Mantic's Advanced Shaving techniques

[Torretta13]

"J-Hooking", "The Gillette Slide", and "Blade buffing." Has anyone on the board ever actually employed any of these techniques? If so, were they effective, or did you just wind up cutting yourself and/or giving yourself razor burn? I am thinking about trying the "Blade buffing" technique to get the pesky patches of hair, which remain in the crevice where my jawline/chin meets my neck, but I am kind of scared that I might wind up ripping my skin to shreds. So, has anyone ever followed Mantic's lead by going the "Advanced" route while shaving, or no?

[The Count of Merkur Cristo]

Torretta13:
I suggest you check out the below Thread and Posted Replies on Advanced Techniques that might shed some light in regard to your questions and concerns.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthr...light=advanced

Christopher

[Charles Darwin]

I am thinking about trying the "Blade buffing" technique to get the pesky patches of hair, which remain in the crevice where my jawline/chin meets my neck, but I am kind of scared that I might wind up ripping my skin to shreds. So, has anyone ever followed Mantic's lead by going the "Advanced" route while shaving, or no?

This is the only one I've ever tried - and I do it every chance I get (when I have time for a "longer" shave.

Blade buffing in that exact area, and sometimes on my neck and cheeks is a great way (for me) to do touch-ups on those areas after my initial 3 passes.

I like to add pressure (GASP!) on the upstroke (moving against the blade), and then removing pressure for the cutting stroke.

[Go West Young Man]

Those are just fancy names for "figure out what works best for you".

[binowatch]

I have found myself using blade buffing with my ATG pass right off-works great both cheeks and neck. If you call it advanced-beard mapping really improves results-I honestly can get BBS with two passes if I blade buff ATG and make my WTG and ATG passes directed by direction of beard growth and not N/S/E/W!

[Torretta13]

CharlesDarwin, I am trying to work up the nerve to attempt blade buffing for the first time, but I am kind of scared. I always have 2-3 patches of stubborn hair right underneath my chin/jawline, which I have trouble shaving.

[davros]

I don't recall ever cutting myself buffing (and I can cut myself with Bic Sensitives), but it can be a bit sore. If you still have a cartridge razor kicking about, you can always try it with that first.

[ackvil]

I use J hooking on my neck if it needs it for my final pass.

Blade buffing works great on my face to touch up any areas that I miss.

[DSB]

Blade buffing and J-Hooking work great for me around my jawline (I shave with a slant). You won't know if it works for you until you try it!

[akira7799]

Blade buffing and J-Hooking work great for me around my jawline (I shave with a slant). You won't know if it works for you until you try it!

+1

I use the same in this area.

[Charles Darwin]

CharlesDarwin, I am trying to work up the nerve to attempt blade buffing for the first time, but I am kind of scared. I always have 2-3 patches of stubborn hair right underneath my chin/jawline, which I have trouble shaving.

Continuing with my pressure on the upstroke, I also let the lather build on the razor, and rinse less often. I got bit a little the first couple of times I did the blade-buffing, but eventually it got really smooth - let the lather build up and cushion it.

[SiBurning]

Of course people use them successfully. He's not making it up to impress you.

Hate to put it this way, but if you're afraid to try them, you probably haven't got both the skill and confidence needed to use them successfully. You really want to be experienced and comfortable to the point where you can shave without half looking going mostly by the feel on your face. Even then, it's better start off slowly with a slight curve, a tiny angle, or a single gentle backstroke. But the two aren't mutually exclusive, either.

[john shea]

I use buffing on spots where I have trouble removing all the stubble, but only do so after my WTG, relather, XTG strokes have been completed. I consider it for touch-up use only after beard reduction and rinsing my face with warm and then cold water.

My difficult spots are under my chin and along the jaw line. I can never get my neck perfectly BBS.

I buff WTG, XTG, and ATG using very light pressure while keeping my face wet over places where I feel stubble. I rely on razor feel, sound, and face touching to judge the right razor angle and my level of success on difficult spots. I can usually avoid weepers and significant irritation. However, the more passes one makes over a difficult area, the greater the prospect of getting a weeper and irritation.

I usually can get a very good and close to BBS shave, but some days are not so successful and I will quit having achieved a good shave before I start irritating my face.

My face is fairly resistant to shaving irritation. Minor irritation passes quickly for me and I do not get ingrown hairs.

I shower immediately before shaving and let a puck of MWF soak while showering. I find the MWF very helpful for minimizing the risk of weepers and irritation and keep my face at first lathered and then wet until finished.

Buffing helps, but not as much as good preparation, the MWF, and using a light touch with the razor. Once I have significantly reduced my beard, my face tolerates multiple passes from any direction as long as I keep my touch light, I am careful about the razor angle, and do not over do the number of repeat strokes.

I shave with a Gillette Slim, A Merkur Vision, and a Merkur HD in rotation with good success using Merkur, Derby, and German Wilkerson blades.

B & B has been very helpful for improving the quality of my DE shave while reducing the level of irritation and frequency of weepers.

HTH

[christhach]

Great video, isn't it? The Gillette Slide (on my cheeks / jaw / jowls), and Blade buffing (particularly on my chin area) work wonders for me and are part of my standard shaving routine now.

The J Hook, on the other hand, scares the crap out of me and I just won't do it!

[Charles Darwin]

Great video, isn't it? The Gillette Slide (on my cheeks / jaw / jowls), and Blade buffing (particularly on my chin area) work wonders for me and are part of my standard shaving routine now.

The J Hook, on the other hand, scares the crap out of me and I just won't do it!

Funny - the Gillette Slide looked like a face-ripper to me. Scares the bejeezes outta me to even think about it!

J-hooking looked interesting, but also scary. Plus, I don't think I have enough face to finish the whole letter. Can I do a lower-case j?

[BladeDE40]

Those are just fancy names for "figure out what works best for you".

+1...just fancy names for a variety of techniques used to clean your follicular manifold...

[mantic]

...The J Hook, on the other hand, scares the crap out of me and I just won't do it!

If its any consolation, it took me about six months to work up the nerve to try J-hooking after it was shown to me. When I finally did try it, J-hooking was actually *less* "dangerous" (fewer nicks, cuts, or burn while I was learning) for me than blade buffing (YMMV of course).

Charles' comment about extra lather on the razor is interesting: I'll have to try that. Generally, a thick coating of lather is prudent: squeeze up some of that nice, super-hydrated lather from the center of the brush. Or use a soap puck (actually a soap stick works really well for this) and rub some soap directly on the area before you go to work on it.

--Mark

[dpm802]

I use J-Hooking to get one pesky area on the right side of my neck that has defied every shaving tool I've used in the last 40 years ... with this technique, it comes clean. I first started doing it with a Sledgehammer Slant / Feather, but now, I can BBS that trouble spot with any razor/blade combo.

I use Blade Buffing all over. There's nothing tricky about it and its very easy for a beginner to apply.

I've never used the Gillette Slide ... the layout of my beard and the wearing of a goatee and sideburns doesn't lend itself to this practice.

But don't try advanced moves until you've got your basic technique down pat. You should be good enough with your razor that you don't make a conscious effort on things like blade angle and no pressure. These should be second nature and you should be doing them without thinking about it every time.

If you're still getting nicks and weepers all the time, you're not ready for the advanced stuff. Likewise, if you're not producing at least a DFS every time, you're not ready.

Keeping watching the mantic videos in the meantime. I've seen some of them a dozen times or more, and I still learn something new with each viewing.

You'll know when its time to move on to the advanced moves.

[Eric V]

I've tried all three technics, and they do work for me. I don't use them all the time, but do use them if I want a closer shave in certain areas.

Be gentle! Use a special technic sparingly, especially at first!

[Steve G]

I employ all three techniques; sometimes in combination
To be fair I always apparently did by natural experimentation I suppose. Definitely try it out, be gentle.... it's a safety razor after all, won't kill ya

P.S. - Probably don't try the Gillette Slide if you're using a Slant, that might bite.