2 1/2 passes at most, often just two. I start neck up which for most of my face is against the grain, second pass is ears to chin which is mostly across the grain. That usually brings me to a very close very comfortable and clean shave. There are a couple of very small spots on my face and neck that I can feel it is not perfectly smooth, however nobody will ever see that and there are a very limited number of people that would ever touch my face.