Thread: Reducing Shave time

Thank you for this reply to the OP. This describes my experience EXACTLY!!!!!

John


QUOTE=Katan2212;1112649]to me its not about making a fast shave.. i started shaving like this to learn to enjoy shaving. i have to shave everyday for work and it was becoming a hassle so i figured a SRS would make it become more relaxing. well now that i have started not only has it become relaxing but it has become quite addicting.. i don't think i ever plan on finding ways to make it faster.. will just work on planning my days to give me enough time to shave...[/QUOTE]

Originally Posted by mdarnton

I was impressed with that post that popped up the other day regarding the 12 year old girl who shaved someone with a straight in her mom's shop, and I learned something from it: One pass only, ATG. Why do we need to do three passes ? Isn't that to keep a DE razor from clogging up? How can you clog up a straight? How does a straight know if there's .2mm or 10mm of hair up there in the air above the blade? It doesn't, so why waste time with WTG, and across, when they don't really do anything?

Thus, one pass, ATG, only. Interestingly, it solved a problem I've been having under my chin where the hair lies really flat against the skin and nothing I do will pop it up to be cut. If it's longer, and hasn't been trimmed off laterally WTG, it's easier to cut. . . . no, put it this way: if it's shorter, after a WTG, it DOESN'T get cut, no matter what. One pass, ATG, at a pretty steep angle picked those hairs up off the skin and cut them, which before, following the "rules", never worked.

On pass, ATG, also cut a lot of time off the job, and it takes me about 10 minutes, start to finish.

Sounds like a good solution - IF you can get away with one ATG pass. Not everyone can, including me. My beard will laugh at a sharp blade if I try ATG first, and the results aren't pretty. No thanks, I'll stick with the multipass system. But like I said in my previous post, hat's off to you if you can.

I am with Ryan on this one. One pass ATG would not end pleasantly for me. My face would be on fire and I would be multi blade scruffy.

Besides if I need to I can do a three pass shave in 8 mins

I've recently had a few days I needed a faster shave, but instead of the DE I did it with the straight. Hot water with the brush, then lather. One pass and a second touch up for the neck area. Cold water and Witch Hazel follow.

Some mornings I'm in a hurry, so I keep it basic and still enjoy it. Load brush (no pre-soaking anything), wet face, face lather (add water to brush a few times for lather explosion), one pass multi-directional shave with some touch up on my chin, wipe face with a towel, throw on some aftershave. That's it. I don't time myself, but I'm done pretty quick.

My routine takes about 25 minutes. I just set my alarm clock quite early and when I wake, I decide either to get up and shave or stay in bed for another 25 minutes. I'll never cut on shaving

I think speed comes with practice. I'm almost 2 months in with using straight razor. Shaves the first couple of weeks were half hour or more events. Now I can shower shave dress and be out the door in 30 minutes.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Confucius say: haste make waste.

When I'm in a hurry I just use a DE.

Spoken by an experienced shaver. Speed and SR shaving really don't blend well for most men. If you are in a rush, then use a DE. That is what I do.

Haste may make waste, but shaving well and expeditiously doesn't. As one gains experience, learns the value of longer strokes, masters the ATG pass and finds the prep methods that really work, it's surprising not only how quickly one can pull off a straight shave, but how enjoyable it can be to achieve a fine result quickly. People who want to take an hour to shave can go right ahead and do it. Newbies need to know, however, that such periods of time are not required for a quality SR shave except when they are just starting out. I still say that the prospect of a one hour shave keeps people from trying SR shaving and is a primary cause of so many Newbies giving up on it. When I feel like it, I can take an hour to shave too, but it's nice to know I don't have to if I don't want to.

Well said Ace...

I honestly don't like being told to use a DE, I was running late this morning and was thinking of this thread as I shaved and really timed it from turning on the tap, to slapping on the A/S, 8 minutes to a perfectly acceptable DFS for office work ...