I used my new Merkur double-edge safety razor for the first time today. At first I was scared to death that I would cut myself, but towards the end I actually felt pretty comfortable using the razor. I went very slowly using lots of thick lather and I managed to complete the shave without a single cut. It’s not nearly as hard as I thought it would be. You really just have to pay attention and it’s not too bad at all.
The razor is adjustable with settings from 1 to 6. The settings control how much of the blade is exposed to your skin, which in turn controls how close the shave is. Since I was just starting out I had the razor set to 2 this time, but even set relatively low Joy and I both thought it was the closest shave I’ve ever had. That means that my results should be even better when I can increase the setting once I have more practice with the razor. I’m looking forward to it.