Thread: ATG Great - WTG OK - Why?

Originally Posted by MickR

The idea is to reduce the beard on each pass. With a straight razor you have a single blade doing one pass with lather, then a second after re-lathering and so on. With a mach 3 you have three blades covering the same ground. The first takes some hair and the lather away, then number two and three blades come along running on bare skin to take away a bit more each, which is why a modern blade is more prone to give you irritation and ingrown hairs, and also makes for a smoother WTG.

Mick

+1 - Listen to Mick on this. This is a very different philosophy and goal than an M3. Do not care about how close any individual pass is. You have to take them collectively to realize the closeness of the shave.

I don't think in terms of quantity of passes anymore because of this. I have sensitive skin, so I make multiple light passes. I no longer get any skin irritation and my beard looks an feels like it did what I was about 12. And it lasts 12 - 14 hours. Try that with an M3.

BTW - I asked in a thread a while ago why is the str8 so much better. Somebody pointed out that with the different passes in the different directions, the str8 shapes the end of the whisker like a pencil point. So it can grow out of the skin without causing ingrowns and the tips feel softer as the shave ages during the day.

An M3 cuts chisel bluntness that goes below the surface of the skin no matter which direction you shave. That is why you are prone to ingrowns with it.

David

David,

The M3 screws my face up good. In grown hairs on the neck drive me crazy. I absolutely avoid them since using the straight, however, when forced to use a M3 (b/c of lack of time and/or a quick touch up), my neck goes back to crapville.

Originally Posted by Elendil

David,

The M3 screws my face up good. In grown hairs on the neck drive me crazy. I absolutely avoid them since using the straight, however, when forced to use a M3 (b/c of lack of time and/or a quick touch up), my neck goes back to crapville.

I would seriously invest in a DE for the clean-up while learning and the fall back when time is not available. This is a superior alternative to an M3 because it shaves using the same strategy as a straight razor. Many here do just this.

PS - DE's are way cooler than an M3 (but not as cool as a straight)

David

WTG, XTG, ATG; I get the same quality of shave (excellent) regardless as to which of these my natural stroke is.

Originally Posted by Alembic

I would seriously invest in a DE for the clean-up while learning and the fall back when time is not available. This is a superior alternative to an M3 because it shaves using the same strategy as a straight razor. Many here do just this.

PS - DE's are way cooler than an M3 (but not as cool as a straight)

David

I agree. A DE is much better than using an M3. I'm still in nappies (diapers) with using mine, but for a full shave they come second only to the Cutthroat's and are great for chopping down that one mongrel hair you notice 2 hours after your morning shave, just behind your earlobe, that you missed for the last 3 days.


Mick

Onto a DE it will be...now to learn about that!!!

Everyone has different tastes in their personal grooming tools, but I was put onto a Merkur 34 HD by several members here, and it is a great little razor. Small but hefty. YMMV. Comes in C = Chrome or G =Gold.
Whatever (if any) you go for, get a sampler pack of blades to get a feel for what choices you have. You don't have a blade that you can hone to your own satisfaction, what you have is a range of blades to choose from to taylor a shave to suit.
In mens fashion speak, a straight is like having a suit taylor made just for you, whereas a DE is like buying a suit off the rack and having it taken in, to get as close to a perfect fit as possible.


Mick

I agree with Sham (hi_bud...) on this. I rarely go atg. First pass is wtg. The secret here is stretching the skin. This will really improve your first pass. Next is xtg with appropriate skin stretch. If needed I may do a atg just under my chin. Hope that helps. BTW we could be in the same stropping boat. When I started shaving with a straight I stropped perfectly good edges of my razors. Enjoy the learning process!

Shavemind, I believe I have stropped the keen-ness from the edges. I moved the height of my strop, and have attempted to keep it more level/straight (instead of twisting). The last couple of stropping sessions feel much better and I am avoiding the dreaded "Scraping" sound when stropping.

I believe my skin stretching is good.

The ATG pass, on my neck, just seems to be catching that much more hair - even better than a stretched WTG cheek pass or two. So all of this is leading me back to the shaving technique/blade maintenance...which is ultimately leading to poor stropping!

I have to admit I keep one M3 around because sometimes I just don't have the time for a good shave and a DE isn't always the way to go (like when the DE blade is dulled and I'm too sleepy to look for the replacements). On business trips that take me a few timezones east I find that using a straight on that first morning at a local time that works out to 2 or 3 am my time is not always desirable - especially if I need to be sure I don't get nicked and I'm essentially still asleep.