Quote:
Originally Posted by Shazam
I just use a basic Merker. Feather blades.
I find the shaving soap makes a huge difference. My favourite so far is Castle Forbes but it's quite pricy. The best mass market stuff is the Nivea in a tube. Foam/gel in a can are horrible and should be avoided at all costs.
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Merkur is a medium aggressive head, right? I wanted to buy one to try one, but I never ended up doing so because I was happy enough with the Rockwell. I think it's a heavier one with a longer handle?
I like Feather (flexible and ultra sharp) or Astra (slightly stiffer and sharp) depending on the mood and I typically use plates 2-4 for mild to medium aggressiveness using these plates. I'll occasionally use a 5/6 for a slightly closer shave, but the shave from the 2-4 plates is good enough. I hated the Rockwell blades (very stiff and medium sharp) as they felt stiffer than the Astra and not as sharp. They seemed to be designed for a more aggressive plate and were passable at 5/6. I ended up with like 200 of them because reasons, but my buddy didn't mind them so I was more than happy to gift them all to him.
Foam/gel in a can is crap. I agree. I typically just use water, but if I want it extra smooth, I find using clear face washes like Cetaphil or Spectro work well.
Mild aggressive is less blade exposure which means lower risk of nicking yourself even with poor shaving form. 1-2 is closer to what you do if you want to shave aimlessly like a multiblade disposable. But it will clog easier which means more cleaning and potentially more passes required.
Aggressive is more blade exposure and gap which means higher risk of nicking yourself with poor shaving form. But it will clog less and reduce the likelihood of needing to do another pass.
The thing I liked about safety razor vs electric and disposable is that it feels like an accomplishment after you're done. It's honestly super silly and stupid to say, but it's actually kinda enjoyable in a weird way. You take a little longer, but then you see and feel significantly better results.