Slim dialed up to 9

[Mad Man]

Hey folks,

Finally worked up the courage to open the slim right up.

Bowl lathered some TOBS Shaving Shop with a touch of glycerin and my boar anticipating a standard 3pass shave with the slim on 5. In a moment of madness I just cranked her to the stops and started.

First WTG pass did a lot of reduction. Second XTG. All I needed then was some buff n touch up around the mouth and chin and not wanting to press my luck I came back to 5.

Ok - it wasn't BBS all over but it was a DFS. I was way careful and took my time.

No weepers, no cuts. A little hot face high up on the cheeks from where I commenced my first passes with too much pressure but no obvious redness/burn.

Verdict; the blade was a derby on it's 4th shave so my results could gave been diffo with an Astra or Personna red on it's first go. But to come out the other end unscathed was rewarding. If nothing else the blade gap forced me to respect the razor and concentrate more: a good thing, right?

For any other noobs out there slinging the slim who haven't opened them up: go for it!

[Tim_McD]

Pretty ballsy!

I have cranked it to 7 only once during a shave and the burn was evident by the second stroke. I leave it at 5 and get pretty nice shaves w/o any irritation or nicks. I would have to develop a pretty good stubble field to attempt a #9 pass. That would mean too many days w/o shaving....and that aint gonna happen

[DOLLARBILL]

Keep using it !
ENJOY YOUR SHAVE!

[Sledgehammer39]

Congrats!!

[barneykiller]

After 3 days of not shaving I crank my Fatboy up to 7 but that's once a week. Maybe this week I'll crank it to 9. Maybe.

[kentclark]

A Slim on 9 feels about equivalent to an old type or new improved head (quite efficient/aggressive). And I like it! Personal preference, of course, but I've found using such a razor for fewer passes gives me better results with less irritation.

EDIT: for clarification above

[meathosxx]

Well most of the adjustable Gillette adjustable razors are quite mild. Newbies, I would not recommend doing this until you get your technique perfect as this could cause severe problems.
I personally have tried my fatboy and slim at 9. They do a very good job. I agree with Kentclark about how it feels. I don't think it's necessary though. I found that these razors have a sweet angle which gives you this kind of a shave at milder settings. At least this is my feeling.

[random-hero]

Congrats. I might try that with my fatboy soon

[Mad Man]

9 hours later report.

Still a little "hotface" only on the tops of the cheeks - my post shave was HR, alum (quite comfy), CR, Proraso AS and then Nivea Balm (yep, for those regular readers you know Mad Man doesn't do the balm unless he expects a little heat.

verdict? agree with meathosxx that while a 9 shave is kinda "pushing the envelope" its a bit unnecessary. I've commented before on Comfort versus Closeness and for me Comfort is King right now. The only person who REALLY knows its DFS rather than BBS is me. With 3 months of DE shaving only under my belt that's good enough methinks.

But it was fun opening that bad girl right up...

[stuart12dz]

I always thought that the idea of an adjustable razor was not to see how high you can "crank it up", but rather, at what setting can you obtain a BBS or DFS without any post shave discomfort. AFAIK, you neither receive any bonus points, nor are any congratulations in order for shaving with a Fatboy/Slim on #9.

Some people have to shave on a high setting because of a tough/coarse beard. Many others get a great shave on #4 or #5. It's a case of YMMV.

I think some of you are missing the point of an adjustable razor.

As always, this is my opinion and I will always respect yours.

[Mad Man]

Thanks Stuart,

neither was I looking for nor expecting bonus points - as you correctly identified the idea of the adjustable may be to see at what setting you can obtain a BBS or DFS. As someone who has not tried the higher settings I investigated what a wider blade gap could offer in comfort versus closeness.

This was my first shave at 9. I'm sure Gillette in it's infinite wisdom put the 9 there for a reason - and yes, my beard is VERY coarse and I am prone to bumps hence my curiosity in testing the adjustable.

I sincerely apologize to you good sir if in my language I sounded as if I was fishing for compliments - as a Newbie I am merely experiementing with a setting I have not tried to shave with before - and offering my own insight that with a wider setting, a great deal more respect and care was warranted.

With Respect,

Mad Man.

[ackvil]

My last pass with a Slim or FB is at 9 (except for me neck) and the resulting shave is great.

[global_dev]

Stu-

what a kill-joy.. :001_tt2: Congrats are definitely in order ( +3 experience points and +1 hit point) as it does take a certain amount of bravery to test "9"... I do agree that 9 isn't the optimal setting for everyone, but unless you try it out you'll never know.. and it IS a little bad ass-ery to open her up to 9. a bit of fun.. I also tested out a slim (earlier) and FB on 9 (with a feather) this weekend (FB is my current travel razor) and i found for the moment it wasn't a better shave, in fact i could believe how smooth my FB was on 3. perhaps it's just the way i hold the razor though... I looked at setting 1 also and it looked like there barely a way to shave. I will try it though one day.. just for fun!!! hopefully




I always thought that the idea of an adjustable razor was not to see how high you can "crank it up", but rather, at what setting can you obtain a BBS or DFS without any post shave discomfort. AFAIK, you neither receive any bonus points, nor are any congratulations in order for shaving with a Fatboy/Slim on #9.

Some people have to shave on a high setting because of a tough/coarse beard. Many others get a great shave on #4 or #5. It's a case of YMMV.

I think some of you are missing the point of an adjustable razor.

As always, this is my opinion and I will always respect yours.

[Dr. Francois]

203437

Don't crank any further! :-)

[coachschaller]

I normally use the 9 setting only dialing down for an occasional trial. I use a straight most of the time but do an extra East-West pass on the neck for BBS. I like the feather blades and Gillette 7 yellows with it the best!

[wallstreet77]

Next time give that baby a try with an Astra blade. Ive been adjusting to 9 on the final pass these days and that works well too!

[coachschaller]

Next time give that baby a try with an Astra blade. Ive been adjusting to 9 on the final pass these days and that works well too!
Been there done that as well. Astra blades are a little harsh and haven't lasted as long for me, but it is my number 3 blade behind my 7 yellow

[Mad Man]

24 hours later....

Went back to 4 as I'm trying Personna Reds in the slim for the first time.

Very comfortable but sacrificed a bit of closeness; DFS/SAS (on the neck).

[DDH]

Congrats!

Even though I don't use the Slim often, when I do I use a Feather set to 9.

[hellahella]

I only used mine on 9 and found the need for something more aggressive, so I got a Muhle R41.

[mandoman]

Congrats. i crank mine to 9 all the time same with my fat boy

[RonV]

7 gives me the perfect shave-- went to 8 then back

[stuart12dz]

@MadMan

No worries, mate. I didn't mean to rain on your parade.

I know that my face and neck would feel pretty raw if my FB/Slim were set on #9. The worst feeling for me is a burning face/neck all day. It's only one rung below having to undergo bowel surgery with a stick out in the bush. :)

[Mad Man]

@MadMan

No worries, mate. I didn't mean to rain on your parade.

I know that my face and neck would feel pretty raw if my FB/Slim were set on #9. The worst feeling for me is a burning face/neck all day. It's only one rung below having to undergo bowel surgery with a stick out in the bush. :)

I'm hearing ya stu.

That's why I came back to a less aggressive blade gap today.

Not so close, but a heck of a lot more comfortable.

[barneykiller]

After 3 days of not shaving fatboy set at 9 first pass. Epic beard reduction. Second pass set to 5 finished the shave. First time I've felt no need for a third pass. Fun shave :)