Thread: Coup de Maitre

I was laughing about your post, and told my wife what you said in your first post. She said, well sure! And, she proceeded to show me the technique. To my chagrin when I read your last post, her technique was much like you describe. And, yes, I have to grudgingly admit it might work.

I think ol wifey should be doing the shaving in the family. She's obviously better than me. (Maybe, when she refused my offer to shave her legs she was wiser more than fearful.)

Fun! Thanks for the exchange...

For the Fool's Pass use two hands on the razor and the razor doesn't move. You move nose toward razor not razor toward nose and that after the Coup de Maitre and a pass from corner of mouth to middle( which should give you a very smooth upper lip with just those two passes )

Now, I'm in over my head! Can't tell whether there is a twinkle or evil glint in your eyes.

Originally Posted by RazorPete

Obie, thank you very much for this term, I did not previously know it. (I am also clicking the thank you button on the bottom right of your post).

I think Jockeys shows a good demonstration of the Coup de Maitre (although he does not call it that) on his new high definition shaving video. In fact, I started doing it only after seeing him do it on this video.

He does, in fact, call it that. His video is where I learned it. I get the feeling that someone around here applied the term, because Google doesn't turn up any connection to shaving apart from our lovely little house here.

Originally Posted by JimR

He does, in fact, call it that. His video is where I learned it. I get the feeling that someone around here applied the term, because Google doesn't turn up any connection to shaving apart from our lovely little house here.

Definitely older than this site. I can remember coming across it in relation to straight shaving before I needed to shave. I am very puzzled that the origins of the phrase are so elusive, though.

Gentlemen,

Thank you for all your responses to the Coup de Maitre question. Of course, we still don't have the answer of the term's origin in relation to shaving with the straight razor.

Allan II makes an interesting point about having heard the term long before this site was established. I, too, came across it many years ago, when I used other shaving methods. Lack of curiosity at the time, however, made me put it in the back of my head.

So, then, the search for the term's historical origin in relation to shaving with a straight razor continues.

Regards,

Obie

Originally Posted by JokiJo

I do a fools pass and think nothing of it. Shallow angle and careful fingers : )

I know what the Coup de Maitre is, but unfortunately I am not familiar with what you call the fool's pass, I probably use it all the time. Heck, I probably invented it, but just don't know what it is.

The Fool's Pass is the ATG pass on the upper lip south to north with the shape edge toward the nose. A risky pass at best but doable with care and practice. That being said I can generally get a fairly smooth upper lip by first using the Coup de Maitre(with the grain pass)then a pass from outside to middle or from middle to the edge of the mouth on the upper lip(across the grain pass). By now the mustache hairs have been greatly reduced, but if you must have an even closer shave, then the Fool's Pass is the against the grain pass.

That's the way I do it too. But I can not go ATG on the upper lip. If I try with a DE, it just rips the whiskers out with great pain and bleeding. If I try with a straight, It's like trying to shave the head off a nail. It's just not going to happen, and I dare not try to use the type of force it would require, so wtg/atg is all there is.