Wanted to share some insights that worked for me, might not work for you of course. Several months ago I was shaving with Derby blades and didn't have a good experience, the shave was close but it left me with a burning sensation on the face. I found many posts by others having this shared experience. But stick with me, here is where it gets interesting. Some time later I went "back to school" so to speak and started re-thinking my technique. This time instead of reading I watched a series of videos of master barbers performing straight razor shaves. Watching those videos made something click, I recognized right away in watching these guys that their blade technique was much more delicate that mine. On one of the lecture videos one barber said to try to not even touch the skin surface with the blade. Having shaved for some time I was up until then confident that I was using NO PRESSURE, but I knew right then that my technique didn't look like this. When I went back to shaving I tried to visualize that my safety razor was a straight and using only my thumb and first fingers tried mimicking the technique I saw and I found that sure enough, I could go much lighter on my pressure and it opened doors for me. After a month of this new technique with very sharp blades I decided just for fun to pull my Derby Extra's back out and they worked perfectly well. NO BURN! I have a theory: Derby's are comparatively mild blades, somewhat dull. What I recognized is that being that they are so mild they actually encourage me to use more pressure than I realized which creates the burning sensation sometimes referred to as the Derby Burn. My sharp blades don't allow this because if I get sloppy they bite, but Derby's will let you get away with it. Again, this is just my findings but I was amazed to realize that this burning sensation had little to do with blade choice and everything to do with technique. Derby's still aren't my favorite but they do shave well for me now that I have found the issue at hand. Sometimes our "no pressure" may be a bit more pressure than we realize.
Not every blade fits every razor. While I find the derby a nice blade. Great in razors from the Gillette '04's to the Merkur Futur it just might not work in yours. Try a sample back of different blades and see which ones are best.
Interesting imagery Mitch. I think that sometimes we forget that shaving is both a mind and body thing requiring a delicate interplay between the two. I like to get the feeling that my razor is sort of scooping the whiskers in it's path and as you seemed to imply.. trying not to make contact with the skin as I go..at least that's the visualization...
Johnus. I think you may have missed the point of my thread. The Derby does work for me but didn't for a long time, I was trying to point out that I identified in my case that a commonly talked about side effect from the Derby was actually an overlooked technique issue and other men may benefit from trying out the process I identified above before pitching out their blades due to "burn" issues. I have tried dozens of packs of blades and have my favorites, but thanks for the advice. Happy shaving.
My experience with them exactly! Guys that love Derby's really love them - and I suspect they all have less-coarse beards, or are very patient and take up to 4 passes with good technique. If you get impatient with them you end up with the burn...
I think shaving mileage also includes plain old experience. Now MMMV, but it seems the more mileage you get the more workable options that can become available once experience is gained. And if I may be blunt.. Derby blades are not. Once while fiddling awkwardly with a razor head loaded with a Derby, I cut my finger and trust me, I was in a world of sharp...
I may be less eclectic is my ideas of shaving. I tend to alway see the problem as an equipment situation rather than a technique problem. I have a style and I chg the equipment to match that style. I like a BBS each time that I use a DE or a SE. With a safety razor I apply as much pressure as I need to get the result that I want. If it's not happening I'll chg the blade and at times chg the razor. Ego/experience. Don't know but the style rarely changes. Open razors....scare me still. There I change. Depending on the equipment.
Johnus, I think what Mitch is saying, is that he was changing his style for the Derbys or at least subconsciously not being as careful with them, and that was the problem. He found he needed to be careful not to change his style with them. (correct me if I've got it wrong, Mitch). I made a discovery last Sunday. I discovered that I have finally gotten over the unconscious response of pressing harder when I hear he blade stop cutting. Cartridge razors taught us to do this over time. On Sunday I was up and shaving at O dark hundred, and much later in the day getting ready to leave for dinner I found I needed another shave. In a hurry, I face lathered some Proraso, and grabbed.........my old Mach III. (Hey, I was in a hurry) I found, much to my joy, that I couldn't get a decent shave from it! I no longer automatically pressed harder to make it cut! (And since it is nearly weightless, it won't cut without the pressure) I may be old, but I can be taught!
I'm glad you brought that up. Just the other day I found my old Gilette Fusion and for a moment I got to wondering what I would experience if I tried shaving with it again. Haven't done it yet. Sadly when I used that type of razor I shaved in such a dazed hurry that I never gave a second thought to my shave so I can't really remember what the quality of my shave was. I'd be curious to see if I am actually getting a better shave now. Not that I would go back anyway
There's no going back for me! I shaved a few times with my Fusion to save time, realized I could just do a single pass with my L6 and get the same results... so I wasn't really saving time at all...
mitch, i think your conclusions verified my theory regarding the reason i was getting bad razor burn & irritation w/ the voskhods. i have been using derbys daily for about 6 months & i believe the amount of pressure im accustomed to using w/ them was way to much with the voshkods
Save those multi edged razors that you might have left over from the past! Find them great for doing the back of my neck for touch ups between hair cuts. Seem to be just the right size for me when trying to shave an area that I'm not really seeing all of!
Good theory on Derbys and pressure. Derbys do give a tuggy feedback, however I have found their tug is not synonymous with "dullness." They "tug and cut" efficiently for me. Afterwards they leave a smoother face than their tugging might suggest. This tug requires some inertia to overcome, but still without downward pressure. This distinction may be tricky for some, and may be why they seem to do well for me in hefty razors, like the FB or Slim where the added weight is a benefit.
I after a couple of years of d/e, s/e and straight use. I revisited the evil Pro-glide. In my experience now using my improved technique, it's quite an excellent razor. I now keep it in the rotation.
I actually had a pretty good shave trying this in an adjustable slim set at 5. There was a little bit of tugging at first while I adjusted my technique, but after that it was smooth shaving. The best part was that there was no burn at all. I am now convinced that I need to change my shaving technique. I am amazed at how many times I have thought that I was finally not using any pressure, only to find out that I was. I guess it's a process. Thanks for recommending this, I wonder if my shaves with other blades will now improve.
