When Does It Make Sense to Consider Buying a More Aggressive DE Razor?

[Frito Ray]

Excuse my ignorance but what does TTO stand for?

Twist to open.

 

[Rob72]

Do you think the red tip I got from you was aggressive?

I consider the Ikon b1 slant, Ikon b1 open comb, Merkur 37C slant, Ikon short comb and the Ming Shi 2000S 4+ aggressive. Would you agree?

I too feel Red Tips are mild, as are the B1 slant/B1 OC and the 37C, but useable. For me, the slants perform better because of the changed cutting stroke, especially XTG.

Having said that, I much prefer the Wunderbar and Konsul.

 

[Lane101]

Excuse my ignorance but what does TTO stand for? is that what people call an adjustable razor with a knob?

I found one online from a company called aliexpress, not called a Murker Progress, but it is out of China and they are around $10 shipped. i'm guessing this is a scam correct? Guess i'm going to have to get a paypal account to order anything online because I can't even get blades anymore locally. I was scammed once a while back purchasing online. They drained my bank account and I was almost homeless and lost my car over it.

I am not big on ordering online anywhere. That's really my problem. Even scared to share private info (name, location, etc.)

I was told to buy pre-paid visas and add that money to a paypal account, but need to research it first.

Plague Doctor

Hi, TTO refers to twist-to-open butterfly razors like my Weishi 9306 Long Handle or Rockwell T2 adjustable. The TTO mechanism is separate from the adjustment mechanism. For example my Rockwell T2 has the TTO knob on the bottom and a separate adjustment know right below the shaving head.

 

[eSteve]

This is a great thread with excellent posts.

Mild razors appear simple, like beautiful, innocent tools. But they have hidden complexities. You need time and patience to understand them. Follow their rules, and you'll get an incredibly close shave (a BBS). If you ignore the rules and try to force a BBS, you'll get irritation, without warning or explanation. You're left to figure out your mistake.

Aggressive razors are the opposite. They're direct and honest. They offer much more freedom. If you make a mistake, their feedback tells you what went wrong. It's easy to get a good shave with an aggressive razor, and there are many ways to achieve it.

Mild razors seem luxurious at first, but once you experience the easygoing nature of an aggressive razor, it's difficult to go back.

Well said. I've had lots of very satisfying shaves with most of my razors but still struggle with my Techs. I'm working on it.

 

[BadJack]

Basically you might shift to a more aggressive one when:
1. When you need too many passes to achieve a decent shave.
2. When your skin is sufficiently resilient, and you have good technique.
3. When you are a meticulous seeker of a BBS shave.

 

[Teutonblade]

I think “mild” and “aggressive” are misnomers which often cause confusion around efficiency and comfort.

I think gap, exposure, and most importantly clamping are indeed determinants of a razor’s performance. I think how close a shave you get with any razor is a combination of both razor performance and technique.

For me, the quality which I value most in a razor is strong blade clamping. If a razor has lots of blade flex it can lead to chatter, discomfort and lower efficiency. With practice I’m sure a technique could be developed to compensate for a razor with weak clamping and still get a close shave. But this is a bit like saying with practice I could learn to tap dance in ski boots. Possible, but you’d be better served with a pair of nice tap shoes.

 

[Lane101]

I think “mild” and “aggressive” are misnomers which often cause confusion around efficiency and comfort.

I think gap, exposure, and most importantly clamping are indeed determinants of a razor’s performance. I think how close a shave you get with any razor is a combination of both razor performance and technique.

For me, the quality which I value most in a razor is strong blade clamping. If a razor has lots of blade flex it can lead to chatter, discomfort and lower efficiency. With practice I’m sure a technique could be developed to compensate for a razor with weak clamping and still get a close shave. But this is a bit like saying with practice I could learn to tap dance in ski boots. Possible, but you’d be better served with a pair of nice tap shoes.

You are right that an effective technique is important. The key is developing a technique that matches razor design in areas ranging from basics, like level of pressure, to use of a shaving angle that matches the razors effective range as highlighted my @Mr. Shavington .

Variances in blade gap and exposure are very real in determining razor aggressiveness and therefor the ideal technique for a specific razor. Many of us, including myself, have learned this the hard way when we fail to adjust technique when moving from a mild to a more aggressive razor. Don't understand how this can be considered a misnomer.

Open question regarding the separate question of blade chatter as, per our recent thread on the topic linked below, we've a lot of divergent views on what it is and if it is real beyond vendor marketing messages.

Happy to continue that discussion in that thread.

Blade Chatter: What Is It and Is it Real?

Hi, I'm curious to learn more about blade chatter given that the phrase is used to define two different things and I've been unable to find any stats or research measuring and confirming what it is. Let's start with the two definitions as follows: A blade that sticks and then skips along your...

www.badgerandblade.com

 

[JOJOBG]

When you have black barbwire on your face and shaving with techs, super-speeds, DE89 etc., etc. doing 3 passes cannot provide BBS.

With all due respect but I beg to differ. We can discuss about the length of the BBS, but IMHO it's the technique that gives the BBS. While I do strongly support you on using aggressive razors, it is easier on achieving that bliss.

 

[Bob65]

Very interesting topic.
I can speak for my personal experience.
Buying more aggressive razors was the natural evolution as my technique progressed.
If the daily gesture of "shaving" every morning becomes a passion, after starting with mild razors it becomes natural to raise the bar with more aggressive razors or - if you like - more demanding.
In my case, this is exactly what happened.
Then we can talk about types of blades, number of passes, weight and material of the razor.
Personally, I never look for the BBS at all costs: if the technique is the right one based on the tool used and the mastery of the gesture is correct, it comes by itself.

 

[cakaguna]

I use the mildest razor I can that doesn’t require extra passes, or buffing, to get a close shave. Others have already mentioned why you’d want to go more aggressive. My experimentation with razors is always to find something that does the job without being too mild.

 

[srgjazz]

I believe all a more aggressive razor does is widen the range of angles where the razor will cut efficiently. If the blade is more exposed then you can afford to get your angle a bit wrong and the blade edge will still be on your skin. It’s an aid for imperfect technique (though some shavers also prefer a stronger blade feel when they shave - but most just want an efficient shave as comfortably as possible). The price you pay for a more exposed blade is a harsher shave. But you might find that this is still more comfortable overall than doing repeated passes or applying pressure with a more mild razor that you struggle to maintain the optimal angle with successfully on parts of your face.

But a more aggressive razor isn’t really any more efficient than a mild razor - as long as the blade edge is on your skin correctly the blade cuts exactly the same. So I’d say it’s fine to try a more aggressive razor, but don’t start collecting them because over time your shaving technique will improve and you’ll learn to get exactly the same results from mild razors, which will be more comfortable.

While you might find it easier to get close shaves with a more aggressive razor, I’m not sure it helps you improve your technique. It just allows you to get away with deficiencies in your technique, so it might actually reinforce poor technique and slow your learning.

What you could try instead is to use your milder razor to show you where you’re getting your angle wrong, and between shaves think about what you could try differently to get a better result in the areas you weren’t satisfied with (you didn’t get a close enough shave, or you got irritation because you added pressure or went over the spot too many times). It’s difficult to maintain the optimal shaving angle when your face is full of curves and hollows and corners, so it takes time and practice. Things that often help include stretching your skin to make it flatter, using much shorter strokes (so you’re not trying to compensate your angle across a curved surface with long strokes), going slower and concentrating on the angle, using as light a touch as you can (adding pressure is counter-productive because it pushes the razor into your skin and makes it less flat - less pressure and correcting the angle is the solution, not adding more pressure). You can also try more advanced techniques like holding the razor slightly diagonally so when you do your stroke the blade is also slicing the hair a bit).

Good luck, and always keep asking questions. There’s stuff to learn but everybody gets there in the end. Your face and hair are unique to you, so some of it you can only figure out for yourself. You get there quicker by trying things and learning from each shave.

This is outstanding advice.

 

[Odinarcade00]

I'm leaning at looking at a Canadian Manufacturer Razor Rock Game Changer or an adjustable razor. There is an adjustable razor that has an off white bottom that seems to turn from 1-9 giving you a mild up to an aggressive shave depending on the dial setup - am I right about this?

The Game Changer has different heads and from what I understand is you need to only buy the 1 full razor and that razor can take any of their heads made for the game changer, So if what I ordered at first didn't work out, I would just have to purchase a part instead of a whole new setup. Is this correct?

Also saw some posts about other razors from Razor Rock called a Lupo & Mamba. but the game changer seems to be loved more and the heads and razor is cheaper, but haven't ruled out anything yet but the Henson razors or an older Gillette. Nothing personal against them, I would just prefer to have something newer.

Plague Doctor

dont buy a mamba unless you wanna do 3 passes. Youre better off trying other plates from the game changer if the .68p doesnt work for you.

 

[Odinarcade00]

I use the mildest razor I can that doesn’t require extra passes, or buffing, to get a close shave. Others have already mentioned why you’d want to go more aggressive. My experimentation with razors is always to find something that does the job without being too mild.

The mildest razor is probably the razorock mamba 53 plate and that thing takes alot of swipes to finish a shave at even DFS

 

[Lane101]

Very interesting topic.
I can speak for my personal experience.
Buying more aggressive razors was the natural evolution as my technique progressed.
If the daily gesture of "shaving" every morning becomes a passion, after starting with mild razors it becomes natural to raise the bar with more aggressive razors or - if you like - more demanding.
In my case, this is exactly what happened.
Then we can talk about types of blades, number of passes, weight and material of the razor.
Personally, I never look for the BBS at all costs: if the technique is the right one based on the tool used and the mastery of the gesture is correct, it comes by itself

Welcome to B&B, I see you joined us around two weeks ago!

Given your avatar it makes sense that you've migrated to more aggressive razors. If I recall one of the SNL Samuri Tailor scenes he was inadvertently about to become and early pioneer in what our Gen Z members call manscaping, though likely with permanent results based on the freeze frame on which the sketch ended.

Other than providing the more demanding shaving challenge you were looking for has your shift to more aggressive razors delivered significant improvements to the quality of your shaves?

My sense, from my experience and the many posts from fellow B&B members, is that many here need to target their desired final shave quality (e.g. DFS vs. BBS) and adjust technique accordingly in areas such as number of passes, lather slickness and shaving angle. Not sure how often BBS comes by itself. Targeting BBS and preferring milder to moderate razors I've found it necessary to vary my technique based on the razor used. If you are varying your technique per the tool (razor) you are using aren't you doing the same thing?

 

[lakeman77]

Had a Rockwell 6C. Started on plate 1, worked up to 4, got cuts and bleeders, backed off to plate 3. It's not a blood sport I'm currently using a 34 C, don't get cut, easy to use and shaves close enough. A razor is just a tool that holds a blade.

 

[thombrogan]

Black Friday is probably the best time to buy a more aggressive razor.

 

[GR5233]

I think “mild” and “aggressive” are misnomers which often cause confusion around efficiency and comfort.

And related to this I think a lot of people confuse “aggressiveness” with “efficiency.” An aggressive razor isn’t necessarily an efficient razor and an efficient razor isn’t necessarily an aggressive razor. That being said I do think there are some that are both aggressive and efficient

 

[AshleyC]

I once authored what was probably the least popular "bespoke shaving day" idea of all time.

Thread 'Every Sunday is Bloody Sunday!' Every Sunday is Bloody Sunday! - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/every-sunday-is-bloody-sunday.653086/

I think the problem there was it didn’t ryhme or have alliteration. Mostly as a joke, but I came to find out I don't really like shaving experiences that are akin to defusing a time bomb.

I also don't care for razors that have a very narrow range of angle to work. Come off that angle and you're just riding the cap or safety bar. So my Techs just sit there.

My preference is for a "blade that is always doing something".

 

[Blade_Runner37C]

OK I have a great idea. This will cost you under $70 and will give you everything you want to explore different aggressions. Go to Razorock, pick you up a Lupo 1.27 SB,get it, go slow and try it for a week. If it's too much for you, offer a trade on the base only for a less aggressive Lupo base. I bet you would have a taker in 30 minutes. I think alot of people want to try the 1.27 that have a milder base. I honestly just can't imaging what anyone would not like about this razor. But YMMV

 

[DesertIguana]

I think you highlighted the main reason to go to a more efficient razor; getting to the your desired level of closeness in fewer passes. For the folks with sensitive skin, more passes = more blade contact = more risk of irritation.

Well reading most of what was posted below this words of wisdom, this post hit the X at Center of Target. I would say go get a Fatboy, Slim, or BlackBeauty Adjustable. You can turn a knob, get more or less aggression at will. Nice thing is if you just want a Shave Grade price is Fair, a fully Restored, Replate is on pricey side. Or you can buy the Shaver Grade, and if you love, you can get one of many replate places to make your Shaver grade nice.