Aggressive Razor. Whats the appeal?

[Crixus]

It sounds more like a personal game with oneself to use super aggressive razors and blades than it does a practicality. Even those who like the aggressive set-ups admit to how easily they can cut/irritate their face. If you are shaving to put your best face forward, wouldn't the results of a milder razor be more or at least as presentable as a "damaged" face.

There are legions of guys that post in the new member check-in forum about not only wanting to save money (if they only knew ) but many don't like the quality of shave they have been getting. To move up to traditional wetshaving and yet continue with facial skin blunders can only be attributed to personal contests. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

 

[Chester]

So, you guys that like the aggressive ones - whats the appeal?

Does it have a good valid advantage, or is it a bit of a pissing contest?

I would not say that I only prefer the more aggressive options, but they have their merit. I'm not stuck with just one razor, thankfully, and my straights get broken out every other month or so, just to add interest.

I guess I like the results I get from the more aggressive options, and they require care in handling that tends to focus my attention more keenly on the task. There's a feeling of mastery you get when you're able to execute a great shave with something that will cut you if mis-handled. I don't compete with anyone on the matter. It's an accomplishment that I earn and keep for myself, and I can go through the whole day with a fine result.

It's worth pointing out that I don't look for every shave to be a tour de force for excellent technique and self-congratulation. Most days I'm just looking for an easy 2-pass shave that keeps me looking sharp. Every now and again, though, it's nice to have a departure from the mundane, if only to try something different. I suppose the variety is the advantage.

Hope it helps,
-- Chet

 

[Greg1911]

I used to be a Superspeed adherent. My love for aggressive razors is something I discovered through blind experimentation. An aggressive setup with fewer, more efficient passes is friendlier to my skin. I also enjoy the process more.

+1 - A mild razor makes me do more passes which leads to more skin irritation.

 

[ras120]

Why do some guys like boar brushes and others like badger?

Why do some guys like triple milled soaps and others like creams?

Why do some guys like cold water shaving and others like hot water?

Why do some guys like making lather in a bowl or scuttle and others like face lathering?

Why do some guys... Well, you get the picture.

 

[Old Man Army]

After reading this thread, I decided to break out the Old Type this morning instead of my Slim. BBS! Aggressive just works for me.

 

[Heatgain]

The stubble left on my neck and under my jaw line by less aggressive (efficient) razors is extremely annoying to me. If I buff and touch-up many times using a mild razor I get a nice shave, but at the risk of irritating my neck and jaw. When I use a more efficient razor, 2 passes, buff and buff gives me a non-annoying day with no irritation.
Do I not pay attention to technique when using milder razors? Utter nonsense. Every time I use one in my rotation, and I do rotate, I pay extreme attention to technique hoping that maybe it was me, maybe it was the blade, maybe it was the way I mixed the lather the last 5 times I used that razor. Nope, it's the razor vs my whiskers.
So why do I keep milder razors in the rotation? I absolutely love using a different razor every day, even though I end up buffing 6 times with some.
A pissing contest? Pfffft.
That's why, although I read B&B religiously, every opinion offered MUST be taken with YMMV. Everyone is different and gets different results using the same equipment. For instance, when someone opines that they get a great 2 pass shave with a DE89L, I take it for granted they have lighter whiskers than I. Do I use a DE89 in my rotation? Yes. It's very comfortable and pleasant to use, but I have to buff and buff and buff in order to put up with the collar of my shirt against my neck and under jawline the rest of the day.
Opinions would mean so much more if one would list coarse or light beard, how long one left lather on one's face before shaving, what kind of water one has, what direction one's whiskers grow, how fast one's whiskers came back, how dark or light one's hair is, what angle one used on what part of one's face, etc, etc, etc, etc.
If you have the sort of whiskers that can use a milder razor for 2 passes or so and get a great shave, more power to you. I envy you.
Otherwise, YMWV. (W = will).

 

[BrookR1]

For me, it was a combination of curiosity, the challenge, and the adrenaline rush.

Nothing practical at all, just cheap thrills.

 

[harmoni]

Useful advice, which I shall try to make use of.

The Feather stainless is a great example. If you "use it like a tech" it's almost as forgiving, and won't give you a much closer shave. On the other hand, treat it like you would a Gillette Old Type with the lower blade angle, keeping more of the cap in contact with your face, and it will mow down the whiskers every bit as close as an Old or New type OC razor. (You'll also get 2-3
X the blade life, since you aren't "bending" the edge of the blade backwards, but rather attacking the hair at a much more head-on angle.)

As for the OP question, I have no interest in "aggressive" razors. I fear I would end every shave being busy with the styptic pencil.

 

[lt114]

Aggressive works better for me when I have more than one day of growth. If I'm shaving with only one day of growth, I can get a dfs or bbs with just about any razor I've tried, unless I combine a mild razor with mild blade.

 

[garyg]

To agree with what has already been typed, but especially the well named gent from Albuquerque above, All of the above! My wiry face seems to require an "aggressive" razor, I've tried most of the Gillettes, GEMs, Schicks, and a fair amount of others. The Tech type gaps (or later Schicks also) leave me shaggy, rough and after too many passes irritated, despite having used them back when Gillette had only three networks to advertise on. I'd rather pay attention for a short time with an aggressive razor than grind away the time it takes a Tech to give me the shave I want ..

 

[Tauntman]

I really enjoy my Muhle R41 so much that I bought an extra For me I started with EJDE89 barley. Nice shaves and love the look but I use it seldom b/c I find myself having to do too many touch ups afterwards. I like my Merkur 39C Slant but it just does not get as close as two passes, WTG and XTG, with the R41. Occasionally I will get some weepers but I love when I am done to be able to rub up my face and it is SMOOTH. I was a little cautious when I first got the R41 but now it takes no more time to use and probably less than the less "efficient" ones. +1 for the love of a nice AGGRESSIVE razor and yet I still enjoyed using my Dad's 68 Gillette Tech yesterday. But for ME, 97% of the time I am reaching for R41.

 

[penan]

I can't shave ATG without A LOT of irritation with any of my razors, so I use my R41 2011 as my daily razor since it's aggressive enough to get me very very close to BBS without going ATG. I usually do WTG XTG XTG (other direction) and it provides me with a smooth face without irritation, I can't get nearly as close with a milder razor without going ATG.

 

[Domminigan]

I taught a friend of mine how to shave, he's more like a little brother, I guess. While doing so, I found that the two of us have radically different skin and beard types. My beard is rather light and grows slowly, but my skin is tough and does not cut easily. His beard is thick, tough and grows quickly, but his skin cuts and irritates easily. I can hack away with a heavy hand after days of growth and not cut myself or irritate my skin. He has to use a light touch to avoid cutting himself.
While I can use any razor in my collection, we found that he got far less irritation and far fewer cuts with an old style.

Another interesting thing we noticed after comparing several months later is that he is able to use a blade far more dull than I can. I can't stand the pulling of a blade even slightly dull while he uses the same blade for up to a month.

 

[Argonaut]

It's personal preference, like anything else in this hobby. Having a pissing contest or chest pounding over using an aggressive DE would be kind of silly, when a lot of the members here shave with straight razors.

 

[stuart12dz]

1. "It's a bit of a pissing contest" (I can shave with my Fatboy on #9)
2. At one time it was thought that aggressive=good
3. But mostly, it is a case of YMMV

For me, closeness and comfort go hand in hand. I am very happy using a mild razor with a Feather blade. This combo gives me a BBS shave everyday without any discomfort. No nicks, no cuts, no razor burn, but this combo will not work for everyone.

Perhaps that is why there are so many different razors and blades (not to mention soaps/creams) out there. We keep searching for the perfect combination and hope that our next purchase will be the one that puts an end to our SAD.

 

[LittleLebowski]

It sounds more like a personal game with oneself to use super aggressive razors and blades than it does a practicality. Even those who like the aggressive set-ups admit to how easily they can cut/irritate their face. If you are shaving to put your best face forward, wouldn't the results of a milder razor be more or at least as presentable as a "damaged" face.

There are legions of guys that post in the new member check-in forum about not only wanting to save money (if they only knew ) but many don't like the quality of shave they have been getting. To move up to traditional wetshaving and yet continue with facial skin blunders can only be attributed to personal contests. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Absolutely disagree. I have nothing to prove to anyone here nor to myself. I like the fact that learning how to use the new R41 has made every other razor child's play. I get superior shaves from it, better than anything else I've tried and I've tried quite a few DEs and one SE. It's a learning process with any of these razors and the R41 has a steeper learning curve than other razors, prompting many to give up, and that's fine. Lumping all of us happy '11 R41 owners together as masochists is short sighted at best.

 

[kingfisher]

I have a thick course beard and when I use a SS or other mild razor it just doesn't do the job. A more aggressive razor cuts away most of the stubble after one pass and then cleans up nicely on the second and third pass.

Ditto for me. If your beard is thick and/or your hairs are coarse, an aggressive razor just makes life easier.

 

[dpmtherrien]

I don't see any reason at all to use a razor that causes one any discomfort. I mean what for?

Unless its to be able to say "hey, look at me, I'm a big , strong, macho man who won't be seen using a whimpy, girly, sissy razor.

 

[jamesspo]

I don't see any reason at all to use a razor that causes one any discomfort. I mean what for?

Unless its to be able to say "hey, look at me, I'm a big , strong, macho man who won't be seen using a whimpy, girly, sissy razor.

Indeed, intentionally causing oneself discomfort would be silly. But Aggressive != Discomfort , in my experience. In fact, I find just the opposite, because of the reduced number of passes I have to make to get to a given level of closeness. It has absolutely nothing to do with proving anything, to anyone. If Aggressive == Discomfort, than do you think that all straight razors inherently cause discomfort?

 

[mmack66]

Just use what ever razor works for you and don't worry so much about what razor other folks use. Folks shouldn't have to justify their razor choice.