When you are SR shaving, what is your preference: wiping the lather off your blade on a towel or rinsing it under running water? Is one way better than another? If so, why?
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When you are SR shaving, what is your preference: wiping the lather off your blade on a towel or rinsing it under running water? Is one way better than another? If so, why?
I rinse during each pass. Between passes I also wipe the blade.
I used to always rinse under the tap, but in the past month or so I've switched to wiping with a paper towel. I keep it in my stretching hand, and so far so good. I've always kept my eye on the blade, whether on my face, or under the tap, so damaging the blade hasn't been a concern. I just decided to try wiping and prefer it. Of course I rinse the blade after the shave.
I rinse just the blade in running water and then wipe the excess water off on a towel to avoid having any water drip down to the forward pin of the scale where it will be tough to dry.
Is one way better than the other? One was is different than the other - the end result and goal is the same. Folks who wipe the blade on a towel instead of running water over the blade to rinse it are doing their best to avoid getting water on locations of the razor that are tough to dry. Wet steel stains or worse, rusts. There is less chance of water reaching these tough spots if you never run your blade under water from the faucet - hence the wiping. We use water to lather our soaps, so any way you look at it - there is water getting on the blade whether you wipe it or rinse it. There is simply less chance of water getting into tough to reach places if you wipe and don't rinse.
Like mainaman - I do both.
Adam
I rinse under the faucet when the razor gets filled with lather. However, I've been doing this a while. It's a little risky because a moment's inattention can result in hitting the faucet and damaging the blade, so wiping is actually a smarter way to go.
I've been wiping my SR's on a towel, tried a sponge and still prefer a towel.
I prefer to rinse. I also have a gooseneck faucet which makes it easier. Rinsing under a short faucet there is always a chance of nicking the blade on the faucet.
Rinse. Point down, spine raised. Doing it for years never had a mishap. Tried wiping. Just more washing to do
I use a damp sponge in a similarly shaped soap holder on the counter top to strop off the blade when it gets loaded with lather. I rinse the blade under the tap only when finished shaving and then dry it. The sponge gets rinsed in the shaving water, wrung out and left to dry for the next day. Just helps eliminate the number of times there is a possibility of dinging the blade on the tap and yes I have done that once before changing to using the sponge.
Whatever way works for you.
Bob
Rinse during a pass, then rinse and wipe on my palm inbetween passes. I'm pretty stubborn about making more things for me to launder as I have to pay per wash and dry load.
I rinse in water in the washbowl and then wipe gently at the end of the shave. Then about 30 laps on linen and a few on leather.
Be aware that gold wash will not take a lot of wiping with paper. It is quite fragile!
~Richard
I typically rinse in water, tip-down to minimize risk of hitting the faucet with the edge, although it has never happened yet, but I've heard horror stories. I have played with wiping and have used both toilet paper and microfiber cloths, but haven't kept up with it although frankly, I preferred it. It really didn't take any more time or effort and diminished the risk of getting water drips back in the pin or accidentally hitting the faucet. Although I preferred it, for some reason I keep slipping back to rinsing, perhaps from "muscle memory" of rinsing DE's for years. I've heard of using a sponge and have previously decided to try it, to see if I stick with it better, but still haven't. At the end of the shave I always rinse for about a minute under VERY hot water and achieve getting the blade pretty warm, then dry on a dry towel. I then try to do 20-30 laps on linen to finish drying completely, but laziness gets the better of me and sometimes I skip this.
71L
I wipe on a handtowel. After the shave, I wipe on a bath towel, dry thoroughly and strop on linen and leather.
I have a few blades with file or laser etching on the spine that get rinsed after the shave.
Since we got no plumbing in these parts we all use the towel method except cousin Zeke who goes down by the creek and shaves there. Why last week he was filling his pan with water and he accidentally got some gravel in it and what do you know? He found a gold nugget.
I have always rinsed the blade under running water. Occasionally during the shave I also wipe the blade in a stropping motion on a dry facecloth.
Pete <:-}
I wipe, and do so in a manner that does not increase demands for laundry and may in fact negligibly reduce my need for laundry detergent. The wash cloth that I used in the prior day's shower is hung on the shower rod to dry. Prior to the new day's shower, I remove that wash cloth and put it next to the sink for my shave. After the new day's shower another wet wash cloth is hung on the shower rod and I am ready for my shave. All lather is wiped into that prior day's wash cloth that is now dry. After completing the shave the wash cloth is also used to wipe up any potential mess that I may have created and then it commences its procession to the laundry, fortified with extra soap for the wash!
I prefer this method because it allows my razors to remain dry and yet does not increase what goes into the wash.
Rinse during a pass and then wipe on a towel.
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Where i shave the sink facet is pretty tall and comes out to the midle of the sink so i rinse the blade but don't get the water in the scales. after i shave i dry the blade with a tissue strop then lay the razor on top of my Direct TV box where it's warm and let it dry.
I'm a bit like Dinnermint, but I wipe on my palm to clear the lather from the blade during the pass, then rinse the blade and hand and face after each pass.
Life time wet shaver (only a recent SR shaver) and under tap rinse'er. Rinse blade under tap then wipe on damp washcloth draped over sink's inside edge. At end of shave wipe with TP and air dry, then strop linen/leather, inspect and oil. Ready to go for next shave.
Tried a couple different sponges but sink is too small and deep. Tried a rubber dish made just for this but didn't like it. Tried various wiping methods like shared here but have settled into the above routine.
Attachment 240724
I rinse under the tap (faucet), but do not leave it running, I just flick it on and off in order not to waste water.
Only rinse around three times each pass. Wipe and strop when I've finished shaving.
On leave recently I shaved outside with just a mug of water and wiped the razor on a towel over my shoulder, this worked very well. May become a "wiper" in the future.
I watched this video and this gent used a sponge. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIM0Coix6Gg
I think this is a pretty neat idea...though I would probably keep the wetted sponge on the counter beside the sink rather than in the bottom of the sink.
Lately I've been rinsing under faucet then lightly tapping tip of spine on a folded towel to get off excess water.
Mike
I'm a rinse type of person, and I'm not sure I have any good reason for that. So much of this hobby is just preference really.
First, I wash my face with a sponge to soften skin, then squeeze the remaining water out of the sponge, fill the sink with fresh warm water and use that for my shave.
Between passes, or once the razor has accumulated too much lather, I gently swirl the blade (keeping the edge up) through the water and then wipe off any residual lather or moisture on the sponge.
I am careful to wipe the edge in the similar direction (X-stroke) that I strop, as wiping the edge lengthwise could damage it.
After the shave, I rinse the sponge with fresh water and wipe remaining traces of lather off my face.
I used to keep the water running for the entire shave, but a thread about wasting precious resources like water made think about alternatives, and I found that this works quite well.
B.
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Rinse then wipe off excess water.
I am new, so never had any bad incidents with blade contact.
Will try to wipe only a few times, to see how that works.
Just tried a Feather AC SS this morning. Not being able to strop afterwards makes the rinse, then wipe on a sponge technique more of a requirement since the rinse alone didn't work.
I wipe the blade on a wet sponge in the sink. Seems to get the lather off better than rinsing, and I don't waste as much water.
I have been using a damp sponge placed on the counter Beside the sink. This feels comfortable with minimal effort.
Normally I wipe, but if I'm drunk, or just feeling plain reckless, heck, I'll plunge that sucker right under the faucet. Yessir, you bet I will
I am sort of a combination of both. I also like the excess water, so when I wipe the blade I will give it a rinse before making another pass.
I'm a wiper. I use a microfiber towel and just wipe during my three passes when I need to. Works perfect for me!
Attachment 241317
Wipe during shave onto a sponge, rinse at the end. When you live in the country water supply can be a challenge sometimes, so try not to waste it.
I rinse between passes. While shaving, I rinse the blade and wipe it dry before moving to the next pass or section.
Having about 10 straight razor shaves under my belt,lol, I find that I prefer to rinse, wipe on towel then continue shaving. This may change in the future, though.
I rinse the blade and wipe it on a towel.