New razor review!

[Cohiba Stevie]

Ok so my product review today is non cigar related but shaving related.

Last week I managed to bag myself a Merkur Vision 2000 safety razor.

My every day razor has been the Merkur Futur which is the visions little brother and up until recently I thought it could not be beaten in terms of shave quality and reliability.

Here's a link that demonstrates the Razor, the seller has a YouTube video on their page.

http://www.mensbiz.com.au/merkur-vision-2000-double-edge-razor.html

The vision is traditionally one of the most expensive razors on the market but i got one at a price I couldn't refuse and I've been shaving with it for the last week.

I can honestly say this razor has given me the best shaves of my life, that may seem extreme but I cannot fathom how incredibly close and smooth the shaves are, I thought results like these can only be obtained by somebody else shaving you, like a Turkish barber. But this razor whips off a weeks growth in no time and doesn't break a sweat! It's adjustable too, you can adjust the blade exposure to give you an even closer shave. What I do is I shave firstly with the blade exposed the most, then dial the exposure down so I can go against the grain, this results in one seriously close shave.

There are two things to consider if your thinking of buying this razor:

1: the price... This bad boy ain't cheap, but think of your yearly spend on cartridge razors and stems, this would pay for itself within the year and last you a lifetime. The blades for these razors are much sharper than cartridge razors and 10x cheaper. The prices of 1 pack of gillette fusion places would get 100 double edge blades, so initial outlay may seem extortionate for a razor but the long term savings can't be argued.

2. The need for maintenance, this is the most mechanically advanced safer razor on the market with many moving parts, with that the razor needs to be dismantled every once in a while for thorough cleaning. There are many guides for this online and it's relatively easy when practised once or twice.

So there you have it. If anybody's thinking they want to change their shaving routine to a better one the merkur vision 2000 is incredible.

To be honest there are some fantastic safety razors out there that still do a fantastic job, I would take even the cheapest safety razor over gillette fusion. Good shaving cream and brush and your good to go.

Hope you enjoyed the review folks.

Thanks!

[brutusthebuckeye]

Nice review....I've been thinking about getting a Merkur myself for my bald head....

[Isotonic]

Great Review Stevie. I have just made the change over to DE shaving. I love it but still have not mastered it completely. I went out and got myself a Merkur 34C HD. My understanding was that it was a popular jumping off point for many into the world of DE shaving. I have only had 3 shaves with it yet and it definitely requires a bit more patience but I have no doubt about the closeness or the shaving satisfaction you get. Also helps if you pick up some quality shaving products (tailor of bond st cream and a decent badger brush). I got a pretty cheap one by eshave that is working a treat.

Obviously the 34C is not adjustable. How much better is an adjustable razor? I was thinking my next razor would be an adjustable once I have become more proficient at the skill. Is the Vision that much better than the Futur?

[MIKA27]

Nice thread!!

Yes, I myself have been shaving with this for around 3 months now and I would never go back to Mach 3 and the like.

For those who can not fork out the $169.00 for the shaver alone, I'd also highly recommend from the same website, the following beginners kit which alone wipes the floor with any disposable shaver.

Standard wet shaving kit:

Also highly recommend the following;

Proraso

[Cohiba Stevie]

Great Review Stevie. I have just made the change over to DE shaving. I love it but still have not mastered it completely. I went out and got myself a Merkur 34C HD. My understanding was that it was a popular jumping off point for many into the world of DE shaving. I have only had 3 shaves with it yet and it definitely requires a bit more patience but I have no doubt about the closeness or the shaving satisfaction you get. Also helps if you pick up some quality shaving products (tailor of bond st cream and a decent badger brush). I got a pretty cheap one by eshave that is working a treat.

Obviously the 34C is not adjustable. How much better is an adjustable razor? I was thinking my next razor would be an adjustable once I have become more proficient at the skill. Is the Vision that much better than the Futur?

Hello isotonic.

The 34C was my first safety razor and I still use it occasionally, it too is one of the best ever made as it's build quality and simplicity are fantastic. Your right the 34C is a fixed head with fixed blade exposure, it needs to be used at certain angle to get the most out of it, once you have found its sweet spot it's a joy to use. Keep trucking on and you will be proficient with it in no time.

Adjustable razors are useful because you control the blade exposure, people with sensitive skin use adjustables as they have control over the aggressiveness of the blade. To answer your question in believe the vision is slightly better than the Futur because there is much more weight to it. But they will both deliver incredible shaves.

Your right in terms quality shaving products, a good brush and shaving cream are just as important as the razor.

[Cohiba Stevie]

Nice thread!!

Yes, I myself have been shaving with this for around 3 months now and I would never go back to Mach 3 and the like.

For those who can not fork out the $169.00 for the shaver alone, I'd also highly recommend from the same website, the following beginners kit which alone wipes the floor with any disposable shaver.

Standard wet shaving kit:

Also highly recommend the following;

Proraso

Awesome!

Every man on earth owes it to themselves to try proraso...

There original formula hasn't changed in over 50 years and it's provides a very refreshing shave (it uses menthol and eucalyptus)

That starter kit is what I started with! Still use the products to this day!

[brutusthebuckeye]

I love the proraso...Bath and Bodyworks has it under there brand name C.O Bigelow....plus it's made in Italy....

[Isotonic]

As I said I have only had 3 shaves with it so far so I am still learning. One thing I would like to know more about is curly facial hair. I have quite curly hair and sensitive skin and can be the victim of shave rash, ingrowns etc. The DE razor is supposed to be a real improvement in this area. Most who DE shave use 2-3 passes and some against the grain. I am too scared I will break out and kill my face. My shave prep is textbook. Shower, scrub, preshave oil/balm, decent lather w brush. Sticking with 2 passes for now. Stright down and across from ear to chin. Hopefully it is just technique.

[Cohiba Stevie]

As I said I have only had 3 shaves with it so far so I am still learning. One thing I would like to know more about is curly facial hair. I have quite curly hair and sensitive skin and can be the victim of shave rash, ingrowns etc. The DE razor is supposed to be a real improvement in this area. Most who DE shave use 2-3 passes and some against the grain. I am too scared I will break out and kill my face. My shave prep is textbook. Shower, scrub, preshave oil/balm, decent lather w brush. Sticking with 2 passes for now. Stright down and across from ear to chin. Hopefully it is just technique.

A 2 pass shave is fine for beginners. If you think that two passes is enough, then leave it at that.

Your routine pretty much is txt book, I saw your using a an eshave brush, are you also using eshave products?

Eshave products are again some of the best on the market, their orange sandalwood range is mine (and the girlfriends) favourite of all time, and I have used all the traditional brands like trumpers, Taylor's and many others. Eshave beats them in my opinion.

One thing I would suggest is using a face gentle face wash after you have shaved, but before you've done your cold water splash, if your using an oil as a prep it's very important to make sure it's all removed before you cold water splash as the cold water will cause any small remaining bits of shave oil to coagulate and clog the pores, this in turn will make conditions ripe for shaving rash and in grown hairs.

Hope it goes well mate!

[Daz]

Been using the futur for a few years now and wouldn't be without it.

Every man needs to ditch that Gillette crap, buy themselves a selection of brushes, shaving soaps and pre and post shaving cremes (i use proraso for preshave to soften up the bristles, keep it on there and then apply a nice lather on top)

post shave, get an alum bloc and some geo trumpers skin food and you're good to go and feel suitably taken care of.

Feather blades are also something that should be in your arsenal imo

and subscribe to this guy on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/user/mantic59/videos

[Isotonic]

A 2 pass shave is fine for beginners. If you think that two passes is enough, then leave it at that.

Your routine pretty much is txt book, I saw your using a an eshave brush, are you also using eshave products?

Eshave products are again some of the best on the market, their orange sandalwood range is mine (and the girlfriends) favourite of all time, and I have used all the traditional brands like trumpers, Taylor's and many others. Eshave beats them in my opinion.

One thing I would suggest is using a face gentle face wash after you have shaved, but before you've done your cold water splash, if your using an oil as a prep it's very important to make sure it's all removed before you cold water splash as the cold water will cause any small remaining bits of shave oil to coagulate and clog the pores, this in turn will make conditions ripe for shaving rash and in grown hairs.

Hope it goes well mate!

Nice tip. will use that. I have been trialling Votre Vu shave balm too as an undercoat before lathering. Definitely using eshave products. White Tea shave creme and aftershave balm. Also grabbed some OTBS Sandlewood shave cream.

I have only used the Merkur blade provided with the unit. I am waiting on 100 feather blades. Just going on the reputation of these bad boys... apparently much sharper.

[mbrody]

Love shaving topics...ever since switching to straights or DE, no more ingrown hairs. Absolutely love Mitchell Wool Fat as a soap! I'll take a look at the Adj merkur the next time I have an itch...

[Optic101]

I myself just started a week ago with DE shaving and will never go back.

Even the first shave was incredible.

Never had such a smooth skin after shaving with these multi blade shavers.

I got the Edwin Jagger DE89L and very happy with it. Like the excellent chrome finishing.

For the soap I use the Proraso following many suggestion on the web.

Bought a blade sample pack to find out which one is the right one for my skin.

Steve and Daz, great suggestions. Thanks.

Happy shaving.

[Bolismoker]

Nice to see a wet shaving thread on FOH. I've been a wet shaver for the last 5-6 years and have no plans to go back. For any interested in trying it, go for it. I my self split time between safety razors and straight edge. Haven't seen it mentioned yet in this thread but I am a huge fan of t he Tabac line of products. Their shave soap is fantastic to use and has a nice mild sent. I also wear their cologne several days per week. I also love Etton College and Mr. Taylor from Taylor of Bond Street.

[MIKA27]

Love shaving topics...

Another old topic for wet shaving

Hope this one keeps going whenever there's an update or new product.

[ZinZan]

I just got a vintage Gillette slims. Now i understand all the the fuss about vintage Gillette, its an awesome product.

Isotonic, once you've refined your technique you can up it to 3 passes, With the grain (WTG), across the grain (XTG) and against the grain (ATG). It took me a good year before i managed ATG under the nose, so take your time dont rush it. With the EJ, i'll do 3 pass plus touch up.

Bolismoker, count me in as a tabac fan. I still rank their soap as one of the best.

[ckearns]

Agreed, nice to see a shaving topic here on FOH. I converted to a double edge razor and shave routine a year ago and haven't looked back. As an example, I use to shave my neck every other day due to irritation and now I could shave it three times a day without irritation if I had to. Once you get the preparation and technique down, its like a whole other world. For anyone reading this that struggles with irritation, heed the advice on this thread and get yourself a DE razor, some natural shave products, learn the techniques (youtube is a great resource) and say goodbye to razor burn, ingrowns, etc.

Results aside, the best things about traditional shaving are the routine and the aromatics. Your morning shave becomes a therapeutic ritual and you smell like a million bucks all day long. My favourite products are from a local producer called Crown Shaving Co. Their aftershave tonic is link a scent from the gods.

Here's a pretty recent photo of my set-up (I've since bought a good silver tip brush).

[ZinZan]

Nice set up CKs. Where did you get the brush? Pure badger?

[ckearns]

Nice set up CKs. Where did you get the brush? Pure badger?

Bought it online, mate. I believe my first brush was synthetic because its much more coarse feeling than the soft silky bristles of this one. Here's what it looks like.

Also, here's a picture of the aftershave tonic I mentioned earlier. One splash of this stuff and your man card gets an automatic 10 year renewal.

Happy shaving, guys! Cheers.

[brutusthebuckeye]

Picked up a Merkur 33c today....shaved my head with it...no cuts or nicks...it does take some getting used to...but I like it..

[Cohiba Stevie]

Bought it online, mate. I believe my first brush was synthetic because its much more coarse feeling than the soft silky bristles of this one. Here's what it looks like.

Also, here's a picture of the aftershave tonic I mentioned earlier. One splash of this stuff and your man card gets an automatic 10 year renewal.

Happy shaving, guys! Cheers.

Vie long brushes are unique because they are made of the finest and softest horse hair. Very sought after brushes.

Excellent pick up

[ckearns]

Vie long brushes are unique because they are made of the finest and softest horse hair. Very sought after brushes.

Excellent pick up

You had me worried for a minute there, Steve. I started second guessing my purchase because it was sold as silver tip badger. They may be known for their horse haired models, but the one I bought is pure badger. Model 16726 like this one on amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Vie-Long-16726-Silver-Shaving-Olivewood/dp/B008MNPOUS

[Cohiba Stevie]

Oh right! Lol sorry about that mate.

They do make both your right.

Sorry for the confusion again.

I use muhle synthetics myself. Un be lievable

[Bolismoker]

If there are enough of us that would be into it perhapse we could get a sub forum dedicated to wet shaving. There are certainly more than enough topics of conversation to support it. What doyou guys think?

[Isotonic]

Haha I don't think there is any coincidence that many cigar lovers are also seekers of the perfect shave. It can become an obsession quickly. Just like positioning up for a quality smoke I look fwd all week to a Sunday shave ritual. Takes me at least 30 mins and love every minute of it.