One and done

After years of trial and error I found what works for me. To save you a long story of what I went through I get great shaves by doing the following:

1. Shaving in the shower. It helps BIG TIME!
2. I use that natural stuff (Kiss my Face).
3. I was never ever happy just going with the grain for I felt if I am going to still feel stubble (going against the grain mind you), then I will just go back to electric shaving.
4. I learned for my method and how particular I am it's best to just use a blade once and throw it away.
5. For all those thinking #4 is a waste of money just compare what you pay for when it comes to double-edge versus the common alternative "cartridge razors".
6. Remember I shave against the grain after doing the initial with the grain. Apply cream, shave with the grain, re-apply cream, shave against the grain. Result: smooth as a babies buttocks!

Well that is the short version.

Now onto my question. After seeing a new barber the other day and admiring his collection of straight and safety razors we ended up talking about razors, processes and what not. He too agrees that one and done is the best for they are so affordable. But he also then learned I am using "Feather" Blades which are probably the most if not one of the most expensive choices out there.

So after that visit I was thinking about his preference (Persona)and looked it up and I see why. They are half the cost of Feathers for qty: 100. So it got me thinking; since I finally accepted it's best for my way of shaving to use a blade only once, should I go with the cheaper ones like Persona, Shark, Derby, etc. or just pay the cost of Feathers for in comparison with me being one and done and shaving every 3 to 4 days, I still save a ton versus what I would pay in cartridge razors.

Who else is doing this, and do you choose your brands being a one and done guy?

I too am a one and done guy.

Blades bought in bulk are cheap. My two favorites are Feathers and Derbys, the former for my Feather AS-D2 and EJ 89L razors, the latter for my more aggressive vintage razors.

In my experience, the fresher the blade the better the shave. So it's just part of my routine to swap out a fresh blade after every shave. No point in waiting for the inevitable tugging and pulling.

I typically do a 3-pass shave, starting with WTG, next XTG followed by ATG with a few touchups afterwards. If I'm in a hurry I'll skip the XTG pass but never the other two. I used to shave in the shower with a cartridge but with wet shaving I like to shave in front of the mirror. I always hop back in the shower after the shave for clean up to save making a mess on the counter.

Or bleeding which is why after bleeding one too many times after shave #2 usually during against the grain I come to accept it's time to be a one and done guy.

Downing said:

I too am a one and done guy.

Blades bought in bulk are cheap. My two favorites are Feathers and Derbys, the former for my Feather AS-D2 and EJ 89L razors, the latter for my more aggressive vintage razors.

In my experience, the fresher the blade the better the shave. So it's just part of my routine to swap out a fresh blade after every shave. No point in waiting for the inevitable tugging and pulling.

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4 for me.

I've settled on 6 with 7 o'clock blacks. They are close and smooth for that whole time so I figure why bother changing. I've used them longer than that before but I find it simpler to just go ahead and replace the same day every week.

Usually 4, but it depends on the razor and brand of blade.

Too much depends on the make of blade to give a definitive answer. Some blades go off the boil quite quickly (like Feathers), others improve with use before slowly tailing off (some nos Gillette Super Silvers I'm using atm) and others are bad from the start.

3-12 depending on blade, mood, lighting, music, skin condition.

I'm a head shaver, so I think it wears out the blades quicker doing face and head in one session. Two shaves is about all I can get before it starts to tug.

emwolf said:

I'm a head shaver, so I think it wears out the blades quicker doing face and head in one session. Two shaves is about all I can get before it starts to tug.

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+1 Exactly my situation and experience. On my head I only do WTG, XTG. My checks and neck I do WTG, XTG,ATG and touch ups.

Shavers,
What does WTG, XTG,ATG mean?

For me, most blades don't begin to shine until the second or third shave. I'll usually get 6+ shaves from a feather and 8+ from any St.Petersburg blade. I'm still learning but I think in the past, and maybe still, I was retiring blades too soon - at the first sign of a subpar shave. More often I discover that, by my hanging on, the following shave is close and smooth. I think proper prep is a bigger factor for a smooth shave than a virgin blade.

fingerguy said:

Shavers,
What does WTG, XTG,ATG mean?

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With the grain, across the grain, against the grain.

Where grain equals direction of beard growth. Not necessarily equal to Top to bottom, side to side. bottom to top

I have 1 DE, and a handful of straights. I might change the blade in my DE every month or so... 5 or 6 shaves I would guess.

3.im still testing blade/razor/technique. Any more than 3 would be rude.

I get three months out of a Wilkinson Sword blade. I start with a dry face, lather up and go for it. Once up, once down and done, but it's not one long swipe, it's several one inch strokes going down and the same back up.

If you're only getting one shave out of a blade, you need to buy better blades.

5 for me as an average.

Some blades allow more, like Feather.

TobyC said:

If you're only getting one shave out of a blade, you need to buy better blades.

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Kind of depends on what you mean by "getting." I choose to get one shave out of a blade because I prefer an easy to remember routine to change blades. I could probably set my routine for every other shave or third shave, but then I'd have to keep track. By switching out every time, there's nothing to track and I get a consistently great shave. In the past, when I did multiple shaves on the same blade I didn't notice much the second time but I could tell by the third time that I had used the blade before and had to work a little harder to get a great shave.

If blades were around $1 a piece, I'd probably do it differently but as it stands now my Derbys cost me $0.07 cents a blade and my Feathers cost me $0.21 cents a blade last time I bought them on Amazon. Even if I shaved every day, which I don't, I have over a year's supply of them in my drawer so it's not like they're breaking the bank.

I don't understand one-and-done. I find that a blade's second shave is a lot smoother than the 1st.