Does aggressive = aggressive? (and other contemplations)

Here's a question I've never seen discussed here (although I may well have missed it). I'm not sure how to put this clearly. Let's say razor "A" is a non-adjustable that's fairly aggressive. And razor "B" is adjustable (for example, my beloved Gillette Super Adjustable). I open up razor B to the point where it's about as aggressive as razor A. Would the shaves feel comparable? In other words, if an adjustable is opened to be quantitatively like an aggressive non-adjustable (if the amount of aggressiveness is similar), is the feeling similar?

Does this even make any sense? (The caffeine hasn't really taken effect yet this morning...)

Here's where I'm going with this: for my birthday, I was going to give myself the gift of simplicity. I felt like paring down and finding the one perfect razor. "Simplify, simplify", as Thoreau said. So I gave away my Fatboy, my several Slims, a few straights I wasn't using. I was going to buy a Feather All Stainless Steel. I kept my one favorite vintage razor - my Super Adjustable - in case the Feather didn't work out. But....

I had second thoughts. I'm feeling another bout of RAD coming on. Oh yes, oh yes, oh yes. Complicate, complicate! (Sorry, there, Mr. Thoreau.)

So the question of the moment is what razor to buy next. Here are the stats:

I've tried the Fatboy, Slim, and Super Adjustable. My favorite so far has been the Super, set to 1. Higher settings feel too harsh - with any blade. (This is why I asked above about aggressiveness.) Fatboy and Slim were ok, but harder avoid irritation or nicks. I haven't tried any other razors.

So it seems I like my razors very, very mild. But I do have a heavy beard and sensitive skin. Might it be a good idea to try the other end of the scale and go more aggressive?

My usual blades are Iridium; I also like the Yellow box 7 O'Clock. Crystal and Astra take too many passes and feel harsh. Feather feels too harsh to begin with.

Any razor recommendations?

Thanks, gentlemen!

You'll probably hear cries to try a Tech sometime soon. I prefer the Star DEs that you can get on the bay for $5 to the Tech, but each will give you a very "mild' shave. As to your Q about whether the razors will feel the same at about the same gap... not necessarily. Superspeeds and Slims feel about the same as the blade angles and head profiles are similar, but I dare say it'll feel different than a Fatboy, or a Progress.

I would actually suggest going the other route, as you said, and going a bit more aggressive. I, peronally, got much more irritation when using my Slim below a 5 than when using it above a 5. I think if you try out all of the different numbers from 1 to 9 you'll find that you can get a much more comfortable shave at higher numbers simply because you have more control over the blade and aren't relying as much on the safety bar to protect you.

The best DE I've used is the Red Tip. It feels great and the gap is close to a Slim at about a 5 (though I'd put it closer to a 4 or 4.5 in terms of feel).

Okay, I'll cry out. Try a fat-handled tech!
They're cheap, simple, and will last forever.
You can pair any number of different blades in it to get the feel you want.
-- Chet

orpheus said:

Here's a question I've never seen discussed here (although I may well have missed it). I'm not sure how to put this clearly. Let's say razor "A" is a non-adjustable that's fairly aggressive. And razor "B" is adjustable (for example, my beloved Gillette Super Adjustable). I open up razor B to the point where it's about as aggressive as razor A. Would the shaves feel comparable? In other words, if an adjustable is opened to be quantitatively like an aggressive non-adjustable (if the amount of aggressiveness is similar), is the feeling similar?


Thanks, gentlemen!

Click to expand...

If you open the adjustable up to the point that the blade gap (between the blade and the safety bar) is the same, they may or may not feel similar. There are so many other variables, such as the blade projection, the height of the cap etc. that the gap is only one of many parameters. They may also have slightly different blade angles which will affect how they feel.

As long as it has enough adjust-ability, you probably can set the adjustable so it feels and shaves pretty much like the fixed head, but you will have to do it by trial and error.

Unfortunately, while I like the simplify concept, you really need to complicate first so you can narrow down what you like.

For the record, I would probably recommend a EJ D89L. Nice and mild for your sensitive skin, but solidly made.

R89

I have to imagine that you're doing something wrong if a Gillette adjustable set higher than one feels harsh to you. At one it's barely cutting any hair.

If you really have a tough beard it would take 5 or 6 passes to get a decent shave with a Slim or a Super Adjustable set at one.

How long have you been DE shaving? How good is your technique? You might want to continue experimenting with blade angles for a few months before you decide whether you want your razor to be more aggressive or if you really want to go with a very mild razor.

My best suggestion for you is the fat handles tech like someone else suggested. It is very mild, but when paired with a sharp blade like a feather it gives a very-close shave. The design of the tech greatly evens out the potential harshness you could experience from a sharp blade. My skin is similar to yours and it is honestly the easiest way to get a phenomenal shave. I love my adjustables and straights, but the tech/feather combo is a win for sure

Thank you all for your input. If anyone has any other thoughts, please weigh in!

Taking the advice of several of you, I've just bought a fat-handled tech (thank you, Chester!). I'll let you know how it turns out.

@kingfisher: the strange thing is that I've been DE shaving for a number of years now, went through the learning process, honed my technique, tried different things, got better, got worse, got better. Maybe my technique has deteriorated over time. I'm not sure.

A while back, I felt that my technique had plateaued and I needed a more aggressive razor. I had been using a fat handled late 40's Tech and a '66 Lady Gillette. My goal was a comfortable 2-pass BBS. At my local flea market I was able to score a '59 Fatboy adjustable and a '30's ball handled long comb New. Both (with some practice) delivered the requisite 2-pass BBS, but the New was far more comfortable.

Lessons Learned?

• Although both razors delivered the same quality of shave, they didn't feel the same
• A New might be a worthwhile choice for you (especially if you can find a nice user grade shaver at a flea market for $10 - $20).

I am a newbie but can't help echoing Kingfisher's comment. On my Super Adjustable set at one, [orig the blade does not project past the head cap; revision: the gap between the blade and guard is extremely small--sorry]. I believe Leisureguy has also made a similar comment.

So you may have been using extra pressure to get a shave, and your muscle memory may have applied that pressure when you used the Fatboy and the Slim, resulting in the nicks. You might consider setting the SA on 3 (or 5 depending on the blade's mildness) and work on your blade angle and pressure for awhile.

This may be the ultimate contrarian suggestion but - find a FaTip to try. I'd say Joris Palladium but that would be a very expensive experiment.