My first 15 min shave..cool.

So when I got up this afternnon for work,I got to putzin and lost track of the time. I had to shave cause I was lookin kinda scraggly. I still have my cartridge shaver,but I was winceing at the thought of using it. I've been just goin so well and have my shave times generally down to about 30-45 min. There was no way I was gonna cheat my baby out of a good face session.So I soaked ,stropped,brushed and shaved with confidence and low and behold....a fifteen min close shave that was about 98% BBS. What a great day ! Ok..now the world can explode,I'm happy ha ! :rock:

Yes, I got mine down to 15-20 minutes a while ago because of similar reasons. I still have my crappy cartridge head razors (3 of 'em), but all but one of them is going in the bin. I'm keeping one for the sentimental value that it was my graduation gift from high school (from the school). The other two are outta here.
I will be getting a second DE for my 'Dopp' kit/Toiletry bag simply because it will be the easiest for airline staff to accept when it comes to airline travel. Then I'll be all set. Just need to make a case for the Merkur HD that I already have.
Congrats on your latest success, I hope it remains in your repetoire of shaving skills.


Mick

Well I can't say that I don't enjoy a good long zen session but,indeed I will m8te ! Still bummed they don't call'em sheilas down/up there though heh ! :) yer killin me with that whole up/down think Mick haha.

this has me thinking.. i have no idea how long i take to shave.. for the most part.. i never do more than a second pass.. i'll time myself tomorrow..

i find that it's the lathering that i spend most time on.. i love to lather up and walk around for a few minutes to let it soak in.. i have also taken to going brushless.. i use my charges alba shave cream.. it's more of a gel.. but i love the way it moisturizes.. i will also at times use kiss my face without a brush.. i still have my mach3..and about 10 cartridges for it..but it leaves me with a shadow i can't tolerate... the de cuts down on time quite a bit.

It never really bothered me on how long it took as I love to turn on my favorite music and take my time with the whole ritual.But there was no way I was gonna start the day with a cartridge shave ...ooo no. Have you tried using the gel stuff with your brush ? Not sure if you miss your brush or not ,that's why I was asking.:)

Well done!
We all know that the pleasure comes from taking our time over the process. We can relax & spoil ourselves like the manly men we all are.
When we're short of time though, it's nice to be able to rattle out a good shave without reverting to primitive tools like a multi-blade!

Actually very well said. I agree.:)

I second that agreement. I try for a leisurely shave as often as possible, however it isn't always the case, especially with a houseful of young ladies. Sometimes there is the 'need for speed'.


Mick

P.S Victor, just look at the clock when you're about to enter the shave den and give it another glance after you exit. We're not after a split second race time here...Or blood and carnage either.:)

That's gotta be totally cool shaving in front of a houseful of females .If it's yer wife she's gotta be all impressed and if it's daughters,I bet they brag to all their friends about how cool their dad is because he shaves with a real blade. Egooooobooooster yay !......Or not ?? :)

My wife thinks I'm a little bit crazy/eccentric. She's right, but that hasn't got a thing to do with my preferred shaving tool. My daughters are all young ones, but they do seem to like to hang out with their daddy during shave time. It is a cool feeling to have them around while I'm shaving, but can lead to being a little hectic in the bathroom as well,


Mick

My wife thinks I'm crazy, 2 of my daughters laugh at me,
and our third daughter is my "shave inspector"...she loves
to criticize! :)

However, I don't want anyone even NEAR me when I'm
shaving. I have this recurring nightmare of one of the
ladies barging into the bathroom, bashing my elbow,
just as I'm applying the razor to my neck. No thanks!

In fact, I usually don't even attempt a straight razor
shave unless I'm entirely alone in the house. If the
ladies are around when I shave, I make an announcement:
"I'm going to shave now. Please stay away from me,
and please don't make any sudden loud noises!"

They think I'm nuts. I say it's simple self-preservation.

The only thing that bothers me about my shave time is my wife....:w
Usually it it leisure over efficiency for me when shaving with a straight. For those rushed days a DE comes in handy, as I'd rather not cheat myself out of a "real" SR shave.

I am still a newbie, about 7 shaves so far. My ritual is still about 45 minutes. 3 passes at least.
Had alot of guests in the house this weekend, so I didn't have the time for the full routine.
I shaved first with my Braun electric. I have always been happy with the shave from it, but it just doesn't give the satisfaction of the full dance with death. So I lathered up after my shower and did one pass. I was impressed with the amount of stubble on the rag. Especially since I am new at this. I still can't get BBS all around, just the cheeks, but I was getting results everywhere. It took about 15 minutes altogether, and wasn't as fully satisfying, but pretty darn close.
BTW, I intend on keeping the Braun for travel, but also for at the corners/edges of the lips, I tend to irritate alot if I get too close. Would a square nose/ point make that more precise and reduce the chance of irritation?

I'm still a slowpoke with the straight, 30-40 minutes to get where I like to be. But this semester, starting tomorrow, I teach an 8AM class on Tuesday and Thursday. So those mornings, for now, I will treat myself to the DE razor, which I also enjoy and which also still involves a nice lather in the mug, a minimum of "throw-away" issues, and an enjoyment of a nice, elegantly made piece of history--not to mention a nice shave too!

In the mean time, I do need to get my first pass to the place where it is more of a complete shave. Right now, I'm doing about 2.5 passes. A full WTG, a full ATG, and then XTG touch ups typically on my neck and cheeks. I would like to get to basically 1.5 passes, a pass and touch-ups.

But I also don't want to hurry!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by souschefdude

at the corners/edges of the lips, I tend to irritate alot if I get too close. Would a square nose/ point make that more precise and reduce the chance of irritation?

---

I don't think the style of razor will make any difference TBH. That area is a sensitive spot for many guys, me included. A feather light touch and a very sharp razor will reduce the chance of irritation at the corners of the mouth. Try to avoid going ATG there as well, as that will irritate it further.

The "goatee" area for me is incredibly sensitive. For while, I used a Feather Nape and Neck razor, until I got a Dovo Jubilaum 3/8 which is a small straight. I don't know why, but the small razor is easier for me in that region.

I also use my wife's concave make-up mirror and the toe of the razor, mainly, and that has worked well. Somehow the greatly enlarged image and the small blade together has helped me. But it takes up more time, and I really would like to get a really nice straight shave down to under 20 minutes.

Ryan82 beat me to the punch.That is a touchy area for me as well which I have conquered and what he says is true.....Light touch . :)

Well, I started shaving with a straight about 3 months ago. About a month ago I got it down to 40 minutes, 3 passes over most of my face (can't really get XTG on the neck, and I go slow on the chin, having a wicked cleft to deal with). So you guys who have it down to 15 minutes--is that 3 passes? 2? 1? I enjoy my shaves and like taking the time, but there will be days when I don't have 40 minutes to shave, and I'm wondering whether I can look forward to being able to shave faster with more experience.

To Durhampiper...of course.Experience and time willl eventually bring less time shaving.As you get to know your face and it's contours you will get faster. Just to be fair...when I shaved last night I got good and close,but it took about an hour and I didn't seem as focused....go figure.I thought I was gonna have shredded wheat ,but nope.I am usually about a 2 1/2 to 3 pass with touch-up shaver WTG-XTG the only time I do ATG is a small spot on the chin and normally I don't do that either and I try to avoid ATG whenever possible. I usually get about 97-98% BBS and I'm satisfied with this routine . So I aint no superman to coin a phrase. "Patience is a virtue and so is a good sandwich"...Yeh,I got nuthin hehe . :)

Hey lawson..Those Jubilaums are pretty lookin razors...I'm envious.Good fer you on that one. :)

ok.. i've done several time tests and the longest i've taken to shave is 25 minutes.. that included a lather.. a massage of the lather.. a rinse of the lather.. an application of bay rum.. another lathering and a single pass with touchups with an artist club razor.. then a rinse and an aftershave splash..

shortest shave was 6 minutes.. and that was with the brushless gel and single pass with the de.. some touchups and a rinse. .then an aftershave..

i'm pretty sure i've tried it all and i'm just not one for hot towels and preshave oils.. or multiple layers of postshave care.. i mostly do an alcohol based splash or i'll use a balm.. sometimes i will do just witch hazel.. but either way.. i've stopped layering.. it's just not for me..

also.. i love my brush and won't be straying from it.. i just go brushless when i'm trying to save time and don't want to have to soak it first and then rinse and dry afterward.. the brushless gel does nothing with a brush other than gunk it up and make it look ratty. my general ideal shave is using c.o. bigelow with my artist club and finishing with either old spice or pinaud clubman bay rum.. average shave time.. 15 to 18 minutes.. from the time i start to lather to the time i walk out the den smelling pretty.

We gonna call you Speedy Gonzales, Victor. You ees ver farst...:D. Speaking of brushless gel's etc, I was down at the local chemist (drugstore) picking up some more Old Spice for the travel bag, when the counter...sheila...came over and started recommending shaving gels. When I told her most of that would be useless to me, as I shaved with a cutthroat razor shaver, she looked at me like I was either a 'cucuracha' or just a leetle crazy. She said 'Riiiiiiiight' and stepped backwards nearly all the way to the counter. True story. We did speak some more when I went to pay for my goods though. She seemed to examine my face before saying, "They do seem to give a very close shave, is it anything like using those razor blades (Wilkenson sword DE blades)? They're very expensive!"
I told her that I would never pay $12 to $18 for a pack of 10 blades, when I could go online and buy 100 Feather brand blades for $50 at the very most. Or many other brands for $30 per 100.
In the end I think she may have seen the light, her own light did seem a little dim however. :D


Mick

yeah... whenever i tell people my shaving habits.. they instantly get this look like ive just told them i kill people in my spare time or something.. i just dont get it..

also.. i think the reason for my shaves being so much faster than most is i only do a single pass and i don't have to worry about stropping.. also... i seem to have magical water that produces great lather with just about any cream or soap in very little time..

another thing i've noticed is i'm not much for doing the short quick strokes while shaving.. i go with long and smooth.. has always worked for me and i like it that way..

It's a good feeling, isn't it. I can remember spending 45 tedious min. to an hour in front of the sink. By the time you get it down to 15 minutes, it's like you've graduated.

Hey MickR,

'Was cool to hear your girls like to hang w/ Dad as he enjoys a shave. I guarantee that when they're grandparents, the memory of hanging with you there will still be very much alive. 'Great to hear.