So I had my first DE shave tonight. I used a newly purchased Merkur 12C and an Israeli Crystal Blade. For a brush, it was the Edwin Jagger Super Badger I got from Crabtree and Evelyn. I used a big dollop of their Sienna scent shave cream. I have to use a lot due to our hard water. All in all, it was good. It will definitely take practice. I got three knicks in total. Two on the lower part of my neck. I have a tough time with this area even with a Mach 3. The other one is on the edge of my lip and was a result of just moving too much sideways. 2 Questions: 1) I have watched Mantic's videos. I keep hearing a 30 degree blade angle. Am I looking for 30 degrees between my skin and the blade? Or, am I looking for a 30 degree angle from the handle of my razor to my skin? Because, the blade itself has some angle built into it. (Relative to the handle.) 2) It seems as though the blade sits a little bit twisted in the head. For example on one side, the far side has a VERY little bit more blade past the head than the near side and vice versa on the other side. Should I be trying to assemble the blade and head in any particular way? Should I try to twist the blade a little when I tighten down the head? Thanks to all! I can see this being a great adventure!
Okay, one man's opinions: 30 degrees between the blade and your face is the goal. Don't get the protractor out, just go for as small of an angle as will actually cut hair. It might be a bit smaller of an angle that you'd at first believe. Oh, and use no pressure... (but you knew that already). I've seen this happen with Merkur razors before. Old style Gillettes are also prone to this. Take care to straighten the blade as much as possible when assembling the razor. Equal edge exposure is the goal. I have to fiddle with blades in my Old Style Gillettes to get them just right, but it's not hard once you've done it a time or two. Just eyeball it and it will be better. Good for you for noticing, by the way! A lot of guys shave with skewed blades for an extended period of time before they notice what's really going on (like me). :ashamed001 Enjoy the adventure! It's a great deal of fun, very satisfying, and it only gets better from here!
Don't worry what the actual angle measures. Keep the angle closest to being parallel to your skin that will shave your beard. If that angle happens to be 30 degrees, your picture is correct. Note you don't need to even feel the blade. In fact, if you're shaving the hair and don't feel the blade you're getting an excellent shave. Minimum angle + zero pressure = great technique. If you also have good prep. and good lather you've got a great shave.
What does this ideal angle achieve? Is it a closer shave? Less irritation? All of the above? I am thinking it is easiest just to keep the handle straight. So, why bother...? (Note: I do not actually think this, I trust what I have read. I just want to know why it helps.)
All of the above... closer because you can shave with less irritation (and potentially survive more passes).
Here's how I figured what angle worked for me. Put the head of the razor against your cheek with the handle completely parallel to the floor. Then tilt the handle down slowly until you feel the blade make contact. It would be even better if you could do this while slowly moving the razor head down your face so you could then tell when you start cutting hair. To me, and I never really measured angles or anything, but I always thought the 30° angle was the angle between the handle being parallel to the floor, and 30° down from that. But I'm not one of the scientific engineering types, so I was probably way off on that... Another thing you can try is to do the above, but on your arm (don't shave it if you don't want ) so you can actually see the difference and angle. It may help to replicate it on your face.
Check for blade alignment when you load the blade and each time before you shave. Good that you noticed this potential face ripper! A good practice to check no matter what type of razor you use. Things get dropped, knocked around by others, etc. It doesn't take much to bend a safety bar or silo door on a razor.
The desired angle also varies between razors - so what works for a Gillette Superspeed might well not be right for a Merkur HD (at least in handle position).
Yeah that's why certain people have an affinity to a certain razor. We all have a comfortable or natural angle and it's easier with the razors that suit the angle we default to. The correct angle will minimize irritation, and maximise beard shaving. So if you get it wrong, you'll still have plenty of stubble after 5 passes, or you'll have massive amounts of razor burn after 1 pass.
+1 Don't go by Mantic's videos on the literal 30 Degrees. He wonderfully illustrates what Matt says up here !! Do this action and listen to the sound of the blade slicing the hair like it should...
Easy way to get comfy blade angle It is very abstract to visualize a 30 degree angle, although it is entirely correct. The easiest way to find the right blade angle for yourself, which is roughly 30 degrees, is to just place the rounded top of the safety razor onto your skin. First, just run the razor across your face to get the feel. You will notice that the razor is just sliding atop of your soap, and not cutting. Now, take another pass, lower the blade every so slightly. It may or may not cut. If not, then try again with lowering it just a bit more. You will quickly be able to understand the blade angle, and the value of a shallow blade angle. The least severe angle that cuts for you is what you're trying to find. And we all know that the blade is really skating on top of the soap; no pressure. When shaving, try to always think that you are shaving with the top of the razor, and you will always err on the side of caution. If you have too little blade angle, the worst thing is that you'll just be sliding over the soap. This is much better than a too severe of a blade angle, where you'll be sorry. Much like you can't un-ring a bell, you can't reverse a nick or cut. Prevention is better than styptic. Hope this help bring this issue into clearer focus. I really did struggle with this for a long time. It's a very mental thing while you shave not to lower that blade too much!!! Generally, a shallower blade angle will serve you much better. Good luck.
Thank you for the tips. I've been having real problems getting the right blade angle resulting in some rather nasty razor burn. I'm most certainly going to try the 'rolling' technique suggested.
