TTT is so true. And so important in the early stages of wet shaving, how many times (and I'm included) has a Newbie said "I'm not getting good shaves with razor X, what's a more aggressive razor"???!?!?!?!? Technique. Technique. Technique.

Razor: 20s Ball-end Old Type
Blade: Astra SS

This was a pair of firsts for me- first time with this kind of blade and first time I started a new blade on this razor. I did my usual one-pass shave with some touchups. On the whole, a nice, comfortable shave though not as close as I recall this razor being capable of.

Definitely need to watch my technique tomorrow...

You are so right! When I am working someone who is new, I emphasize blade angle over all else. If a convert can master that concept, they should be able to get good results from almost any razor. Example is @wmbjr on a Cadet for the first time today, he instantly recognized that if he couldn't control the angle, the more aggressive Cadet would bite. Once he got on top of it, and lowered the angle, DFS was the result.

Or @NCoxSTL, he can get decent results from things most of us would run screaming from. Technique is key.

When you think you are using enough soap, use just a bit more. Too much soap is a smaller mistake than not using enough.

October 1, 2015
OC October - This month I'll introduce myself to my OCs.

Gillette New LC
Gillette Goodwill
Gem Micromatic OC
Standard Safety Razor OC

Hot Shower, Morning Shave
Soap: Razorock P160
Brush: Omega Pro 48
Razor: Gem Micromatic OC
Blade: GEM PTFE (1)
TSD Witch Hazel

Two-day growth, three-pass shave (WTG,XTG,ATG).

Initial thoughts:

1st pass - Sharp blade, this razor is aggressive. Not satisfied with the reduction.

2nd pass - Sharp blade, this razor is aggressive. I’m really riding high on the cap, with blade almost parallel to my face! Much better reduction on this pass.

3rd pass - Have I mentioned how aggressive this razor seems?

I don’t use BBS terms much, but my face is really smooth as far as I can tell right after the shave. But I had the dickens of a time around my trouble spots - mouth/chin around the mustache/goatee. I was flummoxed finding the right approach.

I’m left thinking this razor may not be right for me. The shave is close, but it was hard work. I’ve gotten shaves even better than this with a LOT less work.

5 hours later…upon further review...

My face is very smooth, very pleased. But a tad spotty here and there (a section of 2-4 whiskers in spots) and my chin / corners of mouth are barely passable.

I just can’t get over how aggressive this razor felt. I think it was the closest I’ll ever get to a straight. I felt I needed to be on guard on each stroke (short, deliberate). With that kind of work, I’m tempted to just move on to another razor and forget about this one. But I thought my basic technique was good enough to approach any razor. Not master it right away, but be able to see its virtues.

So I looked a bit closer.

This photo is for comparison of blade exposure. (MMOC on left, Gillette New LC on right.) Looking at blade exposure, it was clear (to me) that the MMOC has the blade much further over the comb than the New LC.



Then I took this picture below. It confirmed that this razor was certainly tricky to get a feel of because the blade itself was angled! Note the left corner of the razor vs. the right. Apparently the blade stop on the left side has worn down to where it allows the blade to move over it and more forward than the other side. Not by a lot, but the angle must have been enough to throw me off especially around my chin.


I like the SE razors, but will be content to work more with the 1912 and ’24. I’ll pass on the MMOC for this focus…if I want to shave on an angle, I’ll go buy a Slant!

Cheers!
RT

There's the financial part of this that we don't talk about very often. Poor technique is still poor technique no matter what razor you keep on buying. I have a box full of poor technique razors, I sold poor technique razors, it wasn't the razor. It was me. Now I'm spending 3-4 times what I did to get those poor technique razors back now today.

This is where I break out the golf club analogy. If I were to play a round with a pro, they would beat me regardless of the club set they are playing. The reason: technique. Golf clubs are only as good as the player swinging them.

You would also notice that the golf professional has a excellent angle of attack in his/her swing.

And you're one from that group Clint!
Congrats!

Correct! And they possess those skills through a lifetime of practice and muscle memory. Buying better clubs won't make me a better golfer, but learning the correct techniques definitely would.

You are 100% correct.

Or my pain threshold is just that much higher than the sane.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thanks again.

So correct. You also see a lot of people quickly moving up to more aggressive razors in hopes of improving their shaves before mastering their technique. Even if the shaves improve, they all just masked the real issue, unsound technique. I see this all the time in the motorcycle world with people chasing horsepower to ride faster instead of mastering the skills first.

Thank you.

My rule starts tomorrow, but I am planning an OCtober Kickoff shave later.

OCtober 2015 - Kickoff Shave

This post should be mandatory reading...

Clint, that could be deadly. You need to learn to crawl before you can walk.

Razor: Gillette SS 1947 NDC (Birth Razor)
Blade: Personna Prep Blade Blue
Brush: Fendrihen Silver Tip Black Faux Handle 22/49
Soap: Proraso Green
A/S: TSD Iced Signature

Day 1
Not 100% sure what to do this month so I'll work on technique, and also add menthol to some of my products i.e. A/S and shave soaps. I'm not sure if anyone has added menthol to shave soaps, or I haven't seen any posts to that affect. (Menthol Crystals) (thanks @clint64) As far as razors are concerned I believe I'll just wing it this month. I'm waiting on a strop from @Drygulch, so I'll want to try it out on my Auto Strop Model "C".
If you have added menthol crystals to your shave soap PM me, if you don't mind. If not follow my post and we'll see what happens. I also think I'll post some of my Old Spice Decanters. I will use another A/S as sum of them are full and unused.