Hello, my name is ScottySatan and I've been using the Gillette Mach3 since 1998. I shaved in the shower with no mirror or lubrication, no aftershave. As I age, that kind of shave is starting to make my face look white and peel-y.
I grumbled for years at the very high cost of new cartridges. I had to try something new after I went to three different places in my neighborhood and couldn't fund any of my Mach 3 cartridges. The displays would stock about 3 packs of the old cartridges, and 50-100 packs of their newer model. It was a strong hint that from them that it's time to upgrade, for better or worse.
Well, I didn't like those new cartridges much. There wasn't any progress in it. And I already thought 3 blades was extravagant and just for show. 5 is ridiculous. I'd make fun of myself shaving with that. "How are you liking those 5 blades, ya pansy?!". That (admittedly poisonous) attitude combined with my love of older, simpler design, drove me to looking into safety razors.
I got a Merkur 25 at a local shop and a puck of locally-made, very frothy, unscented glycerin soap. I've shaved a few dozen times with the Personna blades that were sold in the shop, the single merkur blade that came with the razor, and I'm starting to dive into a selection of blades I got from Try-A-Blade (shout out to them, they have a better selection than most, better prices than most, and no one else lets me get the number of blades that I want).
I'm blessed with very insensitive skin. Maybe 20+ years of shaving with no lubricant but hot water made it that way. Maybe my face is callused? Could I punch someone in the face with my face? My new razor is great, every blade I've tried has been great. I'll probably pick Feather because they're already my preferred brand for dissection scalpel blades (I'm a biologist).
I'm not using a brush. I lather the soap on my face with my hands. Soap is already a big step up for me. It feels weird on my face because I'm not used to it. I'm reluctant to try a brush because my current shaves are good, and faster than my disposable cartridge shaves were. A brush seems like a step in the wrong direction. I don't have a lot of time in the morning. But I have an open mind.
I love to talk about gear, so I've had a lot of fun reading here lately. I'm proud to see that my Merkur 25 is well-reviewed. I see people say that this kind of razor is a good beginner one. It makes me wonder what an advanced one would be. I'm looking at that now.
Anyway, long story short: Hello.
I grumbled for years at the very high cost of new cartridges. I had to try something new after I went to three different places in my neighborhood and couldn't fund any of my Mach 3 cartridges. The displays would stock about 3 packs of the old cartridges, and 50-100 packs of their newer model. It was a strong hint that from them that it's time to upgrade, for better or worse.
Well, I didn't like those new cartridges much. There wasn't any progress in it. And I already thought 3 blades was extravagant and just for show. 5 is ridiculous. I'd make fun of myself shaving with that. "How are you liking those 5 blades, ya pansy?!". That (admittedly poisonous) attitude combined with my love of older, simpler design, drove me to looking into safety razors.
I got a Merkur 25 at a local shop and a puck of locally-made, very frothy, unscented glycerin soap. I've shaved a few dozen times with the Personna blades that were sold in the shop, the single merkur blade that came with the razor, and I'm starting to dive into a selection of blades I got from Try-A-Blade (shout out to them, they have a better selection than most, better prices than most, and no one else lets me get the number of blades that I want).
I'm blessed with very insensitive skin. Maybe 20+ years of shaving with no lubricant but hot water made it that way. Maybe my face is callused? Could I punch someone in the face with my face? My new razor is great, every blade I've tried has been great. I'll probably pick Feather because they're already my preferred brand for dissection scalpel blades (I'm a biologist).
I'm not using a brush. I lather the soap on my face with my hands. Soap is already a big step up for me. It feels weird on my face because I'm not used to it. I'm reluctant to try a brush because my current shaves are good, and faster than my disposable cartridge shaves were. A brush seems like a step in the wrong direction. I don't have a lot of time in the morning. But I have an open mind.
I love to talk about gear, so I've had a lot of fun reading here lately. I'm proud to see that my Merkur 25 is well-reviewed. I see people say that this kind of razor is a good beginner one. It makes me wonder what an advanced one would be. I'm looking at that now.
Anyway, long story short: Hello.