Passaround Box - Glad I am giving this a try.

Day 1 – Shave #1

The Stuff

• Stirling’s Ozark Mountain: very slick lather
  
• Stirling’s Lil Brudder brush
• Diamond 32 – first two passes
• AS-D2 – third pass
• Old Spice After Shave – the PG version
• Nivea Sensitive Post Shave Balm
• Prep: a hot shower
• One day’s beard growth: very tough fur and thin skin…

The Plan

• One North to South pass – Most of the pass will be with the grain.
• One NE to SW pass to my face’s center line and then a NW to SE pass to that same center line – Most of this pass will be across the grain.
• One ATG pass using my AS-D2 and a Feather blade.

• As far as a hand switch, I decided to start with my dominant hand and decide based upon how the shave was going.
• I chose the Diamond 32 because the blade’s heel and the blade’s toe were both rounded. This let me get close to my ears and confidently try the entire blade by the end of the shave with or without a hand switch.

The Execution

• I stretched the skin with every touch of the blade.
  
• I kept the pressure as light as possible.
• I used short strokes with a bit of overlap.
• The lather seemed to work very well. It was nice and slippery throughout the shave.
• The razor looked fine. The previous member stropped the razor before sending it to me. The razor tugged like a used Derby blade when compared to a brand new Feather blade. It did the job. It sounded cool. It was not smooth.
• Every stroke was done with my dominant hand. The tugging made me decide to play it very safe.
• The XTG pass on my cheeks, chin, and upper lip tugged a bit as described earlier.
• My chin, very bony, survived without a droplet of blood loss.
• I did not shave my neck as planned. I did the first pass, WTG, with the Diamond 32. I used the AS-D2 on my neck during the rest of the shave.

The Result

• Three tiny weepers on pass two that didn’t last long enough for styptic
  
• My wife, who was not told about this “great experiment” until the deed was done, said it qualified as an extremely smooth shave.
• It was a close shave. It was not comfortable.
• Oh yeah, I still have two ears.
• Tomorrow I will try a different razor.

My Thoughts

• I am hoping tomorrow’s razor will handle my fur better than the Diamond 32.
  
• I was expecting a much smoother shaving experience. Even the easiest parts of my face, the cheeks, felt the razor’s tug.
• Still glad I gave it a try!

Heckle said:

Glad to hear you survived! When I shaved with the Diamond it was a good shave. However, it was not the first one I tried. The fir4st one I tried gave the same results as you relay (tugging and such). It turned out that I was not using the correct angle. I had it at probably a 40 degree angle or so. If you had a high angle (out of apprehension), try lowering the angle. Lay the blade against your cheek and then lift the spin a little, maybe 1/4 of an inch or so. Gentle touch and take your time. Keep us posted and congrats on your journey!

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Bob L. said:

I'll try that. Which razor gave you the best shave in terms of the ones in my box?

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Bob L. said:

Day 1 – Shave #1

The Stuff

• Stirling’s Ozark Mountain: very slick lather
  
• Stirling’s Lil Brudder brush
• Diamond 32 – first two passes
• AS-D2 – third pass
• Old Spice After Shave – the PG version
• Nivea Sensitive Post Shave Balm
• Prep: a hot shower
• One day’s beard growth: very tough fur and thin skin…

The Plan

I typically do a three-pass shave routine and will do the same for the Day 1 shave. I plan to use the straight on the first two passes: WTG and XTG. The ATG pass will be with my AS-D2 and a Feather blade.

• One North to South pass – Most of the pass will be with the grain.
• One NE to SW pass to my face’s center line and then a NW to SE pass to that same center line – Most of this pass will be across the grain.
• One ATG pass using my AS-D2 and a Feather blade.

I decided to do the strict directional routine in the hope it would help me learn how to control the straight a bit quicker.

• As far as a hand switch, I decided to start with my dominant hand and decide based upon how the shave was going.
• I chose the Diamond 32 because the blade’s heel and the blade’s toe were both rounded. This let me get close to my ears and confidently try the entire blade by the end of the shave with or without a hand switch.

The Execution

• I stretched the skin with every touch of the blade.
  
• I kept the pressure as light as possible.
• I used short strokes with a bit of overlap.
• The lather seemed to work very well. It was nice and slippery throughout the shave.
• The razor looked fine. The previous member stropped the razor before sending it to me. The razor tugged like a used Derby blade when compared to a brand new Feather blade. It did the job. It sounded cool. It was not smooth.
• Every stroke was done with my dominant hand. The tugging made me decide to play it very safe.
• The XTG pass on my cheeks, chin, and upper lip tugged a bit as described earlier.
• My chin, very bony, survived without a droplet of blood loss.
• I did not shave my neck as planned. I did the first pass, WTG, with the Diamond 32. I used the AS-D2 on my neck during the rest of the shave.

The Result

• Three tiny weepers on pass two that didn’t last long enough for styptic
  
• My wife, who was not told about this “great experiment” until the deed was done, said it qualified as an extremely smooth shave.
• It was a close shave. It was not comfortable.
• Oh yeah, I still have two ears.
• Tomorrow I will try a different razor.

My Thoughts

• I am hoping tomorrow’s razor will handle my fur better than the Diamond 32.
  
• I was expecting a much smoother shaving experience. Even the easiest parts of my face, the cheeks, felt the razor’s tug.
• Still glad I gave it a try!

Click to expand...

Bob L. said:

Day 1 – Shave #1

• The razor looked fine. The previous member stropped the razor before sending it to me. The razor tugged like a used Derby blade[/SIZE=3]
  

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Day 2 – Shave #2

The Stuff

• Stirling’s Almond Cream: very slick lather
  
• Stirling’s Lil Brudder brush
• Solace Razor – first two passes
• AS-D2 – third pass
• Stirling Spice After Shave
• Nivea Sensitive Post Shave Balm
• Prep: a hot shower
• 1.5 day’s beard growth: very tough fur and thin skin…

The Plan

• One North to South pass – Most of the pass will be with the grain.
• One NE to SW pass to my face’s center line and then a NW to SE pass to that same center line – Most of this pass will be across the grain.
• One ATG pass using my AS-D2 and a Feather blade.

• As far as a hand switch, I decided to start with my dominant hand and decide based upon how the shave was going.
  
• I chose the Solace because the blade’s heel and the blade’s toe were both rounded. This lets me get close to my ears and confidently try the entire blade by the end of the shave with or without a hand switch.
• This time I will lay the blade flat and lift just enough to make contact as I make my strokes

The Execution

• I stretched the skin with every touch of the blade.
  
• Each stroke started with the blade flat against my skin
• I kept the pressure as light as possible.
• I used short strokes with a bit of overlap.
• The lather seemed to work very well. It was nice and slippery throughout the shave.
• This razor is smaller, a 5/8s, and has less steel than the Diamond 32. It was much easier to handle.
• Almost every stroke was done with my dominant hand. This time the razor cut cleanly with little tugging.
• The XTG pass on my cheeks, chin, and upper lip was uneventful. Keeping a flat angle definitely works.
• My chin, very bony, survived without a droplet of blood loss.
• In terms of my neck – I did the first pass, WTG, with the Solace. I did the easy to reach areas of my neck with the Solace on the second pass. The rest of the neck’s second pass was done with the AS-D2.
• The third pass, ATG and cleanup, was done with the AS-D2.

The Result

• Not much tugging this time around – When it happened, it was because I had steepened the razor’s contact angle.
  
• This razor was much easier to steer around my face. I may go back to the Diamond 32 to see if better technique will improve its usefulness as far as my face is concerned.
• Four tiny weepers on pass two that didn’t last long enough for styptic
• My wife said the shave was great but no better than my usual shave.
• It was a close shave. It was far more comfortable than the first.
• No razor burn and no bumps, but the aftershave definitely got my attention.
• Oh yeah, I still have two ears.

My Thoughts

• This was a much more enjoyable shave. I can see why some of us prefer straights to other alternatives.
  
• I am not convinced that straights are going to become my fur remover of choice. It will take a shave that equals my AS-D2 with a Feather blade.
• Thanks to everyone who said, “layer the razor flat and keep the angle low…”. It worked wonders.
• Still glad I’m giving this a try!

Bob L. said:

Day 2 – Shave #2

• No razor burn and no bumps, but the aftershave definitely got my attention.
• Oh yeah, I still have two ears.

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ciderguy said:

How much does the AS get your attention with a normal shave? I found during my SR journey that eventually alum had almost no sting and even AS like the notorious Virgin Island Bay Rum lost their teeth. I imagine that as your technique improves, you'll notice something similar.

Two ears is always good!

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Shave #3 and #4

The Stuff

• Stirling’s Black Ice #3 and Ozark Mountain #4: very slick lathers
• Stirling’s Lil Brudder brush
• Solace Razor
• AS-D2 – third pass
• Stirling Spice After Shave
• Nivea Sensitive Post Shave Balm
• Prep: a hot shower

The Plan

• Two North to South passes – Most of each pass will be with the grain.
• One mixed XTG / ATG pass using my AS-D2 and a Feather blade. The goal is a DFS.
• No hand switches. My right hand shaves while my left hand tensions the skin.
• The Solace will be used for both shaves.
• I will continue to keep the blade angle shallow.

The Execution

• I stretched the skin with every touch of the blade.
• Each stroke started with the blade flat against my skin
• I kept the pressure as light as possible.
• I used short strokes with a bit of overlap.
• The lather worked very well. It was nice and slippery throughout the shave.
• One weeper – no big deal
• The third pass, a mix of XTG and ATG, was done with the AS-D2.

The Result

• A fine DFS!
• The weeper did not need styptic.
• These shaves were far more comfortable than the first two.
• The aftershave felt normal on both shaves.
• I’ve confirmed that my face and hands prefer smaller blades with rounded tips.
• I still have two ears.

My Thoughts

• I am glad this opportunity came my way!
• I am going to send my granddad’s Genco de Roma 4/8s razor to a hone meister. I will have the point rounded and the edge honed.
• When it comes back, it is put to use after a fifty-plus year vacation. (Yes, I will put a picture up.)
• My Feather AS-D2 will still have the lead in my rotation. That said, my granddad’s straight will see lots of use on weekends, vacations, and non-rushed mornings.
• I am sending all the razors along to the next B&Ber on the list.
• THANKS!