Proper blade angle?

[wsmith]

As I am a new DE razor owner I am always looking for ways to improve my technique and consistency.

Current equipment includes a vulfix super badger brush, Merker DE short razor, just used up my last Taylor (rose) cream and now have the sandalwood soap.

Blades have been a constant battle for me. I cannot find one that I like. I got the Delux pack from westcoastshaving.com and have found that the Feather blades perform the best for me. I am looking for any further suggestions? FYI, I just ordered the Gilette 7 o'clock super sharp's, still awaiting their shipment.

Ok...now on to my main question...I've seen the video posted on youtube by the shave guy, can't remember the name, sorry shave guy. And it gave great instructions but implementing them into my routine seem to be a bit of a challenge. I am struggling to find the right blade angle. Everything I've read says 30°, I don't really know how to translate that to my blade and face.

All help, tips, comments are greatly appreciated

[SiBurning]

Welcome to B&B.

With a DE, angle is kind of a hard thing to get a grip on. (pun intended) With a very gentle razor, where there's little gap between the head and safety bar, there's really only one way to position the thing and have the blade touch your face. With a less gentle razor, there's a little bit of play, but to make use of it probably requires varying degrees of pressure.

Expend a blade on an experiment, or do this with a used blade. Put the razor on a flat surface and see how much you can rotate the razor while keeping the blade against the surface. Your skin is flexible, and will bend a little around the head and safety bar, so you can get the razor to cut hair using wider angles than on a hard, unpliable surface, but only by using a bit of pressure to depress the skin at the head and safety bar, so that it springs back a little at the blade. Enough theory (or opinion)...

I have the Merkur HD 34C. The gentlest shave with that razor comes by placing the head against your face, and rolling it just to the point where the blade makes contact. Keep the lightest possible pressure while still holding the blade firmly against your face as you move it. If you roll the razor further, it'll be easier to shave, but at the cost of more aggressiveness. With a gentler razor, such as my '54 Gillette, I'd say to do the opposite--lay the safety bar on your face and roll until the blade touches--because it's easier to do it that way. But this doesn't work so well with the HD, which I find can be on the aggressive side if you do it that way. The beauty of the Merkur HD is how precise it is when you get it right. The Gillette is nowhere near as gentle as the Merkur can be, but it takes careful handling to keep the Merkur that tame.

[Gruder]

Welcome to B&B! I always advise listening to your shaves to get the angle right. Once you find a successful angle on an easier spot such as your cheek, try to replicate the sound of success the razor makes in that spot as you move on to shave tougher areas. Most importantly, though, use a light touch and, well, don't overthink it. Thousands and thousands of men have used these razors successfully with far less forethought. Relax, go slow, and great shaves will come!

[Trint]

I love the sound of the razor cutting hair. I am still learning and have not found a blade to lean on yet. But I think I can hear when things are good and when things are not optimal. My advice is listen and you will learn.

[mbrossar]

Two things:

1. Pressure? Let the weight of the razor provide the pressure. You should only be holding the razor in place and guiding it along. Any added pressure is likely to add irritation.
2. Angle. My favorite way to find the right angle for any particular razor (and yes, I find most razors have their own particular angle) is to hold the razor perpendicular on my arm. Pull the razor while you slowly rotate it down. As soon as you see it cutting hairs, that's the angle. Don't worry about using a lather, your arm hairs should be soft enough that you won't need it. Besides, you can't see when the razor starts cutting the hairs when they're lathered. I like using my arm because it's pretty flat and easier to see than your face. Now the tricky part, you've got to match that angle on your face and you got to keep that angle around all of the curves on your face. That's why this takes practice, but when you get it, it works great.

Good luck, welcome to B&B and keep asking questions. It's the best way to learn. Remember, YMMV, so try the advice you're given, but ultimately, you're going to have to figure out what works best for you. BTW, that's also one of the things that makes DE shaving so great is you can dial it in to your needs much better than you can with a cartridge.

BTW, if you're not getting nicks or irritation, you're probably not going to do much better than the Feathers. They are generally regarded as the sharpest blades you can get. When people don't use Feathers, it's usually because they are too sharp for them in a particular razor. And yes, if you change razors, you might need to change blades. For example, I love Feathers in my Müle, but my Müle's pretty mild. I hated Feathers when I was shaving a Merkur.

[NickCutlip]

Welcome to B&B !!

[Saltchuck]

Blades have been a constant battle for me. I cannot find one that I like....

All help, tips, comments are greatly appreciated

If you can't find a blade that you like, the problem may not be the blade. It could be your lather. No blade will work right if the lather is not right. I suggest that you review the tutorials on lathering.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=71700

[_JP_]

I've learned to feel the proper blade angle on my face. With the Merkur you should be able to feel it. I've found that Gillette Techs are the easiest to feel the blade angle with.

[whatrymes]

Try these links they give great illistrations and teachings.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=24685

http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2009/...bs&Qis=XL#qdig

[MOVIESTAR]

Welcome to B&B.

With a DE, angle is kind of a hard thing to get a grip on. (pun intended) With a very gentle razor, where there's little gap between the head and safety bar, there's really only one way to position the thing and have the blade touch your face. With a less gentle razor, there's a little bit of play, but to make use of it probably requires varying degrees of pressure.

Expend a blade on an experiment, or do this with a used blade. Put the razor on a flat surface and see how much you can rotate the razor while keeping the blade against the surface. Your skin is flexible, and will bend a little around the head and safety bar, so you can get the razor to cut hair using wider angles than on a hard, unpliable surface, but only by using a bit of pressure to depress the skin at the head and safety bar, so that it springs back a little at the blade. Enough theory (or opinion)...

I have the Merkur HD 34C. The gentlest shave with that razor comes by placing the head against your face, and rolling it just to the point where the blade makes contact. Keep the lightest possible pressure while still holding the blade firmly against your face as you move it. If you roll the razor further, it'll be easier to shave, but at the cost of more aggressiveness. With a gentler razor, such as my '54 Gillette, I'd say to do the opposite--lay the safety bar on your face and roll until the blade touches--because it's easier to do it that way. But this doesn't work so well with the HD, which I find can be on the aggressive side if you do it that way. The beauty of the Merkur HD is how precise it is when you get it right. The Gillette is nowhere near as gentle as the Merkur can be, but it takes careful handling to keep the Merkur that tame.

I agree.

[dpmtherrien]

Welcome to B&B. I believe that the best thing you can do is to find out yourself what works best. At first you'll I'm sure you'll get some nicks and cuts followed by razor burn, but in a very short time you'll find the best blades, angle, technique, etc. etc. that work the best for you. Just enjoy your shaves and the experience.

Regards,

Paul

[Rockytop]

Welcome.

You have been given a lot of good advice so far. So much of technique is trial and error. One of the best tips I ever heard, is make sure you keep your elbow up as high as possible. Hope it goes well.

[mdunn]

welcome aboard, mate