Which variable is most important?

[jhclare]

Hi all,

I was just musing today (whilst shaving!) about this.

We all use different razors/blades/soap/cream/brush combos.

Which single item makes the most difference to one's shave?

Personally, I think prep and lather make the most difference, followed by blade.

If the lather is good and slick, then even a poor blade should do a reasonable job. A great blade with poor lather and prep? Nasty!

What are your opinions?

[Alacrity59]

My vote(s) are for prep and technique.

[scoopster]

Technique.

[Gruder]

I'll agree with technique, which I'll add is a function of which razor you're wielding (as technique varies from razor to razor).

[Kbennett]

Technique with lather being a distant second.

[Zach V.]

I think technique is most important, followed by prep (including brush and cream, etc.), and then blade.

If you don't have good technique- mastery of blade angle and pressure- you'll get a terrible shave, regardless of prep and blade.

And I've got to play devil's advocate here. For me, and for perhaps many other guys, this whole idea of "prep" is not that complicated. My prep consists of letting hot water hit my face in the shower for three or four minutes, and then letting the shave cream set on the face for a couple of minutes before I shave. Maybe 3 or 4 times a week I'll gently exfoliate in the shower as well. That's it. And it works great.

I know that there are stickys on prep, and everything else, with complex lists of step by step proccesses and the like. But how much of the effectiveness of these prep routines is real, and how much is placebo effect and psychological? I'm wondering if some of those guys rely on prep for mental reasons instead of physical reasons.

I'm not trying to "dis" on any guys who might have a long prep routine. If it works for you, cool. There's certainly nothing wrong with it. Whatever works. I'm not attempting to take the validity away from extended prep, rather, I'm merely suggesting that perhaps not everyone needs it.

I just don't want new guys to think that they automatically have to use a long comlicated prep routine to get a good DE shave. For some, it might scare them off. And if they are taught to use long prep routines in the beginning, they might feel mentally trapped by them, and think that that they must use them to get a good shave.

Strictly IMHO, and only my own insignificant 2 cents

[soapbox]

The only reason I'd say "technique" is that you can't get a good shave without acceptable technique, but I wouldn't want to try my acceptable technique on a dry face, either...

[Eagle]

I'm going to wuss out and say they are all interconnected and interdependent on one another. The only mildly weak link, if you can call it one, is the prep IMO. You can do a 1/2 ass prep, use good lather with a sharp blade and still get a real good shave. Maybe not perfect, but perfectly fine.

I reiterate however, each stage has its place at the table.

[Bflobill 1125]

Technique, razor,blade in that order.

[pibeandres]

nthing technique.

[gabeyb]

Technique followed by prep. Though technique varies from razor to razor...even if just slightly.

[StillShaving]

Prep & quality of lather is the #1 factor IMHO. Technique is also important but more straightforward and intuitive.

As an experiment I once tried to see how much mileage I could get from a single razor blade (Derby in this experiment). I went nearly 3 weeks before giving up but could still get an okay shave. In the process I found that beard prep and quality of shaving cream (lather) made a big difference after a week or so of using the blade. Prep was the difference between getting an acceptable versus a horrible shave.