Have you ever had the experience of doing something right the very first time. Hit a hole in one, sink a basket in Basketball from 50 feet away on the first attempt. Well, getting a BBS shave in one pass with no touchups is a rarity at least for me. My normal shave is 2 to 3 passes South to North with a few touch ups on a Slim set to 3 or 4. That is the shave that I am most comfortable with. I have had two prior opportunities to have a BBS shave in one pass. Both were with my very aggressive (to me at least) PAL floating head razor. I rarely use that razor because it will leave me in bad shape if I use it two days in a row. Both times I got that one pass BBS my skin felt it the rest of the day. It was smooth but the blade did exfoliate rather well each time. Today I was trying a combination of Gillette OC Head with a brand new Rapira Supersteel blade, my Muhle 33K257 Silvertip Fibre and Palmolive stick for a good face lather. I got my lather worked up well and went to work with short strokes from South to North with very light pressure. I have used OCs before and they are very efficient razors. After the first pass, I noticed a few small weepers that I will get if the razor/blade combination is really good. Washing my face with water, I noticed that when I rubbed up, there was no stubble, none. I was not expecting it, but there it was a BBS on the first pass. Wow! Since I head shave, and have always noticed that that level of blade and razor combination that creates the type of face shave I had just received would cause a couple of areas to nick, I passed on using that combination for the head shave. I picked up my Trac II which I use frequently on head shaves and finished for the morning. That Rapira Supersteel coupled with the OC head is a very potent combination for me. Now I am interested in tomorrow's shave.
Man! I've never even gotten a 3 pass BBS - always takes touch-up, buffing, correct moon alignment, proper humidity, a Zen-like emotional state, 1.5 cups of coffee, and a rededication of my life the the principles of truth and justice. You, sir, are a Knight of the Order of the Blade!
Occasionally, I manage a one pass BBS with a Rolls. I think this occurs due to preparation and process more than anything else. Preparation for a Rolls shave centers around the fact that the razor tends to take everything with it with each pass so quick “touch-up” and “buffing” are out and hydration and good lather are in. The process is skin stretching and careful blade angle management. With your arms wrapped around your head trying to get the skin stretch right (ignoring the impulse to just try standing on your head), and trying to keep the Rolls from reverting to a miniature Stanley No. 32 transitional jointer plane, I sometimes end up with a BBS on the 1st pass.
I could climb a tall mountain.. enter a period of fasting.. meditate and otherwise introspect..for the prescribed forty days and forty nights and in all of my holy pilgrimage not do I get such a thing.. don't even try. Hat's off to ya..
Thanks to all of you for your kind words. I also think that I was being extremely deliberate since I knew that this was a new combination for me. I know the OC is somewhat aggressive and the Rapiras are a real good blade especially sharp on the first shave. The longer North South strokes I would normally use with the Slim, gave way to shorter strokes with a little more precision. I relax with the Slim because I can dial it down. There is no dialing down this razor, so a little more precision was a good thing as the results bore out. I am still smooth entering into hour number seven from the time I shaved.
I have been doing this wet-shaving thing for a couple of years now and I don't think I have really ever been 100% BBS. I get some incredible shaves, but just not BBS. It is alright with me, more than two passes causes irritation...
Congrats, Gary! I once came close to a one pass BBS myself, but needed pass 2 and 3 for touch-up. Gillette flare tip Rocket & new Personna Blue blade, if I recall correctly. Don't remember the soap. Nonetheless, it was a very nice and surprising experience!
It is funny, for the DE blade challenge I had to continue until there was BBS on the face every time. That was a part of the test and that is why I got very tired of doing it. As Dale mentioned that is rough on the old face when you are going for a fourth pass with a Slim set to 4 or 5. Chasing the BBS in the manner of the testing is also time intensive. This one just came naturally. In the end, I think those are really the best kind.
Kudos, Gary! I have tried numerous times to get a 1 pass BBS shave, but the kind of beard I have is too tough to allow it. I need at least 2 passes to achieve it.
