How many passes of your SR do you do? How long does that usually take? Do you get the same closeness as doing equal number of passes with a DE? I'm still learning with my SR, and it takes a fair bit of time for me (10-15min for 1 pass). I'm only doing one pass with the SR at the moment. When I'm done this pass, my shave looks quite rough. ie: I still have noticeable stubble left. Doing the chin, jaw line, and neck take the most amount of time. I finish up the other two passes (XTG both directions) with my DE. I'm not confident enough to do a XTG on these areas with my SR, but I'm hoping one day soon I will. The youtube videos make multiple passes with a SR look so easy and quick! Anyway, I'd like to hear what your routines are... Thanks, Will
2 passes, and sometimes a little touchup around the chin. To get the same results with a DE, the DE takes 3 passes.
I do two passes for my SR shaves and it will take me 15 minutes in total. That will give me a DFS to BBS shave. My SR shaves are every bit as good as my DE shaves. When I first started with straight razors, my shaves were poor. It took me close to 30 shaves before I really knew what I was doing and close to 100 shaves beforei was confident and proficient at it. How many SR shaves have you done? If you’ve just started, then technique is your big challenge right now. Is your lather on the wet side? A wetter lather really helps with SR shaves. Was your razor professionally honed? If not, that could be an issue for you. What razor are you using? Post up a picture of it. Give us some more details and we can troubleshoot your issues. There are many SR users on this forum that will give you some great advice, so hang in there. The SR learning curve is steep, but we’re here to help. You’re already off to a good start.
When I first started shaving with a straight razor I did less than one pass. Overtime I work my way up to four passes, The same number of passes I do with a DE. I do WTG, XTG, XTG opposite direction and finally ATG. I focus on beard reduction, I have a tough beard and slowly reducing the whiskers gets me closer with less irritation. Naturally you will get faster, do not rush the shave it’s a recipe for blood. Take you time and focus, you will get faster as you build muscle memory.
On wider blades, it takes 2 passes to get me to where I want to be. On a thin blade (like a 4/8), it takes 3 passes.
Two passes, one WTG and one ATG, then a cleanup pass dry on the neck ATG to clear any bits of stibble left, feeling for it with my fingertips. This cleanup pass makes the 5:00 shadow a 9:00 shadow or later. Cheers, Steve
I have relatively 'light' beard growth, so for most days, two SR passes are sufficient to achieve the desired results. IF I have the time, however, and if I'm determined to get the 'best' results, I'll add another pass plus touch-up. True BBS chasing.
For most SR shavers, 2-3 passes will do the trick...with perhaps a touch up. This is pretty dependent on your hair growth patterns. Anymore and your technique is off. I'm not going to say it should take a certain amount of time because that is really up to you. I will tell you that I can achieve a BBS 3 pass shave in 12 minutes (if I have to), including clean up. I've never really tried to see how fast I could do it if it came down to it. I'm not sure if you are seeking out a routine, but here is mine: 1) select razor, brush, towel, soap, and aftershave. 2) do a light strop (I strop at the end, so I don't really need much in the beginning...if any at all). 3) whip up a good lather. 4) splash my face and neck with cool to cold water. 5) apply lather. 6) I typically do a 3 pass shave, re-applying lather between each pass (1 WTG, 1 XTG, 1 ATG) 7) dry off and apply aftershave 8) clean up brush, soap, and whole area. Dry SR with a piece of toilet tissue. 9) strop SR.
I usually do two passes. My chin was the hardest to master. I have a scar right where my chin turns down to my neck. Still scared of taking it off.
Normally two passes, sometimes two and a half. It depends on how much I look like a hobo, because if I haven’t shaved for several days that extra half pass is needed, which makes no sense to me. If I am not making a process out of every little aspect, I can do two passes in twenty minutes. Really though that rarely happens. If I cannot take my time and pick my soap, strop, razor brush, I usually don’t bother. For me it is more about taking my time and enjoying the process than it is simply shaving.
I do 3 passes, WTG, XTG and ATG. Usually spend about 20-30 min total including clean up Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
@ Jim99: Thanks for questions. Here's a thread I started trying to get historic info about my razor (to which I have noted there are no responses thus far ). http://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/help-identify-this-jackson-garanti-sr.59033/#post-1398583 That thread gives some info on my SR. I started with my straight about a month ago. I've probably used it literally 7-8 times so far. I have a good lather, but the blade is pretty "sticky". Ie: it does not move smoothly down my cheek even. I do agree with the lather should be on the wet side. I've try to remember that when I build my lather (my normal fluffy lather is great for DE, but likely not wet enough for a SR). I keep my angle shallow, as advised by people on this forum. I don't do a lot of pulling on my skin, so that's another area I'm conscientiously trying to improve. (If I have lather on my face, where can you touch your face to pull from??). I may have to post a video of me giving it a try one day... From what I gather from the above posts, it takes a bit of time to do a SR shave in the morning - 15-20min on average for 2-3 pass? That's a lot of time for me. I'm trying to practice in the evenings, and if I get good enough/ proficient enough, I'll try to do a pass in the morning. My mornings are pretty chaotic - got to get the kids ready for school, lunches in order, breakfast happening, and myself ready. I don't know how others can squeeze in 20 minutes for a shave, but good on anyone who can do it. In any case, my goal is to get a DCS. The adventure continues. Thanks for all the responses so far ....keep'em coming!
