Rather long, rambling discourse. Please skip if easily bored. I posted this in DE razor Forum, because primary content concerns the ATT razor, but other topics too.
I have been a B&B member since 2008, although not very active the past few years because I thought I had reached that point in my shave life where I was on a high plateau of competence and satisfaction, both with my equipment and my results. No need for further exploration. When I first joined B&B, like most newbies I went through the usual rad, bad, etc. My first razor was a Futur, perhaps both the worst and best choice for a noob. The worst, because its unforgiving aggressiveness can quickly discourage someone who is not stubborn and persistent, which I am. It may be the best because you either learn proper technique rather quickly or you end up with a face like raw meat, which I did for awhile. I learned on the Futur, but soon decided that it was not the razor for me. My beard is not heavy and stiff only on upper lip and chin. I wanted a mild razor. I went through quite a few Gillettes: fat boy, tech, flare, new, slim. and various SE too. The slim fit me best. I was fortunate to get a NOS gold 1960's slim adjustable (Aristocrat) which quickly became my everyday razor. Blade acquisition was similar, tried many, settled on Feather as the best in my Aristocrat, set on 3 or 4. I was happy and that was my setup for the last couple of years ,only experimented with creams.
(Aside: I am rather compulsive with my Aristocrat. After each shave I remove the blade, rinse it and wash the head of the razor with detergent to remove all traces of soap scum. I then reassemble and store in Barbicide. Still looks like new.)
Then I came back to B&B recently to see what, if anything was new. I was intrigued by the new stainless steel razors. After much research I bought an ATT M1. What a revelation, what a discovery! I was experienced enough to realize that this razor required some adjustment in my technique, but that was quickly learned after only a few trials. I was quite satisfied with the shaves from my Aristocrat, and thought they were the "best a man can get". But the ATT was on another level entirely! The improvement was primarily in the closeness of the shave, as evidenced by how long the BBS feeling lasted, and also the comfort and smoothness, as good as the very mild slim. I consider the Aristocrat one of the vintage classics, but the ATT has to be considered a modern classic in my opinion. Much has been written about the quality and beauty of its manufacture, and this certainly adds to the pleasure of shaving with it. But if that were its only quality, it would be good only as a museum piece. The fact is, function follows form beautifully in this razor.
Another thing I learned from this razor: I had always pretty much equated that elusive quality called "aggressiveness" with blade gap. How wrong I was. On the ATT web site Stan has published (under FAQ) blade gaps for a wide variety of vintage and modern razors. One can easily see by eye that the gap on the ATT M1 is infinitesimal. Stan puts it at 0.25 mm. That compares to 0.56 for a Tech, and 0.68 to 0.74 for my slim at 3 or 4! Yet I know and this is verified by many others that while this is a mild razor, it is certainly more aggressive than these Gillettes. So there is more than blade gap as the determining factor. The ATT has a rather large blade exposure. I think this, along with the curvature of the head and blade gap along with the angle of attack ( a factor of technique as well as head design) combine to produce what we call "aggressiveness", so it is much more complex than I had thought.
Finally, I learned that Feather is not the only sharp blade on the block. Reading some blade reviews prompted me to try the Polsilver SI. I was pleasantly surprised that the Polsilver is easily able to hold its own with Feather, and may even be a bit longer-lived. I also found the Astra SP to be a very good smooth moderately priced blade
.
Bottom line: I learned much, after I thought I knew it all (or at least knew enough). So don't become complacent. Traditional shaving may not be metaphysics or even physics (although I think both come into play), but there is always more to learn. Speaking of which. I have many questions which I will be posting in the future. Hope to learn more.
I have been a B&B member since 2008, although not very active the past few years because I thought I had reached that point in my shave life where I was on a high plateau of competence and satisfaction, both with my equipment and my results. No need for further exploration. When I first joined B&B, like most newbies I went through the usual rad, bad, etc. My first razor was a Futur, perhaps both the worst and best choice for a noob. The worst, because its unforgiving aggressiveness can quickly discourage someone who is not stubborn and persistent, which I am. It may be the best because you either learn proper technique rather quickly or you end up with a face like raw meat, which I did for awhile. I learned on the Futur, but soon decided that it was not the razor for me. My beard is not heavy and stiff only on upper lip and chin. I wanted a mild razor. I went through quite a few Gillettes: fat boy, tech, flare, new, slim. and various SE too. The slim fit me best. I was fortunate to get a NOS gold 1960's slim adjustable (Aristocrat) which quickly became my everyday razor. Blade acquisition was similar, tried many, settled on Feather as the best in my Aristocrat, set on 3 or 4. I was happy and that was my setup for the last couple of years ,only experimented with creams.
(Aside: I am rather compulsive with my Aristocrat. After each shave I remove the blade, rinse it and wash the head of the razor with detergent to remove all traces of soap scum. I then reassemble and store in Barbicide. Still looks like new.)
Then I came back to B&B recently to see what, if anything was new. I was intrigued by the new stainless steel razors. After much research I bought an ATT M1. What a revelation, what a discovery! I was experienced enough to realize that this razor required some adjustment in my technique, but that was quickly learned after only a few trials. I was quite satisfied with the shaves from my Aristocrat, and thought they were the "best a man can get". But the ATT was on another level entirely! The improvement was primarily in the closeness of the shave, as evidenced by how long the BBS feeling lasted, and also the comfort and smoothness, as good as the very mild slim. I consider the Aristocrat one of the vintage classics, but the ATT has to be considered a modern classic in my opinion. Much has been written about the quality and beauty of its manufacture, and this certainly adds to the pleasure of shaving with it. But if that were its only quality, it would be good only as a museum piece. The fact is, function follows form beautifully in this razor.
Another thing I learned from this razor: I had always pretty much equated that elusive quality called "aggressiveness" with blade gap. How wrong I was. On the ATT web site Stan has published (under FAQ) blade gaps for a wide variety of vintage and modern razors. One can easily see by eye that the gap on the ATT M1 is infinitesimal. Stan puts it at 0.25 mm. That compares to 0.56 for a Tech, and 0.68 to 0.74 for my slim at 3 or 4! Yet I know and this is verified by many others that while this is a mild razor, it is certainly more aggressive than these Gillettes. So there is more than blade gap as the determining factor. The ATT has a rather large blade exposure. I think this, along with the curvature of the head and blade gap along with the angle of attack ( a factor of technique as well as head design) combine to produce what we call "aggressiveness", so it is much more complex than I had thought.
Finally, I learned that Feather is not the only sharp blade on the block. Reading some blade reviews prompted me to try the Polsilver SI. I was pleasantly surprised that the Polsilver is easily able to hold its own with Feather, and may even be a bit longer-lived. I also found the Astra SP to be a very good smooth moderately priced blade
.
Bottom line: I learned much, after I thought I knew it all (or at least knew enough). So don't become complacent. Traditional shaving may not be metaphysics or even physics (although I think both come into play), but there is always more to learn. Speaking of which. I have many questions which I will be posting in the future. Hope to learn more.
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