

[slybrewguy]

I've heard about the impending rabbit hole and will try and avoid going too far down it in these early days. There are just so many options! Thanks for the advice.

When the time inevitably comes that you want to try something different I suggest the merkur 37c slant razor. Same thing you have now but with a slanted head. I won't go into the benefits here, we've got plenty for threads about it I encourage you to explore. It will feel very much like your current 34c in your hands and will respond well to your current feather blades and cella soap. Not yet though!! Set goals, it's very important especially around here, if you still are happy with 'traditional wet shaving' and getting good results by say... Christmas, then grab a new razor. Use new stuff as a reward for patience and diligence NOT to chase 'better'.

 

[Dcshaves]

When the time inevitably comes that you want to try something different I suggest the merkur 37c slant razor. Same thing you have now but with a slanted head. I won't go into the benefits here, we've got plenty for threads about it I encourage you to explore. It will feel very much like your current 34c in your hands and will respond well to your current feather blades and cella soap. Not yet though!! Set goals, it's very important especially around here, if you still are happy with 'traditional wet shaving' and getting good results by say... Christmas, then grab a new razor. Use new stuff as a reward for patience and diligence NOT to chase 'better'.

Good advice, I know its early days on a long and winding road, I'll just have to slow down and enjoy the view along the way. Thank you.

 

[BigJ]

Welcome aboard!!

Great razor choice! In terms of blades, your best bet is to work through a sampler pack or two.

Mainly, ENJOY the journey!!

 

[dan86]

Hi from the UK.

You've obviously done well with the research to end up with the products you've chosen. I didn't get around to trying Cella until after 5/6 years down the rabbit hole. Makes sense to start with more affordable products, so I think you're already on a good path.

I think the adage of it ain't broke why fix it is a good one in some respects with razors and blades in the early days. I stuck with 3 razors for my first 4 years and one was a Wilkinson Sword Classic (black plastic), which had only cost £4.99 and was my trial razor before I invested over £20 on one. I've only bought a few more since out of curiosity although I'm glad I own them.

As for your question re blades and razors and can it get better - I think so. I agree with fhalden that shaving can be quite meditative and all of the points about muscle memory and technique improving.
I still regularly use Wilkinson Sword Classics, which were the first blade I used, and my first DE razors too. Along the way I've found certain blades work better in more milder razors if I want a more efficient shave. I've also acquired a Merkur Futur and Muhle R41 and have days where I'm in the mood for a more aggressive razor and blade combination, even though my trusted Edwin Jagger gets used more often than not.

 

[Ad Astra]

Welcome! You DID your homework, 34c was/is considered a very good choice. It was my choice too, after trying a Dorco DE.

Enjoy the shaves!


AA

 

[Quaznoid]

That combo will likely work for you for life (but there are less expensive blades that will also work well). The advice to shave for a month with that set up before making any changes is good. At that point you should ask yourself why you do wet shaving: for a close, inexpensive shave or as a hobby that you can spend thousands on and never get significantly better results? I’m in the latter class but many of the guys on B & B are of the former

 

[Dcshaves]

Hi from the UK.

You've obviously done well with the research to end up with the products you've chosen. I didn't get around to trying Cella until after 5/6 years down the rabbit hole. Makes sense to start with more affordable products, so I think you're already on a good path.

I think the adage of it ain't broke why fix it is a good one in some respects with razors and blades in the early days. I stuck with 3 razors for my first 4 years and one was a Wilkinson Sword Classic (black plastic), which had only cost £4.99 and was my trial razor before I invested over £20 on one. I've only bought a few more since out of curiosity although I'm glad I own them.

As for your question re blades and razors and can it get better - I think so. I agree with fhalden that shaving can be quite meditative and all of the points about muscle memory and technique improving.
I still regularly use Wilkinson Sword Classics, which were the first blade I used, and my first DE razors too. Along the way I've found certain blades work better in more milder razors if I want a more efficient shave. I've also acquired a Merkur Futur and Muhle R41 and have days where I'm in the mood for a more aggressive razor and blade combination, even though my trusted Edwin Jagger gets used more often than not.

Yea this lockdown gave me the opportunity to search the Internet and get a good idea of what to start with.

Good point on the blades also, I'll stick with what I have now and then experiment when I become more confident/comfortable. With a toddler at home the shaving experience really is (the only) relaxing part of my day so im glad I've found a way of actually enjoying it!

 

[Dcshaves]

That combo will likely work for you for life (but there are less expensive blades that will also work well). The advice to shave for a month with that set up before making any changes is good. At that point you should ask yourself why you do wet shaving: for a close, inexpensive shave or as a hobby that you will spend thousands on and never get significantly better results? I’m in the latter class but many of the guys on B & B are of the former

I know if you asked me a month ago I would have said (using an electric razor) it was a necessity and no more. After using the 34c etc its now becoming a hobby and enjoyable experience so I'll give it a month and see how we go.

 

[Invicta]

Welcome to B&B.

Hi All,
I'm new to the forum and new to wet shaving. I done some homework before buying any equipment/soaps etc and had my first shave last night using a Merkur 34C with feather blades and Cella soap. What an experience!

Great choice of trio and Cella is easy to lather so stick with them for a few weeks before introducing any changes. The last bit has been mentioned brefore so it is worth reiterating.
No mention of your brush though, I am curious if it was it a boar, badger or synthetic; pictures are always welcome.

 

[Dcshaves]

Welcome to B&B.

Great choice of trio and Cella is easy to lather so stick with them for a few weeks before introducing any changes. The last bit has been mentioned brefore so it is worth reiterating.
No mention of your brush though, I am curious if it was it a boar, badger or synthetic; pictures are always welcome.

The brush I've actually had for a while. My Grandad gave me it a long time ago and it lay in a bedside drawer. I have no idea of its good bad or indifferent and a brush will be something I'll address down the line. Simpsons Chubby 2 seems to be mentioned everywhere but its out of my price range at the minute. Pictures of the brush below:

 

[Esox]

Welcome to the forum!

Can it possibly get any better from here!?!

Oh yes. Much, much better.

 

[kingfisher]

It doesn't get a whole lot better until you abandon safety razors and move on to open blade razors. IMO.

I would highly recommend a synthetic brush; get a Yaqi or a Stirling or a RazoRock. All three are dirt cheap.