Thread: My fastest shave yet.

It's funny...I never really wanted to go fast...I just seem to enjoy it and the next thing I know, I'm done.

Tomorrow, being Sunday, perhaps I'll make a solid effort to go slower.

I went through a "speed shaving" phase with my straights. My best time ever was a total of 20 seconds splashing warm water on my face, lathering for 20 seconds, then shaving for a minute and 56 seconds. The total, therefore, was 2:36. Once I got the actual shaving time under two minutes, I decided to terminate the experiment. Now I just take my time and allow five minutes for all of it.

Originally Posted by celestino

Wow, speed and a straight! Never even crossed my mind. i doubt i will be tempted to try that any time soon. Good luck to you.

My personal opinion is that tying to go fast with a straight is not what I want to do. I think one gets much more efficient with it as time goes on, which reduces the overall time, but I think actually trying to go fast could be a little dangerous.

I'd say ten minutes for a two-pass if I'm in a hurry, but like others have mentioned, I like taking my time and enjoying the ritual as much as possible. That's part of the reason I mostly shave at night as there is much less time pressure.

For any newbies who have stumbled across this post - if you are still getting comfortable with the whole straight shaving thing, *please* ignore everything here and focus on the process and not speed! That will likely save some bloodshed. And if you don't ignore this thread, please remember there is a cut of the day thread...

Oh I shave at night usually and usually take upwards of an hour between showering, stropping, hot towel treat, lathering, stropping while face is lathered, hot towel, lather then 3 pass. I did a 3 minute shave once in the AM one day, never really enjoyed it. I prefer to take my time.

I was late again for work but used a DE. I guess I wasn't feeling it today . Anyway, I look at it as a "confidence" thing, not really a "speed" thing. I'm a lot more confident with my 5/8 straights, I call them my "workers". I use them the most. They aren't fancy but I can maneuver them across my face a lot easier then my 6/8 straights. When I want to really enjoy the shave I reach for a "fancy" 6/8 straight and take my time.

My speed shaves were all accomplished with large razors, 17/16 and up. It's a matter of technique, not of speed. Once you get some proficiency, it's time to leave the Newbie techniques behind and move on to more effective and efficient ways of shaving, for example minimized prep, long strokes and dealing with the chin in long, curved strokes instead of multiple flat planes. It's a little like learning to throw a baseball. You start throwing it underhand, but eventually you come to a point where throwing overhand is not only more fun but quicker.

I do not have anything that big (17/16), but I agree on all points. I no longer enjoy small blades (nothing under 6/8) because of the need to rinse/wipe the blade so often. I like shaving, and constant interruptions of wiping/rinsing are little nuisances to me LOL.

Again, I do not strive to be fast...it just seems to be the product of doing something I enjoy. I just want to get that next stroke ASAP...before you know it...there are no more strokes to make (until tomorrow)