- Thread starter
- #3,521
Ahhh - the famous ninja category. Sneaking up from behind when you least expect it!
A newbie’s journey into DE shaving
- Thread starter Guido75
- Start date
Ahhh - the famous ninja category. Sneaking up from behind when you least expect it!
Jay21
Collecting wife bonus parts
I've found that the top-tier Russian Gillette blades (Platinum, GSB, Nacet) do not improve after the first shave like some other brands do. They are very consistent from shave-to-shave. If anything, they may actually get slightly worse with each shave. Your findings from today are consistent with my experiences as well.
I am with you on this. That is what lead me to 3 shaves a blade with most blades.
I'm happy to be one and done with every blade. All YMMV, but blades do not improve for me after the first shave.
Last edited:
Jay21
Collecting wife bonus parts
Exactly. After the third shave they fall off a cliff.
Hmm...I get multiple shaves without any issues with all my blades. The Parker 1/2 blade being the lowest multi-shave coming in at 3 times before binning. Cant say anything to those who don't feel they're getting good shaves after 1 go. I've found that the shaves tend to improve after a couple of rounds. And it's not like my beard is soft, silky or easy to mow either. My skin also doesn't seem to be too sensitive and maybe that's where the biggest reason to do the "one and done" comes in.
Exactly. The easiest way to keep a blade off your Sensitive Skin is to use sharpest blades. Using sharpest blades also improves softest touch. Technique and practice increases efficiency. Higher efficiency reduces strokes and passes.
I'm with Eric.... I've never been able to push any DE blade all the way through the 3rd shave. Every single time I've tried, even as my technique has improved, after the first WTG pass... sometimes, before it's completed, I have to switch out the blade in the middle of that third shave because the pulling, tugging, whatever term you prefer, gets too annoying for me.
I went to two shaves per DE blade but the second shave was never better than the first. I've read, along with most of you, that some blades improve as their coatings wear off... That has never happened for me. Perhaps, it's because I use a series of overlapping short razor strokes and do a 4 pass shave, with two XTG passes, one in each direction... I don't know.. but I agree with the B&B member who said: Life is too short to use a dull blade, or something close to that.
I went to two shaves per DE blade but the second shave was never better than the first. I've read, along with most of you, that some blades improve as their coatings wear off... That has never happened for me. Perhaps, it's because I use a series of overlapping short razor strokes and do a 4 pass shave, with two XTG passes, one in each direction... I don't know.. but I agree with the B&B member who said: Life is too short to use a dull blade, or something close to that.
You know, it's interesting... I think it was the science of sharp blog that did SEM micrographs of DE blades and it sounded like removing the coating in order to get a clear view of the apex was kind of a pain. I wonder how much it actually comes off during a typical shave.
While my experience is limited to just the below-the-jaw cleanup pass, for the most part I haven't found a blade that improves from one run to the next. The one exception might be an Astra I tried (Indian made, I think, would have to dig out the tuck to verify) that felt notably rough on the first run. No weepers or anything like that, just the sensation was rough. And it did feel more generic and "normal" the next day. But I think I've only tried the one so hard to say really. BiC CPs do change in feel for me from the first shave to the second, but then they plateau for a while before dropping off. I do like that they seem to drop off slow enough that I can bin them before they get unpleasant though. Where a Feather is great and then it's not. And there's not much warning.
While my experience is limited to just the below-the-jaw cleanup pass, for the most part I haven't found a blade that improves from one run to the next. The one exception might be an Astra I tried (Indian made, I think, would have to dig out the tuck to verify) that felt notably rough on the first run. No weepers or anything like that, just the sensation was rough. And it did feel more generic and "normal" the next day. But I think I've only tried the one so hard to say really. BiC CPs do change in feel for me from the first shave to the second, but then they plateau for a while before dropping off. I do like that they seem to drop off slow enough that I can bin them before they get unpleasant though. Where a Feather is great and then it's not. And there's not much warning.
Jay21
Collecting wife bonus parts
The only blade that I can noticeably tell improves from the first shave to the second is the Treet 7 Days Platinum because the first shave a bit rough while the second is smoother.
In our introduction or early use of DE blades many of us tried blades in the upper tier of sharpness. Complaining of their harshness and unforgiving skin irritation. It wasn’t the blade it was a lack of technique and practice, in using a very sharp blade. All edges on any new or sharpened blade have an acute angle. Each use will dull that acute angle to an obtuse angle. Irrefutable science or physics. Using a duller blade now requires more pressure and an adjustment in technique to use the duller edge. I guess many like to refer to a dulling blade as being smooth.. I understand the challenge of shavers using a dulling blade to shave with. Any blade in any use does not get sharper or smoother with use. They prefer to use more pressure and adjust their technique in using a duller blade. Reporting on its continuous decline in sharpness until unusable. Tomato season is approaching do you know anybody who brags about slicing them with a dull knife?
That's because you own a blade factory.I'm happy to be one and done with every blade. All YMMV, but blades do not improve for me after the first shave.
I have found I can get 5 good shaves out of just about any blade but the Kai, That one was great for the first 3 shaves then fell off quite a bit. I gave up on one other blade, the PAA Strangletes, it was harsh from the get-go and it wasn't worth forcing 5 shaves from it.
You did move much closer to him.Boris has been snooping again, hasn't he?
Not just me but the GSBs as well.
Love the camo.
Ahhh - the famous ninja category. Sneaking up from behind when you least expect it!
I can almost see your house from mine now....Boris has been snooping again, hasn't he?
Thanks to @ShavingPrimate I am now the owner of a tuck of GSB. *shiver*Not just me but the GSBs as well.
Jay21
Collecting wife bonus parts
Feel the power.
Feel the power.
Similar threads
