Just wanted to second what I've heard many, many times on this forum. I've been using two razors consistently, a Merkur Classic and a Black Handle SS. After getting the hang of DE for the first few weeks, I switched back to the Merkur to get a better idea of which razor is really my favorite (I think that it was hard to tell for the first few weeks). Well, the shaves were ok (with Derbys, and when those ran out, Sweedish Gillettes), but I always managed to have irritation on my neck.
Well, today I switched back to the SS, and used a Gillette blade. Great shave!!! 3 passes, 2-WTG, and some touch up. Didn't approach BBS (and I haven't tried yet), but it was way milder on my neck (no irritation!!!), and a slightly better shave than the Merkur. I really love this razor, and will probably stick with it for a while. It's funny that something you buy in an antique shop for a dollar will perform better than your shiny new $30 razor..............who knew.
Anyway, I would have to say that, in my noob-based experience, a SS is thE BEST razor for a beginner.
Well, today I switched back to the SS, and used a Gillette blade. Great shave!!! 3 passes, 2-WTG, and some touch up. Didn't approach BBS (and I haven't tried yet), but it was way milder on my neck (no irritation!!!), and a slightly better shave than the Merkur. I really love this razor, and will probably stick with it for a while. It's funny that something you buy in an antique shop for a dollar will perform better than your shiny new $30 razor..............who knew.
Anyway, I would have to say that, in my noob-based experience, a SS is thE BEST razor for a beginner.