Originally Posted by
shooter74743
I'm obviously not Glen, but shaving technique (razor stropping, facial prep, and actually shaving) will effect a blade more than materials, design, or craftsmanship if we are talking about a descent quality run of the mill vintage razor.
Stropping
I've honed razors for others and asked them not to strop before the first shave, only after and then again before future shaves. Then I get contacted that the first full shave went very well, but the second shave didn't. I offer to check the edge and upon looking at the edge under magnification I see that the razor had been stropped improperly, I.E.: rolled edge.
Prep
Facial preparations are quite important as well as the quality of the shave soap. Everyone has shave preperations that work, so I will not go there...but you simply can't walk into the bathroom, lather, & shave and expect to get a stellar shave.
Technique
Improper shave angle can kill an edge as well. The lower the angle the better off you and your razor are. High angles literally scrape your face and whiskers off & give you more of an opportunity for weepers. The more parallel the cutting edge is to your face, the better off your skin is and the better the shave will be as you are cutting the whiskers at more of a 90 degree angle. It's quite often during a shave that I personally feel the spine touch my skin when performing a ATG pass.
Hope this helps,
Scott