Thread: Can a different blade make a difference in the amount of nicks/cuts

Hey all I am very new to the safety razor. I have a Parker 94R. I have heard on other posts to purchase a sampler pack but I was wondering if a different blade would make a difference in the amount of cuts you get. I am much better with my straight. Right now I am using the Shark blades that came with the Razor. I do know not to put any pressure on the razor and to use it at a 20 to 30 degree angle. Even still on the corners of my lips and my neck no matter how careful, I'm cutting the crap out of myself.

That's like saying if I take the V-8 out of my car and replace it with a small 4 will I get less speeding tickets.

Changing blades can make a dramatic difference however if you are cutting yourself it means you are doing something wrong. You may be less likely to cut yourself with another blade but better yet learn to finesse the razor so you can use any blade you want.

Is your skin smooth? Do you have acne, moles, scar tissue? If you have smooth skin, then I would guess technique is the problem. If your skin isn't smooth, you may need a razor with a smaller blade gap. Also, safety razors are designed to keep the angle of the blade fixed (fixed where depends on the design). If you have the correct angle for the razor, you won't need to adjust it plus or minus 10 degrees. For a given DE head, you only have one proper angle. This is a technique issue.

Originally Posted by matloffm

Is your skin smooth? Do you have acne, moles, scar tissue? If you have smooth skin, then I would guess technique is the problem. If your skin isn't smooth, you may need a razor with a smaller blade gap. Also, safety razors are designed to keep the angle of the blade fixed (fixed where depends on the design). If you have the correct angle for the razor, you won't need to adjust it plus or minus 10 degrees. For a given DE head, you only have one proper angle. This is a technique issue.

My skin is smooth for the most part. I mainly get messed up where there is a crevice. Any advice other than what I am currently doing to find the correct angle?

Make sure you are stretching your skin and using no more than the weight of your razor as you make short light strokes.

John

Sounds like a technique issue to me as well. You want to have as shallow an angle as possible. Start at 0 degrees (horizontal) and adjust downwards until the blade starts to cut, then maintain that angle consistantly through the shave.

As well, I'm not a fan of Shark blades at all. I think you'd do much better with a different blade, combined with proper technique of course.

I really like Derby blades, but in my limited experience, it's easy to get lost in all the specs: what blade, what razor, what kind of prep, should I only shave during odd-numbered hours. More important is probably the stupid stuff, like not pressing down too hard, which I always seem to do.

pbsd:
You need to master four elements here to avoid the nicks and the cuts: Proper razor technique, skin stretching, good blade and proper preparation.