If I understand your question, there is definitely a correlation between the amount of stubble that shows up rinsed out of the razor, and the closeness of the shave. Was that what you meant?
It is difficult to separate the variables. I find that I get the best shave on the third morning of the last shave. Is it due to the longer stubble or the fact that my dermis has had three days to heal? It is possible that we will never know. I suspect a relationship with the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle.
I find that having dry skin can make it easier to be a little tender after a good shave so skipping a day helps to avoid irritation. or that Hasenpfeffer thing you mentioned…
I don't think so. Stubble is stubble regardless of length. Short, we call it stubble. Longer, we call it whiskers. Long, we call it a beard. Of course, even those terms get used interchangeably.
I think it might be easier to hone in on spots that need attention with more time between shaves. If you are shaving when marginally necessary, it may be harder to find the spots that need a bit of touch up by feel. Good prep and technique will yield a high quality shave regardless of stubble length. Then again, I try not to over think it. It is only shaving.
Perhaps, but I find that's not necessarily the case with me. I can always find places to touch up by feel. Which is why I started the thread about BBS being a myth. It seems that I can get the closest of close shaves yet still feel residual stubble, albeit below the surface, in those spots where my facial hair is the densest. I think waiting for more growth does indeed afford a more effective (hence better and closer shave) because there's something (more) to shave, lessening the contact and thus impact on the skin itself. I do think longer growth cuts more easily because its not as rigid as close stubble. Now THAT is something I need to explore further. (Prep that is, I'm always working on technique.) I can't hear you... la, la, la, la, la, la,... I'm not listening.... la, la, la, la, ...
I, like Dr. Gunter Zoloft, prefer Carmichael's totient conjecture. Yes, yes I do. But I can only shave so much and so often. So, like Dr. Gunter Zoloft, I am ALMOST a genius.
I prefer to shave every second or third day for a few of the reasons listed in this thread. My beard grows slower in the first 12 to 24 hours. If I shave every day it can get tender on the neck area around the adam’s apple where my hair or stubble grows really flat and in multiple directions. So for me stubble length does make a difference on the quality of the shaves I get. Happy Shaves Everyone, Bill G
I shave my face with a straight and my dome with a safety razor daily. I suppose I could get away with shaving every other day, but I just enjoy the dang process too much!