Do I need a more efficient safety razor?

[DrCarver]

You have a variety of razors already.

Depending upon the base plate used, the Rockwell 6S has six levels of aggression, but I do not believe any of them are super aggressive.

The Merkur Progress is an adjustable razor that can go from failrly mild to aggressive, so you do not need to purchase a more aggressive razor; you already have one.

To be most effective and efficient, every razor needs to be paired with the right blade. Razor blades come in a wide range of sharpness levels. You did not mention which razor blades you are using. You can make a mild razor more efficient and effective by using a sharper blade. For example, I equip my very mild Van der Hagen/Weishi TTO SuperSpeed clone with super-sharp blades like BIC Chrome Platinum. In a more aggressive razor, the blades might be too sharp. On those rare occasions when I pull out my Muhle R41, I use 7 O'Clock Sharp Edge yellow blades which are not nearly as sharp as the BICs, but are sharper than some blades like Astra SP, Shark Super Chrome and some others.

Included in your arsenal is a Focus R28 shavette. Depending upon the type of blade used in the shavette and how you weld it, the shaver can be either mild or super aggressive. Again, you do not need any more razors. Just learn to use what you have most effectively.

You proclaim that your pre-shave prep is very good and your lather is stellar, but since you avoided describing how you are going about these important steps, they might not be quite as good as you believe them to be. I had to evaluate over 100 shave soap formulations before I found those that would truly produce a stellar lather.

I have a very coarse beard and very sensitive skin. In order to get a near-BBS shave without irritation, I do a four pass shave. I use a different razor for each pass. I normally shave every 2-3 days and use a fairly efficient Parker 24C open comb with a medium sharp blade to knock down the overall growth in my WTG pass. Then I use a couple of closed-comb razors with even sharper blades for the XTG and ATG passes. Finally, for my 4th clean-up pass I use the SuperSpeed clone with the super-sharp BIC blade to remove any left-over stubble. Always use minimal shave pressure to avoid irritation. In your case, since you get bumps, you might need to skip the ATG pass and substitute diagonal passes.

Thanks for your input.

Here’s my preshave routine.

Warm shower and Cetaphil Gentle Facial Cleanser for the face.
Rinse off and apply a bit of lather to my face while I get a pitcher of cold water for the shave.
Apply lather to my face and wait a minute or so before my first pass.

As for the lather, I bowl lather. I start off with a damp brush and load for 30 seconds, then I start working the soap while adding water from a misting bottle until I have a lather that resembles whipping cream that has a sheen to it.

Let me know where I might improve. I always want to keep learning.

 

[Chef455]

@DrCarver , I hope you're not feeling ganged up on. Reading the above posts, mine included, we can sometimes come off a little "high-horsey". I think their are great suggestions above, but at the end of the day it's your den and your face. I'm sure you'll get to where you want and I look forward to reading how things progress.

Happy shaves!

 

[DrCarver]

@DrCarver , I hope you're not feeling ganged up on. Reading the above posts, mine included, we can sometimes come off a little "high-horsey". I think their are great suggestions above, but at the end of the day it's your den and your face. I'm sure you'll get to where you want and I look forward to reading how things progress.

Happy shaves!

 

[DrCarver]

No offence taken. I want to get better at all aspects of my shaving routine. I appreciate all the feedback.

 

[DrCarver]

Tonight’s shave:

3 days beard growth
Henson Al13+
Feather blade (2)

Pre-shave: PAA Cube
Soap: Hendrix Classics “James Bond”

3 Passes (WTG/XTG/ATG) plus minor touch up.

End result was a hair shy of BBS

What did I take away from this shave?

1) That I am thankful to be a part of this community where I can always get helpful advice.

2) Getting something more just complicates the issue, so I’m going to stick with what I have until I am proficient with each of my razors.

Thanks for all the input.

 

[Guido75]

Tonight’s shave:

3 days beard growth
Henson Al13+
Feather blade (2)

Pre-shave: PAA Cube
Soap: Hendrix Classics “James Bond”

3 Passes (WTG/XTG/ATG) plus minor touch up.

End result was a hair shy of BBS

What did I take away from this shave?

1) That I am thankful to be a part of this community where I can always get helpful advice.

2) Getting something more just complicates the issue, so I’m going to stick with what I have until I am proficient with each of my razors.

Thanks for all the input.

Excellent experience and great learnings. If I may, you could always join Shave of the Week or Soap of the Month to select a particular gear set and shave with that for a longer period of time. That helped me at least get the different razors into my micro muscle. You can still enjoy all of your razors and work on technique simultaneously.

Enjoy!

Guido

 

[3oclockShadow]

Lots of good suggestions here - any one or combination of them may serve you well. As someone who has come to prefer very efficient/aggressive razors, I thought I would share a couple thoughts from my own experience that may be relevant.

After quite a bit of trial and error, I've found that for my coarse beard, what seems to work the best for me is a highly efficient razor, a sharp blade, appropriate prep, and perhaps maybe most importantly for me, not chasing BBS shaves. I find shaving with the grain with a light touch and a blade as close to the skin as possible seems to be best, as long as I don't make too many passes. So my usual shaves are an aggressive razor (Stirling HA, Wolfman WR2 1.65, Muhle 2011 R41, as examples) and 1.5-2 passes. I don't shave against the grain except in just a few areas that I find hard to get to WTG.

As I think you mentioned as a challenging area for you, the areas around my mouth are seldom as smooth as I might like them, but it beats ingrown hairs, which I am prone to.

I also think it is a great suggestion to try your adjustables at a higher setting and see how that works for you before getting too far down the rabbit hole of more aggressive razors.

Happy shaves!

 

[cakaguna]

What did I take away from this shave?

1) That I am thankful to be a part of this community where I can always get helpful advice.

2) Getting something more just complicates the issue, so I’m going to stick with what I have until I am proficient with each of my razors.

Thanks for all the input.

That‘s a great takeaway. I just sold off some razors I had - I have gotten great shaves out of what I already had, and when I don’t, it’s not a need to go looking for new razors… you do that if you like trying new things.

spent 10 months using just one razor, and got really good with it. Then didn’t use it for a while, when I came back, shaves weren’t so great. Eventually it’s not a problem switching up, but for me, it requires a bit of conscious effort when I switch up with the ones I’m currently using.

I don’t mind the occasional bad shave, if I’m trying something very different, and treat it as a hobby. Makes something as dull as shaving a bit fun. And when you master the technique with a new razor, it’s always a good feeling.

great thread - glad you’re figuring things out - you got a decent collection there already.

 

[dotKomo]

The Rockwell 6S on plate 6 should be more than sufficient.

 

[prabhav3069]

Here are my thoughts on this. Getting a close shave depends on few things. First step is preparation. Generally it is always better to shave after shower. Or else need to wash the beard with any face wash. Apply pre-shave balm or gel. Coming to the blade it is depending on each individual persons. Your milage may vary. For my case I like Gillette super platinum blades. Try to use your favorite blades. Rex Konsul gives me very close shaves. Rockwell 6s plate 4 is also awesome. There are so many razors available. But the efficient razor list in my opinion consists Rex Konsul, Rockwell 6S, Wolfman WR2 1.00 and Gillette fat boy

 

[Phoenixkh]

Tonight’s shave:

3 days beard growth
Henson Al13+
Feather blade (2)

Pre-shave: PAA Cube
Soap: Hendrix Classics “James Bond”

3 Passes (WTG/XTG/ATG) plus minor touch up.

End result was a hair shy of BBS

What did I take away from this shave?

1) That I am thankful to be a part of this community where I can always get helpful advice.

2) Getting something more just complicates the issue, so I’m going to stick with what I have until I am proficient with each of my razors.

Thanks for all the input.

I've been reading your thread with interest. Each of us, ok.. most of us, have gone through or are going through the same things you are. I haven't commented because I don't own any of the razors you are using other than the short handled Progress vs. your long handle Progress. I think you've gotten sound advice from many experienced members here. That's one of many things that continues to make B&B such a special place.

I have noticed several people here who had used the Progress alone for years... before they joined B&B. I would make sure to put the Progress on your list of razors you plan to use for extended periods of time. There are several threads dedicated to it and a Progress shows up quite often in the shave of the day threads. I haven't used mine yet but I do plan to remedy that.

 

[JCarr]

Not sure if this applies, but I would start eliminating all the possible growth patterns. Wtg, Atg, Xtg (diagonal) in both directions. That aughta do it. If that doesn't get ya smooth, try a RazoRock GC .84 OC or a Lupo .72 OC. If you're willing to drop some cash, I would consider a Blackland Blackbird...SB or OC...I have the OC. But first I would eliminate the growth patterns.

 

[Galaktus]

My 0.02 cents is that you should use one razor till you master it. Try adjusting the angle your razor sits on your face.
Riding the cap is when you put the top of the razor head on your face, and rotate the head until you just feel the blade touch your skin. You can also do the opposite, starting with the safety bar touching your face and rotating until the blade touches skin. Experiment with these angles until you find the most efficient shave angle for you.
I personally do not chase BBS, I cannot get it on my neck due to widely different hair growth. It's not a sin to not get BBS, your B&B membership won't be revoked either.
BBS goes away within a few hours anyway.

 

[SalS]

I have a Henson medium and using the RK blades. I generally shave 3-4 days of growth off each time. I have a coarse Italian beard. One pass is all I need and the shave is definitely close enough. I usually have clean up on the jawline near my ears but I never lather up again. I only shave with one razor and know exactly how the angle goes. I try not to over lather.

I would try to lather less and see what happens.

 

[wibbleandstrop23]

Pick your favourite out of the razors listed and use it every shave for 3 months. You will come to know its foibles and your technique will get better. Never chase BBS, a socially acceptable shave serves just as well and is a lot more forgiving to your face. You don’t need lots of razors, 2/3 good performers will last you for the rest of your life.

 

[lasta]

Yes

 

[JAHE]

Thanks for your input. I need to go back to the drawing board and get really good with what I have.

That's the point.

You already have an efficient razor in your lineup.

Here's my suggestion:

Pick up the Merkur Progress and load her with a fresh Feather blade.

You might want to switch blades subsequent to the third use at the latest. Shave with this combo for, say, three or four weeks.

Skip the xtg pass and do a second atg pass instead (wtg/atg/atg)!

I'd suggest to start out with a moderate blade gap (perhaps a "3") and see if your skin likes it... if you still have the feeling you don't get a decent shave result slowly increase the settings.

The Progress can be overclocked (the head of mine gets wonky beyond setting 5+4... I don't think you would need to open up the blade gap this far, though. But you could.

Pls share your feedback in a couple of weeks...

 

[AndyPanda]

Here’s my razor collection:

Merkur 37C
WSC ‘Merica
Merkur Progress Long Handle
Muhle Rocca R96
Henson AL13+
Rockwell 6S
Focus R28 shavette

I’m thinking of getting something more efficient that will allow me to do perhaps one less pass with better results.


Any other suggestions? I would love to get your thoughts.

I started off with a 'Merica razor and then joined the forum here and quickly fell into the rabbit hole of buying other razors to try. And over the past few months my technique has improved and my pre-shave prep and lathering has improved.

The main technique improvements I've gained - or at least the things that seem to get me the closest shave with the least irritation:
Very light pressure gets me closer shaves. When you aren't pressing, then you have to find the exact angle (and every razor is different) that gets the edge of the blade skimming right across the slick lathered skin and catching the hairs at skin level.

When you press the razor into the skin it's more about creating a wave or roll in the tissue that brings the skin up and into the edge of the blade (or so it seems to me - I'm no expert but that's how it seems)

Razors like the Tatara Masamune and the Gillette Tech etc. don't curve the blade very much and I find I need a really shallow angle for the blade to get close when I'm applying no pressure. Here's a crude drawing of what I mean by shallow and how I get good results with a razor like the Tech etc.

The 'Merica seems to require a steep angle more like this:

I've found that with a Feather or Nacet or Perma-Sharp etc. in the "Merica and very light pressure with an angle where I can feel/hear the blade catching the whiskers, I get a very close shave without irritation. I can do the same with an R41 but I have to pay much more attention to what I'm doing with the R41 and the "Merica is much easier and gets me a similar close shave.

 

[ivan_101]

Definitely something you are not doing right here.
Merkur Progress is capable to give BBS even to the coarsest and nastiest of beards. I have very tough black whiskers. With sharp blades @3 and with mild blades @5 I can always get a BBS wih 3 passes.

 

[DesertIguana]

I am no expert, Matt from Razor Empourium has mentioned many times in his U-Tubes, to find or change blades until you find what is best for your beard n skin type.


Think Matt knows stuff.