Question about all these shave ratings

[never-stop-learning]

Black Ice today, but I have them all. I prefer Bonn Scott sometimes, but Angus is King!

The Gillette Old Type really is that good once you learn the basics. I use mine steep. Because they have negative blade exposure I can, comfortably. They really do need to be straight.

My Brit clone is a poor copy. The inside of the cap is concave and barely clamps the blade with the outside edge of the cap. Combined with the amount of blade exposure and the way I shave it just all comes together like that razor was made for me. The best $5 I ever spent or likely ever will spend.

Angus is great. No doubt about that.

When I filed the (barely) damaged corners on the Old Type, it became a new razor. Lucky for me that the plate was already straight.

Your Brit clone sounds interesting. Have you considered straightening everything out? Of course it probably wouldn't shave as good.

 

[never-stop-learning]

I gave up rating when I realised I was on a quest.

View attachment 1049734

Now I use words instead. Lots of words. Not as many as Herman Melville yet.

I'm with you - no more numerical rankings from me.

 

[Esox]

Your Brit clone sounds interesting. Have you considered straightening everything out? Of course it probably wouldn't shave as good.

Nossir! If it aint broke...

It would break my heart to mess that razor up lol.

 

[never-stop-learning]

Nossir! If it aint broke...

It would break my heart to mess that razor up lol.

I hear you. Can't begin to count the number of times I've fixed something until it no longer works.

 

[TinyT]

Which iteration of AC/DC? Bon Scott or Brian Johnson?

Don't you mean Brain Johnson?

 

[never-stop-learning]

Don't you mean Brain Johnson?

That is funny.

 

[Esox]

I hear you. Can't begin to count the number of times I've fixed something until it no longer works.

The lessons learned at The School of Hard Knocks tend to stick with a person lol.

Don't you mean Brain Johnson?

I miss Top Gear...

 

[Pattorashu]

My rating system is based off of three things, in order.

Comfort
Feel
Post shave
Closeness

I don't chase a close shave by any means, since I keep facial hair anyway. If I shaved my whole face on a regular basis, I might have a different system.

Comfort of the shave: Did the razor drag at all when I don't think my technique was off that day (it often is. I should really work on that lol)? Did the blade catch in any areas? Did it feel scrapey or rough?

Feel: is my skin nice feeling after a rinse? is it even?

Post shave: I shave in the evening most times, since I dislike getting up early. I get up about a half hour before I leave for work, let the dog out, put out food and water, brush my teeth. Did the shave last through the night, or do I have irritation?

Closeness: obvious I would think.

1 for me would be a harsh shave that didn't feel good after the rinse, regardless of closeness, and I woke up with irritation/bumps the next morning.

10 would be a comfortable shave that I thoroughly enjoyed, and I like running my hand over my face after the rinse, that left zero irritation and was still close the next morning. You could say I chase a CCS lol.

 

[Ryanshh]

Tons of great stuff here gentleman. I really appreciate the discussion (and the strong tangents on AC/DC, Spinal Tap, and Top Gear.) Lots of quoted posts following this, I hope it isn't too hard to work through. I think it is interesting how similar a lot of the systems are, and how well some of you are able to explain your personal ratings. It further seems that most people are rating the shave as a whole with a large emphasis placed on the final result (which makes sense.) Based on how many people like using words, It might be interesting to get a thread going where people share the one word that best describes that days shave... but also maybe not.

Thanks again for the discussion so far.

Depends on if you rank on a linear or logarithmic scale.

Personally, whether we are talking shaving or gymnastics, I don't think there is such a thing as a '10'. Some day something will surpass the previous'10' and then what? '10+'? '11' (with apologies to Spinal Tap)?

Most of my shaves are in the 8 to 9+ range because most shaving gear is pretty darn good, if the proper technique for that razor is used.

I think I did rate one horribly harsh face shredder at 1.5 out of 10. Others have been in the 6 to 8 range.

Reviews and rating systems will always have a large degree of variability when people are doing the reviewing and rating.

That is why, to me, nothing is better than personal experementation and experience.

YMMV

Love this as a start to the thread and love your linear vs logarithmic scale question. I might steal this and use it as an example in class when my students complain about how confusing logs are to show them that many of them probably already think in logarithmic terms without knowing it.

I also agree with the importance of experimentation and experience but also think it is interesting to hear how other people view shave ratings.

I've gotten super-simple. Any blood, regardless of how little or much is one. No blood is zero. In the last 104 shaves, I've drawn a tiny amount of blood twice.

This binary scale meshes well with the elegant simplicity you bring to most of your shaving ethos. I like that you play golf rules. My favorite part about this rating system is that it is predicated on the assumption that you achieve acceptable hair removal with every shave, which is often true (I am of course speaking of "you" general, I have no idea how well you remove hair from your face and will not begin to presume.)

I don't like putting numbers because it would take forever for me to come up with the exact number every time.

I had a delightful image of someone sitting in a darkening room, rubbing their face, sniffing their soap, wearing an accountant visor, and crunching numbers on a calculator before definitively stating, "I rate that shave an 8." Thank you for that image. I am a fan of more descriptive shave ratings as well.

Given your rating is the same for both shaves and razors, I assume you dont have a preference for either razor and like both equally?

When I first read this it made me question whether a shave could rank a 9 while the razor used in the shave could be an 8 and if each portion could be broken down individually. I feel that a razor's overall ranking would be more a matter of consistent results over time rather than how it performed on one day, but this seems like a whole other can of worms to go down.

How do I resolve the conundrum?

I just go with the Limbic part of my brain and enjoy the ride.

Loving the responses and the overthought simplicity of some of your answers. Thanks for the interesting insight and for comparing a number of razors I was interested in.

"TLDR" Using an uncommon abbreviation (at least to me) without explanation of what it means: 1 (In good humor.)

Dear Appreciated Customer Ike,
I am truly sorry for the well deserved poor review. This is not the type of service/post I want other users to experience. I hope you can forgive me and I will continue to make strides to improve. Please come by and give us another chance on a different thread.
The management team at Ryanshh

If anything goes wrong it is my fault and not that of the hardware or software.

This hits the nail on the head for a lot of my thoughts and calls to mind the old saying, "It's a poor craftsman who blames his tools." That said, I think my skill on a given day certainly factors into the rating of the shave.

I treat it the way judges at the Olympics judge ice skating, diving, and gymnastic events.

So how do you determine the technical difficulty of your daily shave and is it fair for your easier shaves that the more difficult shaves benefit from padded scoring?

If you require a visit to the Emergency Room, that's probably a 5.

I am terrified to think about what must happen for a 1.

Having things based on your personal best makes me think of when I did some emergency medicine training and was told to always follow up the question, "On a scale from 1-10 with 10 being the most pain you have ever felt, how would you rate your pain?" with the question, "What is the worst pain you have ever felt?" Because clearly someone who has only stubbed their toe will have a drastically different scale than someone who had major surgery without anesthesia. I agree that it is really the only way people can rate things, but man does that make it hard as a reader.

I would not compare an artisan soap to a mass produced commercial soap. They are in completely different leagues to me (college versus pro). Now that doesn't mean there aren't any commercial soaps that compare to artisans (there are .. in fact many), but there is a certain starting point you have to work from.

This makes me think about all the ratings for many things. Am I going to rate a fast-food chicken sandwich on the same scale I rate dinner at a 5-star restaurant? Maybe, but especially if the rating ends up being, "I would much rather have eaten a fast-food chicken sandwich than spend my money at this 5-star restaurant.)

Several rating systems work for me. My favorite rating is defined on the B+B acronyms list: SAS, C+C, DFS or BBS! You could say: A, B, C, D!


For the ‘What did you use today?’ thread I use a 0-10 point scale. When I returned to ‘traditional wet shaving’ I was going for SAS/C+C, or a 2-4/10 shave. There days I expect DFS+, or 8-10! Either I have changed the scale or my technique is really better!!

I do like the clearly defined terms for a rating or using descriptions. I don't have any problem with 1-10 ratings but I do always wonder what their 1 shave looks like and what makes something a 10 point shave.

I gave up rating when I realised I was on a quest.

View attachment 1049734

Now I use words instead. Lots of words. Not as many as Herman Melville yet.

I love words for ratings. I even like words surrounding numbers to give those numbers context for ratings. I would prefer lots of words to confusing numbers and think that they are rather helpful in general.

1 for me would be a harsh shave that didn't feel good after the rinse, regardless of closeness, and I woke up with irritation/bumps the next morning.

10 would be a comfortable shave that I thoroughly enjoyed, and I like running my hand over my face after the rinse, that left zero irritation and was still close the next morning. You could say I chase a CCS lol.

This seems like a succinct and well thought out scale that is easy to grasp and could provide good context in general. It shows that you have spent time thinking about what matters to you and you seem to be good at articulating it. Thanks for the input.

 

[Demolition]

I gave up rating when I realised I was on a quest.

View attachment 1049734

Now I use words instead. Lots of words. Not as many as Herman Melville yet.

I've never used a numerical rating system. I write over-long reviews (like this one) and use photos to illustrate what I mean.

My goal is to offer some insight into my experience with that product. My view is subjective, of course, so I make the effort to use what I think are familiar terms that others can relate to. The readers can judge whether I've explained myself adequately or not.

 

[GaryTha]

Ratings are Futile

Experienced shavers tell newbies to buy a sampler pack of blades, a few soaps, a few razors, and some brushes and get to testing to find their "Holy Grail" combination. So, the newbie buys four of each item: blades spaced from dull to sharp, soaps spaced from slick to slickest, razors spaced from mild to aggressive, and four brush types.

How many setup combinations are there? Only 256, not counting things like pre-shave activities, etc. Anyone who has studied statistics knows it takes at least 25 samples to determine a valid average, so the shaver should put 6,400 rows on their spreadsheet.

There is an elegantly simple solution. Track essential techniques.

How good was my technique in the following areas?

1. Pressure
2. Riding the top cap
3. FOCUS​

Today, I lost my focus and drew some blood with my best combination. With experience, tools don't matter.

 

[Brian C.]

Ratings are Futile

Experienced shavers tell newbies to buy a sampler pack of blades, a few soaps, a few razors, and some brushes and get to testing to find their "Holy Grail" combination. So, the newbie buys four of each item: blades spaced from dull to sharp, soaps spaced from slick to slickest, razors spaced from mild to aggressive, and four brush types.

How many setup combinations are there? Only 256, not counting things like pre-shave activities, etc. Anyone who has studied statistics knows it takes at least 25 samples to determine a valid average, so the shaver should put 6,400 rows on their spreadsheet.

There is an elegantly simple solution. Track essential techniques.

How good was my technique in the following areas?

1. Pressure
2. Riding the top cap
3. FOCUS​

Today, I lost my focus and drew some blood with my best combination. With experience, tools don't matter.

And also that 85% of statistics are made up on the spot. [emoji16]

This is a very informative and interesting thread that I will follow. It’s something I’ve never really thought about even when reading other reviews, much less reviewing from my point of view.

Maybe the information here will help me when I review 3 very different slants in the very near future. I have already decided that the reviews will not be posted until I have spent at least a month with each of the 2 new ones that I have recently added.


AoM; B.O.S.S.;Knight of the Veg Table;MFR2019

 

[GaryTha]

Single Chute Bias

How many times have you read about a newbie with ten shaves above their tie who wants to "move up to a more aggressive razor?" The same shaver also wants to move up to a sharper blade. Do they realize that 83.7% of all people can get the best shave they can get with a $12.95 Weishi? The statistic is made up, but it's close.

Aggressiveness is violent. It is also sexual in the sense of chasing women. These are the two most powerful motivators for many.

Later, enablers ask if the shaver is satisfied.

"Be suspicious as well of the one who asks only if you are satisfied. Single-chute questions of this sort can get you both to mistake and misstate your position."
Cialdini, Robert B.. Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade (p. 23). Simon & Schuster. Kindle Edition.

 

[theid59]

The last, elusive 10% of audio equipment performance costs 100 times more than the first 90% invested in the equipment. But you never reach Atlantis - there's always a new kind of speaker wire, DAC chip, etc. beckoning. There are some parallels here, no?

 

[Billy T.]

Many think aggression level means progress, especially newcomers. Suddenly the razor that has been giving you great shaves isn't good enough because you can't feel the blade enough. Neutral/Negative blade exposure? What are you a *****? You are not manly enough unless you use that R41 every single day. I am waaaaaaaaaaay off topic but If a razor works then keep using it. There might be another razor out there that can give a better result, maybe the best result. I've bought some razors, mostly heads. Not expecting a better result, but a different experience.

 

[GaryTha]

The last, elusive 10% of audio equipment performance costs 100 times more than the first 90% invested in the equipment. But you never reach Atlantis - there's always a new kind of speaker wire, DAC chip, etc. beckoning. There are some parallels here, no?

Sellers Advantage

Logarithmic activities are subject to the law of diminishing returns. This includes everything with practical upper/lower limits. For instance, miles run in a day or world record marathon time.

Exponential activities have no such limit. The longer we continue the core activity at a steady rate, the greater the rate of sales growth.

Sellers need only make noise and they will sell products. The longer they make noise, the more products they will sell. They noisily tell us what to rate. Lather, slickness, smoothness, scent, sillage, persistence, etc., and we dutifully create rating forms to prove we know the difference.

The single chute bias means we will generally rate new products better than average. After all, we wouldn't be dumb enough to buy a product worse than average, would we?

There is a simple counter. A single setup commitment and another hobby. My other hobby is writing.

 

[Atlantic59]

...Aggressiveness is violent. It is also sexual in the sense of chasing women. These are the two most powerful motivators for many...

Aggressiveness means many things.

1. A person who pursues his goal forcefully could be aggressive.
2. A person who is wiling to be confrontational could be aggressive.

Ironically, I think it is fair to say you yourself could be called aggressive in both sense 1 & 2.
☺

However, aggressiveness is misused to describe razors. What people want is efficiency, the ability to get a closer shave in fewer passes. This is a good thing for a person with a heavy beard and/or a fast-growing beard. Fewer passes can mean less irritation and time saved. A closer shave means a longer-lasting shave. These are worthwhile things that have nothing to do with violence or chasing women.

 

[MTG Jr]

To Long. Didn't Read.

Or Too Long.....

 

[dundak]

It's either a good shave or a bad shave bout as far as I go into the rating system. I can usually figure out why on my own. Don't read many reviews except to look at the pics on whether or not the piece of hardware appeals to me.

 

[Macduff]

@Ryanshh good thread topic! I’ve been reviewing blades here for a couple years and i had the same conundrum with rating them as you outlined in your post. The way i finally settled on was to break down each blade by perceived sharpness, smoothness, longevity and consistency. With price also factored in. I use the same setup for each blade so i remove all of the variables except my technique (which hasn’t really changed) and how my face is doing on that particular day. But breaking down the categories i can try to highlight each of the blades good and bad qualities as i see them and let people form their own opinions as to whether it’s something they’d be interested in trying. I also try to emphasize what i thought people might like about the blade even if it isn’t my cup o’ tea. I then give it my own subjective rating at the end (1-10 scale) to let people know how i personally liked it. As you said, it’s way too subjective a topic to assign a hard and fast number to that would actually mean anything, but on a personal level i think we all know what we like in all things and grade accordingly. But in reviews i think it’s always important to remember that there are some qualities we dislike that others might perceive as a positive so i try to keep that in mind when i do reviews.