Hey guys,
Looking at some of the posts about some guys not getting great shaves with their Micromatics bums me out
My journey to outstanding shaves with GEMs, Micromatics especially, began a little rocky as well, but with a couple of slight modifications to my first techniques they are my favorite razors now. I'm sure this post has been done before, but this is what works for me, and I'm going to do it again
A. I know the instructions say to keep the head flat against the face, but this is not always the case. The correct blade angle for you may bring the head off your face some. Start with the head flat, if you get irritation free BBS shaves, you have found your angle
If the blade pulls, drags, or in any other way causes irritation, slowly bring the back (non blade side) of the head off your skin. The correct angle should be easy to find as you will no longer feel any pulling, drag, or feel irritation. Don't wait until your shave is over and your face is dripping blood to change the angle, just feel and change as you go. I have no idea why it seems that the blade angle changes from person to person, but from what I can tell from reading the boards, it does. I guess it's just one of those things that modern science and rational thought can't explain (like how some say a BBS GEM shave lasts longer than a BBS DE shave, which it does
)
#2. Great lather...
I know, I know. I don't think anyone here takes pride in creating a sub-par lather for any shave, but I think your best performing soap/cream is a must for quality Micromatic shaves. Again, what works best for you may not work for me. You can use any soap or cream you want, but I do notice a difference, a very slight difference, in the quality of my shaves when using different soaps. (I guess that can be said of any shave, but the Micromatic will magnify these differences)
#3.14159. The major breakthrough in my Micromatic career was when I changed my grip. This grip makes it easy to apply no pressure at all, which is one of the biggest keys to a great Micromatic shave. As it might be a little hard for me to explain, I took a few pics.
First, a "head-on" shot of the grip. Notice how the "ring finger" is under the razor. That is the only finger keeping the razor from falling out of my hand. The other fingers are there just to keep the razor balanced on the ring finger. If you were to pull up on the razor you would have no resistance taking it from my hand.
Second shot, a side view of the grip.
Finally, an "action" shot.
This is actually the grip I use now for all my razors, except the straight, but I think you could have guessed that. Again, APPLY NO PRESSURE!
(A notice to all you detail oriented B&B'rs, I know there is no blade in my razor in the pics, but rest assured I always use at least one during a "live shave"
)
AB. Have a styptic pencil or at least an alum block on hand for your first few shaves, you might need them These razors didn't get the reputation of being evil face shredders for nothing.
Just kidding. Most claims are over exaggerated, and the Micromatics should not be feared or avoided, but you are working with a very sharp blade passing over your face. A little insurance never hurt anyone, wait... insurance hasn't ever hurt any one has it If you are especially prone to cuts you might also want to try your first shaves on a day when you aren't working, unless you're a professional wrestler or something where a bloody face would come in handy.
Alright, that's about all the info I have learned in my GEM of a journey. Please feel free too ask questions if you're new to the Micromatics, or add anything if you've found success with your Micromatics.
Also, my imaginary legal department tell me that to avoid any further "discussions" with your real legal department I should warn that these techniques have worked very well for me, they might not work at all for you. There might even be a few people out there that the Micromatics just don't like. MMs are a picky razor, but once they find the right owner they are as loyal as any other really loyal thing.
Looking at some of the posts about some guys not getting great shaves with their Micromatics bums me out
My journey to outstanding shaves with GEMs, Micromatics especially, began a little rocky as well, but with a couple of slight modifications to my first techniques they are my favorite razors now. I'm sure this post has been done before, but this is what works for me, and I'm going to do it againA. I know the instructions say to keep the head flat against the face, but this is not always the case. The correct blade angle for you may bring the head off your face some. Start with the head flat, if you get irritation free BBS shaves, you have found your angle
If the blade pulls, drags, or in any other way causes irritation, slowly bring the back (non blade side) of the head off your skin. The correct angle should be easy to find as you will no longer feel any pulling, drag, or feel irritation. Don't wait until your shave is over and your face is dripping blood to change the angle, just feel and change as you go. I have no idea why it seems that the blade angle changes from person to person, but from what I can tell from reading the boards, it does. I guess it's just one of those things that modern science and rational thought can't explain (like how some say a BBS GEM shave lasts longer than a BBS DE shave, which it does)#2. Great lather...
I know, I know. I don't think anyone here takes pride in creating a sub-par lather for any shave, but I think your best performing soap/cream is a must for quality Micromatic shaves. Again, what works best for you may not work for me. You can use any soap or cream you want, but I do notice a difference, a very slight difference, in the quality of my shaves when using different soaps. (I guess that can be said of any shave, but the Micromatic will magnify these differences)
#3.14159. The major breakthrough in my Micromatic career was when I changed my grip. This grip makes it easy to apply no pressure at all, which is one of the biggest keys to a great Micromatic shave. As it might be a little hard for me to explain, I took a few pics.
First, a "head-on" shot of the grip. Notice how the "ring finger" is under the razor. That is the only finger keeping the razor from falling out of my hand. The other fingers are there just to keep the razor balanced on the ring finger. If you were to pull up on the razor you would have no resistance taking it from my hand.
Second shot, a side view of the grip.
Finally, an "action" shot.
This is actually the grip I use now for all my razors, except the straight, but I think you could have guessed that. Again, APPLY NO PRESSURE!
(A notice to all you detail oriented B&B'rs, I know there is no blade in my razor in the pics, but rest assured I always use at least one during a "live shave"
)AB. Have a styptic pencil or at least an alum block on hand for your first few shaves, you might need them
These razors didn't get the reputation of being evil face shredders for nothing. Just kidding. Most claims are over exaggerated, and the Micromatics should not be feared or avoided, but you are working with a very sharp blade passing over your face. A little insurance never hurt anyone, wait... insurance hasn't ever hurt any one has it If you are especially prone to cuts you might also want to try your first shaves on a day when you aren't working, unless you're a professional wrestler or something where a bloody face would come in handy.Alright, that's about all the info I have learned in my GEM of a journey. Please feel free too ask questions if you're new to the Micromatics, or add anything if you've found success with your Micromatics.
Also, my imaginary legal department tell me that to avoid any further "discussions" with your real legal department I should warn that these techniques have worked very well for me, they might not work at all for you. There might even be a few people out there that the Micromatics just don't like. MMs are a picky razor, but once they find the right owner they are as loyal as any other really loyal thing.
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