What's new

Cadet killing me.

Hello there!

Last week I just got my Cadet OC. It's a nice razor, like the longer handle compared to my Merkur HD and the weight.

With my HD i get BBS after 3 passes and a light fourth touch-pass, with almost zero burn even after applying alum which made me able to shave every day finally reaching the "zone", enjoying perfect shaves.

With the Cadet i looked for a smoother shave and closer, as the teeth allowed more contact of the lather and closer "blade hair" relation and blah blah, but after shaving 4 times all what i got is razor burn! I loaded it with my best performing blade, the Personna Med. Today I went extra careful and managed to decrease the burn, but last day when applying the alum i hated it and made me remember my early DE shaving days!

What am i doing wrong with this razor compared to my HD? Tried blade angle, pressure, the only remaining thing is changing blade which im doing on saturday, but my MED was one of the smoother blades in my stock.
 
There are a few different variables, but going from a relatively mild shaver in the HD vs. a more aggressive shaver could be part of the issue. There are many on this forum who can't use more aggressive razors for the simple fact they are too aggressive for their face and experience what you are currently no matter what combo if gear they are using. If this is not your first OC or more aggressive shaver, it could come down to blade choice, as some blades work great in some razors, but not so great in others. I like my Cadet/Razorock OC and compare it to a Fatip in terms of aggressiveness, but I can see where it may be too much for some people IMHO.
 
Well, Gaz has been around since Nov. 2011 so he's not that new... But I'm with you on the Cadet OC issue there Gaz. I had the same problems, it was just too aggressive for my liking. I ended up trading it along with a Merkur 1904 for a replated Otto Roth 1930's era open comb (essentially a Gillette New). The best trade I ever made. Traded off my most aggressive and for me unusable razor along with my most mild razor to get one that was right in the middle. Smooth as silk and yet efficient enough to get easy BBS shaves. If you want to stick with open combs, I HIGHLY recommend you try a Gillette New Long Comb razor. Fantastic razors, really.
 
Hello there!

Last week I just got my Cadet OC. It's a nice razor, like the longer handle compared to my Merkur HD and the weight.

With my HD i get BBS after 3 passes and a light fourth touch-pass, with almost zero burn even after applying alum which made me able to shave every day finally reaching the "zone", enjoying perfect shaves.

With the Cadet i looked for a smoother shave and closer, as the teeth allowed more contact of the lather and closer "blade hair" relation and blah blah, but after shaving 4 times all what i got is razor burn! I loaded it with my best performing blade, the Personna Med. Today I went extra careful and managed to decrease the burn, but last day when applying the alum i hated it and made me remember my early DE shaving days!

What am i doing wrong with this razor compared to my HD? Tried blade angle, pressure, the only remaining thing is changing blade which im doing on saturday, but my MED was one of the smoother blades in my stock.

+1 ! ,on top I got the same Hars shave with the bar Cadet....

Tam
 
Hmm... only 4 shaves with the Cadet? I might be tempted to either 1) press on through, or 2) set it aside and come back to it later.

I do not own a Cadet. When I first tried the New long comb, it was pretty rough on my face. Almost sold it! But I set it aside for a while. When I came back to it, it became somehow my closest and most comfortable razor. Somehow my hands figured out how to use it during the break!

So hang on to that Cadet!
 
I have the same problem with the FaTip. I set it aside most of the time. Can't bring myself to trade it as I love the look of it. I've found that if I use it only on special occasions or on the very rare occasion that I've missed shaving for a day I get a great shave with it. Just can't use it as an an everyday shaver.
 
I had the same prob with my Cadet OC vs the EJ. I switched to a milder blade and that has made a great difference. So for me the Cadet and Derbys are a very good combination.
 
Heh, yes, i'm not that new! Hunter must be on greetings auto pilot which is always welcomed!:thumbup:

I'll stick around at least another week with another blade. I'll try some 7oclock yellows, if that's too harsh i'll try some Astras SP Phil from the Bullgoose gave me for free along with the Cadet, perhaps knowing what might come! Lol.

Trading or selling is not an option, because first this is just my second razor, second it's cheap. I expected to like OCs and in a few months get a nice stainless steel IKON OC, now i'm looking to those bar ss razors more fondly.

I liked the extra control i got from the Cadet, now i can actually see the blade, that's nice.
 
Gaz, I've noticed that blade choices for the solid bar razors I've used don't necessarily work in the OCs I have. For me, I believe that this has to do with the blade angle. I tend to use a much steeper angle with an OC (the R41 being the most extreme angle) while shallow is better for me with a SB razor. My theory is that the same blade works and feels very different and different angles. I have a Cadet OC but I've not got enough shaves on it to tell if it's going to work for me in the long run. I can say that it is less agressive than the R41 but not by much.

When you are referring to the Ikon OC, are you talking about the Deluxe Open Comb model? If so, be aware that the Ikon Deluxe OC is much milder than most other OCs and is also much milder than the Ikon SB bottom plate that fits the same razor top plate. I certainly wouldn't let the Cadet make up your mind about open combs.
 
Gaz I can't speak for the cadet but I use so called aggressive razors (slant and Fatip) as everyday razors (I like to refer to them as efficient). I was getting the same results as you until I realized I can't use them the same way I use my EJ. What I mean is that I seem to get the same results with just two passes as I would get with my EJ with three. Try eliminating one pass. I eliminated the xtg, however experiment around. I do finish up with some light chin touch-ups. In addition to that I found that sharper blades seem to work better for me I strictly use 7 o'clock yellows.

Hope you find your zone with these more efficient razors.
 
Nice nice. I'm writing down your tips.

Honestly, i do not care about "efficiency" i love to make a 3 pass + touch ups! I just want a smooth and as close to bbs shave as i can.
 
With aggressive open comb razors, as dynagroove points out, the blade angle becomes critical. Try putting more of the face of the razor on your face by raising the angle (making the handle higher from the floor) or lowering it more. Either way you want to decrease the blade angle so that it becomes a little less aggressive. For me I have found that blade angle varies from different razors. What works, for example, with a Mergress does not work with an R.41 or SE razors. Also, pressure becomes critical with an aggressive razor, i.e., the slightest increase in pressure for me results in burn and cuts.

In the end, I have found that I prefer a less aggressive razor. I would rather do an extra pass with no burn using a milder razor than do one less pass with an aggressive one.
 
Changed blade, to a Gillette Super Thin (red black package, first try, very nice blade), handled the razor from the very tip of the handle, managed to do a 4 pass with tolerable but annoying burn, bbs and 2 nicks. Satisfied with the end result but i still have the same bbs shave with my HD and no burn.

On monday i'll shave again, i'll pay attention to blade angle and keep grabbing it from the very end of the handle.

Anyone of you guys know how the Cadet compares to the iKon OC regarding aggressiveness? Because that's the razor i'd like to get in a few months.
 
Gaz - yes I do! The iKon OC is a much milder razor. I've found with the likes of the Cadet OC and the R41, I pretty much need 2 days worth of growth (that's hair and skin!) to get a BBS with no irritation. The iKon deluxe OC can be used everyday without a problem. For me, the iKon OC is in that sweet spot between a mild SB and something like the Cadet OC.
 
Gaz - yes I do! The iKon OC is a much milder razor. I've found with the likes of the Cadet OC and the R41, I pretty much need 2 days worth of growth (that's hair and skin!) to get a BBS with no irritation. The iKon deluxe OC can be used everyday without a problem. For me, the iKon OC is in that sweet spot between a mild SB and something like the Cadet OC.

Yes indeed, with two days growth the irritation is minimal with the Cadet. Glad the iKon OC is milder :)

In a few minutes i'll shave again with the Cadet, i though was a standard weekend when i said on Monday i'd have to shave, but this is a long weekend here in Argentina due Christmas and this Sunday night i'll go out :)
 
Gaz - have a fun night out! I hope today's Cadet OC shave was better. Are you having better results with the "handle pointed to the floor" angle? I shaved with the R41 this afternoon and what a great BBS shave it was!
 
Gaz - have a fun night out! I hope today's Cadet OC shave was better. Are you having better results with the "handle pointed to the floor" angle? I shaved with the R41 this afternoon and what a great BBS shave it was!

Sunday night was a little better experience than Saturday night, bearable irritation after applying alum (from none at all with my HD) but in this case i just had 24 hours of hair and skin growth compared with 36 of Saturday.

The only difference with Saturday is that i modified the angle a lot giving more head to the face, this is, raising my elbow to up to a 45º angle.

Today i'll test your suggestion Dyna, to work with the tip of the razor pointing down, 0º elbow-face angle.

The zone i'm getting more irritation is the neck, im pretty sure it's because it's harder to keep the angle there.

I'll keep you guys updated!
 
I used my cadet for the firs ttime today. It is "efficient", and not a single hair, or a hint of stubble remained. Perfect bbs. However, my neck was on fire. I find atg passes on my neck difficult to use an uberlight touch. No doubt the source of the fire.
I enjoyed my EJ, and despite never any burn, I could never get a perfectly bbs shave. I upgraded to the ikon handle, and it was a significant improvement. There's just something about a heavier handle.
I'll give the cadet another run. Perhaps I can get bbs with 3 passes, and reduce burn on neck. I'm also betting the added heft of the ikon handle will help smooth things out, and hopefully reduce burn.
I didn't even think that blades would make a difference. Personna's have been wonderful for me. Looks like bst for the M25c
 
Top Bottom