New Weber Bulldog - EISH!

After reading a lot from so many of you about the Weber, I took the plunge. Got it yesterday and loaded it up with the Astra that came with it.

I have been shaving with feathers in all of my razors and generally rotate between the following three:
1) AS-D2
2) EJ DE89LBL
3) Merkur 43c

I love the weight and grip of the Weber. I was immediately impressed with the amount of beard removal on the first pass! I guess that should have given me a hint of how much more aggressive this razor was from my other ones (especially the AS-D2).

I typically am a three and a half pass guy; WTG, XTG, ATG, and then clean up.

I also rarely cut myself.

By the end of the second pass, this razor had removed more that beard, I caught part of my neck. Then, after a close third pass on my lip, I noticed I had taken a little too much skin with the stubble! Ouch!

Any pointers from my fellow Weber users?

I REALLY like the potential of this razor and and looking forward to honing my skills with it. It is a bit more dangerous of a weapon than I am used to.

Keep using it exclusively. I had a couple rough shaves after getting my Weber too ( came from an R89 ), now it's just as mellow as any of the other razors I used to use. It probably has something to do with the weight of the Weber. Try and concentrate on how much weight you're using,or not using. Also try a different blade if you can't get over the hump.

Agree......sounds like you are using too much pressure......let the weight of the razor do the work.

Thirded: angle and weight are what trips you with a weber. Angle is slightly higher than an ej89, and weight is significantly higher. Less pressure and more attention to angles will give you a nice shave.

Goes without saying, make sure you have good lather.

Hang in there man, you got it. Your shaves will improve.

Keljian said:

Thirded: angle and weight are what trips you with a weber. Angle is slightly higher than an ej89, and weight is significantly higher. Less pressure and more attention to angles will give you a nice shave.

Goes without saying, make sure you have good lather.

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I am realizing the importance of angle! I have noticed with he AS-D2, the angle for a clean cut is much different than my EJ. I need to discover how to use this Weber properly.

Rockminer said:

Keep using it exclusively. I had a couple rough shaves after getting my Weber too ( came from an R89 ), now it's just as mellow as any of the other razors I used to use. It probably has something to do with the weight of the Weber. Try and concentrate on how much weight you're using,or not using. Also try a different blade if you can't get over the hump.

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Great point. I like rotating things a bit too much. I need to be consistent until I learn to use this one properly.

Rockminer said:

Keep using it exclusively. I had a couple rough shaves after getting my Weber too ( came from an R89 ), now it's just as mellow as any of the other razors I used to use. It probably has something to do with the weight of the Weber. Try and concentrate on how much weight you're using,or not using. Also try a different blade if you can't get over the hump.

Click to expand...

I had a real bad first shave with mine also.Pressure is a big issue...angle is another and TAKE YOUR TIME

You mention the rotation-I think Rockminer's onto a good solution for you. For my break in of new items (like the ATT R1), going a much longer time before rotating back to some of my old reliables

What they said. Stick with it. No pressure. It is much less forgiving than, say, the Feather. I also found that it was easy to get a little nick or two if I wasn't concentrating.

Gives a damn good shave though, and feels great in the hand.

I found that changing the grip really helped - try just holding it with fingertips, and letting the weight of the razor do the work.

Yep - pressure. Took me 10 shaves or so, and now it's as automatic as my tech , but closer with 1.5-2 less passes.

Exciting possibilities! Thanks for the advice.

Been using a PH Weber/GSB combo all this week.
A daily shave for me is WTG/XTG (ATG on 2nd pass under jawline). Short strokes, just the weight of the razor....
I find it like a marginally more aggressive but much heavier DE89 - close but smooth shaves. My Weber shave is 1 pass less than with the Edwin Jagger for about the same result & that says it all really.

You might try the Weber bulldog handle with your EJ De89, a razor you're used to. I think you'll find the transition to the Weber smoother and the shave with that combo similar to the Weber.

As others have said, angle and pressure ... but it is an adjustment to get used to the weight of the bulldog handle.

I nabbed a weber when I found out it was more aggressive than most other stainless razors. I love it.

I had no issues changing over but I had been using an Old Type head.

Okay, wow...day two.

Tried to be much more careful.

All of you guys that say this is a "no issue changeover" are far better men than me.

I was feeling fairly confident of my wet-shaving skills until I encountered this razor.

Now it is clear...I am just a young boy still trying to live in a man's world.

I will continue to "practice" as much as my face can handle it.

The weber is a beast, people call it mild but I disagree, it is more aggressive than mild imo

Just got to pay it the necessary respect

I found it very aggressive as well and sold mine.

Very light pressure and a little more experience with it and you will love it. Congrats on the new razor. Enjoy

I've had the same experience with the Weber PH w/bulldog handle. I have fairly sensitive skin and a ruggedly handsome sharp jaw line. Combine those two things with my lack of DE shaving experience and the end result is the Weber is just too aggressive for me. The Weber very well-constructed, but I've decided I do just fine with my 34C. I'm thinking about buying an EJ 89 and using the bulldog handle.....