Thread: Is it too difficult?

Double post . . . yea it is acting funny today.

Originally Posted by Disburden

I had a question about this post. You mention shaving at an angle higher than 30 Degrees can dull the blade on the razor. This confuses me because I have seen videos on SRP That shavers use a very high angle on their ATG pass. Like in XMAN's video. I just started doing this also, since I Thought it was okay, and I get a closer shave with a more aggressive blade angle. Should I Stop doing this ASAP?

No, I'm not suggesting you change what works at all. If it works have at it, but if that means you strop and hone more often, no big deal either.

I use a low angle first, then a slightly higher angle on the second pass. Just as close, far less damage. I use 20 degrees then 30-35.

Once you push out past 45 degrees though you may cause dulling. Out past 45 degrees though you end up with a lot of bevel geometry/honing/pressure variations that make it hard to predict edge damage, including whisker and prep issues.

Obviously, this is meant as a guide but I would not recommend larger deviations from what it is shown in the graph, particularly when you are starting out with a straight:

Advanced shaving techniques for the straight razor - Straight Razor Place Wiki

I find myself going back to this graph every so often.


Al raz.

Originally Posted by Alraz

... People, especially new users, should focus on comfort rather than closeness and devote more attention to other areas of shaving than the razor itself. ...

I completely agree with Alraz. I'm about 3 mos into str8 shaving. In December, I decided to quit obsessing about BBS shaves and concentrate on a comfortable shave. A comfortable shave looks good and feels good, even if it's not BBS. As I gained confidence with my str8s, the BBS portion of my face grew until I was regularly obtaining a BBS shave all over my face, even though my goal is comfort, not BBS.

Shave for comfort and BBS will follow.

Originally Posted by Disburden

I had a question about this post. You mention shaving at an angle higher than 30 Degrees can dull the blade on the razor. This confuses me because I have seen videos on SRP That shavers use a very high angle on their ATG pass. Like in XMAN's video. I just started doing this also, since I Thought it was okay, and I get a closer shave with a more aggressive blade angle. Should I Stop doing this ASAP?

I would . Shaving at a steep angle is a good way to get cut , not to mention razor burn . An experenced straight shaver , who knows how to shave can get away with it , but I don't reccomend it for a newb to try . I can tell you from my own experence that a steep angle , along with too much pressure will not only dull your blade , it can also do damage to your face .

Nice post AFDavis!
Lots of good information.

Good one Alan, I have to agree with you here. We've heard you
say most of this stuff before over the years and it's all as true
now as it ever has been.

- Scott

Originally Posted by AFDavis11

Wet your thumb pad for 30 seconds and then lightly touch your thumb pad down on the edge. The skin should break.

A quick question:

It sounds like this is a test one does after stropping, right? We're testing whether the blade is ready to start shaving. That is, this isn't a honing test: specifically, it's not the same as the "thumb pad test" that folks do to test their honing, where the thumb pad is passed lightly across the edge for a "tingly" feel.

Thanks for a great post. Finding ways to simplify the "message" for novice shavers is a great practice.

With everyone talking about the proper shaving angle I have to wonder, how many people have a protractor in their shaving kit? I just try to keep the spine as close to my skin as I did on my last good shave. I don't have enough hands to hold the razor, strech my skin and hold the protractor at the same time.

Originally Posted by ndw76

With everyone talking about the proper shaving angle I have to wonder, how many people have a protractor in their shaving kit? I just try to keep the spine as close to my skin as I did on my last good shave. I don't have enough hands to hold the razor, strech my skin and hold the protractor at the same time.

Maybe it is because I worked as a carpenter and an ironworker (oil & water) in my younger days but if someone says a 90 or a 45 degree angle I can see that in my minds eye immediately. How easy it is, for me anyhow, to translate that into visualizing a 30 degree angle especially when we are talking seeing the blade against the skin in the mirror.