Thread: What Makes It Great?

Outside the sharpness of the edge, of course ...
What, for you, is the single most important thing which contributes to a truly great shave?
Is it the brush, the cream, the process? What?

X

The Ritual

I think it's a combination of all factors leading to an outstanding results.

What they already said.

And, the thing is, a number of factors can foul an otherwise great shave:
insufficient preparation (shower, hot Ts)
worse than optimal lather / scent
dull blade
bad strop / bad stropping technique / insufficient stropping
stinky or otherwise inappropriate brush (e.g. scratchy, if you like them soft, floppy, if you prefer firm, etc.)
user error / inattention (can lead to cuts, nicks, burn, dropped razor ending who knows how )
lack of appropriate / favorite AS, balms, etc. products

And, for me - it's not only function but also aesthetics. I love a nice-looking razor with pretty scales, etc.

Now, can you imagine how bad a shave can actually be if several or all of these combine?

Before things get out of hand, guys .. That (Ilijay, izlat) doesn't answer the question I asked which was ... If you could pick the ONE thing which makes the biggest diference for you, what would it be? I'll give izlat 'aesthetic', but you've not answered at all Ilija. I'll underdstand if you can't. The reason I ask is because I'm not too sure myself.

X

dedication

Originally Posted by xman

Before things get out of hand, guys .. That (Ilijay, izlat) doesn't answer the question I asked which was ... If you could pick the ONE thing which makes the biggest diference for you, what would it be?

X

Well, outside blade sharpness - technique!

with good technique and sharp blade you might actually counter pretty much everything else for a great shave... you'd need at least water, of course

Time. It doesn't have to be gobs, but it has to be enough. Then, everything else--prep, a good stropping, a calm hand, mental presence, skilled stretching--all just falls into place. Time.

"It's what the french call a certain... I don't know what"

For me, it is what I am doing. Forsaking the modern "shave stuff" to step back in time a bit, and enjoy a good, old fahioned shave. Doesn't matter if it is with a straight or a DE. The straight "ritual" takes it back a bit further, but it is using the brush, a great scented shaving cream or soap, and then the shave itself. Not trying to finish in 3 minutes, but taking my time and enjoying every step of the journey.

RT