Originally Posted by
RayClem
I have fast growing, coarse beard. I shave every 1-2 days and still have difficulty getting more than 5-6 shaves out of a razor. I do have a couple of razors with great steel that might make 7-8 shaves before a refresh. The refresh only involves a few strokes on my finishing hone, followed by a few strokes on 0.5, 0.25 and 0.1 micron CBN. The entire refresh takes less than 5 minutes, so I won't tolerate a poor edge.
Shaving off a beard that has been allowed to grow for a while, is never easy. The beard has become tough. Your skin is no longer acclimated to the shaving process. Your skills in lathering and shaving may have diminished due to disuse. There could also be some micro-corrosion on your razor's edge. The chin and stache area are always the most difficult to shave, even when you do it routinely.
If I were shaving off a beard that had been growing for a while, I think I would want a freshly honed 7/8" blade for the cheeks and neck; the extra weight will help plow through the stubble. Then a more nimble 5/8" blade might making shaving the chin and stache easier.
That is also a situation where I would consider cleaning and then stropping the blade between passes. A beard that has not been shaved in a while is tough on the edge. There may be alignment issues along the edge; stropping should bring the edge back into alignment for a closer, more comfortable shave.