The VDH doesn't suck for starters, and no you know what Sherlock concerning minimum proficiency which is in and of itself technique that any beginner needs to learn regardless of the tool. I think it is safe to say what everyone is striving here for is not minimum proficiency but mastery of their razor they are using. You can master a tool with less than satisfactory results and that will be as good as it gets if the tool's design doesn't allow for you go beyond that point. You are correct though that without the minimum proficiency figured out switching razors may not improve your shave even if that razor has a better head geometry. At that point I found a blade that is sufficiently sharp and has good edge retention is most important. It allows you to develop consistent technique and in turn results over multiple shaves a lot easier. Learning to be consistent even if less than perfect should be the first goal before taking your shave to the next level. To make my point (pun intended) when you go over to a straight what is functional limitation of the straight razor regardless of minimum proficiency. It is not the head geometry but the blade edge since depth of cut and angle of attack are not limited. The edge of the blade is the functional limitation of a straight razor. You ultimately fine tune your technique to that not the razor to your technique.
Nice setup, Robert! I'll echo the others and chime in on that magnificent brush. Wow! Also I'm jealous of the Schick D. That's one of the few I don't have.
Great colors in the photo, Rick! Nice shave. Those RazoRock soaps are really good. Glad the Donuts with Dads was a good time!
One other point I want to make is DE shaving is not rocket science enough passes you will hit the max effectiveness of any DE razor. There is only 8 passes needed to cover every major angle. If you shave 2 razors to 8 passes and can't get any better results after adjusting technique to the razor, that is it's functional limitation of both ,either they perform the same or not. Sometimes having a better tool like in the case of DE razors is more important than messing around with technique when you want improvement in your shave. And with this I am stepping out of the thread and will be rejoining in March because I want to focus on shaving with my right hand only, since I am left handed.
Suggestion on the VdH Boar: Give it a good long soak, if it hasn't been used in a while and make sure to soak it on days when you are using it. VdH bristles seem to get very dry and brittle if the brush is not used regularly.
Thanks guys! And if you've bought anything from Wild West, you already know that they manage to look better in person. It takes real restraint for me to not end up with a house full of his brushes.
I just picked up one of his brushes but that doesn't stop me from checking the inventory at least once a day. Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
i bought a cheap weishi in the beginning. i tried it a few times and passed to the wife for leg duty..milder than my mildest tech..too mild.wife doesn t use it either..i know use it as a blade holder while they dry and between shaves..i don t leave my nice razors or brushes in the bathroom.
