Hope it's OK to bump this; it's been a while since anybody last posted.
I'm trying to put together a Christmas wishlist for my girlfriend and her family, and I thought it might be nice to up my shaving game from cartridges and canned shaving gel, and ask for some stuff accordingly.
I'm a complete newcomer to all of this, and find it a bit intimidating. Based on what I've read, I might go for a Merkur, but there seem to be multiple types (30, 31, 32, etc). I'm guessing some are more recent, but are the more recent ones inherently better? Any recommendations in particular?
Should I start off by going for a sampler pack in regards to DE safety blades? And do I need to be careful of getting the right size blade to fit in the Merkur, or is there only one size as standard?
Are you only supposed to use a blade once, and replace it each time you shave?
How often do brushes tend to need replacing?
And does this one look OK for a beginner?