How many passes during a shave do you make?

[Zerro]

Almost always:
WTG, XTG in one direction, XTG in the other direction, then ATG. 4 passes.
Sometimes on a Saturday I'll just do WTG, XTG and stop.

 

[SP120K]

2 pass shaves

 

[pellidon]

I've been doing three passes for years. WTG, XTG, and ATG. But this winter seems to have wrecked my skin to the point where the third pass causes irritation. So I've dropped the third pass. Really can't determine if the third pass did anything.

 

[namya]

I have horrible technique I feel because I do WTG and XTG and then do around 3-4 passes for “touch-ups”. I need to re-learn and be more disciplined.

 

[Dan05]

I have thin skins and straight shave so 2 passes for me. WTG and ATG

 

[Eben Stone]

I try to do just one pass, but touching areas there and here makes it more like 8-15 passes

Interesting. Maybe that's my problem. I've been doing two passes but I also push the boundaries of residual slickness by doing 20-30 buffing strokes over the same area without relathering. If I went with only one pass, maybe I could make the buffing strokes a nice round number, like 100.

 

[Phil Harmonica]

First pass is WTG, second pass is ATG. Then I have to do a touch up under both jaws where my whiskers grow west to east. So I guess 2.5 passes. Been doing this for 60+ years! GBS every day!

GBS=Goddess Boobies Smooth

 

[semi]

on my neck and to shape around the mouth / moustache area, WTG then ATG.

on my head, three or four ATG passes in slightly different directions. mostly south to north, as much as you can with a round surface area, sometimes slightly XTG diagonally. last pass is usually just touching up the sides of my head, there isn't as thick growth on the top of my head.

 

[Ahiram]

Across and against the grain, every time. It seems that WTG simply doesn't work for me when I shave every or every other day.

Seldom I can start right away with ATG, and get wonderful shave and results in a couple of minutes.

IMO, if you can't get a great shave/results in 2 passes, you do something wrong...

 

[Tyson55]

Three passes for me, with, cross, against the grain. I am going for 'feels really smooth to my hand', not merely 'looks acceptable to the general public'.

Same here.

 

[Pacman225]

2 passes and usually some touch up's.

 

[VerbaVolant]

How many passes during a shave do you make?​

Two passes.

...How many passes is the norm?...

Who's norm? My norm is two passes.

...Is there a right or wrong way?

Always.
Right way is to be able to shave comfortably, every day, without any irritation or bloodshed. Wrong way is the opposite.

In my opinion, the number of passes is less relevant. It is the number of strokes during every pass that counts most. Lather quality and number of strokes.

 

[Joetomlin01]

three pass shave (WTG, XTG, ATG)

 

[lctrcbddha]

With cartridges I would only lather at the beginning then shave each area WTG and ATG, then move on to the next area. After all areas were done, I'd touchup wherever needed.

When I first switched to DE, I used the same approach. However, I've since seen the wisdom in a two-pass shave WTG then ATG, re-lathering in between the two passes. That's also, along with more aggressive razors, nearly eliminated any need for touchups.

 

[eSteve]

I'm ten months into wet shaving. I've been doing two passes for a while, it's pretty settled. I do WTG first pass. On the second pass I do ATG on my neck, then XTG on my face. I do more repeat strokes along my jaw on both passes. The jaw area (and neck?) is tougher and grows faster.

 

[wscottb7862]

If you have a great razor and blade... It's 2 for me...