I used a Schick Trac2 but I switched to Personna which fit the same handle.  Shower, then shave, the hot water softens your beard and you don't want to lightly abrade your face after it has 24 hours worth of critters growing on it.  If you shave daily, your skin will toughen up, it's when you shave every week or so that you get the irritation.  If you want to really make your face feel like leather, use cold water, you will have to wash your face with a mild soap to soften your beard before shaving.  And one last thing, if your face stings due to sweating, you may want to shave before going to bed.

Quote from Thunder Chief on Jun 11^th, 2012, 1:12pm:

 
 
I graduated from the disposable to the safety razor about a year ago. I had, years before traded the cheap jels for shaving soap and brush but it wasn't until I found a 1956 Gillette at a flea market for $9 that I made the complete jump.
 
I use Shark Super Chrome Double Edge Safety Razor Blades (http://www.amazon.com/Shark-Chrome-Double-Safety-Blades/dp/B003BWQX46 ) because I got them cheap and they work good. Only flaw is that if you do not shave everyday, leaving them wet does a number on the edge.  
 
Shaving before a shower is pure torture for me. What I do is after shaving I turn the water on pure cold and splash my face and neck a few times to tighten things up. For the nicks I use a septic stick.  
 

I've been shaving since I was 13, over 50 years, and have a few opinions. Brush soap is too much work, though I have done that (using my grandfather's shaving mug and brush). Just about any good foam from a can works fine for me, currently using Barbasol, though I have some kind of gel, too. That's a small can, better for traveling. I started out with a Gillette double-edge but those old blades barely lasted one shave, switched to Schick injector which was a little better. done a few other brands over the years. I currently use two different razors, a Gillette Sensor (original type) if I'm home and shaving every day or so, and a Gillette Mach 3 for less-frequent shaving. The Sensor gives the better shave but clogs if the whiskers get too long. The Mach 3 doesn't get as close without too much work but mows down longer whiskers better. If I want a really good shave I use the Mach 3 and follow up with the Sensor, re-lathering between.
 
Prep is important. I shower first and really soap the beard to degrease and moisturize the whiskers to soften them. Never tried a cold water shave and don't think I want to.  
 
Lastly, blades have improved 1000% since I started. I can get a week's worth out of a Mach 3 easily, two if I put up with a little pulling. And I have a really heavy beard.

Quote from Thunder Chief on Jun 10^th, 2012, 10:27pm:

I bought a shave kit as a birthday present to myself and... I hate walmart. I never leave there happy or satisfied. The ceramic mug was shattered and the blister pack held it together so that the cracks weren't visible. I've (mostly) superglued it back together, but I think I'll have to upgrade sooner than I planned.

I use the gillette venus with the built-in olay moisturizing bars on the blade itself.  Really good for sensitive skin.

Greenman I must say I have been looking for a good cut-throat for a while now and nothing.  
 
I must say that I'm really luck, I can shave cold, hot with soap shampoo, even dry ( thats with baby powder ) and I wont get rash.  
 
I have tried the Minora blade and thats just not cool even thou the blade is super sharp it feels blunt on my skin and feels like it rips out the beard instead of shaving it.

I definitely don't dread shaving anymore. I didn't cut myself at all with my first try at the safety razor and I've only nicked myself once since. It wasn't even enough to cause a scale to form.