My inability to Tech

[EclipseRedRing]

A large part of the hobby for me is the fun of trying to achieve an enjoyable shave with a variety of razors, open comb, safety bar, slant, SE, AC, straight etc. The actual closeness of the resulting shave is not in the least bit important to me. As a result I use most often the razors with which I am least proficient because I enjoy the challenge. The razors that give me an easy, close, nick free shave, are the ones that get used least. Other peoples likes or dislikes are irrelevant. Don't get me wrong, if I do not enjoy using a razor then I will move it on but that is rarely if ever because I cannot use it effectively. I have owned Techs but sold them because they were not enjoyable for me to use regardless of how well they shaved. It depends why you are shaving and what you are trying to achieve.

if you don't like a razor then don't use it.
I don't see why you have to force it just because other people like techs.

 

[VBH37118]

A large part of the hobby for me is the fun of trying to achieve an enjoyable shave with a variety of razors, open comb, safety bar, slant, SE, AC, straight etc. The actual closeness of the resulting shave is not in the least bit important to me. As a result I use most often the razors with which I am least proficient because I enjoy the challenge. The razors that give me an easy, close, nick free shave, are the ones that get used least. Other peoples likes or dislikes are irrelevant. Don't get me wrong, if I do not enjoy using a razor then I will move it on but that is rarely if ever because I cannot use it effectively. I have owned Techs but sold them because they were not enjoyable for me to use regardless of how well they shaved. It depends why you are shaving and what you are trying to achieve.

I get it

 

[Crazy Chester]

Try doing the opposite (as per King Gillette's instructions); i.e. hold the handle close to your face and raise it till you feel the blade engage.

See the second "way" from the left in the photo below:
View attachment 1121990

Here's an illustration showing how that works:
View attachment 1121992
By "riding the guard" to start with, you're stretching the skin in advance of the blade. By "riding the cap" you're pushing the blade into squeezed up skin (a great recipe for razor burn).

Also bear in mind that the above effects are magnified by the Tech's rigidly held blade as opposed to the 34C's more loosely held one (see "clamp distance" in Safety Razor Parameters).

Give the above a try and see what you think, Chester.

Thanks for this. I will give it a try.

 

[thombrogan]

Try doing the opposite (as per King Gillette's instructions); i.e. hold the handle close to your face and raise it till you feel the blade engage.

I will give it a try.

Did that last night with a thin-handled Post-War Tech and the shave was much smoother and closer than previous attempts.

10/10 Do recommend.

 

[ivan_101]

I had the same problem as the original poster. My beard is super heavy and I could never manage a BBS with any Tech whatever creams I used for many years. And I have probably 20 different Techs. The closest to BBS was my 1979 Tech, but still DFS+, not BBS. I have to say I have been using boar Omega brushes for more than 25 years. But suddenly a couple of years ago I bought a synthetic Omega S10065. And the lather it makes allows for an easy BBS with my Techs. and not only my Techs, same applies to my Feather Portable (which is variant of the Tech), my G1000 etc. So, the brush does matter too.

 

[VBH37118]

I had the same problem as the original poster. My beard is super heavy and I could never manage a BBS with any Tech whatever creams I used for many years. And I have probably 20 different Techs. The closest to BBS was my 1979 Tech, but still DFS+, not BBS. I have to say I have been using boar Omega brushes for more than 25 years. But suddenly a couple of years ago I bought a synthetic Omega S10065. And the lather it makes allows for an easy BBS with my Techs. and not only my Techs, same applies to my Feather Portable (which is variant of the Tech), my G1000 etc. So, the brush does matter too.

Who would think a brush did the trick