Making a razor more aggressive

My three piece English tech is a bit too mild. I will try feather blades soon. However I have read somewhere that you can put a small washer somewhere in the head in order to give more blade exposure. Could someone explain the best way to do this, thickness of washer (I think there is another name for it) also what metal would be best so that it doesn't react to the razor.
Thanks
Kristian

 

I would try feathers first. Shimming can make a difference, but the blade will be easier, and safer in my opinion.

 

+1 And if you haven't tried the 7 O'Clock blades (not to confused with the 7 AM), do! To me, the sharpest, smoothest blade. I get consistently close shaves with little or no edge feel at all. No drag or irritation. Near BBS without trying, BBS with a little bit more effort. I turned my Progress up to 5.5 and it still felt "safe," but I did get a couple of nicks, so be careful.

It's been a while since I've used a Feather so I can't really compare the two, but I'm really liking the 7 O'Clocks. I plan to try the Feathers again too.

 

I am interested in trying these, are they the yellow or the green? Do you know of a place to buy them in bulk?

 

http://www.theshaveden.com/store/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=67

20 in stock..

to me the 7'oclock gillettes were not as sharp as feathers or Crystals. They felt like Derby blades on my face which is not one of my faves..

My Favorites so far that are pretty aggressive/get a close shave are Crystals, Feathers, Red Personna Platinums

 

So far I've tried the Sharpedge (yellow) and the Permasharp (green). They are very similar. I thought the Permasharps were just a bit smoother. The difference MAY be in endurance. But I don't use a blade for more than two shaves as my skin is easily irritated but even a slightly dulled blade. So someone else will have to speak to that.

I'm going to give the Super Platinums (grey/black wrapper) a try next.

 

Is it set up for samplers?

 

If you want to try shimming your blade.
Do this at your own risk, razor blades are sharp.
Take a pair of scissors or metal snips and trim the blade as shown in the picture.
Load the shim under the blade.

 

What a good idea. I will try that.

I have discovered my English Tech works best with Astras. Gillette 7 o clocks are a close second. I'm not a fan of feathers.

I'm undecided as to what works best in my slim adjustable.

 

I have read on the old Gillette instructions that if you dont totally twist the handle to the head,the blade exposure increases and you get a closer shave from it.I have tried it and its quiet aggressive.

 

You can also use some fine grit sandpaper to take the edge off. This allows the shim to extend closer the edge. I did this when I was experimenting with a DYI twin DE setup by stacking two blades with a shim between. [ Aside: The DYI twin DE failed because the top blade should be slightly narrower that the bottom so the exposure of the twin edges is the same.] If your careful with pressure and all, you can control how close or far back the shim edge is.

[Speculation]
These different shims will probably have different effects. A narrow shim like Bob's, or a washer under the blade will change the angle. A wide shim like mine would move the edge away from the guard. Putting the shim on top of the blade would move the cap away from the edge. My guess is that all of these would increase aggression, but how much and how they differ, I have no idea.
[\Speculation]

 

I tried putting the shim under the blade and it didn't really make much difference. I tried it on top of the blade and it became more aggressive. However I preferred the razor without it.