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Musicman
09-18-2006, 10:36 AM
Good afternoon everyone.

It's been about 30 yrs. since I used a DE with brush and just recently come back. I had forgotten how enjoyable shaving can be as well as relaxing. I have been using the Mach 3 and the Fusion but the cost of the blades is getting out of hand for me. So I thought I would come back to reality. As I said, it has been a real treat shaving. So much so that I am thinking of shaving off my beard of 25 yrs. I might keep a goatee though. I'll have to see what my wife says.

Here is what I have right now:

Merkur HD
Vulfix #376 Super Badger Brush
Classic Shaving's Unscented Shaving Soap & shaving bowl
Lathering bowl(my wife got this one for me)
Proraso Shaving Creme - Green tube
Feather Pre-shave
Sample Razor Blades from John (thanks for the quick shipping)

After shaving for about a week with the HD, I am surprised at how much is coming back. I have had a couple of weepers but no cuts as yet. (my wife says give it time.) I just have to figure out when the best time to shave is. I was shaving in the shower with the Mach 3 and Fusion and got good shaves that way. I tried shaving after showering but I wound up sweating so much that I thought I needed another shower. I tried shaving before showering, and that was a bad idea. Could not get my neck soft enough. So I'll experiment between in shower shaving and after shower shaving.

Now for my questions:

1. The grain on my neck runs S-N. I am using the S-N, E-W, W-E, and then N-S, and my neck isn't to bad but it smarts some. I was wondering if a couple of S-N passes and then a N-S pass would be better.

2. There are so many blades out there now, I am glad that John does what he does by sending samples of five brands. My question is about the Derby Extra: What do the numbers on the blades mean?

I am sure I will have more questions as time goes by, but the forums do an excellent job of anticipating many of them. So, I am enjoying B and B greatly.

Loren

htownmmm
09-18-2006, 10:40 AM
Welcome to B&B, Loren!

You have been assimilated!(Nice List!!)

1. Only go with one S-N pass for now- your face needs time to adjust.

2. Don't worry about the numbers; just change the blade out when it becomes to dull for your face.


Marty

gc_30286
09-18-2006, 10:49 AM
welcome to B&B

i agree with marty just one with the grain pass for the first week or so until your face adjusts and you start to rebuild the muscle memory needed

matthew

Jim
09-18-2006, 10:53 AM
Welcome Loren!:biggrin:

TomH
09-18-2006, 10:55 AM
Hi Loren, a friendly Welcome to B&B, right here from Germany...:001_smile :wink2:

You're on the right way...
I agree with Marty and Matthew, with the grain for the first week and I think another important thing is, shave without any pressure...

Mach 3 and Fusion need some pressure but the weight of the HD and the sharpness of the blade is enough...

Thomas

Steelforge
09-18-2006, 10:55 AM
Welcome to B&B, sounds like you have a pretty much perfect starter kit to be going on with.

I like most new DE shavers have problems with my neck, I find too many passes will give me razorburn without fail - even though my technique is pretty good now.

Stick with 1 or 2 with the grain passes for now, you should be aiming to finish the shave each time without razorburn. If you strive for BBS in the early days/weeks you'll get razorburn every time. My shaves got progressively worse in weeks 2 and 3 for this reason, I was trying to hard. I forced myself to reduce the number of passes for a while, and let my face and technique get used to each other. Now mush shaves are starting to improve again.

Once you get consistantly comfortable shaves, then start adding in some gentle across/against the grain work. But obviously you'll have to judge how much you can get away with before you start to get irritation and razorburn.

Even with less passes, the shaves will improve in comfort as your touch and technique come back to you.

:smile:

Dinder1
09-18-2006, 11:00 AM
Welcome Loren.:smile: How do you like the Feather Pre-Shave?
Cheers, DJ.

Larry C in Texas
09-18-2006, 02:50 PM
Welcome Loren. I might suggest using 100% glycerin for a pre-shave. I started that in place of Proraso pre-post shave and have been very happy. You can get it at a natural foods store (Whole Foods, etc.) and just use a little bit diluted with water and rub it on your wet face. I find it helps me get a smoother shave. I put it on between passes before lathering up. As others have said, the neck is the trickiest part. I'm still not close to where I would like to be after 6 weeks of learning.

Musicman
09-18-2006, 05:08 PM
Thank you for the warm welcome and advice.

DJ, I really can not say anything about the Feather Pre-shave right now. It does seem to make the razor glide across the skin better. I'll have to get some 100% glycerin as Larry C suggests and compare the two. Gives me some to post the next time.

Loren