Thread: How close can you get with one WTG pass?

If you consider a "pass" to be defined by which direction you shave (eg;WTG, ATG) then I get pretty close to bbs in one WTG pass on the sides of my face. The goatee area usually takes two as does my neck. Except for touch ups (usually jaw line and neck) I typically only do two passes. Truthfully I'm probably OK for work, etc. after one pass, but hey, I made all this lather, I'm going to use it.

As a couple of posters have pointed out, each pass is made up of several overlapping stroke. No problem with losing lubrication.

Good luck. I'm sure it will fall into place soon. Keep working on the angle you use. It seems like my razors each have their own optimal angle and when you find it, you're home free.

I don't consider my technique "stellar", but I can typically get very close on my cheeks with 1 WTG pass. My second pass is another WTG, but using a scything motion, and I find that's all my cheeks need to be smooth.

The chin is a completely different story, and I would wait until you are sure the technique is down. The contours of the chin can make it difficult, and it seems that hair is a little more rough and stubborn there. Follow the instructions in the 1961 Barber's Manual (in the documents area under Shaving) and you should be good to go.

~Chris

I'm also a bit of a newbie, but I can get pretty darn close on my cheeks & upper lip with one pass WTG.

The hair on my jawline is a lot more wiry than on my cheeks & upper lip, as is my chin hair, so that usually requires another XTG or ATG pass.

The hair on my neck grows in like 50 different directions and I have yet to get the perfect BBS shave there, although I'm getting a better shave than my Fusion ever gave...

1 WTG pass can get you close, dont worry about overlapping I think most of us do it. I do 3 passes, WTG, XTG, ATG butthats becuase I have to since I am in the Navy and dont want the Chief all over me

With the right razor, with the right prep, and with a scything stroke, pretty freaking close....

My metric for my razors being sharp enough is that the WTG pass should end up as close as what I was able to get with my old cartridge razors. Then the ATG pass makes it BBS and way, way past what I could ever get with a cartidge razor.

That said, I do have a few areas that the WTG can't quite do--a few small areas near my goatee and my adam's apple.

Dan

If you have a good lubricating lather you can overlap several times without irritation, just so long as your razor is good and sharp, and you don't apply pressure.
I can get very close on my WTG pass, but with overlap, I probably hit every hair at least twice...
There's an art to straight shaving, and we are all students. I don't care if it's shave #1 or #10,000 There is always something that you haven't tried, or mastered yet.
I remember when I started, it took me 3 months before I could get a close enough shave that I wasn't touching up with my Mach3, and another 3 months before I was confident enough to throw it away.
If you still have a disposable, don't be ashamed to clean up with it, do what you can with the straight, don't torture yourself. There is no shame in learning, and if you do it in a fashion that keeps your confidence and comfort level high, you will be successful.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

With the right razor, with the right prep, and with a scything stroke, pretty freaking close....

I agree totally...

-Pary