Thread: When is the razor shave ready

Originally Posted by Dave12345

That description made me chuckle. Did you ever consider the Feather Artist razor ?

I did consider it but decided that I would stick with traditional straights. I enjoy the challenge of honing my own as much as the shaving. From what I've read by others who have used them they are a different kangaroo anyway and not my cup of tea.

A respected honemeister once told me that he is satisfied when a blade shaves hair WTG on his cheek, and sends it out.

In my opinion, this is not shave ready. If, on my face, I cannot shave ATG everywhere (including neck, chip, upper lip) without tugging and irritation, it is not shave ready. I go back to the hones, the pastes, whatever is needed, until it is.

Maybe there are whiskers so tough that there is no blade is sharp enough to do this with. I don't know. We all believe we have tough beards and sensitive skin. Maybe I'm blessed with babyfine whiskers and leathery skin.

I really believe that any straight shaver needs to hone his own razors, and should aim for BBS with minimal irritation, including ATG passes where necessary. Expecting someone a thousand or more miles away, who has never met you or studied your mug, to dial in your edges to produce this effect for $10 - $20, is, in my opinion, a fond notion.

Originally Posted by pcb01

A respected honemeister once told me that he is satisfied when a blade shaves hair WTG on his cheek, and sends it out.

In my opinion, this is not shave ready. If, on my face, I cannot shave ATG everywhere (including neck, chip, upper lip) without tugging and irritation, it is not shave ready. I go back to the hones, the pastes, whatever is needed, until it is.

if it cant shave ATG under the chin without discomfort , then its not shave ready for me.

I can get BBS all over without a true ATG stroke in a lot of places. I only go ATG on my cheeks and the bottom of my neck. The rest get some form of xtg. At the end of the day, the shave is what matters. If you get an irritation free BBS shave, you win.

It's good to have a reference blade. One that you just know and feel is really sharp. The sharpest blade I ever received was a Wade and Butcher 5/8th, with a little humpback and smile. My hat is off to Sham for that one! I work to try to replicate that level of sharp. For me, first pass WTG, second pass XTG. ATG is just for chin and jawline. ATG is where I can really feel if my razor is truly sharp. If my blade skips or really drags/pulls here, the blade is ready for touch up or back to the stones.

Originally Posted by mainaman

if it cant shave ATG under the chin without discomfort , then its not shave ready for me.

I think the above quote describes the reason many shavers
gravitate to str8 razors. i.e. you get to decide how sharp
and how polished your blade is.

For me ATG is flat out a problem. My whiskers grow too
flat in places and the blade gets under the whisker and when
the hair parts the blade sees a bit of skin to slice off and gives
me a burn.

As a result I do not think of three basic strokes: WTG, XTG, ATG.
I think more in terms of lines crossing the clock. My WTG
is more like a line from 1 to 7 on a clock face (whiskers point
down to six). My XTG is close to 9-3 and rare ATG is about 4 to 10
stroke.

This way the blade can see the whisker at a non ramp angle
and not slide off WTG or grab under ATG. This applies to
a BiC, DE or str8 equally.

I also have some nasty swirly spots that I use the braille method on.
After a single 1-7 pass and perhaps a light XTG stroke I use
my free hand and feel for stubble and on those areas I
add more lather and lightly retouch with very short strokes.

Of interest with my face a less sharp polished blade lets me
get away with a near ATG 7-1 angled stroke but nothing
lets me shave my neck ATG with impunity.

As always good face prep and lather is a requirement.

Like I said control and the ability to match an individual face....

i find that a razor is ready when i can dry shave my jaws with out any pulling and it is smooth. that is when it is ready to send out.

Originally Posted by pcb01

In my opinion, this is not shave ready. If, on my face, I cannot shave ATG everywhere (including neck, chip, upper lip) without tugging and irritation, it is not shave ready.

I respectfully have to disagree with You.
In fact In straight razor shaving You should never shave AGT.
WTG +XTG
Should satisfy shaver.
If you are not getting great shave with WTG+XTG then your blade is not shave ready statement? i would be agree .
hope this helps.

Originally Posted by hi_bud_gl

I respectfully have to disagree with You.
In fact In straight razor shaving You should never shave AGT.
WTG +XTG
Should satisfy shaver.
If you are not getting great shave with WTG+XTG then your blade is not shave ready statement? i would be agree .
hope this helps.

My beard growth pattern swirls around in curliques (what we call "cowlicks" here in Texas), which means that there is no "WTG" "XTG" or "ATG" - any stroke I take is a mixture of all three. So ATG isn't something I do to get a good shave - it's a requirement in order for me to get any shave at all. (I guess I could use a narrow blade like a DE and painstakingly shave around in circles on my face)

Originally Posted by mparker762

My beard growth pattern swirls around in curliques (what we call "cowlicks" here in Texas), which means that there is no "WTG" "XTG" or "ATG" - any stroke I take is a mixture of all three. So ATG isn't something I do to get a good shave - it's a requirement in order for me to get any shave at all. (I guess I could use a narrow blade like a DE and painstakingly shave around in circles on my face)

We here on the tundra have similar swirls which we call cariboulicks or Rudolph's revenge. To deal with the phenomenon, many tundrites have taken to tattooing these swirled areas with unique colors - each color representing a specific shaving direction which hopefully gives the shaver the information he needs to find the BBS Grail.

The face having been given this colorful, art-like treatment can look a bit disconcerting to the uninformed, but as we all know the seeking-out of the BBS is among the most important treks the modern shaver can make and his mapped face is a testament to all he encounters of the strength of his faith and dedication to Brush, Blade, and Strop.

Or did I lose an acronym somewhere along the way between dusty rose and sea green?