Hi Guys,
Been lurking for a while and thought that after a few weeks of shaving and experimentation, I'd be better placed to provide some thoughts and ask some useful questions.
By way of background, I started shaving with electric, then moved to disposables about 5 years ago. Last 2 years with Mach 3. Hated shaving and tried to cover the fact I wasn't shaving by wearing nice suits and ties. Even convinced myself I looked better without a shave (which sometimes I do). Main problems were irritation, and long term blotching (looks like healed pimples) around my neck. Not a good look. Originally planned to try straights but realised that was not a great idea so went to DE. Best thing I ever did...almost!
Started with the 33c and merkur then feather blades. I felt what many newbies feel the first time with DEs - smooth but RAW. My face has never felt so naked before after a shave but it was odd that it never really came with much discomfort. What was better was that my usual next-day irritation was gone and my neck was making a miraculous recovery and the skin started looking much better.
Then tried Astras for a week but that didn't fare too well with plenty of nicks and cuts. After the Astras came my moment of shaving zen - Derby blades. In the 33c, I was getting mind boggling, irritation-free, nick-free shaves. Not BBS but still very, very impressive.
A few days later, I succumbed to temptation and bought the Merkur Barber Pole (38c). Not the greatest decision I've made...
I popped in the 2-day old Derby blade from the Classic into the HD Barber Pole expecting at least as good a shave as I'd had the day before. A complete disaster. I had 7-8 cuts, some of which refused to bend to a good hit of Alum and kept weeping. My neck was a mess. Next day, felt the beginnings of in-growns and a new type of irritation and itchiness around my neck. Again I tried with the HD Barber, same blade - a little better as I was trying so hard to use a light touch but I just found the blade "scraping" rather than sliding through hair (as the classic used to do). I checked the two heads side by side - they appear identical with apparently identical clearance and blade angle. On the wiki, the two razors are radically different in aggressiveness but I've heard various reports that they are actually the same head.
I tried again for a 3rd day - a little better but the shave was very ordinary - lots of spots missed and buffing seemed to help only marginally.
Tried again a 4th day with a fresh Derby blade. Still that scraping feeling despite me using the absolute finest angle I could get before the razor started to catch hairs. Also started to notice a strange behaviour of the razor around the intersection of hair direction on my neck - the blade would catch and refuse to budge. From my cheek down the hair runs north-south. From the bottom of my neck, it goes south-north. Where those two rivers of hair meet, they join up to flow east-west. And the HD Barber Pole choked!!
The 33c didn't have any of those problems and just flowed through all the tricky spots and with the Derbys gave a first class shave.
Can any of the experts give some advice on these two questions:
1. Is it agreed that the 33c and the 38c are of identical aggressiveness?
2. Is it normal for a blades (even new ones) to catch at these intersection points? I can't go WTG as this section of hair is only a few hairs wide so I've tried ATG but with the HD it scares the crap out of me as I can feel the blade go DOWN after it gets jammed rather than across. In fact, that seems to happen in a few places on my neck and the result is some nasty grazes and irritation which I never had with the 33c.
It sounds bizarre but the extra weight of the 38c does not make a more robust or authoritative shave. It feels like the 38c is a big wuss, ruled by my beard, tripping over itself and being bossed around while the 33c IS the boss and takes control much better.
Been lurking for a while and thought that after a few weeks of shaving and experimentation, I'd be better placed to provide some thoughts and ask some useful questions.
By way of background, I started shaving with electric, then moved to disposables about 5 years ago. Last 2 years with Mach 3. Hated shaving and tried to cover the fact I wasn't shaving by wearing nice suits and ties. Even convinced myself I looked better without a shave (which sometimes I do). Main problems were irritation, and long term blotching (looks like healed pimples) around my neck. Not a good look. Originally planned to try straights but realised that was not a great idea so went to DE. Best thing I ever did...almost!
Started with the 33c and merkur then feather blades. I felt what many newbies feel the first time with DEs - smooth but RAW. My face has never felt so naked before after a shave but it was odd that it never really came with much discomfort. What was better was that my usual next-day irritation was gone and my neck was making a miraculous recovery and the skin started looking much better.
Then tried Astras for a week but that didn't fare too well with plenty of nicks and cuts. After the Astras came my moment of shaving zen - Derby blades. In the 33c, I was getting mind boggling, irritation-free, nick-free shaves. Not BBS but still very, very impressive.
A few days later, I succumbed to temptation and bought the Merkur Barber Pole (38c). Not the greatest decision I've made...
I popped in the 2-day old Derby blade from the Classic into the HD Barber Pole expecting at least as good a shave as I'd had the day before. A complete disaster. I had 7-8 cuts, some of which refused to bend to a good hit of Alum and kept weeping. My neck was a mess. Next day, felt the beginnings of in-growns and a new type of irritation and itchiness around my neck. Again I tried with the HD Barber, same blade - a little better as I was trying so hard to use a light touch but I just found the blade "scraping" rather than sliding through hair (as the classic used to do). I checked the two heads side by side - they appear identical with apparently identical clearance and blade angle. On the wiki, the two razors are radically different in aggressiveness but I've heard various reports that they are actually the same head.
I tried again for a 3rd day - a little better but the shave was very ordinary - lots of spots missed and buffing seemed to help only marginally.
Tried again a 4th day with a fresh Derby blade. Still that scraping feeling despite me using the absolute finest angle I could get before the razor started to catch hairs. Also started to notice a strange behaviour of the razor around the intersection of hair direction on my neck - the blade would catch and refuse to budge. From my cheek down the hair runs north-south. From the bottom of my neck, it goes south-north. Where those two rivers of hair meet, they join up to flow east-west. And the HD Barber Pole choked!!
The 33c didn't have any of those problems and just flowed through all the tricky spots and with the Derbys gave a first class shave.
Can any of the experts give some advice on these two questions:
1. Is it agreed that the 33c and the 38c are of identical aggressiveness?
2. Is it normal for a blades (even new ones) to catch at these intersection points? I can't go WTG as this section of hair is only a few hairs wide so I've tried ATG but with the HD it scares the crap out of me as I can feel the blade go DOWN after it gets jammed rather than across. In fact, that seems to happen in a few places on my neck and the result is some nasty grazes and irritation which I never had with the 33c.
It sounds bizarre but the extra weight of the 38c does not make a more robust or authoritative shave. It feels like the 38c is a big wuss, ruled by my beard, tripping over itself and being bossed around while the 33c IS the boss and takes control much better.
