Thread: The Hybrid Pass

I have noticed in many of the shaving videos I've watched that a lot of people don't make a pure North to South pass, then an East to West pass (or West to East) and then a South to North pass. Conventional wisdom would label these as WTG, ATG and ATG respectively. I know in these are not strict because of grain direction.

What I see people do is one or two kind of a hybrid passes, changing direction from North to South, East to West, West to East and South to North in one pass. For our purposes I am defining a "pass" as a full face lathering and shaving until the lather is gone. A second pass would be re-lather and shove until all of that lather is gone.

There is probably efficiency in doing it this way that I am not gaining from my process, which is lather, a pure North to South pass, re-lather, then an East to West pass on one side, West to East on the other, re-lather and then a South to North pass. I am very anal retentive and follow this routine exactly every day.

So my questions are what is your process, and, is what I'm seeing others do an indication of experience resulting in a more efficient shaving process?

Cheers!

Must be a Michigan thing.. I do a straight North South pass and and then an East West or West East pass ( depending on the direction I am facing ). I hardly ever do a South North pass just because ATG is not for me.

I think the videos may have more to do with facial hair patterns as I know some guys who have found it changes mid cheek so they must change their stroke in that area.

Originally Posted by Troggie

I think the videos may have more to do with facial hair patterns as I know some guys who have found it changes mid cheek so they must change their stroke in that area.

I think so too. Mapping the hair pattern by feeling the direction of the stubble when you need a shave can reveal which way your particular pattern grows.

It's the way thier facial hair grows most likely. I have a weird facial hair pattern, it grows from the center of my face back to my ears and downward at the same time on a diagonal so it looks like I start with an XTG pass when I am not. I also use a slicing or scything motion when I stroke so it looks even wierder.

Hybrid passes are an essential part of shaving for many of us I believe. WTG/XTG/ATG are given to illustrate an approach, but not to define something preferable or optimal.

For the sake of making a point, let me state it better than WTG/XTG/ATG...

Start your shave WTG. Then, advance in your shave toward ATG just enough degrees so that your razor shaves off a significant amount of whisker, but doesn't butt up against the whiskers and ride down into your skin producing razor burn. When you advance after the WTG pass, advance as far as you can safely advance. This might be WTG plus 10 degrees. In light whisker areas for a few of us, it might be WTG + 180 degrees, all the way to ATG!

I think the above statement is significantly better than...

WTG/XTG/ATG

But, which do you think will be best understood by newbies? Saying WTG/XTG/ATG gets us in the neighborhood of correct technique, after which it is up to us to experiment and build up expertise.

It is kind of a personal thing, depending on how your beard grows. For me, I do 2 1/2 passes, I go North to South first, That's from the top of my cheek bone to my jawline, then down my neck. Second pass is a bit different. I go from the base of my neck to my jawbone, So, South to North. Then West to Easth? From my ear to my Goatee lline...or is that East to West...My final pass is from the jawline up to my cheek bone area....Hope that makes sense....

Gentlemen:

A good topic, indeed, thanks to my good friend Alembic.

I started by shaving in three distinct passes: with the grain, across the grain and against the grain.

For the past year or so, because of the chaotic pattern in which my beard grows, I have added specific detours within each pass to better accommodate the growth pattern. Thus the hybrid pass. The improvisation still continues until I nail the detours perfectly.

It's either that or fry my Hollywood face in 37 different passes.

Regards,

Obie

I dont make a point of doing a particular pass direction. Instead I just feel for the beard growth direction and then shave to remove as much as humanly possible whilst retaining maximum comfort.

I do a couple of odd passes in places, like a small ATG swipe under my chin to catch the stubble that grows around a scar I have there. The scar makes the stubble grow every which way and this is the best method to get it. I got the scar from a bumper car steering wheel when I was much younger!

Originally Posted by Stubear

I dont make a point of doing a particular pass direction. Instead I just feel for the beard growth direction and then shave to remove as much as humanly possible whilst retaining maximum comfort.

I do a couple of odd passes in places, like a small ATG swipe under my chin to catch the stubble that grows around a scar I have there. The scar makes the stubble grow every which way and this is the best method to get it. I got the scar from a bumper car steering wheel when I was much younger!

Stubear - LOL - I don't think there is a guy alive that does not have some sort of chin scar. Why is that?

Hehe! It must be one of those rite of passage things..!