My Grande Journey

[Esox]

@Esox

I shaved with Fatip Grande. I ride with the cap. This time I pushed a bit the cap toward the face. I got an excellent shave and quite a BBS with two passes.

Do you use the same approach by pushing the cap? Just curious...

I do! In the picture below think of the red line as the level of my skin with the cap pushed into it.

The shallower the angle of blade to skin, the more pressure I apply to the cap pushing it into my skin. Done right, theres really very little pressure from the blade edge on my skin and its a fantastic shave.

 

[albsat]

I do! In the picture below think of the red line as the level of my skin with the cap pushed into it.

View attachment 942358

The shallower the angle of blade to skin, the more pressure I apply to the cap pushing it into my skin. Done right, theres really very little pressure from the blade edge on my skin and its a fantastic shave.

Thanks man. It makes sense! It took me 6 months of shaving with Fatip, to find out this technique which is so satisfying to me.

I use only 2 Fatips and I wonder if this is a technique related to a Fatip only or to other razors as well...

 

[Somerled]

Works equally well with a Feather AS-D2.
In fact, to me, it's the only way to use that razor.

 

[Esox]

Thanks man. It makes sense! It took me 6 months of shaving with Fatip, to find out this technique which is so satisfying to me.

I use only 2 Fatips and I wonder if this is a technique related to a Fatip only or to other razors as well...

I learned that from @rabidus where he said;

Try an extremely shallow angle, it will slice more than scrape. Ride the cap and lower the handle until the blade engages. Do not focus on "feeling" the blade, focus on feeling stubble being cut. Listen for feedback.

My first shave using a razor like that below.

Wow. I'm a bit stunned tbh.

You should make a thread titled "How to Shave with a Gillette NEW SC Without a Blade!" because thats exactly what it felt like.

Shaving like that is something like a "Life Hack". I didnt have to change the angle much and once I was there just a simple grip change on the razor and I was in business. I found the change in pressure I needed to apply more difficult to maintain than the angle. I didnt feel the blade at all and honestly was stunned to end up with one of, if not the most comfortable, BBS shaves I've ever had, albeit with one tiny weeper from the difference in pressure required, which was slightly more for me. I cant say I felt the blade at all other than giving myself that one small weeper. Not feeling the blade like that and hearing the stubble being cut instead of both threw me off, but I'm onto ya now

For all you people that already do this, laugh if you must, but this is exactly the type of information that needs to be more mainstream. That one simple adjustment of technique, once explained and understood, can save some people, such as myself, a lot of blood, irritation and misery lol.

The more rigid the design and the more blade exposure available, the easier it is to shave like that. As blade exposure decreases, so do the available options of angle. Using my NEW SC, because it has less blade exposure than my Grande, its a more difficult shave because its much more difficult to maintain the even finer angle needed to keep the blade engaged at the same level. Because of that, my shaves with the NEW SC when used that shallow were a bit patchy. The depth of cut varied because my technique wasnt good enough.

With my Grande, because it has more blade exposure its much easier. If I feel the blade I'm too steep. If I cant feel the blade, but I can hear it cutting, I'm in the zone and its easier to stay in that zone.

Fatips have generous blade exposure and they're very rigid designs. Thats why they're so easy to use like this. In my less than humble opinion, for shallow angle shaving with a DE there is no better razor because Fatips have the correct design and geometry. Lots of rigid blade exposure, no gap, and, a short guard span distance. No other DE design that I know of combines all three elements.

This is also why I dont understand why some find them so difficult to use. If you havent found your sweet spot, keep looking. It is in there somewhere, it just needs to be found.

 

[Esox]

I didnt record my last shave here, but it was Monday evening or night. I dont remember.

MMOC/PTFE for its 4th shave.

WK.

Maggard Synthetic.

~100 hours since last shave. I dont think it would matter if it was around 200 hours.

Single buffing pass ATG. One clean up. The MMOC is all business and this was business as usual.

Nice comfy BBS. What more could be asked for.

 

[Esox]

One year ago yesterday...

Gillette Yellow shave #2.

42 hours since last shave.

Captain's Choice Bay Rummmmmmmmm.

One buffing pass ATG. A weeper right corner of my mouth again. The Polsilver for 20 shaves has made me complacent.

One buffing pass in a different direction over my swirls, a swipe left side jawline and another BBS.

Not a lot has changed.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Works equally well with a Feather AS-D2.
In fact, to me, it's the only way to use that razor.

That's why the AS-D2 doesn't work for me.

Fatips work best for me at the design angle (neutral angle) or steeper.

What works for you is the only thing that matters.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[albsat]

I used the Gentile this time . Same technique that I am aiming. Ride with the cap, find the correct pressure of the cap on the face and no blade feeling. Excellent result.

 

[albsat]

I do! In the picture below think of the red line as the level of my skin with the cap pushed into it.

View attachment 942358

The shallower the angle of blade to skin, the more pressure I apply to the cap pushing it into my skin. Done right, theres really very little pressure from the blade edge on my skin and its a fantastic shave.

This is something that everyone using a Fatip should know.

It seems easy but it is not something intuitive. Every beginner is focused on the blade, not the cap. I find the opposite approach works better for me at least. It is the same approach that @Esox explains it here so well.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

This is something that everyone using a Fatip should know.

The Captain couldn't disagree more. Everyone is far too big a word.

Riding the cap works great for some people and they should try it.

 

[Esox]

It seems easy but it is not something intuitive. Every beginner is focused on the blade, not the cap. I find the opposite approach works better for me at least. It is the same approach that @Esox explains it here so well.

I dont like feeling the blade so I took to shaving shallow naturally. Now that I have soaps that agree with me better, I can and do shave steep and extremely steep and still dont feel the blade.

I have sensitive skin and with a lesser soap if I shave steep I feel the blade and it scrapes my skin leaving it dry. My better soaps are better for my skin so that doesnt happen.

With PdP, WK, Wickham and CRS (which is a cream), using my Grande, I can shave very steep to a neutral angle, with almost as much pressure as I use shaving shallow and my skin doesnt suffer because of it. Finding and using the right soaps for me has made as much difference in my shave quality as using a rigid design.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Finding and using the right soaps for me has made as much difference in my shave quality as using a rigid design.

 

[Esox]

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

 

[Esox]

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

World's Slowest GIF. Keep watching. Not sleeping with fishes. Too quick for that.

 

[jmudrick]

SE1 vs E2 / Proline. Will decide this week whether to trade my SE2 for an SE1 or just sell. I'm becoming a bit more comfortable with the ridiculous weight of the ATT but remain pretty ambivalent about its advantages. Both razors do well with a single pass head ATG shave.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

SE1 vs E2 / Proline. Will decide this week whether to trade my SE2 for an SE1 or just sell. I'm becoming a bit more comfortable with the ridiculous weight of the ATT but remain pretty ambivalent about its advantages. Both razors do well with a single pass head ATG shave.

It words much better for me if I use a steep angle. You've probably tried that though.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[jmudrick]

It words much better for me if I use a steep angle. You've probably tried that though.

Happy shaves,

Jim

It's the weight and awkward handling rather than the quality of the shave that bother me. The SE1 doesn't tug on my head like the SE2. But it's also not noticeably more efficient than the E2 which while not my favorite form factor is easier to maneuver x1000.

 

[rabidus]

I'm becoming a bit more comfortable with the ridiculous weight of the ATT