Another smooth, close, comfortable shave, third one in a row. No nicks, no cuts, almost no irritation. And this morning's shave was with my Merkur 34c, Proraso Green, Old Spice aftershave, and a new, fresh, super sharp Feather blade. My technique has come full circle, at least with the Merkur 34c. Whoever it was who told me about blade buffing on my thread from the other day, thank you. It actually takes some skill, some touch, some finesse to shave with a double edge razor. It's not like applying your favorite canned gel, putting your latest 5 blade cartridge to face, and doing one pass against the grain. This is old-fashioned wet shaving, you actually have to learn how to do it. But it sure makes you feel pretty good when you do. Gentle touch on the final pass. And I shave against the grain. Thank you for the marvelous advice so far guys. That's why I love this forum. Once you can get a smooth comfortable shave with the sharpest blades like the Feathers, it's pretty cool. The best a man can get. 
