Hey Gang;
Just to chime in...my routine has kind of developed to the point to where a cold water rinse and "almost scrub" works well. I suspect it's because the erector pili raise the hair up slightly. A warm water rinse is of little value to me in my routine. From the rinse I leave my face wet and make my lather with cold water and lather up. No pre-shave oil. I've tried it a few times but saw no benefit. Today I actually got a really good shave using two passes. I normally go with a one pass ATG but today I had two days growth from missing my shave yesterday. We had a "Fun Run" that I had to get up early for and manage. I thought it best then not go straight to the ATG with the str8 as I normally go with the ATG in my only pass. Today was WTG then ATG. Still had the trouble spot between my trachea and neck muscles and the corner of my jaw haded up to the ear. Funny too...I was really close to giving up the str8's altogether. Between the bit of extra time it takes, the extra effort and the crappy shaves I've been getting lately I was seriously questioning whether it was all worth it. My stropping and shaving technique had suffered due to the layoff I had to take while getting ready for a bodybuilding competition (placed 2nd in my Division) and the jittery-ness caused by the low calories and cutting supplements but...now the diet is a bit more relaxed and no cutting supplements are in the routine for the near future. All said I'm reconsidering my decision to quit the str's...all depends. Anyhoo...take care y'all.