30 degrees angle

[sanookd]

Which is exactly what I believe to be the proper way. That said, this fellow in the video above is a master barber... I guess it's an Italian thing, as the other guy Marco mentioned does the same thing, holds the razor rather steep against the face.

Watch the guy in the video (Luca Dinaro) Shaving himself with a straight. He uses a pretty shallow angle and is very skilled with a straight. His YouTube channel is in Italian though. Just search Luca Dinaro on Youtube and 100’s of videos come up. Just pick one with a straight and you’ll see.

 

[KrstGor]

Watch the guy in the video (Luca Dinaro) Shaving himself with a straight. He uses a pretty shallow angle and is very skilled with a straight. His YouTube channel is in Italian though. Just search Luca Dinaro on Youtube and 100’s of videos come up. Just pick one with a straight and you’ll see.

I have and I understand Italian BTW. To my eye, Luca's angle seems rather steep, definitely not flat...

 

[Gamma]

I might use a 30 deg angle, somewhere on my face, I really don't know. I literally I have no idea what angles I use. I shave by how the razor's edge cuts best, not with a protractor.

Not every blade has the same geometry, not every blade has the same quality steel or edge. These factors matter - a lot. In an extremely general sense, a bevel angle that is more obtuse might require a greater shaving angle to achieve the same 'cut' that a blade with a lower angle might produce. For a number of reasons, it's possible that an edge taken to nano-powder levels might do best with a much lower angle. Lots of variables here, too many to discuss really, so this is just a verrrrry general observation to make a point. Note - cutting ability is greatly affected by edge width; so - an 8/8 singing hollow with a 15 deg bevel is not going to shave the same as a full wedge with a 22 deg bevel.

When shaving, changing the blade's angle a degree or two/three can drastically change its cutting efficacy; the best angle to use is the one that cuts best. The changes in cutting ability can be felt when paying close attention. It's best to cut 'with' the edge, not against it; forcing too high or too low an angle will affect the shave, and possibly the edge, in a negative way.

In my own experience, I find that, again - in a general sense - I shave with lower angles on the neck and under the sideburn areas. When I have to navigate lots of contours I might raise the angle a bit. I believe that those having angular facial features will often require a different shaving attack than someone with more rounded features.

For me, my shaving angles change with each pass, ATG is usually flatter than WTG. Over the years my shave techbnique developed intuitively. Neccessity is the mother of invention and muscle memory keeps things in place. When I had irritation in area, I adjusted my technique until the 'cut' was cleaner and smoother. Now it's just part of the drill.

 

[Ravenonrock]

I thought the 30 degree angle was for DE razor, which seems in the ballpark for me. I shave less than 30 with my SR mostly, but guess the angle increases around my chin. I never really thought about angles with my SR, just kind of do what I think works.

 

[karacha]

I have to admit I don't have a clue what the angle is. With any of my razors - straight, SE, DE... I just pick one of my razors up and I shave with it. I guess the angle issue sorts itself automatically with each one. I think my angle is pretty flat most of the time.

 

[global_dev]

I believe that those having angular facial features will often require a different shaving attack than someone with more rounded features.

agreed.
The anecdotal narrative “evidence” produced online provides way too limited information

After watching parts of some review videos lately, the face contours along with some facial hair completely change the game.

I like to focus on touch, feedback, and results. I react to that for adjustments for what my skin needs

 

[RayClem]

If you ever watch someone shaving with a straight razor in a movie, it is apparent that they are shaving with a dull blade and are scraping lather off their face rather than shaving. They use very high shave angles, over 45 degrees.

My rule of thumb is that you should never EXCEED a 30 degree angle using a straight razor and then only when shaving with the grain. When shaving against the grain, the spine of the razor should almost touch your skin.

 

[KrstGor]

If you ever watch someone shaving with a straight razor in a movie, it is apparent that they are shaving with a dull blade and are scraping lather off their face rather than shaving. They use very high shave angles, over 45 degrees.

My rule of thumb is that you should never EXCEED a 30 degree angle using a straight razor and then only when shaving with the grain. When shaving against the grain, the spine of the razor should almost touch your skin.

+1

 

[Guitar10]

First I didn’t fill the survey cause whit time and experience shaving whit a straight you actually don’t watch the degrees but mostly how the blade will cut the whiskers. Whit most of my straights even Shavettes I shave whit the spine almost touching my face, a well honed razor or a good blade in a shavette will gave you a comfy shave at a very low angle. It’s something that you have to learn whit time when you shave whit a straight or a shavette, you have to scrape the lather and not your face! If you do scrape your face you will get irritation razor bumb cuts and even sometimes ingrown hairs.

 

[Squancher79]

To me it is like you're playing one note on a violin, and you're just chasing the right sound. Some parts of your face that ° wil be low, or higher. Just keep as low as that allows the correct feeling and keep on chase the correct feeling. Obviously as new user this is hard because you don't know what it should/shouldn't feel. If I had to guess some permanent number I'll go with 18°, byt the whole point of using this kind of way to shave is no restrictions on what you need.

 

[Guitar10]

To me it is like you're playing one note on a violin, and you're just chasing the right sound. Some parts of your face that ° wil be low, or higher. Just keep as low as that allows the correct feeling and keep on chase the correct feeling. Obviously as new user this is hard because you don't know what it should/shouldn't feel. If I had to guess some permanent number I'll go with 18°, byt the whole point of using this kind of way to shave is no restrictions on what you need.

Yep the most important thing is the feel of the blade on your face when you shave, like when you start it’s good to have at least a guide line(# degree) but as you get experience it’s more a question of how well the blade cuts whit out any discomfort. Only my 10cents on it

 

[SterFry]

I think getting it in your head that X or Y degrees is a mistake as one's sweet spot will change depending on many factors (hair grain, razor dimensions etc). One of the main advantage of a straight is being able to adjust said angle in response to ones immediate and individual circumstances. I imagine the overwhelming majority of us find it easiest to shave by feel, rather than technical application.