Hi All, Occasionally I'll read about a member who will use an adjustable starting with a high number, and then dial it down a bit during the shave. Some even start on #9, which is beyond my understanding...heh. Doesn't matter what the starting number is, but what's important is the lower setting are used later on. The first time I read about that technique a loong time ago, I figured maybe it was a missprint or something. It just didn't seem to be the natural way of things. Since that time, I still will find members who use that system of high to lower settings. I'm guessing most adjustable users never move the setting at all, once the sweet spot's found. That's the case with me anyway. Sure, I can make the razor shave me closer if that's the only goal, but the comfort level suffers. Not a good trade off for me. Anyway, I'd be curious how many members use the hi to low pattern. I'd also like to see how many others start low and then graduate to hi after a few passes. Hehe, since I'm doing this poll anyway, I might as well include the members who never touch the adjustment once it's set properly. Thanks for indulging me, Martin Oh.......I'd be curious as to the various reasons for members changing the settings during the shave.
I may dial it up or down between shaves, especially if I'm trying a different blade and not sure where to set it. But I can't recall ever changing it during the shave. Maybe if I was WAY off on the initial setting . . .
I routinely dial up during the shave (Merkur Progress): Low setting (2-ish) for my first pass (N-S regardless of "grain"); dial up (3-ish) for the rest of my shave (though sometimes I will dial back down slightly on my ATG pass depending on the blade I'm using); I may dial down slightly for T&C depending on what needs to be done (I usually dial down if I'm blade buffing but leave it up if I'm J-hooking). --Mark
Is there any way that you can compensate a less sharper blade with dialing up the level? Not a old or dull blade but a new that is less sharp than others.
I'm about 50/50 on either leaving it set, or dialing down as I go. I used to leave it alone, but started dialing down more and more. My theory is, start high, first pass, with the grain, reduce as much as possible with an aggressive attack. Then dial down for milder, smoother across- and against- the grain passes. Seemed natural to me whacky102
is the dial a safety mechanism? None of my straight razors have one. If they did though, I would experiment with it
This might be veering off topic slightly, but for those who do dial up or down during a shave, do you loosen the silo doors before you adjust the setting, or just leave them in the locked position? I had read somewhere that it is advised to only adjust the dial with the silo doors open, which makes sense to me as this will take the pressure off of the internal mechanisms. I have done it both ways, and the dial is noticeably tighter feeling when being turned while the razor is locked down. EDIT: I was referring to Gillette razors, not Merkur.
Hi All, Just a few thoughts on this thread, and I thank whoever voted. Sorta went the way I figured, although the almost 75% was a little higher than expected. So, it looks like the majority of adjustable users will set it and forget it, just as I do. In my case (and others I'd imagine), I found the very best razor setting for my face, and there's no need to switch it. Done deal. To me, it's a feature that I really value, but only after some experience with what an excellent shave can be like. I know by now that many non adjustable razors are too mild or too aggressive for me, and that's truly a shame. So many great looking razors that I just can't use as comfortably or effectively as I'd like. Anyway, I appreciate the feedback, Martin Oh........let me just comment on the concept of dialing up or down during a shave. Heh, I can't for the life of me see any other way of doing things, but to each his own. To me, dialing up as you go would make the most sense. Seems like the normal reduction method would be to start with less blade exposure at first, in order to ease into things. The usual idea is to slowly reduce the whiskers, which is why you start using a WTG pass. Starting on a very aggressive setting would kinda be defeating the purpose. You'd harvest a nice crop on the first pass, but comfort would suffer a good bit. Kinda like starting off with an ATG first pass. Starting low to minimize any discomfort, and then dialing up later to mop up more effectively makes more sense to me. I think that follows the reduction plan pretty well.......but we all have our little quirks.......heh.
