This morning I had the worse shave of my life--at the end of it I was a bit surprised to see multiple spots of blood on my face! I've been using a boar brush and shave soap the past couple of days. The vintage glue holding the two parts of my vintage badger brush handle together gave up the ghost a couple of mornings ago and I've not had the chance to glue them back together. Anyway, this was my second shave with this particular blade (Personna) and I noticed it didn't feel quite right. Not sure what happened as it had worked OK yesterday, but today it left me quite raw. I'm not sure if it was the lather (too wet, perhaps?) or the blade but it certainly left my face feeling a bit raw. Might give it a break tomorrow as it's Saturday. Or maybe not. Regards, Tom
Do not give up, but take it easy. That personal blade may not be the sharpest blade in the box. Watch the videos too. I am sure some of the more expeienced TSD members will add some worthy advice.
I understand you.It could have been a thin bubbly lather,the blade/razor combo,bad cutting angles or even your mood this morning.What Personna blade are you using,the made in USA one or the Israeli one?I find the USA one a little bit harsh.You have to experiences shaves like the one today according to get better ones.Dont give up yet and keep experimenting until you find what works for you.
It really could be a whole bunch of reasons. Poor lather, poor blade, too much pressure.... I would take today off to give your face a chance to heal. Practice making lather so you can get it consistent. Change that blade! If you start a shave, and it doesn't feel quite right, evaluate what could be causing it - did I change my prep? Is my lather adequate? If those are OK, change the blade. The blades are so cheap, there's no reason to suffer a bad shave due to a bad blade. I'm not sure which Personna you used (local store bought?), but you may want to consider a sample pack to try some different blades.
You might have a junk blade. Put a new one in and try again. It happens so dont get discouraged. I agree with Matt about getting a sampler. Not too many though. Dont do the 100 different blades. West coast shaving has a nice sampler to try.
Good advice above on blades. What particular boar brush and shave soap are you using? Is the soap one you've used with your badger brush? Are you face, bowl or hand lathering? I ask because if it's not the blade, you might not be getting much protection from your lather. This can happen from not loading enough soap, using too much water, or just using a soap that's not very protective.
Definitely take a day off. If you are new to wet shaving you may want to start with a cream rather than a soap. Creams tend to give a wider margin for error. Start with a new blade and remember to use very light (or even negative) pressure. Good luck
I've had fair results with US Personna blades, but there are different ones. The ones that actually say Personna on them are a better blade than the ones with just the arrows and USA. A thin watery lather wouldn't help any blade. I don't know what razor you are using, but check to see that it's tight and the blade is centered in it straight. Seems strange that things would work well one day, but not the next, but things happen. As mentioned above, if the shave isn't going well, dump the blade and get a fresh one. Lathering skill takes a while to perfect. It all comes together consistantly before long.
Tango, not sure if i missed it but what type of razor are you using, I use a vintage Gillette Adj DE and during one of my shaves i was getting beat up pretty good,I remembered reading a post about checking the lower knob that opens the cap for the blade, that its tight holding the blade secure,mine had come slightly loose/open during my shave due to my gripping adjustment during my shave (grip too close to the knob)that i must have turned it.I turned it tight then i lil bit more(not over tightened but secure) and resumed shaving and it went better. Just some food for thought..
What about prep? I find the prep is perhaps more important than how good the blade is. What do you do for prep?
Thanks for the interest! Wow, lots of support here--I like it! Shaving set up that morning was: Usual prep of hot shower, then hot water in a washcloth against the face before lathering. Razor: Gillette Tech Blade: Personna with Made in the USA on them but without the name (Wal-Mart purchase) Soap: VDH Deluxe shave soap. I've been using it for over a year with a Mach3 and the boar brush. I've not tried it with the badger yet. Brush: VDH boar brush. Need to fix the handle of my badger brush. With the soap I use the brush in the cup holding the soap to make my lather. I usually do one pass with the grain, one across, and one against. I am going to get a sample pack, good suggestion! I do need to try different blades as I've been through one pack of the Personna blades and I'm not all that happy with them. The next morning after the bad shave I forgot I was going to take a day off, so even though the shave wasn't too bad my face wasn't happy. I skipped Sunday, though, and wor a bit went back to using C.O. Bigelow's shave creme. I've tried the soap again since then and it does OK, but the creme seems to be a bit better. I've not succumbed to the temptation to go back to the Mach3! In general I've been getting a fairly consistent shave, but not as good as I could get with the Mach3. I think it's time to try something else, so I'll order a sampler of blades and give those a try. Thanks for the interest and advice, all! Regards, Tom
Hey Tom, Thanks for the follow-up. The Wal Mart Personna blades are rough for me. They seem sharp enough but I've yet to have a good smooth shave with them. Corking helps a little bit with them (slide the blade carefully through a wine cork a time or two- it's supposed to smooth down the edge some). If you still prefer the Mach3 after trying some new blades- stick with it. There's a few of us on here that still use a cartridge razor. I have a TracII and use it a couple of times a week and get a good shave.
Hey Tom, It's good to hear you are going for a sample pack of blades. When I first did that, I was amazed at the difference a particular blade could make in a razor. Of course, everyone has a different favorite blade so the sample pack is a great way to find yours. While many continue to wet shave using a cartridge razor, once I got comfortable with a DE, I never looked back. The once or twice I used my Fusion, since starting with a DE, I was so disappointed. You will soon find your comfort zone and whether that includes a DE, SE, straight, or cartridge, if it works for you then that is all that counts. Good luck on your shaving journey.
See Comments in red. Get a small sampler. The big ones can get confusing. Remember too that when you change a razor you change geometries, so too does your blade experience change.
While on the subject of blades and their performance, is there a standard as to how long they typically last?
No, which is another reason to start with a sample pack. For example from most DE blades I get 7 shaves but from a Feather I only get 2. A lot depends on one's beard type and skin sensitivity as well.
After a day like that, I'd take a couple days off shaving. Re-Visit the basics of starting out. Maybe try a new combination or maybe it was just a bad day. Try the same combination again and see if it works this time.
