Thread: Is this statement correct?

The statement is not true in my experience or at best simply misleading.

Bob

Hey frank,
as has been said, it could just be that your edge needs a touch up.
In answer to your question, it probably depends on the length of hair being cut, direction of cut, the expected quality of the end result and length of stroke.
IF you were to cut ATG for the whole shave then possibly you would get a pretty close shave, but it would most likely be uncomfortable and would rely on lots of short strokes to take into account the directions of hair growth.
I have never achieved an (in my opinion) acceptable shave from one pass, i have had one or two passable one pass shaves if i have been in a massive hurry, but i will generally spend the day being annoyed by all the bits I didn't do a good enough job on.

Razor, Strop, Lather, Temperature, Humidity, Skill.
Yes often a one pass shave is suitable for "Out the door," and the next 8 hours in public.
That said, Where does one meet the public, how late in the day does that person meet someone special?
I can get a different length of shave whether I shave in the AM just after awakening or in the evening after a long day. Either one can last through 6PM of the days. Skin holds moisture overnight.
If I do a two pass and a third on aftershave I can go for more than a couple days and still be presentable.
If a person's beard growth is all one direction, yes, one good pass is sufficient, as is seen in the simply shot video that makes the rounds..
YMMV! And, that is the beauty of the Straight razor shave!
~Richard

Wrote a song about it, like to hear it, here it goes: http://straightrazorpalace.com/members/1oldgi/96-much-maligned-often-misunderstood-one-pass-shave.html. Basically yes, a single pass shave should make you presentable for public consumption. If good enough is good enough then a single pass works. It probably will not be BBS but if you shave every morning anyway is there really much difference between five o'clock shadow at 8:30 PM and five o'clock shadow at 9:45 PM?

That said, single pass shaves represent the pragmatic (just make me not look like a homeless man) approach to shaving. Does it work? Sure it does but you know what's better than a dozen oysters? Two dozen oysters. I'll still do single pass shaves sometimes but generally I prefer two passes whenever that is remotely possible.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93zQ...jb3ZPFa-2gdfdw

Originally Posted by FrankD

A properly honed straight razor should be capable of removing all hair with one pass.

Clearly not.

Try instead:
To achieve a close and comfortable shave in traditional shaving, hair is progressively removed in several passes.


Hope this helps....



B.

There are just so many variables, maybe Glen could add his thoughts. Thanks gents for an interesting debate.

This is like arguing about how far you can drive on E.

Sure I'll add my thoughts hehehe

First, a single pass, don't make the mistake of thinking one pass means one direction, if you are an experienced SR user then you know your face and you know exactly what direction you need to attack your beard to get the closest most comfortable shave.. ie You have "Mapped" your beard
Second, Barbers normally on did a one pass shave
Third, a Multi-directional one pass shave done by an experienced hand will yield a CCS
Fourth, Only you can decide what is a good shave, for me it is all about Close and Comfortable, I read people bragging about doing 5 passes and my first thought is "Learn to shave" my second thought is "Learn to Hone"

That was my 2 cents

A one pass blade buff type of shave is something I can tolerate, and it does a decent job of getting you a good shave. However, blade buffing is like taking a couple of passes in one, anyway. Like many here, I prefer a not too close bulk removal pass followed by a finishing pass.

I'd say that statement can lead a lot of beginners astray (that a sharp razor shaves in one pass). Beginners lack experience, and at some point will find out what a sharp razor is and how to keep their razors sharp. But I don't think many people will get to the point where they have a shave like a squeegee and are both satisfied with how short their hair is AND how their face feels after the shave.

Trying to get everything in squeegee-ish pass is a good way to invite too much pressure and cause trouble.

There's really no substitute for experience. I'd bet the bulk of good shaves are probably two passes, especially with more than one day's growth. Experience is a two-angle improvement, too, in that you get steadier shaving with a razor (and thus I guess can get more out of a particular edge) and you get better at maintaining a razor, so the edge is better, anyway.

Plus, you can forget all of the advice about this or that part of your face needing to be shaved a certain way, it's sort of like riding a bike - you get better at your face just out of repetition.