Recently, buying a "modern" razor has caused me to focus on aspects of shaving I never really though of. In the past I shaved with what I had on hand and always used, and that was the end of that. Now, it would seem, I am burdened (tormented, actually) with choices and performance characteristics to consider. Thanks to a snafu with a vendor, I ended up with two razors: both plates (.68 & .84) of the Razorock Game Changer model. So in trying to figure out which one will work out best for me it has made me think about what is it that I am actually looking for. Ostensibly I wanted a razor that would allow me to shave every day. But what does that mean? A mild razor that necessitates me to work at achieving results? (Not necessarily a bad thing.) Or a more aggressive razor that is more efficient/effective. It's a bit of a conundrum for me to figure out just what I want the shaving experience to be. How about you?
I generally repeat a routine and adjust for the tool variables as best I can and find an acceptable result. Very occasionally I’ll pick up a second tool for a final result that I am really the only one who knows is a little better.
By and large, I stick to my usual routine. Occasionally, I have to compensate for a razor/blade combo that is outside of my normal range. On rare occasions, if my skin is irritated by the previous day's shave, I may skip my usual opening pass.
My shave is usually less than five minutes and it is is for nothing more than to remove unwanted hairs from my face. Kind of reminds me of gardening ...... any plant that is growing in the wrong place is a weed ...... except for hair.
Back in my undergrad days, I remember there being a guy like you who lived in my dorm. But I think his plight was more of knowing he would never be able to get ahead of the game. He had what was the heaviest beard/stubble I've ever seen. A permanent 5 o'clock shadow if ever there was one. I remember shaving one evening at one of the sinks in the bathroom and he came in shaved, cleaned up and left before I was even able to get warm water out of the tap. I expressed my shock at such a quick shave and he said he knew his shaves didn't last but a few hours and he was just cleaning up to go out to the bar with friends. He's shave again in the morning anyway. I suppose there's no sense in tearing your face up when you never look like you've shaved anyway.
Great question. Early in my DE days, I chased the BBS and spent a great deal of time working on technique. Then I chased razors for a while and had several great ones. What finally changed for me is that I realized no matter how close and clean of a shave I get, I'm going to do it again tomorrow. So, 2 passes and I'm good to go. I use the same razor and blade every day.
That's a very difficult lesson to learn. Good for you! Unfortunately I haven't gotten there yet, and I do wonder if I ever will. I've always shaved by feel, whether formerly in the shower with a multi-blade disposable or currently at the sink with DE. Just about each pass I feel for target spots, and work it even more so for touchup. If I can feel residual stubble then it needs to be targeted. Most of the time I don't overdo it, but sometimes I do. Recently I've taken to colder water shaves so I'm getting better results and less irritation overall. "I realized no matter how close and clean of a shave I get, I'm going to do it again tomorrow." Aint that the truth!
First, it's my shave and I'm going to enjoy it my way. If I don't have time to enjoy it my way, I don't shave. My shave is my "Me Time." Alarm clocks are adjustable, so I adjust mine to get me up with plenty of time to enjoy my shave before I have to take care of all the other things (shower, getting dressed, eating breakfast, waxing the 'stache) before I have to head out the door for work. The razors, the brushes, the soaps are all on a pretty hard rotation (that is, I seldom break up the order). I take a minute or two to select just the right mug for whipping up my lather. I take time to enjoy the smell of the soap, every day a different aroma. I take time to get my lather the way I like it, time to enjoy the softness of the brush as it applies that lather to my face. I always have tunes playing in the background; I like music. My wife is a special blessing from the Father. She always has coffee ready and brings me a cup to enjoy with my shave. I will either mentally sing along with the tunes, or think about what God is doing in my life, or what He wants me to put together to share with the congregation at the next worship service. Sometimes it's prayer time for me, my family, friends, the people who are the church. Always three passes, regardless of the razor. I may even take some time to ponder what stories these razors might share if they could talk. Many are older than my 59 years. My goal is to get as smooth as I can. Touch ups are sometimes, often required and just part of the shave. But I know my face, I know my tools, I know my technique, and I know when to stop the chase for BBS. That said, as you can see, the journey is actually more important to me than the destination. It's your shave. Enjoy it your way.
If I wanted nothing more than an ultra efficient and comfortable shave, I would use nothing but a Blackland Blackbird. "Variety," as they say, "is the spice of life." Even with a straight razor, my shaves rarely take more than 10 minutes. The SOTD photo staging can take me hours, which is why I rarely post a SOTD picture.
Technique Trumps Tools is an axiom for regular shaving which assumes all tools and supplies are in serviceable condition (meaning: nothing defective or out of whack, nothing of risky quality, no experimental unknowns or other wildcards). If this is granted, shave satisfaction will be more due to the skill of a practiced mind and hand vs the tool held by the hand. Conversely, poor results almost always will be due to poor technique. Sound technique includes: ▪︎basic facemap awareness ▪︎prep...can mean several steps or next to nothing...there is no wrong prep if it works for you ▪︎familiarity with a given razor/blade/soap setup...there is no wrong setup if it works for you ▪︎patience and care no matter how routine the setup (IOW, always beware shaving on autopilot) ▪︎knowing when a shave is good enough ▪︎accepting that, as with everything else in life, you can do every step correctly and still have an off day now and then
Shaving your legs is time-consuming. And if I'm in the shower, it also consumes a lot of water. So I need to be fairly efficient, but not too fast- that just gets you cuts & nicks. In my recent foray into shavettes, I am using a chair by the sink. The is done more slowly as I am still learning the technique. Also the water isn't on the whole time, so I can take my time without wasting it.
Sometimes things have a way of sneaking up on you so quietly that you don't even notice until long after
You're probably right. My thinking is that it'll be a "what's the sense?" epiphany born out of frustration, just as everything else in my life has been. I do like your explanation better though. Revelations are much better than epiphanies. Here's to hoping is more of a "wow" than a "doh"!
There is no such thing as too aggressive. Every successful straight razor shave exposes this misconception about safety razors. In my case the ability to feel the Steel against my skin probably most important My focus is on consistent outcomes. When I first changed over from cartridge shavers I bought a lot of different razors in the Quest for the perfect shave. Once I tried to learn to play golf. It was not suggested by anyone to purchase multiple club sets and switch ball types everyday. It was suggested that I practice using my equipment consistently and focus on the ability to find a consistent outcome that was comfortable for me. There's only one aspect of Shaving. Shaving is the ability to comfortably apply a blade of Steel to one's face, remove the hair and avoid damage to the skin by Ultra exfoliation or slicing its surface with a sharp piece of Steel. I personally advise aggressive razors for new converts. I believe mild razors teach and proper pressure and minimize the importance of skin stretching. With apologies to all who love the soap and brush... almost any item from hair conditioner to barbasol can be used to complete this task. Just remember that all single-edged razors are the same. Don't be confused by the handle options or the safety features. They all work the same way and the most important thing, in my humble opinion oh, it's to pick something and stick to it until you have mastered it. I did not do this at first and sadly realized that I had sentenced myself to a rotation of mediocrity. Sadly there were just certain fundamentals that I did not understand and was not applying for the situation. I was blaming the tools in delaying my own gratification by not just simply mastering one. Sent from my motorola edge plus using Tapatalk
Well, that is a bit of a tricky question and I am not sure I have a definitive answer but I lean towards Bama Samurai's opinion. It seems to me it boils down to whether you have to shave everyday or can get two days out of an "aggressive" razor/blade. If you can do the latter, I think that the benefit your face gets from an extra day to heal out weighs a milder every day shave. I also believe that the type of razor you use makes a difference. The less flexible the blade edge, the less damage you do while still getting a close shave. To me that means a single edge or a straight razor.
Bama Samurai, you raise some good points, however I'm not so sure I fully agree. There is a distinction to be made between mastering a tool and finding a tool that will compliment one's established technique and will fulfill one's goals. Mastering a tool is a very valid point when just starting out with wet shaving and especially so when learning to use a new type of razor, say, going from safety razor (typically DE) to SE. I can only imagine the learning curve where SE is concerned. I'm not at all inclined to even try it so I'll leave that to the imagination. But the vast majority in this hobby, those accumulating razors, have experience (some more or less than others) with how a razor works and how to use it. Sure there are variations from razor to razor that need to be dialed in accordingly, but they all essentially function the same. I would submit that one's fundamental technique is established sooner rather than later than one might think, and those for whom switching from razor to razor is like reinventing the wheel each time are very few and far between. It's not always technique determined. It is possible to discern whether or not a razor has qualities that will help or hinder the path to achieving one's goal whatever it may be. In my case it was to be able to shave every day without undo consequences. Sure one can learn to like a razor that was initially thought unsuitable. But only if you're willing to put in the effort to get there. And of course perceptions do change with time and experience. I've been wet shaving for the better part of a half century, at this point my technique isn't going to change beyond whatever subtle differences (some of which are certainly imperceptibly negotiated) necessitated by the razor I am using at any given time. Your golfing example is good, but at a certain point, after you've learned how to fundamentally do it, you must have learned or come to the realization that better equipment improved your game. Perhaps someone let you use their club. Poor or lax technique can indeed effect performance and technique is something that should be constantly honed, but honing is different from learning. For more than 40 years in a previous life I was a professional musician. My technique was firmly established because I graduated to successively better instruments. As a professional I wasn't about to spend $$, time or effort learning the idiosyncrasies of just any new instrument. I searched for and found the ones that complimented my technique and my "voice." Brass players in particular seem to be afflicted with the drive to find better equipment that will improve their playing. Sure I owned and performed on vintage instruments that I had to learn how to play effectively, but I did that for other reasons and in those cases I was willing to invest time and effort in mastering their characteristics, some of which were good and some not so good. And I will not say that they didn't inform my approach to modern instruments either, because they did, and in very meaningful ways. Sorry for a long winded and perhaps irrelevant tangent, but when someone says "technique trumps equipment," (I know you didn't say as much, perhaps I'm more addressing gorge2's post above) I have to respond "ah... not so fast there." In my own example with the Game Changer plates, I'm finding that with the .68 plate I have to work harder than I feel I should to achieve the results I want. The other plate, the .84, I feel is too aggressive with regard to attaining the results for the way I shave. So I'm experimenting with blades and shimming to make the .68 plate work with my technique before I take to adjusting my technique to learn how to make the .84 plate work. All the while I'm trying to decide exactly what I'm looking for in a shaving experience. Who knows, maybe both will ultimately play a role in the experience. My whole purpose of this thread was to learn how others experienced shaving with regard to achieving the results for which they aimed. Hopefully others' experiences would inform my own ideas as I have tried to solidify them. On the other hand, maybe I should just shut up, haul off and shave and have done with it and move on to something more consequential. Nah, where's the fun in that? At least I haven't gotten to that point yet.