Thread: Shaved with my DE this morning...

Originally Posted by Chrisl

A DE pass across skin is typically "head on" rather than angled or skewed like a proper straight razor pass. Even with a very sharp properly tuned straight and using a proper angle, I personally can't draw the blade head on into the whiskers in most cases, there's pull. The scythe/skewed motion is therefore recommended for straights. This is a morbid analogy, but think of a guillotine blade. It's angled. I doubt, and don't want to think much more about it than that, but if a guillotine blade was straight across and came down "head on", I would assume it would not be able to accomplish its task; too much resistance and not enough slice. You need to slice your whiskers rather than chop the whiskers.

I hope this helps.

Chris L

This some of the best advice someone new could receive....this technique REALLY improved my shaves with straights. You need to think of using a straight blade like properly using a chef's knife to cut food, lets say a tomato. With a perfectly sharp chef's knife, you cannot just put the blade to the tomato skin and push straight down...you will squish the tomato and juice gets pushed out. Proper technique is to use the tip of the knife and slice through the tomato. Think of each little atom of the tomato as you slice and how you do not want to burst any of them, rather cleanly slice through.

If you are still following, it is the same idea with a straight and beard hairs. Rather than slicing per se, the scything idea is that you come at the hair at the angle you would be using with the knife on a tomato. On an atomic level, the as the whole blade rotates in the motion, the blade is essentially pulling though (slicing motion) the hair, cutting much more smoothly than a head on cut where you are using more downward force than a slicing motion.

My explanation may be confusing but Chris sums it up in his post.

That's next on my "to do" list.

First step was correcting blade angle--big help.

Next is to add scything...

Hi i agree with you I've shaved with a merkur db and i get an exallant shave every time no irritation at all realy smooth and effort less. I like shaving with my straight razors because of the skill involved with the process and i can get a good shave but i would never say a cut throat shave is the best shave you will ever have thats my opinion. straight razors are hard work and to have all the honing stones etc it is quite an expensive hobby.

I often wonder about the definition of "pull" when we discuss the performance of our razors on this forum. If a razor shows the least sign of pulling, I decide it's time for a touch-up on the Coticule.
I do use the scything motion, but I'm not uptight about it. When going ATG, I do several strokes that don't scythe at all. It all depends on which part of the face I'm shaving, but even when moving straight forward, a shaveready razor does not pull, and I do have a coarse beard.
To define things a bit clearer: WTG, I don't feel the whskers being cut. I can hear them being cut, with some razors louder than others, but I can't feel it. ATG, I do feel how they are cut, but I would not call that "pulling". The feeling is more or less the same as gently bristling with a fingernail against the grain of my beard. When it's time to touch up the razor, it starts to "pull": a sensation that provokes me to, however slightly, increase the pressure on the blade. That's when I lay that razor aside and grab another, shaveready one. I estimate that it takes about 20 to 30 shaves for that to happen, with the razors I own and the way I hone and strop them. During the first learning stage, I did not else but shave with a razor that I would now lay aside to hone, and I would shave with it till the point it started to hang up on the whiskers, when going ATG. It was nearly impossible to shave real close with that level of sharpness, and sometimes I would have to lock my wrist to prevent the razor to change direction after hanging up at a stubborn whisker, and slice into my skin.
Then I learned how to "really" hone, thanks to David and Josh, instead of fumbling endlessly on the coticule and a pasted strop till it shaved a bit better again for one or two shaves. (I admit, I am one of those sulking bastards that obstinately refused to send my razor to a honemeister ). I don't mean to imply that anyone who experiences "pullling" does not know how to hone, but I do think sharpness is the answer. I don't think a razor can be too sharp. It can be too harsh, when really sharp, but nothing that a bit of Chromium oxide can't resolve.
"Pulling" was my major concern, before I figured out how to get my razors as sharp as they are nowadays.

I hope this does not sound to condescending. I know my straight razor shaves excel the DE shaves from the previous 20 years in every possible way, except that they take a bit more time, but the result lasts longer too.

Of course there's nothing wrong with being a DE-guy... That's sounds a bit like how they said to me "Participation is more important than winning" when I arrived last again at the annual school run...




Bart.

Originally Posted by RayG

I suppose straight shaving helps you learn how to shave properly, no matter what instrument you use.

I had similar results when I had to send the straight out for honing and was forced to knock the dust off the old fatboy. I got a fantastic shave and I think it because after you hold that straight up to your face the first time a DE is childs play. But don't worry, the dovo is back and the fatty is again a sharp paperweight.

I couldn't resist the hardware and recently bought a fatboy.

No comparison to the shave I get from a straight. Maybe in a pinch I will use it; but only when in so big a hurry I cannot shave with a straight.

I use a Merkur too, but its not nearly as kind to my face as my straight razor. Its fast, but no cigar!

I had to switch back to the old Mach 3 this morning, as I am fresh out of shave ready razors, and I definitely think using a straight teaches you to shave better, even with training wheel razors. Though I did feel like I was driving a minivan with an automatic transmission. I've been thinking about grabbing a DE for running late days....should I just look for a Merkur Futur somewhere?

Originally Posted by phillyclaude

I've been thinking about grabbing a DE for running late days....should I just look for a Merkur Futur somewhere?

I wouldn't rule out other DEs like the older Gillette adjustables. I get a great shave from my Fatboy, every bit as good as my Merkur. You could probably pick up a decent Slim for a lot less than a Futur.

Originally Posted by CRuzin

I wouldn't rule out other DEs like the older Gillette adjustables. I get a great shave from my Fatboy, every bit as good as my Merkur. You could probably pick up a decent Slim for a lot less than a Futur.

Exactly

Keep your eyes open the old Gillettes show up pretty often at flea markets for cheap. I have a dozen different ones and I have never paid more than $5 buck for one.