Damn Comfortable Shave

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Rave, there was itching later. So, not as great as I thought at first.

Adjust the amount of tension on your skin. A little more, or a little less stretching. It must be comical the faces we all make while shaving lol.

Yeah, there are a million ways to make the right face, and the right face is sometimes the wrong face. We're all forever finding a new face to make. Contortionist have nothing on shavers.

I'm wondering if the itch from the Joris was because it shaved closer. I'm really not understanding the itch, especially after using the Bic blade again that made me itch on first use but not the second use months later.

Try a Gillette Yellow in that Joris

The Plisson certainly did not shave closer. The SE2 definitely shaves closer than any other razor I've used. No doubt about that.

Of course, I'm talking about my shaves, and someone else might get a closer shave with a post-war Tech.

Maybe I'll try some different blades in the Plisson, but the Nacet has lots of life yet.

I got itching a week or two ago using the Colonial General, so maybe the itching is not the razor or the blade. When I get a chance I'll review the other factors and see if there is anything the shaves might have in common.

The recent Plisson shave itching was very minor, and not bothersome in the way the previous itching had been. It was hardly worth mentioning, but it was still itching.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Cal]

Very shallow shaving is the only way to shave with an AC blade!

I've never shaved with an AC blade in my life... but it appears that that statement applies to EVERY shaver that uses an AC blade on Planet Earth.

Bear in mind that the difference between "shallow" and "steep" is usually only a few tiny degrees (not the 90° that some people imagine). If I was you I'd experiment with loads of different angles in the areas where you're not getting exactly what you want. Of course, as we all know, I'm not you.

Also, consider approaching any stroke guard first (i.e. steep). When doing it that way there is (or should be) always an element of caution; because it can be easy to cut yourself while maneuvering the blade down to the cutting angle. What I'm saying is that you "have to think about it" albeit subconsciously.

I suspect that many "shallow angle shavers" think they're totally safe and lower their blade just enough to cut in a "gung ho" fashion. The trouble I see with that is that any minor skin undulations, a mole, pimple, scar, swollen area due to ingrown hair, etc, usually get partially sliced off. This will (usually) be quite minor, and often not at all apparent until AFTER the shave... at which time discomforts of all types set in and the shaver is left wondering what happened.

I believe that that scenario, being so common, is the reason that so many pre and (particularly) post shave treatments are used. The problem with those treatments is that they're treating the effect off the issue, not the cause.

There you have another two-cents-worth/ramble/mini-rant to think about or ignore as you see fit.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Thanks, Cal. Your comments are always worth reading and studying and thinking about.

I have experience only with the General and the ATT SE razors and am no authority on Artist Club razors or blades in general. However, it seems obvious to me what the angle should be because I can either hear or feel when the whiskers are being cut, at least enough of the time to confirm the angle as right.

I suspect I would be better at it if my hearing were better. It's not like my hearing is terrible. I hear most things okay, but I do wear hearing aids so I have some hearing loss. I do not wear the hearing aids while shaving, so it's impossible to know what I'm not hearing. It seems to me I might be sorta feeling some vibrations which might be audible to others.

There is a lot of sound like the scrapping of burnt toast when shaving with an AC razor and blade. At least that is my experience. I hear it as very positive feedback and it goes along with good shaving.

I agree with you that there is no after shave balm or lotion or such that makes up for bad shaving. The remedies are useful, and helpful, and I use some of them almost all the time and others sometimes, but the skin is addressed on many levels - nighttime shea butter application to soften my skin, morning Equate Noxzema, a very hydrating pre-shave routine, good shaving soap applied with lots of brush action and enough water, and plenty of drinking water all day - not just post shave.

Currently I'm having to apply shea butter several times during the day to my face, neck, and hands because they get so dry. Everyone I know here is doing the same thing because the weather suddenly changed, and we must adapt, or have painfully dry skin.

My definition of a Damn Comfortable Shave includes three things.

1. The shave must be comfortable during the shave.
2. The shave must be comfortable right after the shave.
3. The comfort must last until the next shave.

It is easy to have the first and not the other two, or the first and second but not the third. I think you and I would agree about that.

I can't imagine approaching shaving with an AC blade in a gung ho manner. The AC blades are simply too sharp and too big. On the right part of the beard you can shave large areas pretty rapidly with an AC, but too fast would lead to very unpleasant results I think.

I would say - and this is just my experience and maybe not germane - I tend to be faster and less careful with a super smooth DE razor and blade (like the Plisson with a Nacet). The smoothness can be deceptive.

Thanks so much for all your help.

(Cal @Cal is always someone to pay attention to, guys, but most of you already know that, I'm sure.)

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

What I'm saying is that you "have to think about it" albeit subconsciously.

It seems right to me that you have to think about shaving - period - unless you've become so skilled you can do it correctly on autopilot. Even then, like driving on autopilot, you have to shift into conscious shaving at times.

I suspect that many "shallow angle shavers" think they're totally safe and lower their blade just enough to cut in a "gung ho" fashion. The trouble I see with that is that any minor skin undulations, a mole, pimple, scar, swollen area due to ingrown hair, etc, usually get partially sliced off. This will (usually) be quite minor, and often not at all apparent until AFTER the shave... at which time discomforts of all types set in and the shaver is left wondering what happened.

Gung ho seems like a way I don't want to shave in that I respect these blades - DE, SE, AC, injector, GEM - they're all razor blades. They will cut you. They will bite. They demand respect. At least that's been my experience with them.

Even cartridges can bite you.

Cal, I think the paragraph about slicing off minor skin undulations is basically correct. It would be a lot easier if our skin were flat, but it isn't.

I suspect you, Cal, would really like the AC platform! It's a good bit different from the DE. I've not yet shaved with any of my GEM razors, but I suspect they're much like a more narrow AC blade. Have you used a GEM type razor and GEM blade (modern version of the GEM blade, I mean)? What did you experience there?

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Esox]

I suspect that many "shallow angle shavers" think they're totally safe and lower their blade just enough to cut in a "gung ho" fashion. The trouble I see with that is that any minor skin undulations, a mole, pimple, scar, swollen area due to ingrown hair, etc, usually get partially sliced off.

The Planer Effect. Its real and it can happen just like you suggest. The more rigid the design the easier it will plane off any high spots.

The biggest drawback to my own shaves being so shallow is the pressure I use. Easily twice as much as I would steep angle shaving because the angle is so shallow I actually push the cap into my skin to get the blade to make contact.

When I tried shaving like that with my NEW SC I had a patchy shave and I found it difficult to balance the very shallow angle and the amount of pressure over different areas throughout the shave. I think that was because the NEW SC has a longer guard span and less blade exposure.

With the design of the Fatip heads, its very easy to find my perfect angle and just as easy to maintain it though an entire shave. With the shorter guard span distance and the added exposure over the NEW SC I really have to mess up to get a patchy shave and I've not had one yet unless I lighten the pressure intentionally.

Using my NEW SC shallow is about as risky as using my Tech, not at all. Using it steep is another matter. I've planed off the one mole I have which is really nothing more than a tiny dark spot once and that was with a steeper angle with the NEW SC. Because of the added exposure, my first shave with the Grande I got it again. I havent done it since and I dont even think about it when I shave over it. If I was to go over it fairly steep, and shaved just as quickly as I do shallow, I'd get it every time.

When I managed to get a single ingrown hair a week or so ago I was very conscious of that and lifted when I went over it. That took a few days to heal and go away and I still find myself, even with yesterdays shave, lifting slightly over the same area. There is nothing to plane off, but once you've done that a time or two, you learn quickly not to do it again.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

This morning's shave was very, very good.

Homemade shave oil
ATT SE1
Proline, well experienced
Stirling badger, Ivory handled, 26mm
Captain's Choice North
Dickinson's Witch Hazel
Pinaud Clubman Special Reserve
Cremo Moisturizer

N-S. S-N. R-L on jawline. More neck work. More lower lip work.

BBS everywhere, I think.

Comfortable so far.

We'll see how the day goes, but this seems to have been an excellent shave.

What about this ATT SE1 razor?

Smooth enough. Close enough. Efficient enough.

Compared to the SE2 the SE1 is a lot less aggressive. The Blade Gap is much smaller. The Guard Span is much smaller. I will take photos over the weekend to show all this if I can figure out how to get the right angle (and, I think I can manage that).

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Esox]

BBS everywhere, I think.

Wise man once say: "Do not chase BBS. Let BBS happen on own in own tiiime."

It took its time, but it got there!

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

It took its time, but it got there!

The ATT SE1 is a terrific razor. The Schick Proline is a terrific blade.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Johnnynroy]

Glad that both of the ATT plates seem to be working pretty well for you!

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Glad that both of the ATT plates seem to be working pretty well for you!

Thanks. I really like these AC razors. The three I've tried are all very good razors.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

These are photographs of the sides of the head. Colonial General SS. ATT SE1. ATT SE2.

Let's see what we notice here.

Happy shaves.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

My shave today was good enough for a Saturday shave. Maybe better than good enough.

Homemade shaving oil
Dickinson's Witch Hazel
Lilac Vegetal
Cremo Moisturizer

Simple shave. N-S. S-N. Jawline R-L. A bit of work on my lower lip.

BBS face. Very good DFS neck.

Comfortable. One little bit of discomfort with blood on my lower neck during the shave, but it all went away with the cold water rinse.

In the photo, the brush is still damp from the shave, so it does not display its split ends very well.

This Wickham soap is really very, very good. It is close to SV. Its price is about half of the price of SV. I've not examined very closely how long the two soaps last, but both last a long time just going by how the pucks look. I suspect the 1912 lasts as least as long as the SV. Here's a link to the 1912 ingredients which are excellent. Here's another link to the ingredients policy.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Esox]

Let's see what we notice here.

I spy with my little eye... The SE1 and SE2 are very different razors and I can understand the differences.

The SE1 has a shallower angle and a little gap. The SE2 has considerably gap and a significantly steeper angle, shorter guard span and hence, greater exposure. Combined with the thickness of the blades, I can bet it shaves with authority.

On first glance at the SE1 I was reminded of Fatip because of the inherent angle of the head geometry, they're similar. Blade angle is also similar I think.

The General seems to have more in common with the SE 1 and I would think it would shave in a similar fashion, but because of the shape of the SB, it may not shave as closely.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

I spy with my little eye... The SE1 and SE2 are very different razors and I can understand the differences.

The SE1 has a shallower angle and a little gap. The SE2 has considerably gap and a significantly steeper angle, shorter guard span and hence, greater exposure. Combined with the thickness of the blades, I can bet it shaves with authority.

On first glance at the SE1 I was reminded of Fatip because of the inherent angle of the head geometry, they're similar. Blade angle is also similar I think.

The General seems to have more in common with the SE 1 and I would think it would shave in a similar fashion, but because of the shape of the SB, it may not shave as closely.

Just to make sure about the order of things in the photos above. Not saying you weren't sure, but I want to be explicit in case anyone has any doubt or confusion.

The General is on the top.

The middle razor is the SE1. The SE2's bottom plate is next to it.

The bottom razor is the SE2. The SE1's bottom plate is next to it.

I need to measure the various angles. I wish the photos were good enough so the Guard Span and all that stuff could be accurately measured, but I did the best I could.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Johnnynroy]

Just to make sure about the order of things in the photos above. Not saying you weren't sure, but I want to be explicit in case anyone has any doubt or confusion.

The General is on the top.

The middle razor is the SE1. The SE2's bottom plate is next to it.

The bottom razor is the SE2. The SE1's bottom plate is next to it.

I need to measure the various angles. I wish the photos were good enough so the Guard Span and all that stuff could be accurately measured, but I did the best I could.

Happy shaves,

Jim

Looking at your other pics of recent SE1 shaves it looks like the bar guard of the SE1 is scalloped. Is that correct? I’m not sure if a scalloped bar is more efficient than a straight bar guard, but I could understand that and it would explain the efficiency difference between it and the General.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Looking at your other pics of recent SE1 shaves it looks like the bar guard of the SE1 is scalloped. Is that correct? I’m not sure if a scalloped bar is more efficient than a straight bar guard, but I could understand that and it would explain the efficiency difference between it and the General.

One thing to realize with my photographs of the razors is the fact that the only difference between the SE1 and the SE2 is the bottom plate. The cap is the same. Some of what might appear different between the two razors in my photos is artifact due to my poor skills with the camera, etc., and might be more apparent than real.

This picture might answer the one question. The two bottom plates are the SE1 and SE2.



This is the view from below.

Mostly when I look at these three razors - the General, the SE1, the SE2 - I don't know what I'm looking at or looking for beyond the super obvious stuff.

I have no idea what accounts for the increased efficiency. Actually most of what I'm looking at when I look at the razors with my naked eye or with a magnifying glass is so small it really is hard to even appreciate exactly what I'm looking at. It's all very small, and the razors are not terribly steady to boot.

Some of the things involved are much easier to see in photographs. Probably easier to measure in photographs, too, but I have no idea how to actually measure this sort of thing accurately. My mechanical engineering skills are at about the third grade level, and that's being generous.

The differences are very small, but I know differences of mere thousandths are meaningful in razor function. I've just begun to look closely at the razors. It would be much better if I had a jig or something like that to hold the razors and the camera so I could know the photos show what I want to see.

I am not even remotely skilled at photography much less engineering photography if that is even a term.

Grant @ShavingByTheNumbers has considerable expertise with this stuff, but I know he is already overburdened with all the projects he's involved with.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

This morning I shaved again with the SE1. My blade? The same Proline I've used every day but one since Christmas. How many days is that? I'm not counting, but the blade is still going strong enough for me to have flipped it with plans for Monday morning's shave.


Homemade shaving oil
Dickinson's Witch hazel



My bottle of Special Reserve is lower than this picture which is a few months old. I'm going to run out in a few more months or a year. I use it a lot, not daily, but it is one of my two most used splashes, the other being Avon Brisk Spice.

My shave was good enough. BBS face. DFS neck. A very good DFS. N-S. S-N. R-L on my jawline. A little more on my lower lip.

My face feels a bit overdone. My face, not my neck. I have no idea what that means unless it has to do with me leaving off my usual application of shea butter last night before bed. I used Equate Noxzema as usual last night but neglected to add the second layer, the Equate. This morning's prep process was a bit different, too, because SWMBO bumped me from the den between my shower and my shave, but I made up for it by washing my face again before my shave.

I'll add some shea butter to my face in a few minutes. That should fix things, or at least help.

Could be I should change my blade, but I do not think so. Not just yet, unless I change my mind. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to change blades, so I'll think about it.

Nothing is horrible, or even bad. It's just a minor concern.



The SV soap is amazing. The soap lathers into a very creamy consistency but it also hydrates extremely nicely without running all over the place. Other soaps are close. SV is perfect in its performance, and the Flying Mango has almost enough scent.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

 

[Raven Koenes]

View attachment 850657

Gillette Old Type! Imo, the best razor Gillette ever made, and the single razor that set the standard for Fatip!

 

[JWS VII]

I love the "No Stropping No Honing"--shows what a lot of folks were dealing with at home. Privilege to do those things now, IMO.