In December I bought a new Cadet TTO-14. I used it during the Jan 30 day rule with Voskhod blades and ended up bailing out after around 9 or 10 shaves because I was getting such bad razor burn and it was getting worse. I went back to using my trusty Merkur 34c HD and occasionally my Weishi 9306. The Voskhods weren't the problem as they are one of my favorites in the Merkur. My technique has gotten very good with the Merkur and so I thought that doing a 30 day rule would help me learn good technique with the Cadet. Not so. After a few weeks I decided to give the Caddet another go using another of my favorite blades, Astra SP. Again, same problem. It is so aggressive it just chews up my face. I put it aside for a couple more weeks and then last week decided I was going to give it one more try with yet another blade, one that I wouldn't call my favorite, but has been surprisingly good, the Shark SC. Again, much irritation and razor burn. Well, now I'm done with that razor. I doubt I'll ever use it again. Good thing it's not too expensive, although its a bit of a shame too, because it is such a beautiful razor, especially for the price. I also love that it's TTO. There's something I really like about TTO's over a 2 piece. Oh well. I'm not sure if it's just this razor, or if all aggressive razors will give me this problem. I'm not in hurry to find out, but this razor is certainly too aggressive for me, and I can instantly feel the difference between it and my other two much milder razors. Eventually I may pick up a Slim or Fatboy and see how cranking up or down the aggressiveness affects my shaves.
I've never used their TTO, but if it's as aggressive as their OC 3 pieces, I can see why you might give up! You should PIF it this month.
How many passes are you doing? It could be that you're not understanding the blade angle/geometry and having to do more passes causing added unnecessary strokes adding irritation.
I almost never do more than 2 passes with any razor (plus touchups, sometimes), this one included. If I don't get it in 2 passes it can wait until tomorrow. I am already careful not to do too many passes because my skin is easily irritated and even with my Merkur, which gives great shaves, too many passes = irritation.
Well, let's see... I have a big variety of different face washes, preshaves, soaps, creams, and aftershaves. Besides the Cadet I have Merkur 34c HD, which is my go to. I also have a Weishi 9306 which was my first safety razor, and I actually still quite like it. I have a Semogue 1305, which is my most used brush, and the one I used the last couple of times I used the Cadet. I mostly face lather. I have an Omega Pro 48 which I use when I bowl lather, which is much less often that I face lather, and I have a cheap Chinese pure badger, which I actually like the feel of on my face, and it lathers like a champ, but it sheds like crazy so I don't use it too much. I have around 40 varieties of blades, but Iv'e only tried around 15 or so, Voskhod and Astra SP being my most commonly used.
I have a Parker 60R TTO that I used to like, but all of a sudden I noticed that one side gave a mild shave and the other side was very aggressive. On closer inspection, I noticed that the center bar had some play in it and is I was not paying close attention, the blade ended up with unequal exposures. I put it aside and have not used it since. I would not even pif it, it is so bad.
Cadet TTO razors tend to be aggressive so you might want to hunt for a vintage Gillette Super Speed or a Schick Krona if you still want a TTO with less aggression.
I would concur. My 67 SS is the perfect, slightly mild everyday shaver, and convenient to use when I am in a rush. Everyone should have one in their collection. The shave is comparable to my pre-war tech. The only reason I prefer the tech it the thinner head profile, which allows it to get into corners and angles a bit better. They are otherwise identical with regards to performance...
I would highly suggest that you give the Gillette Knack a try. It's a mild TTO, you'd really have to be doing something wrong to get a bad shave from it. I used mine exclusively for about 2 years. Also, one can be found in excellent condition for <$20!
