Well, I have entered the shavette world with a generously PIF'ed Weck Hair Shaper from gvw755. I have now a handful of shaves under my belt, but as I have been looking for more info, and other's experiences, I haven't seen much of it, so I figured I would chronicle mine and hopefully get some feedback along the way, and maybe someone wanting to get started will find some useful tidbit, as well.
I have been intrigued by the myriad choices available for knocking back whiskers and have a full blown case of RAD in the works, though I am trying the 2017 Sabbatical as I already have more than I can use in the next few years. I have several DE's, a 1912 Gem Jr., and when gvw755 gave me the choice between a Futur clone and the Weck, I figured that would give me the more unique and exciting option to broaden my shaving repertoire. I decided to do 2 passes to start with, N/S and then S/N. The S/N is XTG on my neck and ATG on my cheeks and chin and I only do a side to side on my moustache as I am feeling too trepidatious for a fool's pass.
My first attempt was pretty good, I managed to get a couple of BBS spots around my face and drew no blood and I also got a good feel for how slick a lather needs to be to slide this thing around without skipping and gouging as my first 2 attempts at lather were not slick enough and I had to add more water and reapply. All this time, I thought lather was the easy part of wet shaving, and now I realize technique there is as important, if not more important, as technique with the blade. Already, my opportunity with this razor is paying dividends.
Number 2 and 3 were further examples of how good I had to be with lather and a lesson to not try too many new things at once. This was after the holidays and I had gotten a couple new soaps, Strop Shoppe's Baker St.(not new as it is discontinued, but new for me) and RR Tuscan Oud. It was a first for both soaps for the respective shaves and I couldn't get the lather dialed in for the life of me. Shave 2, I finished prematurely as I sliced my nostril not paying attention to the end of the blade(these things are long and I have had some close calls with either end depending on where my attention was). A good bit of blood from about a 3mm cut but it closed up quickly and did not require any special attention. The #3 shave was the RR and though I love that smell, sort of bitter, smoky tobacconist kind of vibe, I couldn't get the lather slick enough. It went better than number 2 but as I was going XTG on my lip on the other side from my nostril cut, I had a bit of indecision with the blade too close and gave a slice instead of a stroke. This was not deep but left a cm cut more or less straight up and down on my moustache area. Not as much red stuff from this one as the other and I took the lesson, know your mind before you touch blade to face.
Shave 4(yesterday), I decided to go with my B&M unscented as I have used that one a fair amount and was able to get a nice shiny, yogurty lather without too much effort. The shave however, was not going smoothly. I found I was having a hard time cutting hair and had a fair amount of stubble after two passes of S/N so I finished with a pass from my Fine Superlight. I wasn't sure if it was blade or lather or angle, but decided to switch the blade and the lather for shave 5 to be on the safe side(did I mention something about not changing too many things at once?). I am still processing that lesson, it would seem.
Shave 5 with a fresh blade and Tabac cream was a much closer experience but I had a handful of weepers to gently chide my technique. I have gotten the angle ok though I know I will get better, but pressure with this razor is tricky. It is very light to my mind and requires a certain firmness of hand, though I hesitate to call it pressure as I feel I am very concerned about the sharpness of this blade and err on the side of caution with respect to angle and pressure. I also didn't get any sting save for the cuts from the AS so I think overall I was alright. The weepers showed up on my Adam's apple, chin, jawline, and moustache area, which I think are the locations for more refined technique, so I am not totally dismayed, but just want to take more time in the future to try and minimize the bloodletting while I learn.
My overall impressions are that it's difficult getting this guy around my chin, and under my nose. I can do N/S and side to side no problem but both places require ATG for a BBS and I have not had the courage to try on my moustache area or the skill to achieve on my chin. The best I can do on my upper lip is sort of across the XTG if that makes sense. Somewhere between across the grain and against the grain worked ok, but like I said, I had weepers. This is nothing new as trying to get close here often results in weepers with any equipment I use. I am a BBS chaser, as to my mind if I'm going to leave hair on my face, I would rather grow a beard. The smooth effect of a clean shaven face is the aesthetic I want. Achieving that with the Weck is in my sights, but still out in the distance somewhere.
So, all that said, I have decided to use this as my weekend driver for the time being although at some point in the near future I would like to use it as a daily tool to really learn it well. All told the 5 shaves I completed have come in the last month and I plan to try it as a daily driver around the 15 to 20 mark. If there is any serious bloodletting, I will take time off and go back to one of my mild DE's. I only plan to use my TOBS, B&M, and Tabac unless I feel that I dial in another soap to the level necessary for this fine tool. Any comments, feedback or criticisms are welcome as I know I have much to learn on this topic and in life, in general. Thanks to those who have taken the time to read.
I have been intrigued by the myriad choices available for knocking back whiskers and have a full blown case of RAD in the works, though I am trying the 2017 Sabbatical as I already have more than I can use in the next few years. I have several DE's, a 1912 Gem Jr., and when gvw755 gave me the choice between a Futur clone and the Weck, I figured that would give me the more unique and exciting option to broaden my shaving repertoire. I decided to do 2 passes to start with, N/S and then S/N. The S/N is XTG on my neck and ATG on my cheeks and chin and I only do a side to side on my moustache as I am feeling too trepidatious for a fool's pass.
My first attempt was pretty good, I managed to get a couple of BBS spots around my face and drew no blood and I also got a good feel for how slick a lather needs to be to slide this thing around without skipping and gouging as my first 2 attempts at lather were not slick enough and I had to add more water and reapply. All this time, I thought lather was the easy part of wet shaving, and now I realize technique there is as important, if not more important, as technique with the blade. Already, my opportunity with this razor is paying dividends.
Number 2 and 3 were further examples of how good I had to be with lather and a lesson to not try too many new things at once. This was after the holidays and I had gotten a couple new soaps, Strop Shoppe's Baker St.(not new as it is discontinued, but new for me) and RR Tuscan Oud. It was a first for both soaps for the respective shaves and I couldn't get the lather dialed in for the life of me. Shave 2, I finished prematurely as I sliced my nostril not paying attention to the end of the blade(these things are long and I have had some close calls with either end depending on where my attention was). A good bit of blood from about a 3mm cut but it closed up quickly and did not require any special attention. The #3 shave was the RR and though I love that smell, sort of bitter, smoky tobacconist kind of vibe, I couldn't get the lather slick enough. It went better than number 2 but as I was going XTG on my lip on the other side from my nostril cut, I had a bit of indecision with the blade too close and gave a slice instead of a stroke. This was not deep but left a cm cut more or less straight up and down on my moustache area. Not as much red stuff from this one as the other and I took the lesson, know your mind before you touch blade to face.
Shave 4(yesterday), I decided to go with my B&M unscented as I have used that one a fair amount and was able to get a nice shiny, yogurty lather without too much effort. The shave however, was not going smoothly. I found I was having a hard time cutting hair and had a fair amount of stubble after two passes of S/N so I finished with a pass from my Fine Superlight. I wasn't sure if it was blade or lather or angle, but decided to switch the blade and the lather for shave 5 to be on the safe side(did I mention something about not changing too many things at once?). I am still processing that lesson, it would seem.
Shave 5 with a fresh blade and Tabac cream was a much closer experience but I had a handful of weepers to gently chide my technique. I have gotten the angle ok though I know I will get better, but pressure with this razor is tricky. It is very light to my mind and requires a certain firmness of hand, though I hesitate to call it pressure as I feel I am very concerned about the sharpness of this blade and err on the side of caution with respect to angle and pressure. I also didn't get any sting save for the cuts from the AS so I think overall I was alright. The weepers showed up on my Adam's apple, chin, jawline, and moustache area, which I think are the locations for more refined technique, so I am not totally dismayed, but just want to take more time in the future to try and minimize the bloodletting while I learn.
My overall impressions are that it's difficult getting this guy around my chin, and under my nose. I can do N/S and side to side no problem but both places require ATG for a BBS and I have not had the courage to try on my moustache area or the skill to achieve on my chin. The best I can do on my upper lip is sort of across the XTG if that makes sense. Somewhere between across the grain and against the grain worked ok, but like I said, I had weepers. This is nothing new as trying to get close here often results in weepers with any equipment I use. I am a BBS chaser, as to my mind if I'm going to leave hair on my face, I would rather grow a beard. The smooth effect of a clean shaven face is the aesthetic I want. Achieving that with the Weck is in my sights, but still out in the distance somewhere.
So, all that said, I have decided to use this as my weekend driver for the time being although at some point in the near future I would like to use it as a daily tool to really learn it well. All told the 5 shaves I completed have come in the last month and I plan to try it as a daily driver around the 15 to 20 mark. If there is any serious bloodletting, I will take time off and go back to one of my mild DE's. I only plan to use my TOBS, B&M, and Tabac unless I feel that I dial in another soap to the level necessary for this fine tool. Any comments, feedback or criticisms are welcome as I know I have much to learn on this topic and in life, in general. Thanks to those who have taken the time to read.