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Multi-blade misery

Just thought I would share this:

Yesterday, while shaving without due care and attention I managed to cut myself, twice. This is the first time I have cut myself with a DE (I moved the razor sideways on my face somehow).

Anyhow, I was also having trouble getting the hair on my jawline. This hair is so tough that my Futur will 'engage' the hair and go no further if I don't move it fast enough. You could hang a small child on the end of the razor and still the hair wont give.

For the hell of it I thought, lets see what the Mach 3 makes of this. I wish I hadn't. It felt so pathetic in my hand, flaccid, impotent. I couldn't even remember how to use the thing. After two strokes ATG on my neck (something which the Futur does without batting an eyelid and with no irritation) it felt like I had used sandpaper. The Mach 3 was promptly flung across the room in disgust and disintegrated on impact.


Moral of the story: Triple the blades, triple the discomfort. :sad:
 
Tell a bit more about your shaving habits. What kind of passes are you making? Certainly we can help you out with this.

Randy
 
I have a tough beard and a hard to shave jawline that I can get clean with a Futur. Your problems might stem from the grain pattern running along your jaw.

What blade(s) are you using? That Futur should whack just about anything down. Send more info!
 
What kind of blade? WTG?

Also, I get decent results by pulling my face upward with a washcloth to bring that troublesome area above my jawbone. YMMV.
 
For the hell of it I thought, lets see what the Mach 3 makes of this. I wish I hadn't. It felt so pathetic in my hand, flaccid, impotent. I couldn't even remember how to use the thing. After two strokes ATG on my neck (something which the Futur does without batting an eyelid and with no irritation) it felt like I had used sandpaper.

A Mach 3? You have offended the Shave Gods --and were punished.

Seriously though, your initial outing with the Future along the jawline sounds like the blade was not up to the task. How many previous shaves were on that blade? From your description, Risky, it sounds like the blade was past its prime and was due for replacement. Tugging, pulling, and 'cutting' --not 'shaving' of the whiskers is an absolute indication that the blade should be swapped for fresh. If it was a new blade, perhaps you got a dud.

BTW, an 'edge-wise' move with any blade is a poor practice, and generally the result of being inattentive. I did this a week ago, received a slight cut -like a paper-cut. No blood, but it stung for a while.

I feel for ya.

-- John Gehman
 
MACH 3, well you were warned, let that be a lesson to you! 100 lines, " I WILL NOT USE A MACH 3 AGAIN" My jawline is a very frustrating area also, I know exactly what you mean when you say the blade gets hung-up, however I have recently gone back to my Progress and with either a Swede or Feather and I am now getting the closest and most comfortable shaves I have ever had (WTG,XTG x 2, ATG.) I have even done a little Gillette slide and got scarily close - you need to be completely awake at that point! But YMMV.
 
MACH 3, well you were warned, let that be a lesson to you! 100 lines, " I WILL NOT USE A MACH 3 AGAIN" My jawline is a very frustrating area also, I know exactly what you mean when you say the blade gets hung-up, however I have recently gone back to my Progress and with either a Swede or Feather and I am now getting the closest and most comfortable shaves I have ever had (WTG,XTG x 2, ATG.) I have even done a little Gillette slide and got scarily close - you need to be completely awake at that point! But YMMV.

Your not kidding about needing to be awake Paul. I've learned to do a sort of tightrope stroke along the edge of my jaw, keeping just the center of the blade on my jawline and using very, very short no pressure strokes and I can get it clean everytime without damage, but it takes a little practice.
 
Yeah, yup, yes.

It is SO hard to get a close shave all over, without time and concentration.

I too have a very tough beard, very light, thin and sensitive skin, and a huge impatient streak.

The temptation at the jawline, since it is a straight run from under the ear to the tip of the chin, is to just glide the blade along that whole path-- it is the easiest stroke. For me, it is ATG in one direction all the way-- from under my right ear to under my left ear, all the hair points at my right ear, making a stroke from my right ear towards my chin ATG, and a stroke from my chin upwards towards my left ear ATG, if you get my drift.

However, the shorter strokes seem to work best with the hardest hair. It has to be a firm short stroke.

And the tendency is for those of us with rough beard to use one of the adjustables all the way open or close to it. I have used the Vision this way, and wound up with Razor burn. I do better with my slant, it seems to have more of a built-in slicing action.

Vin
 
Well my jawline is the only part of my face I have a problem shaving (except for one spot on my neck but that's not that important.)

This is after 2 passes WTG and 2 passes XTG (from my ear to my chin along the jawline.)
This gives acceptable results, however if I want it smooth I need to go ATG:
That's from my neck to my face, over the jaw. The stubble here seems stronger than the rest of my face which keels over and dies at the sight of the Futur coming at it ATG.

Blade was a Tesco/Boots. Same problem with Merkur blades. Brand new, every single blade. If I change the angle it will go across it, but it won't cut. When the angle gets to that where it feels like it will cut it's like dragging the blade across concrete or something. Really rough. I don't really get irritation, it just refuses to cut!

Maybe I'm needing to adjust the setting on the Futur just for my jaw or try a sharper blade? Gilettes maybe?
 
Feathers. :biggrin:

Oh, and YMMV, but I've found that repeated passes in the same direction don't do me any good when I'm shaving. (Meaning that whether I do 2 passes WTG or just one, I have the same amount of stubble left afterward.) If you're doing two passes XTG from ears in towards your chin you might try flipping one of those to go from chin out to ears.
 
Try a slant with a Swedish Gillette or a Feather, if that doesn't cut your stubble you need to have your hair anlaysed for traces of titanium. I have a tough beard but that combo will give me a two pass BBS and razor burn if I'm not very careful.
 
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