No-Pressure Shaves = Great Shaves + Increased Blade Longevity

A few days ago I began to 'do' no-pressure shaves; i.e., I don't place any pressure on the razor's head when shaving. The immediate benefits were excellent barber-shop-like shaves; zero irritation; and I getting more excellent shaves per blade. Blade longevity has markedly increases.

I had been getting three shaves before making a necessary blade change. I'm on shave five with the same blade and it still feels smooth and sharp. I'm sure I'll get a couple more, if not more, shaves from the same DE. I'm using Astra SP blades, but have never gotten more than 3 shaves from one blade; I could feel degradation in a blade's edges during my third shave. No more! The zero-pressure shaves are placing less of an overall demand on the blade's edges and added to its longevity; and the shaves are smoother than I've had in decades of DE shaving. This makes sense, because my blades are no longer scraping skin, which further degrades its edges. Best I can say is, zero-pressure shaves work. I know there are guys on B&B who have been 'singing the praises' of not using pressure when shaving; and I have to applaud you guys for getting it right.

More guys should discover this. One thing I noticed, too: I started enjoying my shaves more when I was taking my time, and not fighting against the blade. A "no pressure" shave is non-intuitive, but I makes a lot of sense.

+1 on the the enjoyment of shaving when doing a no-pressure shave. I'm with you.

my beard is simply too thick, it actually pulls like crazy if i dont put pressure

Milkman said:

my beard is simply too thick, it actually pulls like crazy if i dont put pressure

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Having a thick beard is a real problem, however...a truly sharp blade should cut through a thick beard. A Voskhod won't do the trick, and neither will a Rapira or it's ilk. But a Feather or Personna Lab should do it (that is, if you have a prep of minimum three minutes in hot water).

Pulling is a classic sign that a blade isn't sharp enough, or there's insufficient prep. I hope that solves thing for you!

I've also got a really coarse and greying stubble, but I do consider Voskhod to be great blades even though I never apply pressure. I generally use them in my to go razors R41 2011 and 2013. In my experience an aggressive razor combined with a smooth blade usually gives me a really long lasting BBS.

I am learning the no pressure way. It is hard to break old habits, but I am trying and I like the results.

BSAGuy said:

I am learning the no pressure way. It is hard to break old habits, but I am trying and I like the results.

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It is difficult to break old habits--I understand.

DEGuy said:

A few days ago I began to 'do' no-pressure shaves; i.e., I don't place any pressure on the razor's head when shaving. The immediate benefits were excellent barber-shop-like shaves; zero irritation; and I getting more excellent shaves per blade. Blade longevity has markedly increases.

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Been doing the no pressure shave since I bought my Fatboy. If you apply pressure with this razor, it will reward you with nicks and cuts. If you let it glide it will plain off the hair and not your face.

Glad to see you have gotten the message.

For me the best way to think about "no pressure" is to think "let the blade do the work." Enough pressure to keep the razor aligned, so that it can do the work, and no more. When the blade quits wanting to do the work, change it rather than help it along with pressure. If it never wants to do the work, find another brand.

Oh and prep is essential. No blade I've used wants to work without prep.

I shave with cold water and get zero irritation when I combine this with a "no pressure" shave.

I will try it tomorrow!

ackvil said:

Glad to see you have gotten the message.

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Being a stubborn old fogey I was sure I was applying no pressure to my razor. Of course I knew what I was doing after DE shaving since 1980. I noticed in 2012 that my former go to blades started acting like they were raw to my face.

Being a stubborn old fogey I decided to change my go to blade and dialed in a few new. They worked well for me.

On a whim I decided to try out a Kamisori style razor with Feather single edge blades:



The blades are way sharper than any man honed edge. Way sharper than needed for shaving.

As you probably have guessed by now this exercise was a bloody disaster. I had no idea what no pressure meant. I had been getting comfortable daily BBS shaves with my DEs for years and assumed that I had my technique under control, since my shaves were so good. I was totally and utterly wrong.

After a while I stopped bleeding.

Shortly after that I applied my newly found knowledge about pressure and angle to my regular DE shaves. The results were mind bogglingly amazing. A while ago I did 56 daily comfortable and effortless BBS shaves on a Polsilver SI. I am now on shave 22 with a red IP. I did 36 shaves with a Black Indian 7 O'clock in the 'One Blade in February challenge'.

IMHO opinion blade longevity is an excellent monitor of your shaving technique as a whole. By stretching a blades lifespan you improve your technique and this results in better and more comfortable shaves.

BTW I do not recommend trying the Kamisori copy above haphazardly, it's incredibly sharp. But it can teach even an old fogey a new trick...

For me, the no-pressure method was the only thing that saved my face early on.
I started with a Merkur HD, which is quite heavy, and this made it easy. Then, I moved to a Razorock slant, which is the lightest razor I have every used (almost in the territory of a disposable). The no pressure method still worked.
The only challenge this brought to me was figuring out how to get my lather so that it was thin and moist enough that the razor would not ride over it (hydroplaning, I suppose), while maintaining the slickness and cushion. This wasn't difficult after a few tries.

The, I purchased a Razorock JAWS, which is a very aggressive open comb razor. The no pressure method was absolutely perfect for this, and I got the closest shaves of my life.

Really, this is how I enjoy shaving, letting a solid piece of metal hang the razor edge against my beard and shave it right off.

I should also add that using a razor with some weight to it, such as a 34c HD or the new Razorock SLAB or RAKE makes this practically effortless, as they have enough mass to carry the momentum through.

Or r41 with a solid stainless handle