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Forget BBS & DFS....How about ACS (Aggressive Comfortable Shave)

I know that the way wet shavers rate their "best" type of shave is one of the subjective things that makes this hobby interesting. I've been using open-combs and solid guard DE's with various blade combinations lately. I know what crossing the line to irritation feels like but I've been hitting a new level of shave closeness. I can reach a DFS shave with a Tech/Feather combo quite easily and can reach a BBS shave from a Tuckaway/Astra or Senator/Lab combo. Lately, my shave outcomes straddles the line between BBS and irritation without crossing over to the dreaded red side.
I've loaded my Criterion NEW Deluxe with a Gillette Yellow blade and today I loaded my Aristocrat Jr. with a Feather and it felt like a precise surgical procedure (in a good way). I was vigilant about my technique and pressure. The outcome was amazing. I used my Alum pass as a marker and had no weepers or burn. It was great. It's not something I'm striving for but WOW!!!:lol:
Don't get me wrong, I love a nice smooth shave most of the time but this is the furthest I've taken my shaves. Is this what the R41's shave feels like? The only way to describe it is that I had an Aggressive Comfortable Shave. Can anyone relate?
 
So... congrats? It sounds to me like your standards just went up. I do not remember exactly when that happened to me, but I can definitely tell when I go back to gear that used to be good enough.

I try not to go for that feeling every day, though. Maybe it is just my skin, but I think some of that extra-smooth feeling comes from scraping off epidermis, even when there is no irritation. Sometimes that skin damage seems to accumulate over a few days, and that fine line between smoothness and irritation narrows - or disappears entirely.
 
I shoot for the smoothest, closest, most comfortable shave I can give myself every day.

Just about every day recently I have used a different razor/blade/straight but the results are always the same; BBS close, smooth, comfortable shave.

I did a head to head comparison of the Muhle R41 2011 model against the Gillette Tech. These are the most aggressive and mildest DE razors made.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/284877-The-absurdity-of-Aggressive-VS-Mild

The resulting shaves I got were identical from both razors. I did not expect this when I started but I am not surprised either.

This is NOT to say that I don't have a preference as to which razor/blade I choose. Just to say that it does not matter what I pick up, I can get the same smooth, close, comfortable shave with anything.
 
I have a small collection of 10 or so DEs and 6 or 7 straights. It's pretty easy to simply pick out a razor or two (or three) and just have fun shaving. By the time I've gotten through 2 to 3 passes - I have as close of a shave as I'm ever likely to need - plus it's fun to use 2, 3 or even 4 different razors during a shaving session. I've accumulated a few razors in a short amount of time - so I'm still having a blast experimenting with them all. I'm hopeful I won't tire of this new "hobby" anytime soon.
 
+1 on all of the comments. There are many fun aspects about wet shaving. The collecting, infinite combinations, software, it's really fun. I do agree about the epidermis levels. The ACS shaves isn't something I'm striving for but I can imagine that during the summer (my face gets really oily) that these shaves will be something I like. But I'm at a point, like you guys, that I can pull out most of my razors out and find the right combination to give me a comfortable shave. It's something that has taken the last couple of years of wet shaving to achieve. There's a lot more to play and experiment with, that's why it's so fun.
 
no such thing for me..aggressive=tugging and pulling for the first stroke..then gets slightly easier after that..lol
 
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