First Shave with Adjustables ( setting)

Bought a Slim and Fatboy last weekend. Both have been soaked and scrubbed in Dawn and warm water. Soaked and scrubbed with Scrubbing Bubbles. And now soaking in strong solution of Barbcide. So, ready to shave.

What number settings should I start with on each with a new Astra blade?

Go 5. Middle of the road.

Use a setting of 3 to 5 to begin with. That will put you somewhere in the middle and you can adjust up or down depending on your needs or how it feels. Just a reminder, I'm sure you know this already, slightly open the doors to make an adjustment in the setting and then lock it down again.

I agree, start with three. I use 4, but have gone to 3 or 5, depending on the brand of blade.

It really depends on your level of experience and the type of razor you prefer. If you like a mild razor and/or are just starting out, go with a lower number such as 2 or 3. If you prefer a more aggressive razor start at 5 and go upward.

I went from an EJ DE89 to a Slim and I started on 5. Now I usually use 6 but sometimes 7 and sometimes 5 depending on blade and amount of beard growth.

coolcanuc said:

Use a setting of 3 to 5 to begin with. That will put you somewhere in the middle and you can adjust up or down depending on your needs or how it feels. Just a reminder, I'm sure you know this already, slightly open the doors to make an adjustment in the setting and then lock it down again.

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Two good razors. I like to start at 3 or 4, and adjust as needed. Better to start mild and maybe work your way up. Enjoy!

BSAGuy said:

Go 5. Middle of the road.

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I agree. Then figure out if you want to go more or less aggressive.

BSAGuy said:

Go 5. Middle of the road.

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This.

Only you can answer this in the end. What works for one person may not for another. Not knowing their condition or if they have been overclocked, I would suggest a lower number, do a small patch, bump it up, do another, etc till you hit the sweet spot. Even once you are used to it, you may want to start a new blade one number lower then bump it up for the following shaves. Some guy shave at "X" setting WTG, "Y" XTG and "Z" ATG.

Oh and congrats on your scores!

coolcanuc said:

Just a reminder, I'm sure you know this already, slightly open the doors to make an adjustment in the setting and then lock it down again.

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Thanks so much for this info! As I do not yet have an adjustable I never would have thought to do this. And probably broken it?

coolcanuc said:

Use a setting of 3 to 5 to begin with. That will put you somewhere in the middle and you can adjust up or down depending on your needs or how it feels. Just a reminder, I'm sure you know this already, slightly open the doors to make an adjustment in the setting and then lock it down again.

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Huh. That's good to know, I'm not the OP but thanks. Does it put pressure on the mechanics inside?

I agree that #5 is a good place to start
Once you get used to the razor, it's up to you if you keep it on the same setting for the whole shave or dial down for each subsequent pass
For example, when I shave with my 1980s Wizamet W-11, a Polish made clone of a Gillette Super Adjustable, which is medium aggressive, I use the following settings:
WTG #5
XTG #4
ATG #3
Buff #2

When I shave with my 1980s Severodonetsk-1, a Soviet era clone of the Gillette Fatboy made in Ukraine, which is medium/mild

WTG #7
XTG #6
ATG #5
Buff #4

I find using a different setting for each pass gives me a more comfortable shave

YMMV

I'm new to DE shaving and love my E2 Fat Boy. I started at 4, moved up to 7 and settled on 5 and 6. 7 was fine for one pass but it felt too close after two passes on my neck. I'll have to try dialing it down for subsequent passes on sensitive areas against the grain. Great idea.

My college age son took the Slim I had. I'm happy, he looks better clean shaven and not scruffy.

After loading a blade in my Fatboy, I inspected closely with a magnifying glass, because I'm a G4. I found the blade gap was noticeably different from side to side? I decided not to use it, might find out how to adjust it. Any way, I loaded the same blade in the Slim and started on 4 WTG, 3 XTG & 2 ATG. It did a good job, but was very different from what I'm used to with my Fine Slant.

Clausewitz said:

Does it put pressure on the mechanics inside?

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That is the conventional wisdom. I seem to recall seeing a manual for a Gillette Adjustable I don't remember which one, and I recall that it specified loosening the doors prior to making an adjustment.

BSAGuy said:

Go 5. Middle of the road.

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+1 That's what I would do also.

I have seen more than a couple of instruction sheets for the Fat Boy and the Slim Adjustable, and none of them say anything about loosening the doors slightly before adjusting the setting. They commonly say to start at a setting of 1 and then slowly adjust upward as you shave until you find the setting you like. It is worded in a way to suggest doing so during the shave.

coolcanuc said:

That is the conventional wisdom. I seem to recall seeing a manual for a Gillette Adjustable I don't remember which one, and I recall that it specified loosening the doors prior to making an adjustment.

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Chumango said:

I have seen more than a couple of instruction sheets for the Fat Boy and the Slim Adjustable, and none of them say anything about loosening the doors slightly before adjusting the setting. They commonly say to start at a setting of 1 and then slowly adjust upward as you shave until you find the setting you like. It is worded in a way to suggest doing so during the shave.

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According the Capt (who has taken apart more than probably anyone) not loosing before adjusting does no harm at all.

I went from a Merkur 34c to a slim and started on 5. I recently transitioned to a Merkur Futur and it's the big leagues with that.

Any of you start on a lower setting for the first pass and the crank it up for your next passes? With the slim I started on 5 and finished on 7 and had some incredible shaves. With the Futur I start at 1 and finish at 1.5 lol