Tough breard + sensitive skin

[paero123]

Hello,

And which Merkur razor will do the job better: Progress or HD? I consider to buy one of them only. Please advise.

Cheers
Pawel

[guenron]

Hello,

And which Merkur razor will do the job better: Progress or HD? I consider to buy one of them only. Please advise.

Cheers
Pawel
Better with these two will be decided in no small part by your technique.. Are you a DE user already? Or is this your first DE? The adjustability of the Progress gives you the opportunity to finely tune your shave to your face and technique. On the other hand, the HD is very popular with most newbies as it has some heft and moderately aggressive blade exposure.
Both are good razors with similar weight and handling. If I wanted an adjustable, I would probably expend the a few dollars more for a Futur. Its adjustment design and mechanism are really superior to the Progress. I like its longer handle. (Good if you have meaty paws as I do.)
These two pictures may help you see what I am talking about.

http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=380
Razors from Left to Right: Long Handle Classic, Slant Bar, Progress, Futur, Vision

http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=361

[roughrider]

I've heard of tough beards but not too many tough breards. Please be sure to post a picture. :biggrin:

[paero123]

I've heard of tough beards but not too many tough breards.

Haven't you heard about tought breards??? Really? I'm afraid I can't explain it to you as I'm obliged to keep the secret but if you post the question on the board maybe the Great Master will answer you :smile:

[paero123]

[B](...)
Are you a DE user already?
Or is this your first DE?
(...)
HD is very popular with most newbies as it has some heft and moderately aggressive blade exposure.

Both are good razors with similar weight and handling. If I wanted an adjustable
(...)
I like its longer handle. (Good if you have meaty paws as I do.)


Answering your questions:
No, I'm not a DE user yet but I have an experience with Polish made DE (fixed one) in the mid 80-ies which was awful because of my lack of technique, sensitive skin, teenage's skin problems etc. Since then I used electric till Sensor Excel was available in Poland which I use nowadays for about 7 years. But I need really close shave as my beard grow fast and it seems that DE or str8 (scary) could be a solution.

Do you think that weight and more aggresive blade exposure is mean to DE close shaving?

I don't want an adjustable because of adjustability - I hope I won't became a shaving geek as you guys are :smile: - I just want to find a razor which gives the best service to me; it seems from what I read at the forum that HD or Progress would be best choice to start & see whether DE shaving is for me or not at relatively cheap cost but a lot of people here use them as their everyday razors too.

Is it a long handle really mean because of hands' size or some balance&technique reasons either? What do you mean as large hands?!

[Scotto]

Pawel,

I don't think you could go wrong with either the HD or the Progress as a starting razor. The one benefit of the Progress is the ability to reduce the blade exposure very low if your face is sensitive, etc.

As for large hands, the handle on the Progress, for example, is quite short, and can be uncomfortable/unwieldy if your hands are large. Some people like a longer handle for this reason.

[paero123]

(...)
As for large hands...
(...)

And what do we mean as large hands, gentlemen? I'm not sure if I have small/medium/large ones and have no oportunity to check them with razors before buying :frown:

Cheers
Pawel

[Scotto]

Pawel, let's look at this another way. In Ron's picture above, there is a ruler next to the razors. Measure the razor you use now and compare it. If the Merkur razors you are interested in are much shorter than your Sensor, they may feel uncomfortable. Perhaps that will help.

As an example, I have a Progress, and I have to hold it by the very end (white plastic) to get the angle and pressure correct, which is somewhat annoying.

[paero123]

Well, I use Gillette Sensor Excel for years but you know those pivoting heads razors - it's nothing special with their handle usually as you don't have to care about the angle, pressure.

So why does Merkur produce so many DEs with those short handles? Because they are classics or just some ergonomy or shaving technique aspects?

[slprl]

I was in a similar situation and I chose the H/D because of the weight. I get an extremely close shave and the weight of the razor does most of the work. Because of this, I do not have to apply any pressure. I would highly recommend the H/D.

Good luck.:wink:

[dash]

If I wanted an adjustable, I would probably expend the a few dollars more for a Futur. Its adjustment design and mechanism are really superior to the Progress. I like its longer handle. (Good if you have meaty paws as I do.)
These two pictures may help you see what I am talking about.

Beautiful comparison picture.

I started with the Futur several years ago. Too aggressive and too big for the tight spots. (I got a really bad result. And the thing is so beautiful, you can't believe what it's doing to your face.)

The other Merkurs are better newbie choices, in my opinion.

[Mama Bear]

Just so that you know.. I talk to men daily who have tough beard and sensitive skin.

There are more of you than you may think... ?????

[Elmo]

tough beard and sensitive skin

It's much less a question of which razor you use than your pre-shave routine.

My suggestions:

>take a shower first and clean your face/neck.
>take a washcloth and heat it up with hot water in your sink. apply it to your face for a minute or so.
>lather up. let it sit for a minute. wash it off.

then lather up and shave.

another trick is to apply shaving oil before the "lather up and shave" step. make certain you massage it into your face.

[BroJohn]

Just so that you know.. I talk to men daily who have tough beard and sensitive skin.

There are more of you than you may think... ?????

Sue, all --

I am of the opinion that this is the common condition, particularly for men in the age range of 25~50.

-- John Gehman