Lightening the load

The herd has been thinned..  After careful consideration and a few final shaves, the Merkur Futur has found a new home in Virginia and the Muhle R89 is in the hands of it's new owner in California.

A well run business cleans house about once a year... trimming the dead wood strengthens the tree and these two razors, while quality pieces, were the weak links in my shave den. 

They have been replaced by a few new razors, details of which I will share as I get more acquainted with them.

Merkur Futur, a true love/hate relationship...

To say I have mixed emotions about the Merkur Futur adjustable safety razor is say Michelle Pfeiffer is cute..  This modern Merkur razor feels much like shaving with a Feather Artist Club straight.. Wonderful shave, but a nano-second of lost concentration may result in an ear on the bathroom floor.  It is by far the most sensory rich experience any of my current razors provides.

 

The Futur has unique ergonomics starting with it's handle which is absolutely smooth, no rings or knurls to help secure your grip.  The barrel does narrow down a bit where you would naturally hold it, but many Futur owners have resorted to all sorts of modifications in search of more friction; rubber o-rings stacked on the handle; friction tape like that used on tennis racquet's and even machining rings and knurling and subsequently re-plating the handle.  It's available in three finishes.. polished chrome, polished gold tone (yuck) and matte silver which is what I have and I find the grip fine.  It's a heavy weight and it's well balanced.

Visual inspection of the head sans cap plate makes it a near clone of the heralded Merkur Progress XL both in design and dimension, with the exception of the top cap and the sculpturing of the the underside of the blade bed which is more form than function.  The Progress has a Turn to Open knob (TTO)  that releases the cap plate for blade changes and doubles as the adjustment knob where the Futur's cap is released with the firm press upwards with the thumb against the spring loaded plate.  Being in such close proximity to the blade's edge can make for some scary moments, but truth told, it's pretty easy to do.  Fortunately, the Futur retains it's setting when replacing blades and you don't need to loosen anything to make adjustments to blade exposure on the fly like you do for a Gillette Fat Boy or Slim.  I did notice that after adjusting the setting, which is done by twisting the handle, clockwise for more aggressive, the opposite for a more mild setting, the blade was cocked a bit relative to the safety bar.  Failure to correct this would surely result in an unpleasant shave.

Where the Futur stands alone is in the audible feedback you get from the blade.  Given it's similarities to the Progress, I can't figure out why two razors so closely related have such different voices, but the Futur sounds almost like a little weed whacker... Like scraping course sand paper on concrete.  You can hear the snap, crackle and pop of each hair being sniped, most apparent with the first pass which is typically with the grain of longer whiskers.

So where is the love??  The Futur yields one killer smooth shave.  I haven't used my Futur in over a week (though after review of my shave log I see I use it more often than any of my other razors..surprise) and this morning was a typical three pass plus touch-up with a new Wilkinson blade and though I was tentative it was an absolutely high-class shave that passes the cotton ball test with no blood and no irritation.

Here-in is my dilemma...The shave experience is less casual than most but the results exceed expectations.  My decision is commit to the Futur for a week of shaves, allowing some familiarity and muscle memory to develop.  Only then will the Futur's fate be determined...

Suggestions for your first Double Edge razor

I've received a few emails about which razor is best for a beginner and where to find one.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, YMMV.  What works for me, might suck for you so Your Milage May Vary when it comes to what you consider best.  But that being said, there are some guidelines for the beginner..

Keep in mind, I am still a beginner with but a few months of wet-shaving under my belt.  This possibly makes me a perfect resource as I can merely parrot what I am learning as I learn it from the more experienced folks.

Let's start with the options for the men..

This is a nearly endless list guys.  You'll have to sort through some of this on your own because your price range is a factor, but you can bet that spending more doesn't necessarily get you a better shave.  In fact, the cheaper options can yield an awesome shave.  Take the 1954 Gillette Super Speed I bought second hand and featured a few days ago in my Shaving on the Cheap post.  Amazingly, this thing cost me under $16 and it's "vintage".  It is an excellent whisker whacker; lightweight and well balanced.  Easy to load with it's top opening silo doors.  It's quite mild as far as DE's go, and can be found in relative abundance on ebay, and at flea markets.

Also priced at the low end is the Feather Portable..  It's super light weight and lacks some of the glitz other razors have, but that makes it no less of a good shaver and at $19 it cheap enough.. and new.

The Weishi Safety Razor has a decent following.. also under $20 and with an all metal construction.

If you fancy something a little nicer, Merkur has a line of double edge razors that is sure to please.  There are a few different handles to choose.  Models feature either a standard head, open comb design, the more aggressive slant bar heads as well as the Progress and Progress XL, which allow you to adjust just own mild or aggressive your shave is.

Want to step up to some real luxury??  Consider the Pils all stainless steel double edge safety razor.  It's got a real futuristic look and is reported to be one of the best DE's money can buy...but save your coins, this baby comes in at almost $250!

Mentioning Futur-istic, the Merkur Futur is a wonderful razor, albeit less conventional in looks and design.  I have one in the satin finish and love it!  It's adjustable and quite large compared to other DE's but it's most unique characteristic is the sound it makes.  You can actually hear the whiskers being sliced off...it has to be heard to be believe.  It's adjustability makes it a great first razor, but be fore-warned, navigating the big head of this razor around your nose and upper lip is a real challenge!

If I had to pick just one razor to recommend it would have to be the Merkur Progress.  It's been around for many many years and is likely one of the most popular adjustable razors.  Since you can dial your choice of blade exposure (less blade exposed = milder shave, more blade = more aggressive shave) it's a razor you can grow with and it's solid construction means you'll likely be passing it on to a future generation.  It's priced middle of the road at about $55.  A limited number of these razors go through a high level of modification to tighten the tolerances in the adjustment system and replace the cheesy plastic TTO knob... the result is The Mergress.  I shave with a Mergress XL which has a longer handle...I have zero complaints and if pressed could live with just this razor.

I haven't scratched the surface of what's available and it's tough to go wrong if you stick to a regular safety razor.

Ladies...stay tuned.  I have some recommendations for you as well!

Entry into Wet Shaving.. not just for the guys!

One reason I chose wet-shaving is I am tired of the cost of modern cartridge razors, especially given the inferior results I get from using them.  Close to $20 for a ten pack...razor burn included.

The other reason, as noted already, is the closeness and comfort of a wet-shave has to be experienced to be believed.  Friday I was out shooting at dawn at a race track near Cape May, New Jersey, so skipped the morning shave.  Saturday I had a full day of growth to wack and I was really looking forward to the shave.  I slipped a new Wilkinson blade (cost about 45 cents) into my Merkur Futur razor, lathered with a iKon Silvertip Badger hair brush and a wonderful semi-soft soap from Italy, Cella di Parma and got to it.  Cella has an intoxicating scent of Amaretto..you almost want to sip it.

My shave involved three passes, as most DE shave do...one with the grain of my beard (WTG), one across the grain (XTG) and the last against the grain (ATG).  This is a routine I dare not do with a cartridge razor or I would be covered in blood and in pain for days.

Not only was I blood and irritation free, but my face was as smooth as a baby's butt.. We call it a BBS shave...Baby Butt Smooth.  So smooth that a pass with cotton ball against the grain leave not a wisp of cotton.  But to really get a feel for how good this shave can be you have to check it's smoothness after a few hours.  At 10PM, my face was smoother that it would have been immediately after shaving with a cartridge!!

Not every shave has to be a three pass.  I often do a two pass WTG and XTG which yields a damn fine shave (DFS).  Multipass does take a little longer to do than a one pass cart shave in the shower, but the daily ritual of shaving is no longer a chore.

Saturday's shave..  Merkur Futur adjustable double edge, iKon Silvertip Grade A brush mounted in a custom turned stainless steel handle, Cella di Parma, a drop of natural glycerin for lube, and Kiehl's After Shave Balm.  Image from my iPhone, processed using Lightroom v3.

My last post was, sadly, off the mark in that I failed to make comment that wet-shaving isn't just for the guys!!  Ladies, I encourage you to consider ditching you Venus or Soleil, stop swiping your hubby's Mach III (he'll appreciate that even if he doesn't convert to a DE) and try using a DE..  There is no shortage of DE razors made just for you!  Some sport shorter handles, others smaller heads, and a few with a curved head that better fits all the curves and hollows of your body!