Weck pass around, round 3

[imatabor]

I'm in. Thanks for letting me try this.

I'm in. Thanks for the opportunity.

I'm in thanks

Does this make me number 5? If so, I'm in.

Thanks

I'd love to give it a shot. Thank you for the chance.

I'm in. And if I'm #6 I'd be happy to purchase a box of blades so the pass around can continue.

Scott

Picked up a pack of Perssona Blades and it was 5+1. So six players it is.

Azwetshaver if you will PM me your address I'll get this out.

A few last things:
Please sanitize it when you send it out. Throw away the blade you use. Do not send an used blade.

I will send this out in a box. Please use the box over again when you send it out. Please add tracking and give me the number via PM.

I am including the guard. Please don't lose it. These are hard to come by. Feel free to use the Weck for 10 days and then contact the next person for their address. Box the razor and the guard (don't lose the guard).

Lastly please post back here when you receive the Weck and your thoughts.

If you have any problems with any of the guidelines please back out now.

 

[Al_S]

Sounds good, looking forward to trying it.

 

[Usascot]

I'm not in but nice offer.

I use shavettes and I have a couple of pre-war Gillette DE's that I bought to enhance my collection. I cleaned them up using disinfectant.
I don't see how this could be a problem as the razor in these instances only holds the blade. The blade is the only thing that touches the face and could pose a problem and ... it is new.

 

[azwetshaver]

Sounds good to me. Since I assume that everyone who is in has never tried a shavette, what are the recommended sanitation steps?

 

[51 Rolls]

I think anyone that is purchasing vintage razors expects to be sanitizing it before and after they use it. A pass around really isn't any different than purchasing a used razor

 

[imatabor]

Here is the last pass around. There is some great advice and observations in it.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/429014-Weck-Sextoblade-pass-around

 

[imatabor]

Weck had been shipped and should be arriving today. Look forward to your thoughts.

Please make sure you sign the included release form!

 

[azwetshaver]

Just got the Weck today and took it out for my first shavette shave. I took every precaution and allowed for plenty of prep/shave time. I did very well on my cheeks and then started under my jawline. The results under my jawline were ok for the first go around. And then I got to my chin. This is where the trouble began. I was doing ok until I got the the area under my chin. The blade kind of got caught up and then skipped. At least that's what I remember. I stopped shaving immediately as I knew I had got myself godd. And thats when the blood starting coming. I have never cut myself like that before. Not even close. My first days of DE shaving or my first attempt with an R41 went wayyyy better. Well after i cleaned myself up and the bleeding stopped, I was able to clean it up a bit and see the extent of the damage. It appears the blade took the top layer of my chin. About 1/16" wide and 1/2" long. I think this will do it for me. I will keep doing the cheeks and maybe under the jawline but I will not be completing an entire shave with a few days practice. I will probably send it out Monday or Tuesday.

 

[imatabor]

Gabe , sorry to hear of your mishap. Did you use the guard? With out the guard that blade is very sharp and unforgiving. Take your time and do what you are comfortable with. Heal up.

AL_s is next.

 

[imatabor]

1. AZwetshaver: using until 28th
2. AL_S: next
3. Tonzo: waiting
4. 51 Rolls: waiting
5. Silverirae: waiting
6.Ducati Scotty: waiting

 

[Ducati Scotty]

The chin is the hardest. Do your cheeks until your very comfortable, then add the neck, then jawline, then chin. Whatever you don't do with the Weck finish with your DE. It takes a bit to get the hang of. Disposable straights can be less forgiving than real ones.

Don't give up early, keep at it to whatever extent you feel comfortable.

Scott

 

[azwetshaver]

Thanks for the words . After yesterday I almost did give up early.

 

[Ducati Scotty]

Don't! If anything, try more often and less hard. When I did Straight Razor May, I really just started to feel comfortable toward the end of the month. And that was just getting comfortable, not good or fast You've got ten days, take advantage. Read some pages, get some tips, don't give up!

Scott

 

[imatabor]

Here are some of the original instructions:

 

[azwetshaver]

I took yesterday off from the Weck due to a rough nights sleep. No need for another rough shave. This morning I was back in the saddle. I lathered up and using no blade, only guard I practiced taking off the lather. After my quick practice pass I put in the blade and started my shave. I went without the guard again. I did my cheeks and the front on my chin. This felt very good so I proceeded with my neck. The results were way better today. Not a single weeper. So I took Scott's advice and stopped there. I rinsed an found my cheeks and front chin smooth while my neck I had missed a couple spots. I then relathered and finished with my SS. It's weird how mild the SS feels after a shavette. Great shave today with not a weeper. I think the practice pass helped with the grip more than anything.

 

[imatabor]

Glad you got back on the horse. Very smart of you to practice shave. Some will use a butter knife. Just figuring out how to hold the razor and your angle is a job all by itself.

 

[azwetshaver]

Well today was the last shave with the Weck. I will be shipping it to Al tomorrow.

I really enjoyed the overall experience. I think everyone should try this at least once. My best advice for everyone is to keep at it and to take your time. Also practice shave with the guard. As John mentioned, figuring out how to hold the razor takes concentration and most of your concentration needs to be aimed at your shaving/strokes and not your grip. This helped tremendously.

As for my shaves, I only had a rough first shave. I managed to go the rest of the days without a single weeper. I did take it easy on the neck and only did one pass. But my shaves were progressively getting better as I was getting familiarized with the shavette. I am still on the fence if this is something I want to get into, but if I do at least I will have a very good idea of whats entailed. Again I would like to thank John for this opportunity.

 

[Al_S]

The razor arrived safely today.

 

[imatabor]

Glad it showed up. The clock starts now. Al use it until the 6th. Please post your adventure.

Also for everyone involved. One of the scales is missing its tip. Doesn't effect the use at all. Just don't you guys freaking out that the last guy broke it.

 

[Al_S]

Good Morning gentlemen,

Sorry for my delay in sharing my thoughts on the Weck. I posted two more detailed results in my straight journal in the journals forum, but forgot to cross post my first one here.

I received the Weck passaround box last Thursday and though it was very late, I did a two pass shave with it Thursday night. I was out of the house all Friday and Saturday, returning for only about five hours of sleep, so I've only managed one more shave with it Sunday morning. Both shaves were two pass shaves as I was running short on time in both cases. My first shave was with pretty minimal growth and my shave Sunday of course had more.

Prior to using the Weck, I'd had 27 straight shaves, mixed between a full hollow I got from WD and a shave-ready wedge I got from the bay. That isn't a wealth of experience, but I'm at the point where I'm able to give full, close (DFS+ and occasional BBS) shaves reliably without serious cuts or injury.

I have to admit that upon receiving the Weck I was a little intimidated. Before taking up the straight I'd read through a number of journals and seen the problems many had with shavettes as opposed to straights. They seemed to be pretty unforgiving of poor technique. I'd been gaining confidence with my straights (10-12 quality shaves without injury) but wasn't certain if I'd get torn up by the Weck. Most of that nervousness went out the window at the first stroke.


The weck with persona blade is a very light razor (and probably due to my apprehension) I used a very light touch. I managed to get through the first two passes (WTG, ATG on neck, XTG on face) on my first shave with no weepers until the very end when I overworked the ATG pass under my chin where I scored a very minor weeper. At this time, it was late, I had a shave that was DFS+ with no irritation, so I decided to call it a night rather than press on through a third shave.

My second shave was Monday morning. I'd been up late the two nights before and had been out of the house very long both days so I woke up a little late for church. I thought about forgoing the shave, but decided to put the Weck to the test, but again limited myself to two passes. Right off the bat I wound up with a minor cut on the sideburn area. I thought this had been a nick, but later found a thin red line indicating a misplaced blade. Also on the first pass, in one stroke I wound up with two weepers on the front of my chin. One was very minor (and honestly might have just been blood from the first, the second was a small nick, but bled enough to flow through the lather of my next pass, but not enough to drip and eventually required use of the styptic pencil. Other than that, the second shave went well and in the two passes got about as close to a BBS as you can without quite getting there DFS++. Had I time for the third pass I could have easily reached BBS--or maybe given my rush and exhaustion I may have turned my face to hamburger.

I've found that the Weck (or I assume other shavettes) has some definite pluses and some minuses. It's possible my view toward these could change over use, but I think they'd likely stay the same:

Plusses:

Close cut on first pass. Right now with my straights, my first pass doesn't really mow down a lot of growth. It does definitely cut hair, but nothing I could do one pass with and walk out of the house. The keen edge on the blade of the weck mows down hair on the first pass and both shaves I could have easily quit after one pass and been close to DFS quality...it reminds me a bit of the r41 in this regard, though the r41 likely shaves close (though that could be my lacking technique)

The Weck provides a smooth shave. The light blade cuts through hair and goes to work without much resistance.

The Weck provides a fast shave. Both two pass shaves took less than 15 minutes including prep and cleanup. This is a little faster than my straights at the moment (though that is improving), but still probably a bit slower than I'd be with the r41.

The Weck provides an even, reliable shave. (I see this with my other razors as well now, I'm guessing I would have had similar or worse difficulties in terms of even shaves were I starting out straight shaving with the Weck--see below)

Minuses:
The Weck is lightweight--really lightweight. I think there is some good to this, but the light weight offers a little less stability with the blade and I find that the razor can seen to slip in my hand a bit, this hasn't caused injury yet, but I see where it could.

The blade surface is small. This has a couple drawbacks. First, this also can affect stability of the blade (though also gives some more agility, a plus). Second (and this is a minor quip) it the small width of the blade requires more rinsing as it can't stack as much lather on it. It might not be a great thing to do, but with a straight, I can start on the cheek and make my way with strokes all the way down my face and the side of the neck before having to rinse. I don't always do this, but it allows more focus on my strokes and what I'm doing. The Weck being a lightweight can't hold the lather and my attention turns away from my face toward rinsing far more frequently.

No stropping. This too could be a plus, but for me feels like a minus. This is a funny thing because the maintenance requirements of straights (stopping, honing to a lesser degree, and storing) were a big drawback for me in starting to use straights. However once I started stropping and worked it into my routine, I found I enjoyed it. Not to a crazy amount, but it became part of my routine. I lather, then strop while the lather moisturizes my face, then I move on to the shave. Likewise at the end, I use alum, then strop, then rinse followed by ASB. No stropping now throws my rhythm off.

There's also something intangible that I can't really put to words. There's something about my shave with a straight that feels better than even the Weck. The weck provides a great close shave (especially on the first pass) that might be better than some of my straight shaves. The r41 shaves are certainly still a bit better. This might just be a mental thing, but I walk away from the straight shave feeling like it was better, even though the shave might not be as close.

All in all, I've enjoyed my experience with the Weck and am thankful for the chance to use it. I still look forward to a couple more uses with it and definitely want to try at least one full three-pass shave before I pass it to the next user. I could see myself buying a shavette for travel and/or quick shaves when I'm in a hurry. Still, there's a big part of me that can't wait to get back to my regular straights (in fact there might have been a couple straight razors on my shoulder this morning encouraging me to just mail the box off today). had I gone for three passes on Sunday, I likely would have mailed it out, but I still want to push the Weck to see what she is capable of.