I, too, have a Vision

Having some additional funding at my discretion, and doing some research and question asking, I decided to hunker down and get a Merkur Vision 2000!

As I said in my earlier post, I now have TWO DE razors in one day after not having any. The first, also my first post, is a 1954 Gillette Super Speed that I obtained used through the ShaveMyFace.com forum. I couldn't pass up the deal and it looks like a great razor. PLUS, I read so many good things about them and that they are generally good for beginners because 1) They are not adjustable, so nothing to fiddle with, and 2) They are not that aggressive.

Tax returns are nice, and while most of it went to pay the bills, I took the opportunity to splurge a bit where I normally couldn't. So, while I received my first DE razor today, I also received my order from BestGroomingTools.com. I have to say that they were very responsive and I love the detail they have on their site. I actually placed my order but then realized I missed an item. So I emailed them to find out whether or not I could add an item without slowing down shipment because I leave Monday morning for a week long trip and I wanted my stuff! They allowed me to add the item and even setup UPS shipping for very little more to guarantee I got it in time. I added two more things and they didn't make me do anything other than email to change my order... that was nice.

What I ordered:

1. Obviously the Merkur Vision 2000. I love the look and feel of this razor, but I think I expected something a little more "tight" based on how it looks and the reviews on the sites selling them. DON'T get me wrong, this thing is nice and substantial, but compared to the more than a half century old Gillette I got, this thing kind of feels sloppy without a blade in it. Once I put a blade in, it feels a LOT tighter, but I guess I was a little disappointed at first hold. It comes in a really nice tin with great presentation, and it includes a 10 pack of Merkur Super Platinum blades. I'm sure I will appreciate it more and more as time goes by.
2. Super Badger & Chatsworth Ebony Brush by Edwin Jagger. After my research and learning just HOW important the prep of your face & beard is, I decided to splurge on brushes too. This thing is simply sumptuous! Compared to my Art of Shaving Pure Badger brush that came with a $35 sampler, it is heaven. It even came with its own matching stand. The bristles are SO much nicer, I can't even come up with a description that would possibly do it justice, and I don't have the depth to describe it yet. Soft, supple, stiff yet flexible... these are some of the words that come to mind when I think about it. I can't WAIT to use it tomorrow morning for my first shave!
3. Black Porcelain Apothecary Mug by Edwin Jagger. I saw this while I was looking for razors and I just had to have it. I absolutely love the shape and the knob off the side to hold it between two fingers. Not having used a mug previously and simply trying to build a lather on my face, I realized I wanted to try lathering in a mug... now that I have read LeisureGuy's book, I definitely feel that building a lather in a mug or bowl for beginners is useful.
4. Aloe Vera Shaving Soap & Travel Jar by Edwin Jagger. I've wanted to try shaving soap and felt that it would be the best for travel purposes since it is not a liquid and for carry-on the allowed amount of liquid is only 3.4fl oz, which is less than most shaving creams in tubes or tubs. I also am interested in the Aloe Vera aspect of this soap. I think I'll point out at this time that the Edwin Jagger line of products are exquisite! Their fit and finish is truly something... much better than the Merkur/Dovo line... more on that later.
5. Styptic Pencil by Colonel Conk. Hey, I have to expect to bleed for a while. May as well be prepared. :-D After more reading though, I think I am going to go for an Alum Block instead of the styptic pencil/powder. The Alum Block has more uses than just stopping bleeding from nicks and cuts, it also helps close your pores and tighten your skin. Also, I was a little bummed... the stick of styptic broke off the base during shipping. I don't believe that will affect performance, but it certainly makes it less user friendly. ;-)
6. Silvertip Badger & Stainless Steel Travel Shave Brush by DOVO. While earlier I said the fit and finish on Merkur/Dovo products is behind Edwin Jagger, I HAVE to give props to them on this unit. The design and delivery is great, and the brush is only slightly lower quality than the Edwin Jagger brush... but it's also smaller by a large margin, so I think that makes it feel stiffer (the bristles are soft themselves, the vertical stiffness is what I'm referring to). I actually WANTED this (smaller size) in a travel brush because I have heard/read that it is easier to build a lather on your beard with a smaller brush. I can attest to that having tried it with my AoS brush which was roughly the same size (a little smaller than) my Edwin Jagger brush. Since I don't plan on bringing a mug/bowl, that is important. I think this brush will be a great travel brush for me, and it matches my Vision very nicely.
7. Lavender Shaving Soap & Travel Tin by DOVO. Here is where most of my wrath comes as far as fit and finish, but some of it goes to the Vision razor. This "tin", which is NOT metal but rather painted plastic, is 1) Much bigger than I expected, or that I feel it needs to be. 2) Is nearly IMPOSSIBLE to screw open and closed without serious effort... at one point I seriously contemplated throwing it in the trash because I messed up screwing the lid on and I COULD NOT get it undone. It finally gave and I had to VERY carefully screw it on so it didn't cross-thread. The paint almost seems to make it adhere to itself. I got it on a whim because I figured the Dovo line of products would be first rate, and I figured it would be nice to have a variety of soaps to try. It also seemed to match my Vision and Dovo travel brush, so why not. Well, I DON'T think I'll be using that on my travels. The Edwin Jagger soap is in a travel case itself and is a joy to use and hold in the hand. The lid is fluid in opening and closing. It's really too bad about this Dovo one though... oh well.
8. I also got a protective tube for any shave brush that can be used for travel or storage purposes. I could use it for my Edwin Jagger brush if it turns out I don't like the Dovo, but for now it is storing my AoS brush. It was only $6.
9. Leather Sheath for the Vision 2000. This is a leather travel pouch that fits the Vision (which is a chore because of how big the thing is). It also can hold pretty much ANY other DE razor on the market, so no loss there. I didn't realize how nice the tin was that the Vision came in, but I was thinking I might use that to transport my razor when traveling. I can even cut out an area in the foam for my Dovo travel brush, so that's an option.
10. They threw in a 5 pack of Personna blades for free (nice), so now, between the Derby that I got with my Gillette and the 10 pack of Merkur Super Platinum's that came with my Vision, I have three different blades to try out. Which brings up the point that's in the book... you should try as many different blades as you can (systematically of course... see the book reference) to see which blade works best for you for both your face and in your different razors. I plan on getting a massive sampler pack soon. First I have to work on technique. ;-)
    

All in all, I am VERY happy with my products (without having used them yet) and can't wait to dive in tomorrow morning.

Cheers!