Is a "mild" razor really what you need?

[StewB]

My experience with DE razors started in February 2022 so I've only been shaving with them for about a year and a half. Before that I used cartridge razors for probably more than 25 years. Needless to say I had bad shaving habits because cartridge razors tend to encourage too much pressure get a closer shave (at least to me, anyway). I got tired of paying the high per-cartridge prices and got a Van Der Hagen short-handle TTO.

Thanks to B&B, I learned that easing off the pressure is one of the keys to preventing irritation when shaving with a DE razor. Pretty soon I was getting serviceable shaves. The other key to DE shaving is to use a proper angle with the razor. This is trickier for me to get right and what led me to write this post...

On B&B I quickly learned that there is a wide range of DE razor "aggressiveness." I was pretty sure I wouldn't like an "aggressive" razor, but when a fine member posted an R41 for sale on the BST, I figured I would try it, because, well, why not? I am very glad I took this chance, because I learned that the R41 is a great razor for me.

It seems to me that one of the characteristics of a more "aggressive" razor is that it is less sensitive to getting the angle just right for best efficiency. For me, getting the correct angle is the trickiest part of getting an efficient shave, so for me (so far), more "aggressive" razors are better for me.

TL;DR - For your consideration: If you are struggling to get good shaves from a "mild" razor, it may be that a more "aggressive" razor might work better for you.

 

[DesertIguana]

Mild works, if not good on single pass. Do one or two more.

I see no need to use super Aggressive Razor, no one to impress in mirror.

 

[JimmyJoeMeeker]

My experience with DE razors started in February 2022 so I've only been shaving with them for about a year and a half. Before that I used cartridge razors for probably more than 25 years. Needless to say I had bad shaving habits because cartridge razors tend to encourage too much pressure get a closer shave (at least to me, anyway). I got tired of paying the high per-cartridge prices and got a Van Der Hagen short-handle TTO.

Thanks to B&B, I learned that easing off the pressure is one of the keys to preventing irritation when shaving with a DE razor. Pretty soon I was getting serviceable shaves. The other key to DE shaving is to use a proper angle with the razor. This is trickier for me to get right and what led me to write this post...

On B&B I quickly learned that there is a wide range of DE razor "aggressiveness." I was pretty sure I wouldn't like an "aggressive" razor, but when a fine member posted an R41 for sale on the BST, I figured I would try it, because, well, why not? I am very glad I took this chance, because I learned that the R41 is a great razor for me.

It seems to me that one of the characteristics of a more "aggressive" razor is that it is less sensitive to getting the angle just right for best efficiency. For me, getting the correct angle is the trickiest part of getting an efficient shave, so for me (so far), more "aggressive" razors are better for me.

TL;DR - For your consideration: If you are struggling to get good shaves from a "mild" razor, it may be that a more "aggressive" razor might work better for you.

Yeah, for me, the more aggressive the better. I have coarse hair, and a lot of it emerges at a very low angle, nearly flat against the skin.

In my estimation, R41s are particularly forgiving about the angle, even among aggressive razors. It still behooves me to try to get a good angle dialed in, because I get more irritation when I go too steep, but it will cut hair within a very wide angle range.

 

[Goblin]

It seems to me that one of the characteristics of a more "aggressive" razor is that it is less sensitive to getting the angle just right for best efficiency.

It makes perfect sense. The more aggressive razors tend to have a bigger blade gap, so there is a greater range of "effective" angle available.

For me, the most efficient angle with any razor will always be the shallowest - slicing not scraping - and that is how I conduct most of my shave, but I do like how more aggressive razors allow me to go steep and "ride the bar" if I need to. I sometimes do that if I am picking off stragglers on the neck line. That can be harder to do on something like an EFBT, which has a very low blade gap.

 

[DesertIguana]

To answer person who posted question 1, you can get ideas what people think, or suggest.

But bottom line I would bet no single razor is best mild for everyone.

Many people love Adjustables, because number of adjustments offer different shaves.

Find old Gillette Slim, or Murkur Adjustable Clone to try.

 

[Slapo]

It makes perfect sense. The more aggressive razors tend to have a bigger blade gap, so there is a greater range of "effective" angle available.

For me, the most efficient angle with any razor will always be the shallowest - slicing not scraping - and that is how I conduct most of my shave, but I do like how more aggressive razors allow me to go steep and "ride the bar" if I need to. I sometimes do that if I am picking off stragglers on the neck line. That can be harder to do on something like an EFBT, which has a very low blade gap.

It isn't just a matter of blade gap - the R41 doesn't have much of it. Mostly plenty of blade exposure.
That isn't to say that more blade gap doesn't help, but it isn't the only factor.

 

[Goblin]

It isn't just a matter of blade gap - the R41 doesn't have much of it. Mostly plenty of blade exposure.

Well, that's true. The R41 has a very large amount of exposure, which has a similar effect of providing a large "effective angle". But I always think that the R41 is an outlier in razor designs. I was thinking more about the typical razors that normal people use.

 

[Slapo]

I think often times, it boils down to whether one can keep the angle in some areas.

To tackle it, I found there are a few strategies that work:
- As the OP has observed, using an aggressive razor with a lot of blade exposure will naturally allow for a wider range of angles, at the risk of riding into the skin when riding the top cap in curvier spots.
- Using a larger blade gap razor - even neutral exposure large blade gap razors make it easier to keep the angle because the gap creates something of a guide.
- Using a razor with a built-in guide. Some people dislike these, because they're generally easy shavers, at that lack of challenge/quirks can make them unexciting to use. Curiously, I have seen some YouTube shavers fairly pretty badly at keeping the angle with these.
- Using sking stretching and moving one's features to flatten affected areas (e.g. bullfrogging, turning head sideways when shaving the neck, pointing their chin up toward the ceiling...)
- Using very short strokes.
- Using techniques like the Gillette slide (regardless of the iteration), j-hook and others.
- Adjusting angle depending on the area, if the razor's design allows for it.
- Adjusting lather (e.g. using thinner lather or less of it for the final pass/pick-ups).
- For hair that lies close to the skin, a stiffer blade or a shim sandwich might help.

For me, if I shave every 1-2 days, I can usually go ATG on the first pass with a razor that either has a neutral blade exposure or is clamped pretty close to the cutting edge to keep the blade edge rigid, as long as I use the Gillette Slide. I actually use two of its variants, a different one in each pass, expecially on my neck, as the results differ because of my growth being a little funny (varying directions and grows close to the skin, i.e. almost parallel to skin).

If I have more than 2 days of growth, then I need to go WTG or XTG first, though.

 

[StewB]

Mild works, if not good on single pass. Do one or two more.

I see no need to use super Aggressive Razor, no one to impress in mirror.

1) Yes, mild razors work, and they are more efficient when you maintain the correct angle throughout the shave. My point is that, for me, keeping the angle correct is tricky, and more "aggressive" razors make it easier to get a more efficient shave in fewer passes. If you can get a very efficient shave using a mild razor, that's great!

2) For me, using an "aggressive" razor has nothing to do with impressing anyone. (What a strange comment...) It's a matter of finding what works for me.

Yeah, for me, the more aggressive the better. I have coarse hair, and a lot of it emerges at a very low angle, nearly flat against the skin.

I have similar stubble. Much of it grows nearly flat, and it is very tricky to remove with a "mild" razor. With a more "aggressive" razor those spots are easier to shave with less possibility of irritation.

 

[Rivers23]

I agree, I started DE shaving with a King C. Gillette razor. But, my whiskers are quite hard, so it took me 3 and a half passes to mow it down. More passes meant more irritation. So, I went to the other extreme and tried the R41. But that one was just too aggressive and caused irritation even with 2 passes. I guess the answer is in the middle. Prior to cartridge razors, men shaved with Gillettes for 80 years, which are really middle ground razors.

But in the end, it all depends on the kind of whiskers and skin you have. For some people, the KCG is enough, some people also get 10 shaves out of a blade and at shave number 10 it's still sharp enough to cut their whiskers.

 

[Slapo]

I have similar stubble. Much of it grows nearly flat, and it is very tricky to remove with a "mild" razor. With a more "aggressive" razor those spots are easier to shave with less possibility of irritation.

Out of curiosity (and to have more context), how often do you shave?

 

[StewB]

Out of curiosity (and to have more context), how often do you shave?

Daily.

 

[musicman1951]

You have to find the best marriage between your face/beard/blade and technique. Some can shave with a mild razor and an average blade, some can shave with a mild razor and a sharp blade, and some need an aggressive razor and a very sharp blade.

I am a daily shaver, using a Wolfman WR1 and a fairly sharp blade (PolSilver, Wizamet, Med Prep) for good results. Everyone needs to find the combination that works for them.

I'm not ready to sign off on proper razor angle being less necessary for an aggressive razor. I agree that razor angle is much more difficult to perfect than less pressure. Maybe your aggressive razor is an excellent fit for your technique, or maybe you're just right. I'm certainly not going to recommend an aggressive razor and less attention to razor angle, but I'm not much of a gambler.

 

[StewB]

I'm not ready to sign off on proper razor angle being less necessary for an aggressive razor. I agree that razor angle is much more difficult to perfect than less pressure. Maybe your aggressive razor is an excellent fit for your technique, or maybe you're just right. I'm certainly not going to recommend an aggressive razor and less attention to razor angle, but I'm not much of a gambler.

Understood. I'm just posting what has worked for me in the hopes it might help someone else.

 

[Phoenixkh]

I use a combination of blade feel and auditory feedback to ascertain the best shave angle. I do enjoy the sounds coming from most of my razors, though some are louder than others. The timbres vary as well.

 

[SalS]

God invented medium razors for a reason

 

[Curkio]

Horse for courses.

If I'm in a rush I go aggressive. If not, 3 passes with a mild.

 

[JimmyJoeMeeker]

God invented medium razors for a reason

. . . for people with medium hair and medium sensitivity.

There's this awesome new phrase that's taking the Internet by storm that just so happens to describe situations like this one: "Your mileage may vary." I coined it myself just this morning, and it's really catching on. It's kind of a mouthful, though, so since this afternoon I've been trying to get the abbreviation "YMMV" to stick. I guess we'll see if it catches on as well as the original!

 

[BudgetShaverGuy]

I like mild razors. Aggressive razors feel way too dangerous and always leave me with irritation. Aggressive razors are not for me.

 

[StewB]

For sure, use what works for you! As I said, I posted this in the hopes it might help someone else.