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.
Another tip that helped me early on is to not skimp on the lather. I would soak then wring out a washcloth in the hottest water I could get from my tap, or microwave the towel for like 30 seconds (YMMV on timing). Once it is just cool enough to touch I wrap it on my lower face and neck. Do this again between each pass, before lathering. And when lathering, really use that brush. The point is to soften and lift the hair and to open your pores, and I noticed a big difference in how irritated my skin gets if I’m in a rush and don’t do these things. And yeah, git gud lol
I shaved right after a hot shower where I had thoroughly washed my face and beard with s face wash and a scrub. I kept reapplying the lather, but probably got the angle wrong when I cut myself.