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

Being completely in the present moment, fully aware and attentive to the now. Right at the very edge of life and death, what else matters?

X, that would be like asking which position is most important in basketball. There's no right answer and if one player took on a whole team, he'd have to play several different roles.

X,
I'd have to say it's the history. I might get a BBS shave on a regular basis and a really good shave every morning even when I have to rush through things to get to the office. However, my truely great shaves are when I have the time (and presence of mind) to feel the connection through time with all of the gentlemen that have gone before me. We share a skill that most of us did not develop without significant assistance from our predecessors (tip o' the hat Lynn!) and that skill required substantial effort...sometimes no small amout of blood, on our part. This feeling is particularly acute when I am using one of my Grandfathers razors, but also when using an obviously well used, well cared for vintage blade.

I'll shut up now,
Ed