Your first 5 shaves.

• CLOSE CALL 001 and a fresh blade. Ten come in the box.
• Shave soap or cream that builds a real lather. Canned foam works in a pinch, but lather gives the blade more glide.
• A shaving brush if you have one. Wet hands work too.
• Warm water, a towel, and five unhurried minutes.

1. Hold the razor head up and unscrew the handle a few turns until the top cap lifts off.
2. Unwrap a blade and lay it over the posts on the base plate. It only sits one way.
3. Set the top cap back on, then tighten the handle until it's snug. Don't force it.
4. Look along the head from both sides. The blade edge should show evenly on each.

Shave right after a shower, or hold a hot, wet towel on your face for a minute. Warm water softens the hair so the blade cuts instead of drags.

Then lather. Wet the brush, swirl it on the soap for about 20 seconds, and build the lather on your face in small circles. You want it thin and glossy, like yogurt, not a thick pile of foam.

Rest the head flat against your cheek so the handle points straight out from your face. Slowly lower the handle toward your jaw until you feel the blade start to cut. That's the angle, about 30 degrees.

Too steep and it scrapes. Too flat and it glides over the hair without cutting. As you move around your face, your wrist changes position so the angle doesn't.

Hold the handle near the end with your fingertips, not your fist. CLOSE CALL weighs 96.6 grams, enough to keep the blade in contact on its own. Your job is to steer it, not push it.

If you can feel the head pressing into your skin, lighten up. Pressure is where most nicks start.

Use short strokes, two or three centimetres at a time, and rinse the head every few strokes so lather doesn't clog it.

1. With the grain. Shave in the direction your hair grows. For your first week, this one pass is enough.
2. Across the grain. Once you're comfortable, relather and go sideways for a closer finish.
3. Against the grain. Only when your technique is steady, and skip it anywhere that gets irritated.

• Upper lip. Pull your lip down over your teeth to flatten the skin, then take tiny downward strokes.
• Chin. Short strokes, lots of rinsing. Tilt your head to keep the head flat on the curve.
• Jawline. Stretch the skin with your free hand so the blade has a flat surface.
• Neck. Go slow. The grain here can run in several directions.

Rinse with cold water and pat dry. Don't rub. Follow with a balm or moisturizer if you use one.

• Rinse the razor under hot water after every shave and shake it dry.
• Store it upright or on its side somewhere it can dry out, not in a closed drawer.
• Every week or two, take it apart, rinse each piece and dry it.
• Change the blade every three to six shaves, or as soon as it starts to tug.
• Any standard double edge blade fits. CLOSE CALL refill packs are coming soon.