Mythical Shave Captured

Short Story-

The shave I have been chasing since starting this hobby, an almost mythical shave happened the other day with a razor that was honed on Arkansas stones. This was not the first time or last time (see long stories below) that it has happened but it has always been from honing on Arkansas stones. This particular time it was a Mappin & Webb razor and it was a multi directional one pass shave. From the first stroke to the last there was absolutely no resistance, skipping, or tugging. The only thing that told me hair was being cut was the sound of the blade singing away. When done with one pass I was completely BBS all over my face and neck. I used rubbing alcohol to see how irritation-free the shave actually was and it was like putting WATER on my face and neck. NO BURN AT ALL. I can't even imagine how the edge could get any sharper or smoother than this. Have you experienced this ultimate shave before?

Long Story-

The next day, the same results.

Extremely Long Story-

This morning, the same results!

This is why I love my vintage translucent Pike/Norton. Excellence.

There was no pulling, tugging, resistance, & no irritation , because you were drunk & shaving with the spine. :roflmao

Or with the toothbrush.

Most of my shaves are very good, but every now and then everything comes together and the shave is over the top. Sometimes it hangs in there for multiple shaves, sometimes it is fleeting. Love them when they come around. There is not a lot of difference in my life from a good shave to a great shave, and sometimes it may just be all in my head, but yowza that's nice.

Indeed, it seems to me that prep and maintenance is the deciding factor. Given a good blade, of course! ;)

When i started this wonderful adventure I chased the BBS shave just like everyone else and I imagine like most folks i ran around with a red face from that well noted razor burn. Now i just shave and most of the time get a decent shave. Maybe not perfect but comfortable. What use to take 30 or more minutes now just takes a few minutes and no burn or blood. I do like that.

After a couple of months. I get no irritation. However the shave is not close. If I rub against the grain I get the sand paper feeling. Not sure how to improve.

Are you shaving against the grain? Low blade angle, skin taught, lather thin, edge keen?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Rami

After a couple of months. I get no irritation. However the shave is not close. If I rub against the grain I get the sand paper feeling. Not sure how to improve.

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I always get a bit of that on the sides of the neck. Even after 2 WTG and 1 ATG. It's OK!
Same as passing a 6-blader or equivalent, too much is counterproductive to me, Exfoliated and irritated to the tissue and ingrown hairs galore is no fun! Shave it in all it's glory.
Again in a day or three. Just Me!

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Originally Posted by RezDog

Are you shaving against the grain? Low blade angle, skin taught, lather thin, edge keen?

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As much as I can. My grain runs east to west so it's a bit weird.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by sharptonn

I always get a bit of that on the sides of the neck. Even after 2 WTG and 1 ATG. It's OK!
Same as passing a 6-blader or equivalent, too much is counterproductive to me, Exfoliated and irritated to the tissue and ingrown hairs galore is no fun! Shave it in all it's glory.
Again in a day or three. Just Me!

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That's what I ended up doing at the moment.

My shaves improved 10 fold once I stopped chasing BBS. Haven't had time to burnish my Arks properly yet, but if Mastro Livi finishes on a trans they must be good. Really enjoying Thuri edges at the moment.

A little while back, I was getting BBS shaves 80% of the time by using slight angle adjustments on the hollows of my neck and the corners of my jaw since my hair (like many many others) grows at weird angles and/or circles in these spots. This always resulted in very minor irritation. On a scale of 1-10 a 1 being no irritation and a 10 being like fire ants were attacking my face/neck it was about a 3 or a 4. I was very happy with that result and it was pretty consistent. Then I decided, as Shaun pointed out, that I need only achieve a DFS and I was more than happy. I would do this with a one pass muti-directional shave straight N and S and it would leave some "cats tongue" in the hollows and corners but no irritation so I was happy with that. Then I was tweaking an edge with a hard/black/translucent Arkansas and when I shaved with it just a quick multi-directional single pass North and South BOOM! I was BBS even in the hollows and corners and no irritation. I now have three blades that will do this. A John Sellers & Sons, a Holley, and a Mappin & Webb. It can be done with the right technique and a very finely tuned edge IME.

Huge fan of the 1 pass Multi-directional shave :tu

If you know and have mapped your face it allows for a really close comfortable shave

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Originally Posted by gssixgun

Huge fan of the 1 pass Multi-directional shave :tu

If you know and have mapped your face it allows for a really close comfortable shave

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Where do you think I got it from? Lol. :)

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Originally Posted by Steel

Where do you think I got it from? Lol. :)

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Just so I get it right. This is a one pass shave against the grain?

For me it is one pass using whichever direction gets that section of face the best

I will let everyone else answer what it means to them :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gssixgun

For me it is one pass using whichever direction gets that section of face the best

I will let everyone else answer what it means to them :)

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Exactly. +1 here

I do a two pass sometimes 2 1/2 pass shave and they are multidirectional, as in not all in one direction. If I have a really heavy growth I will do a mustache and goatee area north to south. Mostly I do a mostly south to north pass, with variations for odd spots and then the jaw up get ears to nose, with a weird diagonal pass on the underside of my jaw and then my neck also gets a diagonal pass but not in the same diagonal as the underside of my jaw. It is difficult to explain when thing it isn't a straight up direction. So on the underside of my jaw it goes ears to nose but combines it with northerly direction.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by sharptonn

I always get a bit of that on the sides of the neck. Even after 2 WTG and 1 ATG. It's OK!
Same as passing a 6-blader or equivalent, too much is counterproductive to me, Exfoliated and irritated to the tissue and ingrown hairs galore is no fun! Shave it in all it's glory.
Again in a day or three. Just Me!

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Same here Tom. I can stand in front of the mirror & go every which way I can forever yet I still have that little bit on each side of my neck.

TBH, I enjoy a shave too much to go just one pass(Bi-directional, of course).

However, it might be an interesting and educating experience, I think.
Seems time-saving as well.

I try to get a clean close shave in one multi pass from time to time, mostly for the challenge. I have yet to get it all crammed into one pass, perhaps over time. I do enjoy the shave. I also really like stropping as long s the pivot is tight, so I strop quite a few passes too, and I probably touch up my blade and play around with the edges more than I need to also. Just having fun and passing some time doing little things that I like.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RezDog

I try to get a clean close shave in one multi pass from time to time, mostly for the challenge. I have yet to get it all crammed into one pass, perhaps over time. I do enjoy the shave. I also really like stropping as long s the pivot is tight, so I strop quite a few passes too, and I probably touch up my blade and play around with the edges more than I need to also. Just having fun and passing some time doing little things that I like.

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Those are my sentiments, exactly, Shaun.

I take it the pearl has loosened even more on the Henckels? Send it down. I shall fix that.:)

Uh, nope, the Henckels is fine. I have two others that i tend to not enjoy stropping with due to loose scales. One set is vintage ivory with the tiniest hairline crack at the pivot, those need to be taken apart and a G-10 liner put on them, and the other is a set of black mother of pearl that I am afraid to tighten any further, that I think needs a new wedge and some your Babar collars. All in good time. My honey do list grows to a finish very soon and then it is back to razors.

Whew! That's a relief! :D I am here (mostly) anytime.:D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Steel

Short Story-

The shave I have been chasing since starting this hobby, an almost mythical shave happened the other day with a razor that was honed on Arkansas stones. This was not the first time or last time (see long stories below) that it has happened but it has always been from honing on Arkansas stones. This particular time it was a Mappin & Webb razor and it was a multi directional one pass shave. From the first stroke to the last there was absolutely no resistance, skipping, or tugging. The only thing that told me hair was being cut was the sound of the blade singing away. When done with one pass I was completely BBS all over my face and neck. I used rubbing alcohol to see how irritation-free the shave actually was and it was like putting WATER on my face and neck. NO BURN AT ALL. I can't even imagine how the edge could get any sharper or smoother than this. Have you experienced this ultimate shave before?

Long Story-

The next day, the same results.

Extremely Long Story-

This morning, the same results!

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This is a fascinating topic, for I am also trying to have that so called "ultimate" shave. Right now, I think I am on the right track, and my shave is as comfy as never before.....but is it that "ultimate" shave? Right now, I think it is, but I have no idea for how long I have this view?

Alright, here's what stones I use. They're all natural stones, I came to the realization that the synthetic stones are OK, but not that good, I used to be a Shapton Pro guy, but now I only use them to sharpen kitchen knives. I use the Arky stones the soft, the hard, the hard black, and the translucent.....followed by the coticule, Escher thuringian, the ILR (Imperia laRochia), followed by the Okudo white suita, and the Ozuku Asagi.
These are the stones, but I came to the opinion that this is not the real reason the shaves are so comfortable, although they help quite a bit.....the real reason is that after the coticule I use edge trailing strokes exclusively, but even on the coticule I like the 2:1, or even the 3:1 ratio....like 5 edge leading, followed by 10-15 edge trailing strokes.

This is something I try to understand, and honestly I have no conclusive answer. But there is definitely a process, where the edge trailing strokes even out the edge better than the edge leading strokes. Or, maybe is just me, but the edge shaves more comfortably, if edge trailing strokes are used, especially on the higher grit stones...8000 grit and up. Before, I used edge leading strokes, and I had marginal results...

I purchased a Boker, and a Dovo straight razors, and they were both factory sharpened....heck the Dovo even came with instructions...not to strop it, it was factory stropped and I have to say they produced the most comfortable shave. But I recognized the stones both straight razors were sharpened with.....I have the same stones, as I can reproduce the same comfy shave with my stones as well.

And I need to add something here. I use a barber's hone (Franz Swaty) after every shave.I like to do 5 edge leading, followed by 10 edge trailing strokes. I have a great respect for these barber hones, they maintain the exact same edge like it was right after I finished sharpening the razor, every bit as comfortable as the very first time I shaved with it.

I am curious of your take on this subject, I do apologize for my intrusion, but this is my first post on this site.

Once i get a blade to that legendary state, I lightly, lightly strop it up and then put it away and leave it be until the Stars align
Then I start on the next one or two.....

There is nothing like an amazing edge :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ksst

This is a fascinating topic, for I am also trying to have that so called "ultimate" shave. Right now, I think I am on the right track, and my shave is as comfy as never before.....but is it that "ultimate" shave? Right now, I think it is, but I have no idea for how long I have this view?

Alright, here's what stones I use. They're all natural stones, I came to the realization that the synthetic stones are OK, but not that good, I used to be a Shapton Pro guy, but now I only use them to sharpen kitchen knives. I use the Arky stones the soft, the hard, the hard black, and the translucent.....followed by the coticule, Escher thuringian, the ILR (Imperia laRochia), followed by the Okudo white suita, and the Ozuku Asagi.
These are the stones, but I came to the opinion that this is not the real reason the shaves are so comfortable, although they help quite a bit.....the real reason is that after the coticule I use edge trailing strokes exclusively, but even on the coticule I like the 2:1, or even the 3:1 ratio....like 5 edge leading, followed by 10-15 edge trailing strokes.

This is something I try to understand, and honestly I have no conclusive answer. But there is definitely a process, where the edge trailing strokes even out the edge better than the edge leading strokes. Or, maybe is just me, but the edge shaves more comfortably, if edge trailing strokes are used, especially on the higher grit stones...8000 grit and up. Before, I used edge leading strokes, and I had marginal results...

I purchased a Boker, and a Dovo straight razors, and they were both factory sharpened....heck the Dovo even came with instructions...not to strop it, it was factory stropped and I have to say they produced the most comfortable shave. But I recognized the stones both straight razors were sharpened with.....I have the same stones, as I can reproduce the same comfy shave with my stones as well.

And I need to add something here. I use a barber's hone (Franz Swaty) after every shave.I like to do 5 edge leading, followed by 10 edge trailing strokes. I have a great respect for these barber hones, they maintain the exact same edge like it was right after I finished sharpening the razor, every bit as comfortable as the very first time I shaved with it.

I am curious of your take on this subject, I do apologize for my intrusion, but this is my first post on this site.

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That is a lot of information there. If it works for you - stick with it! You are not the first person to prefer natural edges. I sold all my synthetics and only use Arkansas stones now.

I guess I'm still chasing this mythical shave of which you speak. But here is what I have experienced in just over a year of srs: I am getting BBS shaves, my razors are sharp and holding their edges. In one case for nearly 9 months. Angle and pressure are key elements. When all goes right I notice my blade just glides over my face, both WTG and ATG.