What a timely post for me. I think I can call myself a man of 1,000+ straight razor shaves now. Surprisingly or not, in those 1,000+ shaves I attempted the scything stroke on only several occasions. Once with a Feather AC and too steep an angle. That left a divot scar on my face for about 9 months from the slice. My fault.

Just this last week, while shaving and not really intending to, I started short scything strokes on my chin area. It felt natural this time. I always shave with a low angle, and even lower for these strokes (10-15 degrees tops). I was actually amazed at the greater ease of cutting.

I would consider it to be an advanced shaving technique only because of the danger of slicing into your face with a steep blade angle. It wasn't hard for me to visualize then shudder at the idea that with even moderate pressure, a steep angle and carelessness, a person could inadvertently give themselves a Chelsea Smile turning a scything stroke into a slicing stroke.

Chris L