Decided after years of being BBC I'd take the plunge and buy my first DE. After many recommendations I got the merkur 34c. A bit nervous but done my research and having my first shave tonight
Good luck with the Merkur. Just take it slow and steady. You'll get accustomed to it pretty quickly and be amazed at how close a shave you can get.
Hey had my first shave not as close as I'd hoped did a little mixture of against and with the grain. Got visibly bald but a lot of sandpaper areas remained. Only 1 nasty nick but I expected it as I had a large spot in that area. Going to keep at it though as a visibly bald head and no razor burn is good enough for now
The key to a close shave with a DE is getting the correct angle for the blade to swipe across the skin. Cartridge razors are pre-set" to a given angle, but DEs have to be maneuvered around - that's also why it's so easy to get a nick with a DE.
I like using a DE on the sides and top, but still revert to a cartridge razor for the back.
Great choice! Just keep it clean and your grandkids could be shaving with it one day!