Merkur Razor

If you are anywhere near chancery lane, there is a shop literally 5 seconds from the tube entrance that has them (and all other 'gentlemanly' items like badger tails, pipes, etc.)
 
barf0r said:
http://badgerandblade.com/

Here is a forum all about it.
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Yeah I'm a member there too - good site.

For a beginner, any of the non-adjustable Merkurs would be fine, except maybe the one with the slanty head.

The 34C (HD) is the one most people recommend, the Futur is also a very good razor, but it's adjustable and just tempts you to fiddle with the settings when you don't really need to. I started with a Futur but ended up selling it when I switched to using straight razors.

Don't you need to manually sharpen straight razors?
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You have to strop them before each shave, and sharpen them every few months. It's really no hardship though, and it means once you learn to be self sufficient you never have to shell out on razor blades ever again.

:)
 
the only bad thing about safety razors is the time it takes to shave with it

also learning how to shave with it may also be a disadvantage, you have to do several passes- with each pass gradually reducing the stubble, dont go all at it trying to take it all off in one go

the blades are much cheaper - you can get like 100 for £10 which is a 6 year supply for me as i only tend to shave once a week

you can use a variety of different blades with the razor dont need to always go for the same one

derby's
israeli's
merkur's
geather's
gillete's
swede's
wilkinsons

the lists for blades goes on - i prefer israelis, they are sharp but not too sharp and give an amazing shave from the first to last

the futur is the best merkur to have for learning and keeping, dont bother buying loads of different razors you only need 1 decent one - the futur

the vision is crap - lots of reviewers hate it

the HD and 34 and 38's are good too but i reckon the futur is the best for everyone because you can adjust it to suit you personally - i keep mine on 2
 
Merkur 23

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=6044

Does the job for me - reasonably priced, solid construction/finish and I prefer the longer handle. A no-nonsense safety razor that will last for as long as you're ever likely to need it.
It's not adjustable or anything fancy like that, but it does a better job than any of the gillette Mach (insert number of your choice here) razors I've used in the past.
 
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From what I've seen over at B&B the Merkur 34C HD is the most recommended razor, especially for beginners. I got mine from the linked shop along with the blades, excellent service and came next day.

I've had no problems with it so far.
 
ok, so ive just a a shave with

http://www.wilkinsonsword.co.uk/men/showroom/classic

Its cheap £3.99 from boots. i got i becuase i wanted to try a DE shave right now.

I have to admit, ive never had a closer shave, got a few nicks, but thats lack of technique. im holding my razor upside down and going agaist the grain, is that ok?

i cant wait till my merker arrives, im still trying to decided which to get the 34C or the futur. i reckon ill get the futur though.
 
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Psycho Sonny said:
the only bad thing about safety razors is the time it takes to shave with it

also learning how to shave with it may also be a disadvantage, you have to do several passes- with each pass gradually reducing the stubble, dont go all at it trying to take it all off in one go

the blades are much cheaper - you can get like 100 for £10 which is a 6 year supply for me as i only tend to shave once a week

you can use a variety of different blades with the razor dont need to always go for the same one

derby's
israeli's
merkur's
geather's
gillete's
swede's
wilkinsons

the lists for blades goes on - i prefer israelis, they are sharp but not too sharp and give an amazing shave from the first to last

the futur is the best merkur to have for learning and keeping, dont bother buying loads of different razors you only need 1 decent one - the futur

the vision is crap - lots of reviewers hate it

the HD and 34 and 38's are good too but i reckon the futur is the best for everyone because you can adjust it to suit you personally - i keep mine on 2
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To the OP the 34HD is a great razor to start with, you can't go wrong with it.

Psycho,

I have been using the HD since christmas and now I have my method spot on I feel I need a razor with a longer handle. Have been torn between the Futur and the Vision for some time. Have you tired a Vision?, like you a lot of people I have talked to seem to really rate the Futur (and it's cheaper than the Vision) so might just go for that. Was just interested if you have any personal experience with the Vision.

Cheers.
 
audiolab said:
like you a lot of people I have talked to seem to really rate the Futur (and it's cheaper than the Vision) so might just go for that.
Cheers.
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i lot of people slate the futur, becuase of it lack of a grip on the handle, the awkward way of changing blades, and the size of the head, its putting me off gettign one
 
I recently visited a shaving shop and held both of them in my hand and I agree what put me off the futur was the the smooth handle, the vision felt better in my hand but the thing is a monster size and I worried about igetting it into those ackward places (under nose etc) the guy in the shop really rated the futur even though he was recommending a cheaper model, in the end I couldn't make a decision so meantime I still use my trusty HD.

No easy answer without living with them for a week or two but you unfortunately can't try for a while before you buy.
 
audiolab said:
To the OP the 34HD is a great razor to start with, you can't go wrong with it.

Psycho,

I have been using the HD since christmas and now I have my method spot on I feel I need a razor with a longer handle. Have been torn between the Futur and the Vision for some time. Have you tired a Vision?, like you a lot of people I have talked to seem to really rate the Futur (and it's cheaper than the Vision) so might just go for that. Was just interested if you have any personal experience with the Vision.

Cheers.
Click to expand...

if people are slating the futur for having a big head then the vision has no chance because its head is twice the size

the futur beats the vision hands down, i would just stick with the HD if i was you, no point buying another razor when you have one which will last you for life

but i rate the futur as one of the best because you can adjust it to your needs and its shape is really good

as for changing blades - you only get a problem when the head is wet - which would be whilst shaving - which means you wouldnt need to change blades halfway through a shave unless your a numpty

the grip is fine, ive never dropped it and it has never slid anywhere and when i shave i get my soap everywhere so if it was gonna slide it would have

the only bad thing i can say about the futur is the head is a bit heavier than i suspected it to be, but that just means you have to hold it properly - about 60% of the weight is in the head whereas with a mach 3 only likr 15% of the weight is in the head - so had problems adjusting at first - but now im a pro - i can do a quick shave with it now - less than 15 mins or my normal shave takes over half an hour - but this is because im shaving properly - with the multi pass technique
 
When you mention a pass, is it still using short strokes but not going back over the same spot until you reapply soap/creme? I'm still a student so use a trimmer atm but once I start working I'm tempted to try a DE as normal razors give me shaving rash.
 
ok, now ive only had one shave with a DE razor, so im hardly qualified to comment, but here is what i found worked was:

hold the razor upside downa nd go against the grain on your skin holding it taut,
shave the creme off, one or 2 more strokes then reapply the cream.
 
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