Thread: 1st Shave With a Japanese Razor

I considered placing this into the Review section but it's so encompassing that I decided to just put up a new thread. I bought a new Japanese blade and thought that I'd post a good write-up about my first experience using one.

After a short wait (maybe 30 days from ordering) I just received my newly made Iwasaki 1-chou gake from our own JimR in Japan. To ensure that i didn't mangle my face (or the blade) I read quite a few threads here about these blades, and when the blade arrived, I practiced a few ways to hold it in order to access various parts of my face and neck easily. Once I felt that I'd absorbed all the information I could (and because i couldn't wait to try it out) I headed to the shave den to give it a try. It was fortunate that I hadn't shaved this morning and had more than enough growth to give it a good test shave.

Having never used a Japanese razor before I decided to overdo the prep just to make sure that if there were any problems with the shave it would be the result of the blade and not any unfinished or rushed preparation.

Initial Prep: Hot shower
Razor: Iwasaki 1-chou gake (一丁垳) with wrapped handle
Prep: Castle Forbes Pre Shave followed by Truefit & Hill Preshave Oil
Lather: Cyril R Salter Shave Cream (I wanted seriously thick lather)
Brush: Silver Badger on a SS base (I forget the brand)
Strop: SRD 3" Premium II - 30 laps
Result: BBS+

This was going to be the first time using a Japanese blade so I again experimented quite a bit with various ways to hold the blade as well as where to place my other fingers. I also wanted to find where I was more likely to lose control of it. Unlike a blade with scales, these provide none of the normal gripping points that I'm used to, and the length of the cutting edge is shorter than the 2.75-3 inches I'm used to as well. The point of the blade is similar to many spike points and is essentially square so at least there was no difference with the point of the blade to deal with as well. I can't really tell how one would classify the grind since the sides of the blade differ, but it shaved more like a wedge or 1/4 grind as opposed to a full hollow grind.

Quite a few threads here have been devoted to which side of a Japanese blade is best for contact with the face and I experimented using both sides in various places on my face and neck. I found the only real need to change sides of the blade was to access different areas of my face - and that change was needed only due to comfort in handling the blade itself. I was not able to discern any real difference between having either side pointed toward my face though it "seemed" that having the side with the Japanese symbols facing AWAY from me may have been slightly easier on my skin.

The first thing I noticed was that handling this was different - very different. To me it felt somewhat like an Engstrom frameback but without the "too delicate to maneuver" problem I have with the Engstrom. It was somewhat overall lighter than most of the blades I use but that was not a problem at all. Once I'd worked out how to hold the blade in different areas it was simply a matter of finding good placement for my fingers as well as how to hold it to give the best fine control. I'd decided early that these blades can be manipulated so precisely that it seemed like preforming delicate surgery at times.

The blade was unquestionably sharp and smooth. Since it was used "straight from the box" I don't know what process was used to sharpen and polish the edge. I did give the blade 30 laps on a very fine strop just out of habit before shaving and did not give it a second stropping during the shave.

The shave was smooth in all phases and the blade did not lose its keen edge at all, even after going against the grain on the toughest part of my beard. The edge held well. As a note, try not to get TOO comfortable with it on your first shave - I was shifting the blade around and was doing something that required the full 3 inches of edge I'm used to and nicked myself as a result. I realized that I'd have to be cognizant about the length of the blade in relation to my skin versus my normal longer blade length for a while.

I could (and someone may) write quite a bit about the various ways to hold the blade to access different parts and sides of my face and neck. I will state without reservation that if you get a Japanese blade that you want a good covering on the handle. It is a delicate razor and different enough that your fingers can be "fooled" as you reach for your normal gripping points. Not so delicate that it's hard to maneuver, but since I'm so accustomed to razors with scales, the places that I unconsciously look to place my fingers don't exist, and I almost dropped it at one point where I would normally shift my grip - the scales were not there when my fingers went to rest on them! More than once I found that having the handle wrapped allowed me to avoid it slipping or dropping.

As to where to grip it as well as how to place my fingers, that's going to take a few more shaves to get fluid. I found that I have much more precise control over the bade as my fingers get closer to the edge itself. It was possible to hold the razor by gripping it only by the handle for some larger areas, and while the results were acceptable, it seemed to me that holding it with my fingers closer to the cutting part of the blade resulted in much finer control - I'd say exceptionally fine control.

I was surprised after the first pass that I did not need a full second pass at all. The normal places where I have to clean up (under the back of my jaw and under the front of my chin) still had some "leftovers" but it was only a very small number of whiskers. I'd unknowingly shaved areas on the first pass that I normally miss on the first pass - probably due to the shorter blade length. I was BBS already regardless of the direction of shave on the first pass (ATG, WTG, XTG). I did experiment and went against the grain much more frequently than normal but the ability to hold the blade with such control seemed to allow it more easily.

I did not experience any pulling or tugging once I figured out how to hold the blade when shaving different areas. It all got easier once I learned how to balance the blade regardless of it's orientation to my face. It seemed that understanding how to hold the blade as well as how to move the blade on your beard makes all the difference in how well and easily you can cut whiskers - just like all other razors.

After a partial second pass I found myself looking for more to shave. But there was nothing left and I really didn't want to think about shaving other areas of my body so I had to call it quits. Overall I was very favorably impressed by this blade. I don't know if it's the shape and geometry of the Japanese blade or if it is something unique to the Iwasaki itself (or a combination). What I can be sure of is that I got one of the best BBS shaves that I've had in a while, and that this blade can be controlled to a degree that I've not experienced with scaled blades.

The price was reasonable to me, the wait was acceptable, and the blade came looking very nice and had a very nice functional handle wrapping. The "out of the box" edge was excellent and held well. It is undoubtably a new experience to use, and one must take the time to "think through" how to hold the blade when accessing all areas. I believe that after a few shaves that I'll have muscle trained my hands and should be able to enjoy this even more. It's a keeper!