Rotating Razors?

[Tony]

I am currently using my Merkur Futur razor, which I love, everyday but I also have a Slant bar that I stopped using because I felt it to be too agressive - and at the time was very new to wet shaving and mistakenly chose the Slant bar as my first razor. I there any reason now that I have become more adept and less timid with my technique that I couldn't rotate between the two razors - perhaps alternating weekly? I hate seeing that Slant bar sitting in the linen closet

Currently using:
Futur razor with Derby Blades
Prosraso/Tom's/Ocean Breeze
Merkur Futur razor and brush
Pre/post Proraso, Proraso Balm, Clearsil Balm (which I love). Blue Label Witch hazel...............

[DoubleE]

Tony:

Part of my wetshaving enjoyment is the rotation of all my goodies, including my razors and blades. I have quite a few razors that I rotate in and out changing them every Sunday morning. I also have found that different blades work better in different razors so I mix and match to find the best combinations that work for me. If you always use the same razor and blade combination, you may never discover a better option.

I've found American Safety razor blades work better in my Gillette HD and prefer Feather's in my Vision. Feather's also tend to go in my Merkur long-handle classic.

I just tried my Futur for the first time this morning with the Derby and had a little irritation. I'll try each with a different mate to see if I can find a better match for me personally. Get that Slant bar out and give it a another shot.
If you find you still don't like it, it will likely sell quickly on the forum.

[dubes]

I recently came to the opposite conclusion. I have a Merkur Progress and an HD, as well as thin and fat handle Gillette adjustable. I used to rotate these weekly, but I found that the first few shaves with a different razor were typically bad, since I had to re-learn the particular characteristics of that razor (by "bad" I mean more irritation and more cuts--sometimes real gushers). I now just stick to the Progress (my favorite razor), and keep the others for display. Life's too short to put up with bad shaves.

Mike

[Kyle]

I say, mix it up. Variety is the spice of life.

[htownmmm]

mix it up, mix it up, mix it up!
you have the razors so u might as well use them.


Marty

[Austin]

No problem with rotating your razors. Enjoy your implements.

[KUJO]

Is there any reason now that I have become more adept and less timid with my technique that I couldn't rotate between the two razors - perhaps alternating weekly?

Tony, nothing in reason says you can't and in the end you say how to best use and vary the tools your craft.

[With The Grain]

ive been using so many DE's lately my head's been spinning, the most important thing that others have pointed at is that each razor shaves differently and at a different angle ie my merkur HD seems to cut around 30 degrees, my 40's SS around 20 degrees and my ultra old school 1920's 3 piece gillettes seem to shave at 10 degrees becuase the head on them are so thin and flat, pretty important not to carry over my merkur technique to the gillettes or the shave just isnt as nice.

[SteveL]

ive been using so many DE's lately my head's been spinning, the most important thing that others have pointed at is that each razor shaves differently and at a different angle ie my merkur HD seems to cut around 30 degrees, my 40's SS around 20 degrees and my ultra old school 1920's 3 piece gillettes seem to shave at 10 degrees becuase the head on them are so thin and flat, pretty important not to carry over my merkur technique to the gillettes or the shave just isnt as nice.

That is why, being a newbie, even though I want to try other razors I will hold off for at least a couple of months. I can't imagine how long it would take me to learn if I rotated between a few razors.

[rschul2]

That is why, being a newbie, even though I want to try other razors I will hold off for at least a couple of months. I can't imagine how long it would take me to learn if I rotated between a few razors.

Steve,
Stick to one razor and master your technique. Once you get the hang of it, get a new razor and proceed. More than likely, you'll have to adjust to a new razor as well, but the learning curve should be shorter. Then add another razor...shorter learning curve. When oh when does the razor acquisition end?

[PoshRichM]

Steve,
Stick to one razor and master your technique. Once you get the hang of it, get a new razor and proceed. More than likely, you'll have to adjust to a new razor as well, but the learning curve should be shorter. Then add another razor...shorter learning curve. When oh when does the razor acquisition end?

My thoughts exactly.

-Rich

[obsessis]

once you know you can shave with a DE i would use as many razors as possible.

[ouch]

Whenever I get a new razor I try to use it exclusively until I have it pretty much figured out. I like to see how it performs with different blades and to different levels of closeness.
After it has settled in and joined the "club", I don't so much rotate the razors as the shaves themselves. Rather than saying "it's Tuesday, where's the slant bar", I first choose what type of shave I would like, and then select an appropriate razor. If I feel pretty beaten up, I may want a gentle two-pass and reach for a Merkur long handle. If I feel like the wolfman, the aforementioned slant may come into play. If I want something quick, an injector is just the ticket, whereas if I really want to pamper myself, out come the straights.

This way, the razor accomodates my face, not the other way around.

[Kyle]

Whenever I get a new razor I try to use it exclusively until I have it pretty much figured out. I like to see how it performs with different blades and to different levels of closeness.
After it has settled in and joined the "club", I don't so much rotate the razors as the shaves themselves. Rather than saying "it's Tuesday, where's the slant bar", I first choose what type of shave I would like, and then select an appropriate razor. If I feel pretty beaten up, I may want a gentle two-pass and reach for a Merkur long handle. If I feel like the wolfman, the aforementioned slant may come into play. If I want something quick, an injector is just the ticket, whereas if I really want to pamper myself, out come the straights.

This way, the razor accomodates my face, not the other way around.

Good philosophy.

[KUJO]

Steve,
Stick to one razor and master your technique. Once you get the hang of it, get a new razor and proceed. More than likely, you'll have to adjust to a new razor as well, but the learning curve should be shorter. Then add another razor...shorter learning curve. When oh when does the razor acquisition end?

Tony,

Based on my shave this morning, I'll echo Steve's words. I've fairly well mastered by Merkur HD with an assortment of blades in there.

This morning I tried a vintage Gillette Aristocrat with a Feather Hi-Stainless and pretty well butchered what, till today, had been a well-kept face.

I suspect I need a much lighter touch and to slow down a bit from what I'm used to with the Merkur.

Not insurmountable by any means, but it reminded me that shaving well is a learned skill requiring hand-face coordination calibrated for different equipment set-ups (IMHO).

[Kyle]

I had an experience similar to Kujo's this morning. I used a Slant Bar razor, which I am only mildly experienced with and attacked my face with the same vigor as I normally do with my HD. The results included a nifty little patch of razor burn on my neck. This tool certainly requires a different technique than that of the HD or Gillette Adjustable.