Thread: ATG angle

its the only way i have got a close shave ever.

Originally Posted by BigBlue

its the only way i have got a close shave ever.

This is what you know yet.
Time will come up you will realize you can get the same result without ATG.
1 st get properly honed blade
2. Use less pressure while you shave.
3. Stretching skin
4. scything motion.
5. good preparation and soap(don't use cheaper ones please) i like tabac a lot.
Then enjoy your shave and have a lot fun.
hope this helps.

Well I have one of yours i bought last year... so I'm pretty sure it was honed right


But all reality I have like 4 blades now all mostly freshly honed.,.... I can get a damn good shave at this point a year later... but its always ATG...

Scything motion scares the poop outa me, i've sliced into myself every time ive tried. and not just a little slice... a big slice.

I think my stretching could use a better attack.

I use a hot shower and conditioner as my pre shave

I use omega shaving soaps... then just some good creams as my finish....


With all that said I know i need to work on.

1. Stroping... its inconstant, slow.
2. Preshave- I need a better system to doing it that is always the same so I can really judge what i change during shaving.
3. How I hold the blade.... there are time i feel uncomfortable, but I am not sure how better to get a good attack angle
4. Stretching... am I actually stretching the right way, or is there a better place to do it so the hair is easier to get to.
5. Angle, I keep it pretty consistent now, but I'm always changing I need to stick to one for an entire shave then change....
6. Stop changing so many variables every shave so I can tell what is making the difference.


I know i need to do these things... but as I said this weekend I'm making a video and posting it for comments.

Originally Posted by BigBlue

Well I have one of yours i bought last year... so I'm pretty sure it was honed right

NOOOO i don't think it was honed properly last year. send it to me now i will hone it right this year

That is a joke.
Please make a video and let us watch . we my see something.
I will make my next shave scything motion and record. will post and hope won't slice my face half.

I would suggest to speed up your stropping, practice on an old belt, etc with a popsicle stick or paint stirring stick.

I have a thick, heavy beard, and I use a hot towel on my face before applying lather. It works for me, but YMMV.

Instead of WTG and ATG, try adding XTG between WTG and ATG passes. Again, that helped me a lot.

Good luck!

My ATG got noticeably better when I realized that ATG is a variety of different directions in different, often small, areas of my face. It isn't just N-S or Bottom to Top. Careful attention to the grain's actual direction has helped me a lot.

Also, here is where the sharp and smooth blade will shine. I have a few razors that I find I need to give a quick fresh stropping, like 15 light and quick laps on leather, for the best. It varies with the razor.

Light touch. One of my favorite axioms is that more pressure will cut everything on your face except...hair. For some reason, pressure seems to push the hair down so the razor doesn't catch it. A light touch with a sharp and smooth edge is the ticket.

I love my shaves these days. I periodically bust out a spastic move and actually cut myself, but that's not the razor or the stroke, it's my lapse in attention. And I use a cheap soap (VDH Deluxe, $2 a puck) but I use Musgo Real pre-shave oil which helps.

you are cutting yourself when using the scything stroke it means you're using too much horizontal movement. Remember, horizontal = blood, so try to make the stroke a bit more subtle and you should be able to nail it.

Originally Posted by hi_bud_gl

I will make my next shave scything motion and record. will post and hope won't slice my face half.

As an aside, I was wondering if you would ever do this. Please Sham, show the world what your idea of the scything stroke is, we are all curious. Some think it's the same as a guillotine cut, some think it's like cutting a tomato, and Utopian thinks we're all wrong! We need closure once and for all!!