A totally ludicrous thought (but maybe a thought shared by some of you !)

[Adam18]

I have been enjoying our traditional wet shaving hobby for over six years now, and like many of you fine gents, have experienced a
tremendous variety of hardware (razors, blades, and brushes) and software (soaps, creams, A/S splashes, and balms.) I have just
come to a surprising, yet albeit not all that unexpected, conclusion about my razors. I am extremely lucky to be currently enjoying
a lovely rotation of seven razors --- two "vintage" (Gillette SuperSpeed RedTip 1955 A-2 and Gillette FatBoy 1959 E-2) and five
"modern" (RazoRock SS Lupo .72, RazoRock SS Hawk v.3, Rockwell 6C, Timeless Bronze SB, and Timeless Aluminum) --- and they
are all wonderful. But here's the ludicrous thought ..... with my six year refined technique (which is pretty well honed to perfection)
and a Gillette Nacet blade in all the razors (my favorite blade after trying many), I have come to the conclusion that the specific
razor really doesn't make a difference ! I am achieving the same sweet smooth sublime three pass BBS result with all my razors !
I am getting equally great shaves with all seven razors, and I am extremely happy with all of them. Am I nuts ? A little crazy ?
Is this really a ludicrous thought ? Or do any of you fine gentlemen agree that your experience with your razors is the same ?

 

[lasta]

Absolutely agree!

My own opinion, but I've concluded:

All soaps are equal
Brush makes no difference
All razors are blade holders
Blades do make a difference, but most are in the 90th percentile

Next is to determine which piece of gear looks so good that makes you want to pick it up. A fancy blade wrapper makes me want to use it!

 

[Frank Discussion]

I have basically come to the same conclusion although I don't always need a BBS. When I first started using a DE safety razor in 2020, I practiced my technique for a solid month with one razor a 1962 Gillette Tech. After doing that I had a pretty good idea on how to use a DE safety razor on my face with no problems. Now I can use whatever razor I like in my collection and can work with their differences. I have also come to the conclusion I do enjoy a slightly more aggressive razor with some blade feel to get a 1-2 pass DFS.

 

[Chad3]

I have been enjoying our traditional wet shaving hobby for over six years now, and like many of you fine gents, have experienced a
tremendous variety of hardware (razors, blades, and brushes) and software (soaps, creams, A/S splashes, and balms.) I have just
come to a surprising, yet albeit not all that unexpected, conclusion about my razors. I am extremely lucky to be currently enjoying
a lovely rotation of seven razors --- two "vintage" (Gillette SuperSpeed RedTip 1955 A-2 and Gillette FatBoy 1959 E-2) and five
"modern" (RazoRock SS Lupo .72, RazoRock SS Hawk v.3, Rockwell 6C, Timeless Bronze SB, and Timeless Aluminum) --- and they
are all wonderful. But here's the ludicrous thought ..... with my six year refined technique (which is pretty well honed to perfection)
and a Gillette Nacet blade in all the razors (my favorite blade after trying many), I have come to the conclusion that the specific
razor really doesn't make a difference ! I am achieving the same sweet smooth sublime three pass BBS result with all my razors !
I am getting equally great shaves with all seven razors, and I am extremely happy with all of them. Am I nuts ? A little crazy ?
Is this really a ludicrous thought ? Or do any of you fine gentlemen agree that your experience with your razors is the same ?

Would you say you get the same great shave with your Rockwell on plate one and plate six? If so, I find it hard to believe a company would make so many plates if it was all the same. If you are saying all your razors have hit the perfect same sweet spot for you and you have found your niche or groove, I could completely get down with that. My tech and my WR2 do not shave similarly at all.

 

[Claudel Xerxes]

For the most part, I would certainly agree. I do think that each piece of gear and software has its own personality and little quirks though. Once one has enough experience and the basic principles down, then it's just a matter of slightly tweaking this or that to make each razor, blade, brush, soap, or cream perform adequately, or even optimally.

 

[gpjoe]

I have been enjoying our traditional wet shaving hobby for over six years now, and like many of you fine gents, have experienced a
tremendous variety of hardware (razors, blades, and brushes) and software (soaps, creams, A/S splashes, and balms.) I have just
come to a surprising, yet albeit not all that unexpected, conclusion about my razors. I am extremely lucky to be currently enjoying
a lovely rotation of seven razors --- two "vintage" (Gillette SuperSpeed RedTip 1955 A-2 and Gillette FatBoy 1959 E-2) and five
"modern" (RazoRock SS Lupo .72, RazoRock SS Hawk v.3, Rockwell 6C, Timeless Bronze SB, and Timeless Aluminum) --- and they
are all wonderful. But here's the ludicrous thought ..... with my six year refined technique (which is pretty well honed to perfection)
and a Gillette Nacet blade in all the razors (my favorite blade after trying many), I have come to the conclusion that the specific
razor really doesn't make a difference ! I am achieving the same sweet smooth sublime three pass BBS result with all my razors !
I am getting equally great shaves with all seven razors, and I am extremely happy with all of them. Am I nuts ? A little crazy ?
Is this really a ludicrous thought ? Or do any of you fine gentlemen agree that your experience with your razors is the same ?

Agree 100%

Someone here (on the forum, can't remember who), said something not long ago that I have never forgotten, and often repeated. To paraphrase:

If your technique is sound, you can get a comfortable, BBS shave with ANY razor.

I have only been doing this for about 6 months, but have gotten to the point where I can confidently get a great shave with any razor in my regular rotation. I have many vintage razors that I have never used, but suspect that with due care on my part, I would get the same result.

 

[Ron R]

I have been enjoying our traditional wet shaving hobby for over six years now, and like many of you fine gents, have experienced a
tremendous variety of hardware (razors, blades, and brushes) and software (soaps, creams, A/S splashes, and balms.) I have just
come to a surprising, yet albeit not all that unexpected, conclusion about my razors. I am extremely lucky to be currently enjoying
a lovely rotation of seven razors --- two "vintage" (Gillette SuperSpeed RedTip 1955 A-2 and Gillette FatBoy 1959 E-2) and five
"modern" (RazoRock SS Lupo .72, RazoRock SS Hawk v.3, Rockwell 6C, Timeless Bronze SB, and Timeless Aluminum) --- and they
are all wonderful. But here's the ludicrous thought ..... with my six year refined technique (which is pretty well honed to perfection)
and a Gillette Nacet blade in all the razors (my favorite blade after trying many), I have come to the conclusion that the specific
razor really doesn't make a difference ! I am achieving the same sweet smooth sublime three pass BBS result with all my razors !
I am getting equally great shaves with all seven razors, and I am extremely happy with all of them. Am I nuts ? A little crazy ?
Is this really a ludicrous thought ? Or do any of you fine gentlemen agree that your experience with your razors is the same ?

I have to agree with your conclusion Adam, I have over 40 razor rotation and from mild to very aggressive razors and when I pick up a aggressive razor I already know how to use it properly and just crank out very stellar shaves. Yes I get the odd weeper or even a rare nick but 5 years ago I did not really know how these guys where doing it with these aggressive razors .
It all boils down to technique and using the right angle of approach for all the different razors and blade feel goes a long way to enjoyable shaves.
Experience and being a little stubborn to master the art of hand technique is the secret to having very enjoyable shaves. Nice shaving gear also makes it even more enjoyable and addictive almost.
For Aggressive DE safety razors all I use is steep angle(riding the bar) with a short handle, my Shavette I use a shallow angle like the old timers used with their straight razors at the turn of the century. Straight razor shaving is all blade feel and care must be taken to have a great shave(I take my hat off to those fellows who only use them daily or every other day.)
Have some great shaves.

 

[Whiterook]

It's technique!

 

[Adam18]

Would you say you get the same great shave with your Rockwell on plate one and plate six?

Hi Chad3 .... Rockwell 6C on plate 4 is my sweet spot, discovered very early with this razor.
I consider the 6C with plate 4 to be ONE razor, and the other plates stay unused.
And that is exactly my point ..... all my seven razors, used with proper technique, give me
equally fine results. Ahhhhh, ..... Life is good !

 

[BanjoCowboyMartaTobes]

I have been wet shaving for more than one, less than two decades. I absolutely irritated my irritations daily up until last summer when I joined and got schooled here. I’m a daily bbs with an Overlander or a .95 OC Timeless. All my older Gillette’s are also pleasant yet several razors still baffle my technique. Latest is the Muramasa. Totally not giving me any love, so I am delighted to wonder if I just need a few hundred more shaves to be able to love all my pretty pieces. Great thread!

 

[Hannah's Dad]

I suspect your opinion is shared by many, Adam. It’s not ludicrous at all.

 

[CCS]

I have been enjoying our traditional wet shaving hobby for over six years now, and like many of you fine gents, have experienced a
tremendous variety of hardware (razors, blades, and brushes) and software (soaps, creams, A/S splashes, and balms.) I have just
come to a surprising, yet albeit not all that unexpected, conclusion about my razors. I am extremely lucky to be currently enjoying
a lovely rotation of seven razors --- two "vintage" (Gillette SuperSpeed RedTip 1955 A-2 and Gillette FatBoy 1959 E-2) and five
"modern" (RazoRock SS Lupo .72, RazoRock SS Hawk v.3, Rockwell 6C, Timeless Bronze SB, and Timeless Aluminum) --- and they
are all wonderful. But here's the ludicrous thought ..... with my six year refined technique (which is pretty well honed to perfection)
and a Gillette Nacet blade in all the razors (my favorite blade after trying many), I have come to the conclusion that the specific
razor really doesn't make a difference ! I am achieving the same sweet smooth sublime three pass BBS result with all my razors !
I am getting equally great shaves with all seven razors, and I am extremely happy with all of them. Am I nuts ? A little crazy ?
Is this really a ludicrous thought ? Or do any of you fine gentlemen agree that your experience with your razors is the same ?

IMO, the reason is you have the experience now. That's why I've so often posted I can barely feel a difference with blades and razors (to be fair, most of my razors are vintage Gillettes, including three early open combs, and a couple of modern designs that are closer to a Gillette shave than not - two EJ DE89s and a Feather AS-D2). If I've used a really aggressive razor (R41?), I don't recall it. Once you know how to make the right lather with a half decent soap or cream, the brush doesn't really matter and I don't think most blades have a bean's worth of difference between them. Two that I have noticed are Feathers and Bic Chromes. Feathers I've used for many years but the Bic Chromes are a recent experience.

 

[gpjoe]

IMO, the reason is you have the experience now. That's why I've so often posted I can barely feel a difference with blades and razors (to be fair, most of my razors are vintage Gillettes, including three early open combs, and a couple of modern designs that are closer to a Gillette shave than not - two EJ DE89s and a Feather AS-D2). If I've used a really aggressive razor (R41?), I don't recall it. Once you know how to make the right lather with a half decent soap or cream, the brush doesn't really matter and I don't think most blades have a bean's worth of difference between them. Two that I have noticed are Feathers and Bic Chromes. Feathers I've used for many years but the Bic Chromes are a recent experience.

I heartily second the blade assertion. I have been able to shave with any blade I've tried, with goods results. It is my opinion and experience that there is little difference between the well established brands.

 

[JCarr]

Over time, I've graduated to increasingly more aggressive/efficient razors as my shaving technique has improved. I started out with a RR Mamba 70, a good tool at the time I used it, but now I shave with a Muhle R41.

 

[ERS4]

Just like in old Chinese movies - kung fu masters kill with leaves and "Chi". When you are powerful enough, you can use any equipment freely.

For users who are still on the road, even minor changes can cause redness and vexed.

 

[lasta]

Just like in old Chinese movies - kung fu masters kill with leaves and "Chi". When you are powerful enough, you can use any equipment freely.

For users who are still on the road, even minor changes can cause redness and vexed.

So where are you at right now?

I've had a barber clean up the back of my neck with a bare DE blade. But I haven't gotten around to doing it myself yet!

 

[Rosseforp]

I have come to the conclusion that the specific
razor really doesn't make a difference

For me it depends on how many days since my last shave, and my mood. Sometimes I want a mild mindless one pass shave, some days I use two razors.

I agree most blades are the same, but Derby, Voskhod, Bic Chrome, Astra SP, Super-Max Blue Diamond don't work in any of my razors very well.

~doug~

 

[ERS4]

So where are you at right now?

I've had a barber clean up the back of my neck with a bare DE blade. But I haven't gotten around to doing it myself yet!

I don't have the confidence to say I'm a kung fu master, but I'm having a good time with my equipment, and the skin irritation happens on my first shave with new blades...I may be a mediocre but happy samurai.

Prison barber using "DE blades + hair combs" also made me curious to try, but purely for fun.

 

[Jayson74]

I agree.
Last year a friend suggested I try shaving with a de using a brush and soap. He loaned me all the gear needed: RR Mission, a synthetic brush and a puck of RR Green. After a couple shaves that still gave me irritation but WAY less then electric or cartridges I was sold.

I returned his gear and bought some soaps and a brush as well as a RR DE1. Worked better but not great. So after some research I had a Henson mild and bang irritation free DFS.

Then I found this place and started reading. I now have a Gamechanger .68p loaded with Nacet or Bic blades that gives me BBS or nearly so in 3 passes and I can occasionally skip any aftershave use.

I am content with what I use. Will just enjoy trying different scented soaps.

 

[Rosseforp]

I am content with what I use. Will just enjoy trying different scented soaps.

Nice, I started out a few years ago with a DE1, Fatip, then a GC68-P as the Henson wasn't out at the time. I do have a few more razors now, but still have my first three razors and still use them.

There are a lot of different scented soaps to try, I suggest starting out with Stirling and PAA.

~doug~