Either the Merkur HD 34C is perfect or my face has been blessed by Ron Swanson

[Randy Shaveage]

Hey guys. first time DE shaver. Initially bought a Vikings Blade because of reviews, but I did a bit of googling after purchasing and found out that it's just a rebranded Weishi, which made me furious. How dare they try to play towards my quest for manliness by making me feel like a false viking? That's like putting tinfoil around a sledgehammer head and calling it Mjolnir.

So I told Amazon that I do NOT approve of this ruse, and had them turn the shipment around mid-transit. Ended up getting a Merkur HD 34C that I'm pretty sure I overpaid for at $32. I saw a couple for $27 today with prime shipping.

For soap, I got Proraso in a bowl which gave my face a wonderful feeling similar to Irish Spring's deep action scrub body wash, and a Miusco Brush/Stand combo to apply and dry. Everything came to about $62.

I watched a few of mantic's videos and went to work, slowly decreasing the angle of the blade until I felt hairs being cut. Took me about 5 minutes until I started shaving my neck similar to how I would use a cartridge. I've probably used cartridges over 300 times, so I started going EVERYWHERE on my neck recklessly (other than near the adams apple), using quick downward strokes.

Not a scratch. I feel like this is odd because I pretty much stopped being careful at all.

I did have to do a few passes to get a close shave, and the only problem areas I had were right under the nose (which has been an issue with cartridges since my mustache hair is quite thick), right on the front of my chin, and around the adams apple. Used the half swallow method from Mantic, but the chin's giving me trouble getting a close shave. I think I'm gonna try and pull the skin up high off of my chin by sucking my bottom lip into my mouth to make a flat surface where the hair is.

Couple of questions:

1. Could this be because the blade that came with the razor (Merkur Super Platinum) isn't that sharp, so I don't have to be too careful?

2. Did I overpay for anything? I generally go to Amazon for any first-time purchase since I can easily return things with zero hassle.

3. Is this a decent sample pack? Seems pricey, and I don't think I want to get a sampler pack that only has one blade of each type. Not sure if I'll get a dud. Not sure if there ARE duds.

4. How many practice shaves should I get in before I try to shave in the morning? I am NOT a morning person, at least not until I get out of the house.

 

[BigJ]

Welcome! Looks like you are doing just fine.

34C is an excellent razor IMO. I suggest you get one or two blade sampler packs to see what really works best!

 

[alex2363]

Welcome aboard

 

[HacknSlash]

Couple of questions:

1. Could this be because the blade that came with the razor (Merkur Super Platinum) isn't that sharp, so I don't have to be too careful?

2. Did I overpay for anything? I generally go to Amazon for any first-time purchase since I can easily return things with zero hassle.

3. Is this a decent sample pack? Seems pricey, and I don't think I want to get a sampler pack that only has one blade of each type. Not sure if I'll get a dud. Not sure if there ARE duds.

4. How many practice shaves should I get in before I try to shave in the morning? I am NOT a morning person, at least not until I get out of the house.

I've been wetshaving for a month, so take this with that much authority

1) Possibly. Blades are so dependent on the user's face/beard type. Factor in the less aggressive razor, and maybe your face can stand up to it well? Could be a host of things, goo to hear it works for you! I know a lot of people arent keen on the Merkur blades

2) I don't think so. A quick google search says not at all

3) Looks OK... but its not one I'd buy. As someone who is new, I think 5 blades is a minimum of a kind I would shoot for. Your technique is changing, and you will learn each shave. A single blade won't give as much input. I'd suggest something like this: http://www.italianbarber.com/collections/sampler-packs/products/40-blade-de-sampler-pack-40-blades (Or their 50 blade pack that adds in the Bolzano).

Feather, Astra SP, and Vokshod are 3 of the most popular blades out there. Sure there are others, but this would be a great place to start (I did the larger sampler from Italian Barber)

4) Totally up to you. After a month, I'm just settling into what works, and what doesnt for me


Welcome!

 

[Epitome]

Welcome aboard! The 34C is indeed a great razor to start with. If you did overpay it wasn't by more than a $4-5, no big deal. As for the starter blades, I'd recommend a pack that gives you multiples of each blade to try as you'll be able to get a better idea of which you like and you'll get more blades for your money. Also, as your technique improves you may want to revisit each blade. This is a set of very good blades in my opinion:

https://smile.amazon.com/Blade-Sampler-Personna-Feather-Silver/dp/B00LOWZRHY/

I'd say get as many practice sessions in as you can! Just do it until you feel comfortable shaving in the morning.

Now, I'm addressing your first question last as I think this requires emphasis - ALWAYS RESPECT THE RAZOR! Always, always, always be careful and pay attention to what you're doing. Even veterans get bitten by their razors when they get too careless.

You may have gotten lucky or maybe you were paying "enough" attention, but remember this is a very sharp razor that can and will remove flesh if you use the wrong technique.

 

[Avvatar]

60% of the time, it works every time.

Ive been de shaving a bit over a year now. I personally have (and likely will) always sucked in my lip in the manner you described. My soul patch seems to require this and I seem to have positive results. If the razor is non-aggressive (never used a merkur) then shaving can be alot more "whimsical" at the expense of quality. Your shaving experience seems to be similar to mine. I get good shaves (not BBS, but BBS has always been elusive for me) without much effort. Trying blade angles came after my "break in" period. Say 6-8 weeks of shaving every few days.
I have gotten the one blade samplers based on this thought: IF I get a dud, would I consider that company as a daily blade? As I use a blade 3-4 times (personal preference. They're cheap enough...) Probably not. YMMV.
I don't think you overpaid. You got a solid start on things and seem to be having a good time! What's that worth? 75 bucks seems to be about the average cost of starting any type of "different" shaving venture. Carts to DE: $75 DE to Straights: $75 Straights to honing: $75. Of course, that doesn't count the rabbit hole (maniacal laughter).
If you must shave in the am, then I'd give it some time. Get yourself to a point where you can shave happily and comfortably in about 15-20 minutes. Every shave does not need to be a Sunday morning, barbershop, hot towel and hookers routine. Personally, I find that a decent shave at night leads to a happier morning. The added quality from a DE shave at night (more time to spend, less half-awake hacking) will leave me as smooth as if I'd shaved with a Mach 3 in the AM. I am not in a job where a shave is required daily, so obviously, YMMV.
You asked some good questions! I'm excited to see how you progress in the next few weeks and months!

 

[xxvaleria]

Welcome to the club, Randy. Glad to have you aboard.

 

[Garlisk]

The 34c is awesome, if not the best at giving a close shave. It was the best SAS/CCS razor I had, until I sold it to a friend. I assumed I would find a similar razor in my at-the-time growing vintage collection. Unfortunately for me, I did not, and now I either need to buy another one or suck it up and figure out why my shaves aren't as good with the razors I have.

 

[sandstone]

Welcome to B&B!

 

[Niles]

Welcome, Randy! Good advice here. I, too, love the Merkur HD.

 

[viking4976]

Merkur 34c is my first DE razor, and it's still my main razor.