"The No Pressure Mantra Is Misleading. Some Pressure Is Beneficial For A longer Lasting And More Efficient Result." Discuss.

[spacemonkey42]

This is an enjoyable discussion, thank you Alum Ladd! One good outcome is to use the word pressure appropriately:

Pressure is the amount of force applied perpendicular to the surface of an object per unit area. (wikipedia)​

Perpendicular to the surface is the key here.

Pressure is an important part of technique. Many shavers start out with too much pressure and have to learn a lighter touch. There are many other factors to one's technique - angle, stroke speed, length of stroke, force of that stroke, directions with respect to grain, and much more.

 

[Phoenixkh]

I find managing pressure much easier and controllable (and safer) than managing a heavier handle.

I only use two razors with heavy handles: both of them Lambda razors, i.e., the Athena and the Ares. For all my other razors, I use either a Timeless Ti Crown handle or a Wolfman bronze hollow handle..... The Crown weighs 42.7 grams and the Wolfman hollow bronze handles are 40 grams. I don't care for the feel of heavy SS handles for some reason. The lighter titanium or the hollow bronze handles tilt the balance of the razor towards the head. I've developed a fondness for that and I'm sure my technique developed around it.

 

[eSteve]

Great discussion Simon, thanks. I’m still newish but very satisfied with my progress. I’ve had to remind myself many times to go lighter. Pressure is like angle, it requires some observation and adjustment. I don’t think DE razors in general benefit from added pressure; it’s something to do with the angle of the blade. It becomes irritation.

However, I use deliberate added pressure, for some strokes, with two razors: Merkur Futur (DE) and Schick Type E (injector). I learned this stroke from Shaving With Rich (M. Futur Shaving Tips).

Being the sideways thinker I am, I applied Rich’s technique to the E Type in exactly the same way. It’s super effective, works the same with both razors; I use it every time.

What’s fascinating is the Futur is a DE razor weighing 120 g, the Type E is a SE razor weighing 30 g. Same stroke, similar cutting power.

Anyway, pressure; and technique.

 

[House Boy]

My advise is start lite and increase until you hit the sweet spot. I did this with everything sharp.

 

[AceyMan]

the advice of "no pressure" is simply to tell them "less pressure than you think would work" or "less pressure to the point you think you're applying no pressure".

To cite one of my least favorite athletes,¹ who once said something I'm frequently mindful of, namely —

" 'Feel' and 'real' are not the same."

As a skilled tennis player, I always keep this in mind when I'm making any kind of changes to my equipment or stroke.

The same goes for mastering new things in ones Shave Den.

/Acey

¹— Eldrick "Tiger" Woods

 

[Mojo88]

Good prep, products and technique allow for the use of more pressure. It’s all about that glide of the razor and cutting not tugging or pulling. If you think about it we went from a society of proper shaves with a hot towel, badger brushes, shaving creams and a straight to a diy market. Along the way those “old” methods went by the wayside, everything was about speed and mass marketing.

For years it was cartridge shaving and electric razors for the vast majority of the public. Enter the web and the reintroduction of proper wet shaving. The shaving routine changed back, all the old products and methods were new again. I didn’t relearn how to wet shave, I learned how to wet shave, it’s a marked difference. I went from slapping water on my face, some canned goo and a cartridge to proper prep and a double edged razor. I can apply more pressure because my technique and products are completely different.

 

[thombrogan]

Was reading older posts and found a germane quote:

The reality is that a shallow angle, and using pressure that is appropriate to the users personal characteristics is the method providing the best shave and longest life of a blade. Using pressure that is appropriate for the user, means using the greatest amount of pressure that is comfortable for the shaver.

I embiggened a caveat the author made that struck me as important.

 

[Ravenonrock]

Yes, use pressure…a modicum of pressure. Otherwise, grow a beard.

 

[JoWolf]

Some pressure is good.

Regardless of blade used it is inevitable. The majority of shavers campaign blades. Each use of the sharp apex on a blade changes the acute angle towards an obtuse angle. More uses more obtuse. Most would agree that new blades might fall into three categories Sharp, Sharper, Sharpest. Let’s just discuss sharpest. Each use of that blade will degrade the acute apex angle towards an obtuse angle (or wear if you like). A fresh sharp blade will cut through a resistance quicker than a used duller blade. This will equate to slower blade speed and added pressure whether vertical or horizontal to complete the cut compared to the sharper blade. More wear slower speed and more pressure required to make the cut. Making the adjustments to use a dulling blade is what we call technique. We do need to make adjustments for dulling blades. And that would be pressure and blade speed. Most of our moms told us that the sharpest knife in the kitchen drawer was the safest and least likely to cause a mishap in our cutting chores. I think we could apply the same rule to razor blades. A Sushi chef or a Butcher would never consider using a dulling knife for their work. They constantly dress their blades to the keenest sharpest acute angle. This allows them to use a maximum speed and minimal pressure to complete their cuts.

There is some excellent photos and great discussion in this link

Index

Quantifying Sharp Definitions of Sharp and Keen Sharp and Keen part 2 The Slice Cut A Comparison of Several Manufactured Blades The Bevel Set The Honing Progression The Diamond Plate Progression It…

scienceofsharp.com

 

[slimshavy]

I find it's easy to let the weight of the razor do the work. What's hard is standing on my head when I shave against the grain.

 

[EclipseRedRing]

Here are some Gillette instructions, admittedly for a Lady Gillette. I draw your attention to the following text in point 4 - "Use very little pressure on your Lady Gillette Razor as you shave. The weight of the instrument itself is almost sufficient". That suggests that some degree of pressure was recommended by Gillette for a razor that is nothing more than a Superspeed on a long handle, fitted with regular DE blades. Are there any similar examples of advice to use some pressure, no matter how small, in the instructions supplied with Gillette razors marketed for gentlemen?