Thread: Does your one pass equal one pass ?

I always say that I only do two passes because my skin becomes irritated if I do more. I was shaving this morning and thinking about the fact that when I do "one" pass it is more like two or three buffing strokes. I basically never really do one sweeping pass. Just wondering if other folks are shaving in a similar fashion ?

Hey Jimmy, No, I never do one pass, it's more like a sweeping motion for me, several passes over one spot. The only pass I have trouble with and irritate easily is my neck. I have to very careful of my angle there....

Funny you mention this Jimmy, I was thinking about it yesterday morning while I was shaving...
Maybe because of what I use a straight razor for, but I am getting away from the typical WTG, XTG, ATG, 3 pass shave.. Mine is really turning into a modified what works best on that part of the face 1 pass shave, plus a touch up pass.. What I really went to a straight for, was the straight lines, and the comfort, and this revised system works better for both on my face.. YMMV of course...

Just to clarify, I do what I call 2 passes. IOW I shave my face, rinse, relather and shave it again. So in a sense it is 'two' passes but in reality, like zib said, I am going over the same spots much more than twice. I am with you on the various directions of attack according to what works for me Glen. I do the same thing.

You know Jimmy, The blade has some say too. Some blades are so keen, that one pass might do it, others, like I said, I may sweep it 2 or 3x.....Like Glen said, I have a modified routine that works for me....

P.S. Everyone's face is unique after all.....

On my WTG pass I tend to do short strokes, followed by one longer one, to catch anything I've missed. That first pass must equate to two or three in actual fact. Maybe even more with the overlapping. My XTG probably sees the blade doing less repetition though.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Just to clarify, I do what I call 2 passes. IOW I shave my face, rinse, relather and shave it again. So in a sense it is 'two' passes but in reality, like zib said, I am going over the same spots much more than twice. I am with you on the various directions of attack according to what works for me Glen. I do the same thing.

That sounds like my version of two passes except I don't rinse between passes. Like you guys, I don't follow the standard definitions of WTG, ATG etc.

I was thinking about this recently too and tried actually making each pass an actual single pass. It look for ever and I really didn't notice any improved results. I'm sure I go over each spot 3/4 times during each pass normally. I then do a second just for touch ups and that gets me almost BBS which is about as much as I want. I too don't bother with XTG/ATG but I do increase the blade angle to something probably approaching 80 degrees for the second pass. YMMV but I find this is enough to remove remaining short hairs without causing discomfort. ATG doesn't agree with me and my razor and my face now have an understanding which keeps us all happy.

I tend to take short strokes with a little bit of overlap, trying not to shave the same spot twice on the first pass. My second pass is becoming more modified and hitting a tough spot more than once, then I eliminate the need for a third pass.

Brian

I was also wondering about this topic while I was shaving, being new to shaving with a straight razor and watching the videos made me believe that one should be able to shave without going over the same area on the same pass. Doing the exact one pass equals one stroke of the razor was taking me a lot of time and frustration because at first my face could not handle that many passes and I'd still have stubble. Over the past few weeks I've modified the one pass one stroke and now I get better shaves with fewer "passes." On my cheeks the shave will be pretty much one pass with some slight overlap like when mowing the lawn. But, when I get into the thicker, coarser areas -around my chin - I tend to go over the same area a few times on the same "pass." I think I can do this because the thick, coarse hair actually protects the skin right until I start shaving against the grain.