Finally figured it out...

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08-22-2010, 05:09 PM
bulldog

Finally figured it out...

I've been shaving for almost a year now with a straight and today was the best ever. I have experimented with all kinds of angles, different degrees of blade sharpness, different blade widths, and blade grinds all to no avail. Every BBS shave has left me burning by the end. I'm still not sure why I changed it up again today but I'm glad I did. I actually used slow, long strokes instead of quick short ones. Smoother than ever without the burn afterward. What a big difference a small change can make.
08-22-2010, 05:59 PM
Ryan82

Yup, it's whatever works for you. I'm in the short, deliberate stroke camp, which seems to be just fine by me. But maybe I'll try longer strokes today just because...
08-22-2010, 06:19 PM
JMS

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ryan82

Yup, it's whatever works for you. I'm in the short, deliberate stroke camp, which seems to be just fine by me. But maybe I'll try longer strokes today just because...

Water only long strokes Ryan?;):D
08-22-2010, 06:22 PM
JMS

My strokes are generally long also. They do tend to shorten a little on the tougher hairs but if I cant the blade a bit like a guillotine I don't need to shorten the strokes.
08-22-2010, 07:48 PM
markevens

I found that shorter strokes give me a better shave, but man oh man do I love the long strokes that take off all that growth at once!
08-22-2010, 08:33 PM
vikingfan

Quote:

Originally Posted by bulldog

I've been shaving for almost a year now with a straight and today was the best ever. I have experimented with all kinds of angles, different degrees of blade sharpness, different blade widths, and blade grinds all to no avail. Every BBS shave has left me burning by the end. I'm still not sure why I changed it up again today but I'm glad I did. I actually used slow, long strokes instead of quick short ones. Smoother than ever without the burn afterward. What a big difference a small change can make.

Wow! I have been a SR shaver for about 6 months and recently started getting better shaves by using short, quick and multiple strokes. I was always using long and slow strokes, but no hair was coming off. Long and slow strokes were perfect for my DE razor, but not my SR. It's weird how totally opposite techniques can work for two different people.

Good luck. It's great we found what works for us.