Shaving Myths We've All Heard

Very true. For the most part, though, many things that are held in general disdain are not, in themselves, contemptible but are only declared to be so by the trend-setting cool kids. Those are the kinds of things I referred to...lesser quality perhaps, or older technology, but not inherently bad. But a few other things are truly worthless; a cheaply stamped razor that cannot align properly, for instance.

Agreed.

 

Nah, I got a bowling ball smooth shave without it. I am having trouble getting good shaves with broken glass, though. Maybe my technique needs fixing.

Because there is only one right way and that is my way.
I find some of those things to be ridiculous, too. A hot towel makes for a really nice shaving experience, but saying it is because it opens pores is guesswork. As for blade flipping or hand stropping (I used a drinking glass, I'm not stupid), maybe it does work for some people. They had zero effect for me.

Don't get me wrong, I think proper technique is the most important part of shaving, traditional or otherwise. Saying Your Mileage Will Never Vary is as ridiculous as implying Your Mileage May Vary means Your Mileage Will Always Vary. It simply isn't true. The proof? Hundreds of thousands of posts by wetshavers over the past 15 years recounting their experiences.

Saying they all had technique issues if their shaves weren't bowling ball smooth would be grasping at straws. All those people are so stupid they couldn't figure out how to properly use a razor? Proper technique is easily mastered, so that argument does not hold any water. The flip side, claiming everybody's shaving experience is totally unique, is no better. If that were true, most advice doled out on the forums would be of little use. Trying to inject dogma into shaving is a waste of time.

It has saved me hundreds of dollars so far. Two razors, two brushes, one soap and 35 tucks of blades at present. Oh, and a shaving mug. Going forward, all I will need is more blades and another soap when I run out. Maybe the brushes will wear out someday. If so, that day is a very long ways off.

 

A man after me own heart.

 

People are different and what suits one does not suit another. We are not machines all cut from the same billet.

 

Technique trumps tools but it does not replace the tools, and no one ever said or implied that it does.

If we oppose somebody's position, on any topic, first we need to be very sure we understand their position. Then, if we decide to proceed, we should have the courtesy to deal with it honestly, not caricature or strawman it. It will save us much embarrassment (assuming one is self-aware enough to even be embarrassed).

 

TTT is too digital for me.
Yes, technique can help you get satisfactory results but it doesn't cure the variability. Sometimes, stuff just doesn't suit you no matter how much of a Jedi knight you are. The danger with TTT is that it impels those who don't know better to soldier on with stuff that is just not a best fit.
I think that is wrong.

 

Don't know what that means.

You mean variability in tools? Okay, can technique "cure" that? No. Not sure what cure even means there.

But can technique compensate for variability in tools? Can it make a night/day difference between the same tools, causing something to work well in one situation that sucked in another, with nothing else altered but technique? Yep, it absolutely can.

The reason it can is because technique is just another word for skill, and skill in any discipline only comes with patience and practice.

Practice and patience = skill = technique. Same as with anything else...baseball, poker, fly fishing, math...

Good, because I've been around these forums for about 10-12 years and have never seen anyone dumb enough to insist that they should. What I have seen is many guys suggesting a frustrated newb back off for awhile, leave it alone, and maybe revisit it (whatever "it" is) in six months or so...when his technique will have improved.

 

TTT being "too digital" means too binary. Either yes or no. No "maybe"

It is an absolute statement to something which is exceedingly variable.

Variability of tools? No! Variability of users of course. I am not you and you are not me. What works well for you may be a challenge for me.

Your insistance for TTT negates that variability.

Wrongly, imho.

 

I've read men insist on their method only to learn they have a beard or partial beard. Some claim a superior opinion when they shave 2-3 times per week. It is a fools practice to argue and insist there is but one way to shave. Perhaps we should change YMMV to your method may vary rather that your mileage may vary.

 

Gentlemen,

Feel free to discuss anything you like, but please keep it as a discussion and don't let things lead to an argument. We want to keep TSD a family friendly forum, remember?

 

Practice may not make perfect but it will always make better. That's all TTT means for me. Not sure what there is to argue about...oh, right. Internet.

 

I always interpreted "technique trumps tools" to mean that good technique is a prerequisite to getting a good shave. It also means that a bad shave due to poor technique cannot be fixed by upgrading to "better" tools. In fact, jumping around to different razors and blades at the start can be counterproductive. I agree wholeheartedly with @wchnu and the TTT folks in that regard. As with some other aspects of shaving, this reason-based rule becomes less accurate when carried to extremes.

As you noted, some razor and blade combinations, soaps, etc. just don't work for some people. Other combinations work very well. The claim bad shaves can always be cured by technique is unproven at best. If poor technique always leads to poor shaves, it does not follow that good technique always leads to good shaves. To claim otherwise is a logical fallacy, as there can be factors other than technique that lead to poor shaves.

The same thing can be seen with shaving soap. "All the tallow soaps I have tried are excellent" somehow morphs into "Tallow soaps are always better than non-tallow soaps", which simply isn't true. Kiss My Face Moisture Shave and Institut Karite are two of the better known exceptions to this illogical "rule".

Another fallacy is that far from being a money saver, taking up traditional wetshaving inevitably leads to large collections of gear and large costs. Expense in traditional shaving is up to each individual. Great shaves can be had at very low cost, very high cost, or any place in between.

Put another way: It's your shave, have it your way. If your karma runs over someone else's dogma, so be it.

​

 

Right. Not knowing how to properly use a cheap no-name power drill won't be fixed by grabbing a Dewalt. The basic problem is ignorance, but that can be cured.

 

I agree completely, and don't think anyone here is arguing to the contrary. What some are disputing is that drill skills will make all drills perform equivalently to Dewalts.

 

I would point out there is not enough difference in razors to matter.(there is in drills) What I mean is that top notch skill evens out the little stuff. A contour II gives as good a shave as a single ring or Parker SRX if you have developed the skills.

 

But there can be a great difference in the razor + blade combination, which is what really matters. I agree with you that top notch skills even out the little stuff. Fortunately for the shaving public, shaving technique is easily learned. Based on my own experience, and what I have read on the forums over the last decade, that takes 3 months or less for most people.

Some wetshavers have told of woes with cartridge or electric razors. I got good to incredible shaves with both. I turned to traditional shaving because the razors are fancy, and both the razors and blades are dirt cheap compared to the alternatives.

 

*..and your body permitting.


To quote your analogy;

It is no good giving little Bob the heavy chinese no-name and big John the light dewalt drill. Both equally capable drills and both equally skilled craftsmen, if Bob struggles picking his drill up and John uses his like a hammer.

 

I have sensitive, oily skin and a thick beard. Whilst i could get decent shaves with an electric, it took a long time and the foil would give me spots and my beard would blunt blades fast.

For the same reason, i have to be careful with balms and oils as they can ecourage spots for me.

My soft and sensitive skin is prone to weepers and soreness if i use a sharp blade and agressive razor unless i really am very, very careful.

With a reasonable blade and a moderate razor however, i can shave like a mad man.

There is one member of this board who is a very seasoned wet shaver and a big proponent of TTT; he commented not long ago that he was no longer going to use or buy a certain (very popular) brand of blades because they have a tendency to nick him.

TTT? Mostly.....

 

Oooooo... i like drills, let's talk about those. I just moved away from dewalt, i went with rigid. Milwaukee looked nice , but the battery policy sold me on rigid.