A properly honed straight razor should be capable of removing all hair with one pass.:confused:
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A properly honed straight razor should be capable of removing all hair with one pass.:confused:
Broadly speaking I would say no (based on evidence) however, you ask a complex question perhaps you would considered rephrasing to get the answer you are actually looking for.
fairly true to my experience
but you will still need to do multiple passes to get a BBS which would include a WTG & either or both a XTG & ATG pass for best results depending on your beard growth
YMMV
Agree with DrDalton.
With one pass a shave ready razor with cut every hair it meets in one pass.
What changes with subsequent passes in how close the shave it.
By changing direction and skin tension a second (or third) pass allows you to cut the hair closer/lower.
But I can get a very presentable shave in one pass.
I don't know that that is possible. Each hair or group of hairs has some variance in direction of growth and a couple other small factors that prevents this. If you could cut all you whiskers in a single pass why would anyone do a multiple pass shave.
The reason I asked was that I had heard this and I have gone through so many different stages in my straight shaving adventure, only once (for a period of about 2 months) did I seem to be getting really smooth shaves that were close. For the last couple of months I have found it difficult to get smooth acceptable shaves, same razors, same stropping, same soaps/creams, same technique yet for some reason it's just not coming together and I have to resort to using a de to get a decent shave (shudders).
I would say 'maybe' depending on the razor, and on the hand of the user. I frequently do one pass and call it good. Could it be better ? Well, yes no doubt. The thing is I don't try to get bbs with the one pass, just acceptable. If I were to try I'd run the definite risk of irritation I think. YMMV.
The Multiple Pass Shaving Technique - Straight Razor Place Library
I don't disagree, it is, as DrDalton mentions, a complex question.
Our group tends to take shaving to a higher level than the vast majority of "daily shavers"
After you have been doing this for a while what we consider "a good shave" would be, for most men, some kind of out of body experience that would leave them in shock.
So a. "cut every hair" is not the same as b."cut every hair as close as possible while still being comfortable and safe"
For me to get to "b." that second pass is going to be required.
Smooth Shaving...
You may want to seek out a Mentor in the area. Your edge(s) may have degraded as part of the learning/start-up. This happens to most of us as there is so much to master and so little in the way of reference. It's like trying to teach yourself how to not only play the piano but tune one, all by reading on the web.
Even a very slight decline in edge quality matters, and if it happens slowly over weeks you might not notice until it's glaring.
A few hours with a mentor will save you much time and trouble...
Good luck...
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.
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.
I just removed 3 months of beard growth with one pass it was an epic mess, but I still had good results.
Like a smooth "as a baby's butt" in one pass, or this may pass inspection for roll call clean?
Only a very dull razor will be capable of removing all of your hair - ouch!
My neck has yet to have all the hair removed in one pass.
But then again, I only do XTG on my neck because of the east to west hair growth, and not being able to comfortably shave across my neck. So that may have something to do with it.
I feel like, at this point, I can get a "decent" but not quite CCS shave in one pass as long as it is only 24 hrs of growth. More than that, 2 passes gets me to CCS or BBS depending on the time and attention to detail I give it (I have now become more aware of my trouble spots and can get to them readily and get a great result). I rarely if ever take a third pass unless it is a special occasion since I have extremely sensitive skin. If I take 2 razors, freshly stropped, and make 1 pass each (or strop between passes), it makes for an incredible shave in 2 passes. So much so, in fact, that a 3rd pass is a waste of time for me. I don't often take this approach, but for those very special occasions it means less time in front of the sink to get ready.
Side consideration on one pass shaves - I've done (like I mentioned here earlier) single pass shaves with a fair amount of blade buffing. Actually, I did that for a little while several years ago, I think I was trying to save time.
I don't think it actually saved any time. If the first pass is just bulk removal and preparation for the second, you can do it very fast. like a minute or less for the whole face, and no need for pressure or risk of generating big weepers (which is something you're going to do it you're trying to yank a razor across your skin in one single pass and get close).
If time is the issue for this mystical super sharp one pass shave, time yourself with a one and two pass shave, where you do the first pass of the two pass shave as fast as you reasonably can. The two pass shave is going to produce a comfortable result every day, the one-pass shave for me (even with blade buffing) always felt like fiddling....wiping foam off of the back side of the razor back on to a spot that needed more, etc. That never happens with two passes.
That is why I feel the statement is false or at the very least misleading especially to beginners. As a beginner there is nothing like trying to get a finished shave in one pass, it can be a painful experience. Shaving is stubble reduction in stages. OTH at what stage you personally consider it good enough and done is another thing all together.
Bob
A shave ready razor is capable of cutting all hairs with one pass, but how close? Closeness depends on the facial contour and whiskers and how the whiskers are placed on the skin. I mean some whiskers are really horizontal(lies flat) and very very close to the skin level, some are little vertical(with some angle) from the surface of the skin(I hope I explained myself correctly). If you want a BBS and you have tough beard you need to do additional XTG/ATG passes in my opinion.
I was re-reading this thread and found it interesting that there are so many opinions BUT then there are also certain definitions that were left up to us that posted to decide..
The Shave, Each poster has their own definition of a "Good" shave some consider it Close and Comfortable, some BBS, some "Acceptable" this creates a huge disparity in the answers
The Experience of the shaver, A single pass shave over the entire face IMHO is simply not possible without an experienced driver at the wheel, the mapping of the beard is crucial and that takes experience to get down.. How to approach each area of the face from the best angle and the stroke that is required to shave it effectively also takes experience and practice..
The quality of the edge, This is a biggy, and might be the hardest to define, many people have their own way of defining their own edges, from the ambiguous HHT, to the ATG under the neck test, to a simple shave test... This seems to be a hurdle that can only be crossed by each person...
Anyway just some rambling thoughts after reading through this thread again :hmmm:
I only posted Glen's video because I believe even with a beard, on your first pass it should be really close and comfortable. I guess it's all a matter of opinion.
Thank you everyone for your contributions it has been an interesting discussion at the end of the day I think my problem is a combination of poor technique and razors that aren't quite sharp enough
I was thinking something similar. I've never gone 3 months without shaving, but I did get a little lazy around October-ish. Probably went 3 or 4 weeks without a shave. One pass was all it took to shorten every hair on my face. Wasn't a single straggler left at the original length.
If I keep on top of it (I.E. shaves no more than 2 or 3 days apart) I can get a DFS on one pass. That's good enough for me. I dislike having to do 2 passes because my skin is somewhat sensitive, and that dramatically increases the risk of razor burn. If I get a little lazy with it, I'll usually take 2 passes to clean up. Other than that I stick to one pass shaves because my facial hair also grows slow, and the hair is somewhat thin on my face.
I agree with gssixgun, there are a lot of variables to it as well. Sharpness of the blade is only one piece of the equation. A lot of other things come into play. But I would argue that the sharpness of the blade, and skill of the hands it is in, are the 2 biggest factors on said equation.
Yes, this is probably true. A single pass is certainly possible. The first problem is that it's ill-advised, likely leading to problems. A "pass" is usually defined as a single lathering. In that case certainly. You can do anything in a single lathering. Conversely, you can get a decent shave with a single pass.
Most guys need a little more time spent shaving to get the predominance of the whiskers shaved away. Lots of these comments are really in the category of "bravado". "My razor is sharper than your's, I strop better than you, I only need one pass, my shave is faster than your's", etc. it's all very pointless.
A few people still adamantly disagree with me but I still believe that a straight razor shaves just as well as any DE, with the exception of requiring a lighter touch because it does not have the safety bar that allows the razor to glide easily over the skin. It, instead, has the ability to get much closer. Absent the patience and extra time it can take, it's a superior shave.
These types of descriptions are difficult to use for comparisons of whether your razors are sharp enough. You really have to shave with a sharp blade to experience first hand.
Most people I've taught how to hone are shaving on less than optimal edge, for the quality of steel they are using. The difference in sharpness is usually caused by too much honing pressure, too few laps, and poor stroke skill/discipline.
The ability to produce optimal edges requires some skill and confidence because it's a slow process that requires a delicate touch.
Also, those that have less practice shaving are more likely to dull an edge just by shaving too roughly.
But, the fact that I could get a decent shave with one pass is irrelevant to you and me.
Maybe, but the technique of the guy using it has just as much to do with the quality of the shave. My opinion. ;)
HA you guys forgot to mention prep :<0) Just saying.
Heh, my prep is a splash of cold water before lathering up. Not much to mention. :rofl2:
I went to a turkish barbers the other week. They sat me down, no beard prep, using a cheap brush, looked synthetic, and with a cheap shavette gave me a one pass shave. The outcome was actually very good, not perfect or bbs but more than acceptable. What I noticed was that in some places he went atg but I had absolutely no irritation and i have a coarse beard with sensitive skin. This guy has probably being doing this all day long for a good many years and knows what he's doing. What im saying is experience is key although he obviously hasn't read the SRP library!