Bought a Merkur 33C, a synthetic Parker brush, and a mühle soap bar thar I received today.
Not as close a shave as I’m used to, but my skin feels a lot less irritated than it used to after a shave. Cut myself twice, on my upper lip and on the underside of my chin.
I can get a “baby bottom smooth” shave with a DE. Is it better than what I could get with multiblade plastic razor? I don’t know.
What I do know is that those multiblade heads cost around $4 each, and my preferred DE blades cost about 8¢. Not to mention that there is no plastic in sight, and the amount of waste is minimal.
I had to go back to shaving with a disposable for a week when I forgot to pack my safety razor and it was awful. Dulled before the shave finished, uneven stubble here and there, razor burn. Never again.
I think a lot of people that try safety razors and didn’t like the results got shitty blades. The quality of DE blades can vary wildly between producers, which can be understandably frustrating for someone just getting into it that doesn’t want to study a nerdy forum for hours to get a good shave.