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Do you find it hard to go back to milder razors after using aggressive ones regularly?

I have been using aggressive razors for the last 6 months or so (Wolfman 1.35, Karve SB-F, Game Changer Jaws 0.84…). Initially I could only use an aggressive razor every few days but now daily is no problem. In fact, the only way I can get close to a BBS shave now is with a more aggressive razor.

I have used a few of my milder razors lately (Gillette Red Tip and Techs and my Rockwell 6S) and they are just too mild for me now. Again, this happened over months, not years. I am thinking about using Feathers and KAI exclusively with my milder razors, but I’m not sure even super sharp blades will make a big difference.

Maybe my skin and/or technique is changing? Dunno but it is weird how quickly my face adapted to more aggressive razors.

Anyone else finding similar results?
 
I have been using aggressive razors for the last 6 months or so (Wolfman 1.35, Karve SB-F, Game Changer Jaws 0.84…). Initially I could only use an aggressive razor every few days but now daily is no problem. In fact, the only way I can get close to a BBS shave now is with a more aggressive razor.

I have used a few of my milder razors lately (Gillette Red Tip and Techs and my Rockwell 6S) and they are just too mild for me now. Again, this happened over months, not years. I am thinking about using Feathers and KAI exclusively with my milder razors, but I’m not sure even super sharp blades will make a big difference.

Maybe my skin and/or technique is changing? Dunno but it is weird how quickly my face adapted to more aggressive razors.

Anyone else finding similar results?

Fortunately with my Gillette Slim I have aggressive to mild all at the turn of a dial and I go back an forth depending on shaving area. For Adams apple I use the mild setting, cheeks aggressive.
 
If you can shave daily with an SB-F you must have developed a truly light touch. Maybe you're using the same technique with milder razors? Over the last year I've been mostly rotating between my Timeless SS ,95 OC. and my Karve SS usually with a brass OC-E plate. I shave daily, 7 days a week. They are my favourite shaves, and they work really well with an extremely light touch. Every once in a while though my trouble spot on my neck starts to show some razor rash. When that happens, I back off to a Karve OC-B ir Timeless .68 SB for a few days. With either of those I can get a decent shave, but I know I'm using more pressure an more strokes than I do with the more aggressive razors., and it's rare that the shave is as long lasting. Might be worth looking at that.

But, if you can stay irritation free and very well shaven with the aggressive razors, why bother with mild?
 
I've tried shaving yesterday with my US 47-48 Aristocrat with a fresh Nacet and my hand got tired of all the strokes I did over and over again. One of the reason for that was because I had a week old of subtle, but the razor is definitely mild and I would only use on one or two days of stubble from now on. I was able to get a very nice BBS, but the shave took a while longer than usual and it wasn't very pleasent.

According to some people, an expirienced shaver can achive a BBS even with the mildest razor and while I can achive that as well, I woudn't recommend picking a mild razor if you haven't shaved for a week or so. You can definitely achive a BBS, but it's not going to be as plesent or as fast as it would be with more efficient razor.

I will still use my milder razors from time to time out of boredom, but there's no way i'm going to throw away my more efficient razors in the drawer and use primarily the mild ones instead.
 
But, if you can stay irritation free and very well shaven with the aggressive razors, why bother with mild?

I only use my mild razors as I have owned them for years. No point selling $10-20 vintage razors due to high shipping costs in Canada. I get bored and grab them from time to time for something different. I will likely PIF a few of them down the road though.
 
Not at all. When I first started wet shaving my evolution took me through agressive razors thinking they were needed for my to get any kind of BBS. As I became experienced, I moved away from the agressive razors and slant and moved to milder shavers with with agressive (acute) blades in them.
I’ve also found that my journey through all types of DE, SE razors and blades all the way back 120 years has left me a better all around shaver. I feel I can pick up just about any razor and blade and have a nice shave.
 
I still enjoy the shaves if I go to a milder razor. I have to adjust my expectations for how close or long-lasting the shave will be, and avoid trying to chase extra closeness with too many passes or being tempted to add pressure. But the positive is that I get a gentler face-feel and that can be nice on occasion. Doesn’t every razor have something good about it?

The pleasure of shaving is a lot about the face-feel for me - the tactile sensation - not just the result. Sometimes I want a very blade-forward razor to feel it on my skin; sometimes I like a softer, more gentle and relaxed feel. And then there are many other variables that you can feel too - blade gap, rigidity, light or heavy weight, different combs, different metals, etc.. It’s all good and I still get a good shave from any razor. I surely get closer shaves with comfort from my very efficient razors, and I use them most, but that isn’t the whole story. Having variety in the shaving experience is a great thing, and I don’t want every shave to be the same.
 
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Tirvine

ancient grey sweatophile
While I enjoyed every shave with the CR1 plate in my Above the Tie Windsor, it was nice to get back to the CM1. Still BBS in three passes.
 
I still enjoy the shaves if I go to a milder razor. I have to adjust my expectations for how close or long-lasting the shave will be, and avoid trying to chase extra closeness with too many passes or being tempted to add pressure. But the positive is that I get a gentler face-feel and that can be nice on occasion. Doesn’t every razor have something good about it?

The pleasure of shaving is a lot about the face-feel for me - the tactile sensation - not just the result. Sometimes I want a very blade-forward razor to feel it on my skin; sometimes I like a softer, more gentle and relaxed feel. And then there are many other variables that you can feel too - blade gap, rigidity, light or heavy weight, different combs, different metals, etc.. It’s all good and I still get a good shave from any razor. I surely get closer shaves with comfort from my very efficient razors, and I use them most, but that isn’t the whole story. Having variety in the shaving experience is a great thing, and I don’t want every shave to be the same.
Wonderful assessment. I think you’re on the money. As I change razor type from SE to DE I have to change my technique.
When I change razor efficiency, I have to either change my expectations or the number of passes/touch ups.
 

Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
I have some old Gillette razors and some modern razors that are mild and I found I like mid range razors. So to enjoy my milder razors all I do is install a Kai SS blade in them and it brings it up a notch in aggression & efficentcy. The Kai blade is 9/1000 of a inch wider than a standard Gillette Astra blade or 4.5/1000" and that is considerable more blade exposure for any razor , beats shimming IMO. Kai SS blades are Sharp & smooth with great longevity I have found.
If you have a few nice mild razors that are being ignored try a Kai blade. YY KAI SS DE Blade Kai .871inch wide Astra SP .862 wide.jpg It is good to have a 1 or 2 tucks for milder razors IMO.
 

never-stop-learning

Demoted To Moderator
Staff member
In retrospect I became enamored with aggressive razors when my technique wasn't very good, thus mild razors didn't do anything for me. Now that my technique is better I enjoy mild razors equally well because I know how to shave with them

+1 to this.

It is necessary to use the proper technique required by each razor. I go back and forth regularly between highly efficient and mild razors. The quality of my shaves doesn't suffer in the least.
 
The opposite for me.

I like to shave daily, and If I can get the job done with a razor that is gentle to my skin, opting for an aggressive razor has proven that I will need to give my face some rest sooner rather than later

after getting great shaves with several razors that many consider “mild”, I can only get to the conclusion that, with proper technique and a good blade, one can get good shaves with them. Aggressive razors are more permissive of angle choice and technique, but for my skin they are too much unless I shave every other day or less frequently
 
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It is necessary to use the proper technique required by each razor. I go back and forth regularly between highly efficient and mild razors. The quality of my shaves doesn't suffer in the least.

Well said, David. I use everything from a Krona or Tech up to a WR2 1.35 or an H&S P076. They all provide marvelous shaves. And with all razors, I do a two pass shave.
 
I've used the mild ATT M1 this past month. This week, I used my more aggressive muhle rocca, noticeably more aggressive. After 2 days, my chin showed redness and bumps.
Gone back to the milder razor, and after 2 days, skin back to normal. Mild razors give a smooth, comfortable shave, almost as close as more aggressive razors. Often soaps get the blame for bad skin, but I reckon the wrong razor is the cause.
 
The opposite for me.

Ditto. Every time I go back to a mild I ask myself why I haven’t been the razor all along.

That said, the pandemic had got me into the pattern of shaving less often. When I’m shaving every 3-4 days I’ll take the extra closeness of an aggressive razor, even pulling out my feather ss shavette.
 
For some reason, yes. I was using a Slim or Fatboy for years. When COVID hit and I wasn't shaving as much, I decided to dig out a Gillette NEW from my collection, load it with a Feather and give it a go. The shave was superb. I continued to use the NEW for several months when I went back to an adjustable (usually set at 5). The adjustable shave was somewhat more irritating than the NEW. A couple more attempts with the adjustable yielded the same results.

I'll never get rid of my milder shaves, but I'm really enjoying the results from my open comb and slant razors.
 
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