Is doing XTG really necessary?

It all depends on your beard. Mine goes in so many directions that I shave in every conceivable direction.

I gave up cartridge razors in November 2014
Although I've dabbled with Shavettes, I've been shaving almost exclusively with DE razors ever since
I can do WTG, WTG, ATG, then Buffing if I'm using a new blade, but 99 times out of 100 I'll stick to my usual routine

I rarely do ATG because I get irritated. I'm fine doing WTG and XTG

Its all dependant on what your beard/skin can take and whats comfortable. Some shavers cannot go atg without lots of irritation so they prefer xtg for additional passes. Some have different ways to shave face/neck so perhaps they cannot go wtg then atg without irritating the neck. So it all depends.

If you are just going for a quick shave maybe you only need one wtg pass? I cant really get away with that even with aggressive razors and sharp blades but I know others can.

Experiment and enjoy.

Shavetheman01 said:

Is it necessary to do an XTG before an ATG one? Anyone go WTG, ATG, ATG?

I've seen other ppl with light beards just do WTG, and the XTG in opposite directions.
If I'm stuck with a cartridge, then I just do WTG, ATG

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I do the first pass on my face WTG. The second pass on my face is ATG. I don't do XTG on my face.
On my neck, that is a different story. All 3 of my neck passes are XTG. One is North South. The other two are South North. I tried ATG on my neck and that left me with serious irritation and unsightly bumps. This is my current routine and no more bumps. To be clear, I can't get a BBS shave on my neck this way but I'm ok with that.

No rules.

With a straight I do multiple North to South passes since I can't manipulate the razor in the crazy angles other can. I frequently get a BBS anyway.

I have done two ATG passes pretty much my whole shaving life. When starting with DE I did WTG for maybe a month or two but then went back to what I had always done before. Two ATG passes and the results are BBS 98% of the time.
No need for a WTG or XTG for me. although if you watched me shave you would think I do WTG and XTG but its all actually just ATG with my odd beard map.

Well YMMV! I get better shaves with the three pass approach (WTG, XTG, ATG). But whatever works for you is just fine!

I have been experimenting this week with skipping the WTG pass and just doing a two pass XTG then ATG. The results are honestly not quite as good as when I did the WTG, XTG, ATG routine and am left wondering if it has more to do with the number of passes rather than the actual direction. Of course I am pretty sure both are critical for an ultimate BBS shave.

The three pass shave routine makes sense to me. Each pass removes a little more of the whisker, and the pass before it makes the following pass easier. Shaving ATG right at the start is just too irritating for my skin. The progression of the three passes works best for me.

No, not at all. I never shave my face or cheeks XTG. I only shave in multiple different directions on my neck to make sure I shave against the grain of nearly every hair.

I can get a good shave with one pass ATG little or no irritation.

XTG is my compromise for not being able to do ATG without irritation. A two pass WTG then XTG generally gives me a DFS.

initially i did 3 passes, but experimented cutting out the XTG and found that my shave does not change, so i've omitted it.

there's always a plan B.

I used to religiously do three passes - WTG, XTG, ATG. Lately, I've been skipping the XTG and found that I don't really need it for my daily DFS. For church and special occasions, I'll still do all three passes and shoot for BBS.

For some folks an XTG pass is necessary for a good close shave, and for other folks it's not necessary.

It's up to the individual and his shaving standards. Most folks do the 3 traditional passes, WTG/XTG/ATG, if they want a close smooth shave and if their whiskers are tough.

In my opinion and experience it really is. Because with every pass you need to reduce the hair, if the hairs aren't short enough and you do an ATG pass it's gonna pull and you'll get irritated skin.

Old guy, lightish beard, daily shaver. I get a close, comfy shave every morning with a single pass with the grain.

Personally, I only do XTG on the days when I'm going for BBS. Other than that, I tend to go for WTG, XTG (one way) and XTG (the other way), I still get a comfortable shave that keeps me feeling good throughout the day.

So no one really skips XTG that much? I notice that less passes=less irritation.

For cartridges though, it's just WTG+ATG. Doing too many passes with those sounds bad tbh