My first single blade shave

calgarydetail · Post by **calgarydetail** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 12:33 pm

So today i awoke to the delivery guy with my package from mens essentials.

boy was i excited. I tore into that box like i was 5 years old on christmas morning. It was a long awaited happening.

I opened to find my order, Merker razor, merker blades, art of shaving cream and a few wonderfull spamples i hope to try very soon.

I quickley had a shower, i made sure to get my face super clean.

It was now time. I was about to use the merker for the first time. I was gitty. (i know im a loser but thats ok).

I lathered up some of the shave cream in a soup bowl with a cheap brush (i have been doing this for a while now). Wow did this stuf lather up well, very quickly and so smoothly. It was like i had a cloud of my face.

I started the shave. I got the first stroke.....nothing

a tried again.. a little

one more time... i finnaly got the thing to shave.

I continued to do the whole face downwards 2 times.

(holy anti-climatic batman)

The shave was not great, i remebered what mantic had said on you tube, so i did not worry.

My face is irritated, not smooth, has some bad patches yet i am the happiest man alove. The whole expeience was stunning.

I cant wait till tommorow when i can do it again, I would do it today but my face may an probely wil fall off.

I have to say. even after a not so great shave i love single blade razors, the whole expeince and time take is very plesurable. Its like i get into my own world. I have my music and my razor. nothing else matters. Bills dont matter, school dosent matter. Life dosent matter. Just me and my shave...perhaps i am weird in this sence but i dont care. Its me time.

Thank you to everyone who helped me pick the razor, and who have had some great infomations.

A sspecial thanks to mantic59 for the great youtube videos, without them i would not be here.

Thanks everyone

Mike

jrgroucho · Post by **jrgroucho** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 12:50 pm

Mike,

Good deal. Congrats on the package. Wait 'til the acquisition disorders set in, I think the mail and UPS men hate me just a little

. I have a couple packages coming a week. Just think, the shaves will only get better from here. Keep us posted and good luck.

--
Jeremy

Leisureguy · Post by **Leisureguy** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 1:33 pm

Some guys find that the Merkur blades are tough on their face. Be sure to try the other blades in the LetterK blade sampler---you want to find the blade that's best for you. Trying different makes of blades is REALLY important, so don't neglect that.

And welcome!

Racso_MS · Post by **Racso_MS** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 1:54 pm

Mike,

Welcome to the forum. Most don't have an euphoric experience with the first shave. For one it does take a little practice and experimentation to get the technique and tools to your liking. The blade may not be just the right one for you, the brush, or cream or soap, or even the razor, but sooner or later it will all come together and you will really begin to enjoy and anticipate the next shave.

Just hang in there.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Enjoy your shave...

bernards66 · Post by **bernards66** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 10:37 pm

Mike, I moved your thread over here, as I thought it might get more response, and this sort of thing is what we set this section up for not long ago. Effective DE shaving is a learned skill, it doen't happen automatically. Although we love to talk about products and such, the main deal is technique. There have been quite a number of detailed posts regarding this....I just wish I could think of the best word or phrase to use for our search function, so that you could find some of them. Even just scrolling down through a couple of pages of this specfic forum might bear some fruit. You're not going to get a good shave with a DE without learning to make a good proper lather, and learning to use the razor correctly ( "correctly" varies a bit from shaver to shaver, but there are some basics ). Patience and preserverance are most helpful.
Regards,
Gordon

frikazoyd · Post by **frikazoyd** » Thu Mar 29, 2007 7:59 am

I've been at it for close to a week now, and I gotta say that I totally understand what Mantic was getting at with the "Zen" description in his videos. There's a lot of skill and focus involved, way more than just trudging through a shave with a Mach 3.

This and all the experimentation possible with the blade and cream combinations alone has made the whole experience exciting. I think once I find a combination that works for me, and get the shave smooth (not necessarily BBS, but at least not rough) I will be singing the praises of DE shaving as the best quality shave, as well as the most fun and engaging way of shaving that I've encountered.

jbc · Post by **jbc** » Thu Mar 29, 2007 12:00 pm

My advice is to experiment with different blades before moving on I don't particularly like the Merkur blade although I have heard of some people that love them. Different strokes for different folks I guess. Which Merkur do you have? I have the 1901 clasic and the Future. Of th two I tend to preferr the Future.

calgarydetail · Post by **calgarydetail** » Sat Mar 31, 2007 10:43 am

Well a quick update.

My face was SORE after the first shave. It hurt bad... I know im a wimp. I think i pressed way to hard (i know no presure at all) and i paid for it. I needed two days for my face to cool down. I must have looked like a hobo.

So being proud of my first straight razor I thought i would show some freinds. One of them was drunk, came into my bathroom and started playing with it on his arms and legs. (it was actully really fiunny, but we quickly stopped him). I gave the razor a good cleaning and changed the blade.

Instead of a Merker blade I used a blade i picked up at shopers drugmart (not sure the brand).

I shaved again yesterday, my face did not kill like before. I thinkn the new blade and even one more shave practice really helped.

By no means was it the closest shave I have ever had as I still had some rough patches around the neck and jaw line but it was much better then my first shave.

I am about to go have a shower and shave. I might even post an update on that.

Well thanks for reading, i thought i would share my experince. Perhaps another newbie can relate and we can get a good laugh at each other

Thanks

Mike

paperpundit · Post by **paperpundit** » Sun Apr 01, 2007 3:34 pm

Hi Mike,

When I first started, I went through many a similar experience. More than a year later, I've found that, for me, prep work is worth the time. I usually shave after my shower, and I still wash my face again and use warm face cloths. Makes all the difference in the world -- smoother and far less sore.
Of course, you could always try a preshave oil. I use one quite often.

Hope this helps!

Racso_MS · Post by **Racso_MS** » Sun Apr 01, 2007 4:53 pm

I don't think you'll find very many forum members who recommend pre-shave oils. I tried to use it one time and realized real quick I wasted my money.

Good quality tools, products, preparation, and technique works every time.

TAKE YOUR TIME. What's the hurry. You have to follow the correct procedures..(i.e. if we say no pressure, we mean no pressure). We have learned this through the painful experience you are now going through and our recommendations, Mantics videos, Micheals and Robs guides are designed to help protect you from some of the painful experiences we've encounter by trial and error.

Keep us posted.

And as always...

Enjoy your shave...

jww · Post by **jww** » Mon Apr 02, 2007 7:46 am

Most of us remember similar experiences when we first moved to wet shaving with a DE (I can't imagine what it's like moving to a straight - but that's a topic for another thread). The three things that I got from this forum that had the most value for me were:
1. Patience
2. Pressure
3. Blade Angle.

All three need your most careful attention.

As for patience, however, as noted above, it takes some time to feel you get a really truly BBS shave from a DE razor, but it does come over time. I remember one particular poster about a year or so ago mentioning about the 'squeaky face' post shave as a good indicator that he had reached success. We each have our little 'isms' we follow - but for now, worry most about the big 3 above, and you'll be fine.

jbc · Post by **jbc** » Mon Apr 02, 2007 9:44 am

If you skip days in shaving I have heard the best type of razor for you is a single edge.

calgarydetail · Post by **calgarydetail** » Mon Apr 02, 2007 11:14 am

jbc wrote:If you skip days in shaving I have heard the best type of razor for you is a single edge.

thanks everyone for the advice.

I dont normaly skip days of shaving my face was just so irritated i could not shave. I need my skin to setle down.

jww · Post by **jww** » Mon Apr 02, 2007 1:46 pm

calgarydetail wrote:
jbc wrote:If you skip days in shaving I have heard the best type of razor for you is a single edge.
thanks everyone for the advice.

I dont normaly skip days of shaving my face was just so irritated i could not shave. I need my skin to setle down.

I skip days all the time. I like the odd day with 'ruffage' on my face - a bit of a way to deal with mid-life crisis thing, I suppose.

jbc · Post by **jbc** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 6:43 am

Would still recommend the single edge. Tends to have a lighter touch then the double edges do.