Thread: DE & blade combo question

Originally Posted by AlanQ

Thanx I wasnt sure as I have 7 DE`s and tried all kinds of blades in all of them. The adjsutable is the only one I didnt like untill the other day. Perhaps I need to try experimenting more. On a similar note I have tried my feather blades in 2 of them and really dont like them atall , in fact I had given up on them compeltely. I guess I try them in some other DEs and see if they start working better.

Feather blades are quite sharp and unforgiving.

When I try out a new DE I place the top cap flat on my face with the handle straight out parallel to the floor. Then rotate the handle downward till I can just feel the blade. That is the minimum angle it will shave at and the right angle to use for that razor. If you drop the handle further it will still cut whiskers but more in a scraping manner likely leading to irritation. Using that angle with just the weight of the razor just guide guide the razor with the handle maintain that angle while you follow the contours of your face. Just mentioning this as not all DEs have the same minimum angle they will shave at as the geometry of the heads can be pretty different.

Bob

Originally Posted by BobH

Feather blades are quite sharp and unforgiving.

When I try out a new DE I place the top cap flat on my face with the handle straight out parallel to the floor. Then rotate the handle downward till I can just feel the blade. That is the minimum angle it will shave at and the right angle to use for that razor. If you drop the handle further it will still cut whiskers but more in a scraping manner likely leading to irritation. Using that angle with just the weight of the razor just guide guide the razor with the handle maintain that angle while you follow the contours of your face. Just mentioning this as not all DEs have the same minimum angle they will shave at as the geometry of the heads can be pretty different.

Bob

That is a really intelligent way of doing things, no wonder I never thought of it myself

I know for a fact different blades behave differently in different DEs. Feather and KAI are perfect examples because they are exeptionally sharp. They work better in milder razors and cause massive irritation in aggressive ones. That's been my experience anyway. Feather is for a Gillette Tech, or an adjustable on a low setting. Pol silver SI is for a more aggressive razor, maybe a New type, or an OC TTO. It takes some experimenting, so I'd go with a sampler pack as well, and take the time to figure it out. The Adjustable (Fatboy) and the Slim adjustable aren't bad razors, they just need some practice and the right blade. I know a lot of people who swear by the Slim, although I sold all of mine cos I have a Fatboy which does a better job for me, due to the added weight.

Originally Posted by Srdjan

I know for a fact different blades behave differently in different DEs. Feather and KAI are perfect examples because they are exeptionally sharp. They work better in milder razors and cause massive irritation in aggressive ones. That's been my experience anyway.

Just as a counter point, my experience with aggressive DEs and Feather blades has been a little different. I learned to shave on a DE, a Gillette adjustable in fact. Strayed away over the years through different cartridge and electric shavers. Got into straight razor shaving a few years back and also picked up some DEs along the way. Among the DEs were a Gillette Fat boy, a 2012 Muhle R41 and a Fatip OC. The Fatboy when set at 9 is an aggressive DE and I was never able to shave with it dialed all the way up. That is until I got my straight razor technique sorted and started to play with the Fatboy again. It is perfectly possible, for me, to do a 4 pass shave using a Fatboy @9 with a Feather blade without massive irritation. Same goes for the Muhle R41 and Fatip OC. My only conclusion is that if you treat these aggressive DEs as if they were straight razors you can get a comfortable shave.

Bob

Aloha!

I have about 5 blades that I like in certain razors across the DEs in my Shave Cave, but I DO NOT have ONE blade that works universally in all my razors with my skin type and beard.

For example, Feather blades and the Edwin Jagger DE89 are a match made in heaven for my beard. On the flip-side, the Q-Shave (Merkur Futur Chinese Knock-off) will give me the razor burn from hell with Feather blades. Mostly because the Q-Shave blade reveal is not consistent on both sides of the razor due to poor manufacture. If you choose setting 4 (as an example), then one side will give you a reveal of setting of about 1 and the other will be a reveal setting of about 7. So one side and you hardly have any agression at all, the other and you have full bore agression. If you don't catch this and adapt from one side of the razor to the other, you are setting your skin up for wild changes in agression from one side of the razor to the other and welcoming issues galore. My other adjustables are engineered and manufactured with higher quality control, so no wild blade reveal swings, but I do have to be careful on blade reveal setting with such blades as Feather, whereas Voskhods give me a milder shave across the setting spectrum.

I love Voskhod blades but they are a bit too mild for my Jagger DE89 as this has a milder blade reveal - thus I prefer Feather by far in that razor. But the Voskhods work better in more agressive razors for my skin. So much of this is subjective and what works for one person's beard may not work for another.

If I want a BBS shave out of my DE, the razor and blade of choice for me is the Jagger DE89 matched with Feather blades. Any other more agressive or adjustable razors get the Voskhod blades or similar. And as always with wet shaving where individual skin is involved, YMMV.

-Zip

Originally Posted by ZipZop

Aloha! And as always with wet shaving where individual skin is involved, YMMV.

-Zip

I don't think that can be stressed too much when you read responses to questions posted. We are all individuals which puts a lot of variables into play. You just have to try different blades and shaving techniques till you find a combo that works for you.

Bob

Honestly I look at this issue the same way we discuss straight razors. Some folks talk about some straights as being too sharp and that's really no different than folks saying this DE or that DE doesn't work with a feather or a Gillette Yellow blade but that one works with a poly silver or whatever. I'm kind of the mind that you can take an R41 and put a feather in it and get a shave with no nicks or irritation at all. As a matter of fact I've done it. It ain't fast and it ain't fun but I never said I was highly skilled with a DE.

Now I'm not saying all DEs are created equal, obviously some are more tame than others and blades differ in how sharp they are which is roughly equal to straights that are not at their optimum keenness and I imagine most are not. I'm not sure you can take a tame DE with a feather Blade and have the equivalent of a expertly honed straight.

I think you just need to give these razors more respect than most folks do. Most look at a DE as something you use for a quick shave and an easy shave. I think the combination you use for a quick easy shave is different than what you can use if you treat the DE like a straight. Of course that assumes you want to treat a DE shave as you would a straight and I'm not sure most do.

So what's my point here?

Well what I guess I'm trying to say is that in truly skilled hands the most aggressive DE and Blade can shave everyone equally well and safe the same as the sharpest straight can all other things like prep being equal.

Then the next thing to discuss is why folks shave with a DE and what they are willing to put into it and what they want to get out of it.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Then the next thing to discuss is why folks shave with a DE and what they are willing to put into it and what they want to get out of it.

OK, I'll start. I shave with a DE for variety and because when I travel by car I do not want to drag along a strop and hone. I put enough into learning to shave with a DE so as to approach the level of shave I get from a straight razor. For me that means the use of an aggressive DE and sharp blade.

Bob

Bob, I tried the R41 a few times and honestly hated the experience. That thing is not coming into my home again

We're all different, just like Spendur said, when we discuss straights, "shave-ready" means different things to different people and it's the same with DE blades. I can't take the Green Astra in most of my DEs, but I'm OK with Feathers, and Pol Silver SI is probably the best, most comfortable blade for me. Some people don't care for it at all, as I've read many times.

Originally Posted by Srdjan

Bob, I tried the R41 a few times and honestly hated the experience. That thing is not coming into my home again

We're all different, just like Spendur said, when we discuss straights, "shave-ready" means different things to different people and it's the same with DE blades. I can't take the Green Astra in most of my DEs, but I'm OK with Feathers, and Pol Silver SI is probably the best, most comfortable blade for me. Some people don't care for it at all, as I've read many times.

Yea, we are all different for sure.

Which version of the Muhle R41 did you have? I have the later version which is not as aggressive as the first version from what I have read.

Yes, shave ready means different things to different people. The edges I put on my blades and am happy to shave with would likely not be good enough for others.

Bob