I'm with Swarden, I don't chase it but get a BBS almost every day I use my Slant. I have just started using a Str8 most days and need more experience to get to the BBS with them.
When I first started "traditional" shaving I chased BBS every shave like there was no tomorrow....It was not unusual for me to do 8+ passes with touchups in the quest of my goal. Luckily for me I had another goal in the beginning which was to shave irritation/pain free. I soon learned that despite my time consuming and at times painful daily routine, I still had absolutely no guarantee of a consistant BBS. So I gave up on BBS and concentrated on a daily pain/irritation free DFS. The result my shave routine now(3 passes & touchup) is a little quicker without really trying,I almost never get any type of nick,cut or weeper(I have a stypic pencil thats like new),I never have irritation or razor burn,I get a consistant DFS+ and once in a while I catch a true BBS( smooth everywhere and in every direction). Most important I enjoy my daily shave "MUCH" more now that I quit chasing BBS.....
After a few months, I can do 3 passes every day now with no irritation most of the time. I still don't get quite BBS on my neck though. I chased the baby a little when I was starting and usually just got irritation so I went for comfortable shaves and the closeness came as my technique improved. Don't chase it. Just let it come to you.
I can't help myself either. Despite my best intentions when I start in the end I end up going for BBS. I guess I have a mild case of OCD too.
My wife reminds me all the time that I have raging OCD. Holding myself to 3 passes and only shaving once a day is like therapy.
Just stick with it and BBS will come to you. Soon you'll never suffer with a bad shave, just that some will be better than others
I don't always chase a BBS, but when I do, it instantly reminds me why it is I don't always chase it :-D I always have a few slightly rough patches. When I try to remove those I always ger irritation, which is why I don't chase it. When it happens it happens.
Never. I shave every day and just enjoy the moment. If I end with a BBS that's great but if not so be it.
Lately almost every shave is a BBS, but that kind off messes up my everyday shaving routine, so I end up sahvign every second day, that's the down side. But than again when I shave it's hard not to try getting a BBS
My aim is to get a perfect, BBS shave each and every time I shave. At the same time, I realize that probably won't happen and remember not be discouraged or disappointed if that is the case. I have tried three different razors, about 50 or 60 different blades, and 10 or so soaps and creams. Certain soaps and creams work better than others, so I will use one of those from now on. With each razor, five or six different blades seem to work especially well, so I will stick with those from now on. Occasionally, I will try a new soap or blade, but trying to improve things past a certain point would now be a chore. Having found things that work well, I will be enjoying them rather than trying to fix them. Time to go onto other new adventures and find other new and cool things. Chasing only the BBS has probably caused more irritated faces and more disappointment than anything else in wetshaving. Sure, we would all like to get a BBS, irritation-free shave every day. The BBS part of that expectation is often unrealistic. Sometimes there is perfection, but great shaves, even if not perfect, are still very good. For that reason, I think the strong forum focus on getting a baby bottom smooth shave is counterproductive. As you so so astutely observed, we should relax and enjoy the ride. That applies both to newbies and experienced wetshavers alike.