How do you grip your razor?

Badger Bill · Jul 19, 2014

Personally, I really enjoy gripping my razor in the following manner: I really am gripping it up, fairly close to the head with my thumb and pointer and middle fingers, with my ring finger loosely resting lower on the handle, and with my little finger's side supporting the base of the handle. So the base of the handle is resting on the inner side of my little finger.

Out of curiosity, does anyone else do this? I've tried shaving with my little finger actually on the knurled portion of handles and find that I have much less control when gripping it like this. Placing the base on my little finger's side actually gives me MUCH more control and allows me to make tiny adjustments in angle that I wouldn't be able to otherwise.

I know this post is off the wall a bit, but we all established that I'm crazy in another recent thread so I figured I might as well just ask away!! :thumbup:

Will be interested to hear what people say.

TonyJ · Jul 19, 2014

This grip thing IS a important affect onshaving. I will get back to this thread tomorrow, now it's a bit late in here
I was suprised with straights how limited was many peoples grip

Jeff_H · Jul 19, 2014

Bill....I generally hold the handle in my right hand and shave. If I want to go ATG I turn the razor upside down. It's really not much more complicated than that.

If your using an English razor, you need to put your little pinky finger in the air, like you're sipping tea. Otherwise it won't respond correctly. All of this will get you BBS.

Badger Bill · Jul 19, 2014

Jeff_H said:
If your using an English razor, you need to put your little pinky finger in the air, like you're sipping tea. Otherwise it won't respond correctly. All of this will get you BBS.

Should have known I'd get a response like this from you Jeff. :lol:

Good one.

nuclearblast · Jul 19, 2014

Somehow holding it close to the head doesn't feel comfortable.
My level of craziness is a notch above yours since I even bothered taking pics to show you. I am right-handed, and I only hold the razor with my right hand while I shave, the left stretches the skin when needed.

The first pic shows you how I hold it for my first pass ( WTG) on both sides of my face and XTG and ATG on the right side.

The second shows you how I hold it for the XTG and ATG on the left side. Might look unorthodox but it works for me and I have never dropped a razor ( knocks on wood!!!).

aihpcfl · Jul 19, 2014

Thumb and two fingers at the bottom of the razor handle.

Whatever is comfortable and yields good results is okay.

Badger Bill · Jul 19, 2014

Interesting. Thanks for the pics Edgar. I'm traveling this weekend but I'll have to post some pics of how I hold it when I get home if I remember.

saltypaws · Jul 19, 2014

I hold it exactly the same as nuclearblast, making the same changes between passes.

I've seen shaving videos on YouTube, with guys who seem to hold the end of the razor in the palm of their hand, and almost close a fist around it. I have fairly big hands, and find that grip very awkward when using a small to medium-sized razor.

Haegar · Jul 19, 2014

No idea. I just grab it and shave, paying close attention not to drop it.

dosboss57 · Jul 19, 2014

Never really paid attention to that. Just grip 'n' go.

Badger Bill · Jul 19, 2014

Haegar said:
No idea. I just grab it and shave, paying close attention not to drop it.

dosboss57 said:
Never really paid attention to that. Just grip 'n' go.

Yes… I have a feeling many people are this way.

The motivation of this thread was that I suddenly started thinking… what if certain grips allow for more control than others? And it seems to me as though practically EVERY aspect of a shave is thoroughly debated with regularity on B&B, but I've never really seen anything about grip. So it got me thinking that perhaps people (especially newer members) might be struggling because they haven't found a grip that gives them ultimate control (if that even exists).

Just a thought, but one that seems worth exploring.

nuclearblast · Jul 19, 2014

I find the subject very interesting, especially because as you say, it can help some newbies.

120inna55 · Jul 19, 2014

For the past month or so, I've been trying to get used to my Merkur Progress. Previously I used a SuperSpeed, then a Merkur 23c, both with decent knurling. This Progress has no knurling. That, in combination with shaving in the shower with inevitable soap (slick RazoRock) all over my hands, makes it pretty difficult to hold onto the Progress. Otherwise, I like the razor, but I've yet to find a grip that's stable. Previously, I never thought about my grip---I just grabbed it and went.

cwnidog · Jul 19, 2014

aihpcfl said:
Thumb and two fingers at the bottom of the razor handle.

Whatever is comfortable and yields good results is okay.

+1 - especially that last part.

gagarin · Jul 19, 2014

Badger Bill said:
Personally, I really enjoy gripping my razor in the following manner: I really am gripping it up, fairly close to the head with my thumb and pointer and middle fingers, with my ring finger loosely resting lower on the handle, and with my little finger's side supporting the base of the handle. So the base of the handle is resting on the inner side of my little finger.

Out of curiosity, does anyone else do this? I've tried shaving with my little finger actually on the knurled portion of handles and find that I have much less control when gripping it like this. Placing the base on my little finger's side actually gives me MUCH more control and allows me to make tiny adjustments in angle that I wouldn't be able to otherwise.

I know this post is off the wall a bit, but we all established that I'm crazy in another recent thread so I figured I might as well just ask away!!

Will be interested to hear what people say.

Bill, that's exactly how I hold my razors. It gives me a very secure grip and great control. I shave in the shower (full face and head), and I never lose my grip and drop a razor.

Regards,

Jeff_H · Jul 19, 2014

Ok, seriously. I hold my hand parallel to the floor, like I was going o hold a glass, and rest the bottom of the handle (Weber Classic) on the side of my pinky, right at the tip. My ring finger rests on the smooth band in the handle at about the back of the first knuckle, right above the end piece... there's a little ridge there. My middle finger rests right on top of the ring finger. My index finger rests all the way up at the top of the knurling, right on the pad of the finger. My thumb rests directly across from my middle finger. Its actually a lot like my golf grip, although I can't play competitively any longer.

If you look at Edgar's pic, it's very similar to mine, but my index finger would be up on the numbers of the Fat Boy.

If I remember in the morning I'll take a pic, just for crazy olé Bill.

Vespasian · Jul 19, 2014

I don't "grip" the razor at all. I hold it really gently between first three fingers and thumb, just below the dial (Fatboy.) I use the fingers to guide it just right, very light touch, trying to let the weight of the razor do the work. Two passes and clean-up, for consistently good shaves.

I shaved with a FB for the first 20+ years of my shaving life, so when I went back this year to DE shaving, all my technique came back. I had to look just now to see how I did it; it's part of my "muscle memory."

BSAGuy · Jul 20, 2014

+1 for this. I use different grips on different days and for different surfaces. I try not to over think this. It's only shaving.

dosboss57 said:
Never really paid attention to that. Just grip 'n' go.

mswofford · Jul 20, 2014

Bill; My DE & SE razors all have short handles and I hold them exactly as you describe. Your method allows very light pressure. Of course, with my English Tech, I have to extend my pinky as Jeff described to make it function properly. :001_cool:

Haegar · Jul 20, 2014

Haegar said:
No idea. I just grab it and shave, paying close attention not to drop it.

dosboss57 said:
Never really paid attention to that. Just grip 'n' go.

You're a lucky man, indeed. I mean, I'm really anxious about dropping my razor, so I usually grab it pretty hard, until my knuckles first turn white, then yellow green and finally blue. About twice a week I don't manage to release the razor by the end of the shave. In the beginning my colleagues laughed at me when I showed up at the office with the razor still like soldered to my right hand. Things complicated even more when I first showed up at lunch... you know, fork in my left, razor in my right. In the end I resolved the problem by unscrewing the razor head from its handle (which is why stopped using TTOs and 2-piece razors), and at lunch I simply screw on a steak knive blade to the razor handle - et voilà!

Search

How do you grip your razor?

Badger Bill

TonyJ

Jeff_H

Badger Bill

nuclearblast

aihpcfl

Badger Bill

saltypaws

Haegar

dosboss57

Badger Bill

nuclearblast

120inna55

cwnidog

gagarin

Jeff_H

Vespasian

BSAGuy

mswofford

Rest in Peace

Haegar

Similar threads