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I returned to the Merkur HD safety razor this morning, after a week of amazing, straight razor-like shaves from a vintage Injector loaded with a modified Feather Pro Super disposable straight razor blade.

See, I'd packed my Injector, the only one I've got, in my suitcase for an early flight today. So when I woke up at the crack of dawn and remembered my new favorite razor was packed away, I reached for my old friend Merkur to revisit what it was like to shave back in the bygone days of a week ago.

Lathered up with Taylor's rose and a Vulfix #2235 brush, and loaded a fresh Merkur Platinum blade in the HD for good measure. Shaving with the HD was like going home again -- there's a reason I came back to this "lowly" DE after trying so many other, more expensive and elaborate razors. It just feels right in my hand, and shaves as good or better than any other DE I've tried, including Merkur's most expensive models.

It's more fun shaving with a DE. This type of razor requires much more mental focus and care than an Injector does, so you're more immersed in the experience and a bit of tunnel-vision comes into play. You can't daydream about sex, or food, or sex food while you're shaving with a DE. You have to watch what you're doing and be careful every for each and every stroke if you don't want even the mildest DE to give you a nasty nick.

Shaving with the HD was more pleasurable and stimulating than when I use the Injector. My brain was more fully engaged, and it had the effect of waking me up -- by the end of the shave I felt like I'd had a cup of coffee. A DE shave'll do that to you.

But the quality of the shave was not as high as it's been this past week with the Injector. My face felt smooth and there was no irritation, but it didn't feel as unearthly smooth as when I use the Injector. And my stubble returned many hourse earlier at the end of the day than I've grown accustomed to since trying the Feather/Injector rig.

The shave today was as good as any shave I've ever gotten from the Merkur. It's still my favorite DE of them all. If I'd never tried an Injector, it would still be the best shave I could possibly give myself, barring a Krazy Kat-style brick to the head and resultant newfound ability to shave with a straight razor. Because that's what it would take for me to get over my psychological hump, I'm afraid. No, the DE would have remained my razor of choice for the foreseeable future -- if I hadn't tried the Injector.

I'll keep my three (I'm not a shavegeek, not a shavegeek, not a shavegeek) Merkur HDs, and whip 'em out every now and then for a change of pace. They still shave miles ahead of any modern multi-blade razor, and they're the most fun of all the safety razors I own.

But when it comes to daily shaving, I'm sticking with the Injector. Especially after going back to the HD for a shave, it's clear that the vintage Injector is on a whole other level when it comes to closeness and drop-dead ease of use. That it delivers a true straight razor shave with the modified Feather Pro Super and Pro Guard blades (but not the Professionals, for reasons due most probably to blade thickness and possibly some sort of voodoo) makes the Injector irresistable my new razor of choice.