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

Iridian

Cool and slimy
One can get a very good result with different razors, but there will still be combos of blade and razor that work out better for one.
To exaggerate it, even shaving with glass shards can give one a BBS. But getting there might be a quite different experience! :)

Differences between razors that matter...
Start with the angle - I like it steep. I can adjust to a shallow angle, but it is going against my literal grain.
Next are the blades. I can tell the difference between a Feather or Nacet and a Voshkod in the same razor, and even more so the eternally dull Tiger Platinums. Sorry to everyone who likes them, I would only take them for cushioning an aggressive razor and rather take a Voshkod there. Nacet, Gillette 7 o'clock Platinum, Feather and BIC are my favorites.

What also makes a difference is the state of mind, mood and time of day when one is shaving. At least for me!
For instance, before a funeral I felt my Tatara Nodachi OC to the rather harsh. It didn't feel anything like that a few days later.

I shave in the evening. Shaving in the morning, at noon or just before going out really feels different.

Maybe some morning shavers will try over the weekend to shave in the evening instead of the morning and can compare and share their experiences?

And while most of us here can get a BBS with any razor regularly, the amount of effort and focus one has to put into the shave varies wildly.

For instance, when I shave with the R41, I can get a R41 but must be focused and careful. With a Game Changer .84 I don't have to be careful but might have to do more corrections, with a Lupo .95 OC I have to be a bit more careful.

And then there is the Wunderbar. It gives me a very good shave and I don't even feel it. But there is always the chance it cuts me and I feel it only a little after it did so, little to no warning.


Looking at Adam's razor selection, they are all at the mild end, the Hawk might be the most aggressive, but I do not know how the Timeless Aluminum works out.

The R41 or the Greencult could provide a more aggressive shave you haven't had yet. You will get a BBS with a Lupo .72 and a R41, but I bet the experience will be vastly different.


I hope to have provided some food for thought! :cuppa:
 
I've thought about this over the last several years as well. Clearly there's a Malcolm Gladwell 10,000 hours theme/process at work here. Or practice makes perfect. In any case, Adam, I agree with your original post 100%. Now I need to log some more hours with my pipes :pipe:and fountain pens...
 
It is mostly technique, you can get a BBS with most, but not all razors, but the effort is different. Every razor has a range of abillities. You can't force a razor to do things, it is not able to do. Most razors fulfil a rather wide range but e. g. the Tritok R51 Slant is more a shaving simulator for me and the GC2.0 gives mev effortless BBS.
 
It makes perfect sense. I have four modern razors, all generous gifts, and I use them almost exclusively. However, it is the craftsmanship that keeps me picking them up, not some magical jump in the shave. I will say that the Lupo 95 and Calabri seem to be effortless in getting a perfect shave, but I have a Gillette Old that will do the same. It just doesn't have the stunning appearance as the modern razors.
 
Right on the money. I have a rotation of vintage and modern, DE and SE of which none cost me more than $17. My brush cost $4, I use bath soap scraps for lather and I get a perfect BBS everytime. I’ve been shaving for 50 years but I would guess most folks can perfect their technique in 6 months or so.

It’s not the gear, it’s the technique.
 

never-stop-learning

Demoted To Moderator
Staff member
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 ?
Great comments Adam. :)

Every shaver has a unique combination of face, skin and beard. I have gone through a LOT of razors to find my favorites.

I can get great results using pretty much any DE, AC or GEM razor. My preference is for the few razors that feel the best in hand and on face.

And that goes for brushes and soaps, too. :)
 
TOTALLY agree. It is in fact ALL about technique, and in some cases blade/razor pairing.

Heck, with technique you can shave with just about anything.

I ran out of blades at one point and had to use this.....

20221014_201139.jpg

I sure was grateful for the gents over at the SR forum for their knowledge on how to use stones, sandpaper, leather belts and all that other stuff to sharpen this thing before using.
 

Phoenixkh

I shaved a fortune
I don't know enough to agree or disagree but I will say this. B&B has helped me select a few razors that others enjoy. So far, all the razors I've purchased as a result of feedback from members here have been stellar for me.

I'm still learning what my particular niche is. All of my razors fall into the "mild to medium but efficient" range, I think. I've been getting great shaves with all of them. I'm still developing my technique but at the moment, it's come along well enough that I can go from SE to DE without a problem. I give a lot of credit to the razor designers.... and the blades others have recommended.

I showed up here with one AC razor model. I now have a second AC razor and 8 DE razors. I still have to get to 4 of them... and try the larger gap base plates on two of them. But as I said.. so far, they all work for me.
 
I don't notice much any difference between ASD2 and Masamune, but I do notice a difference between those two and the Vander Hagen I started with. I prefer the steel ones.
Blades I can definitely tell a difference. I like sharp. So Feather and Med Prep shave very superior and smooth compared to say PAA or Derby.
Nacet is the least sharp I will really consider.
 
Right on the money. I have a rotation of vintage and modern, DE and SE of which none cost me more than $17. My brush cost $4, I use bath soap scraps for lather and I get a perfect BBS everytime. I’ve been shaving for 50 years but I would guess most folks can perfect their technique in 6 months or so.

It’s not the gear, it’s the technique.
This.

Most bad shaves are caused by "user error". But no one wants to hear that when they post a thread asking why they are getting bad shaves.

It's much easier to blame equipment or soap. Replies will usually suggest a new razor.or brush and that is what the membership usually wants to see.
 

Rhody

I'm a Lumberjack.
I agree too. Great thread and perspective here too. There can be a sort of madness to the hobby personally in wanting/needing to but the next great thing. The greatest newest soap base, another razor or handle or brush or fantastic blade. Not feeling like I regret doing that. Or having a small stockroom that could support a retail store 🤪but it’s been a great feeling to enjoy what I have knowing my technique has improved so much where I find little to no difference in soaps. Or the difference I perceive is possibly due to using something I haven’t used in awhile. Probably all the buying and trying has got me to this point too. Happy shaves all.
 
Good morning all!

I think we need to differentiate between shaving results and shaving experience.

I have 8 razors in my current rotation (all of them on the aggressive/efficient side) and I can achieve DFS+/BBS- results with all of them using my usual two pass routine (WTG, XTG + some buffing/cleanup at the end of the shave). So yes, the shaving results are pretty much the same, regardless of the razor/blade used.

Now for the shaving “experience”, that’s a completely different story, at least for me. Some razors are much more efficient, some are smoother, some are harsher, some are enjoyable, others not so much…. Once again, for me.

I do have favorites among my razors, blades and razor/blade combos. I also have favorite soaps and aftershaves. I will recognize that these favorites mainly affect the shaving experience, but not it’s results.

The only two things that seem to make no difference to me are the brush and the bowl.

My 2 cents.
 
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 ?
It is certainly not a ludicrous thought but one that I do not necessarily share insofar as my own experience is concerned. Like yourself, my technique has improved to the point where I can get an acceptable result from almost any razor that I have (a wide variety of modern razors). But that does not mean I get the same result from each nor does it mean I enjoy or appreciate the process of getting there in the same way for each razor that I own. For me, a specific razor does make a difference. I love exploring the subtle differences that each specific razor presents. My Paradigm 2020 Diamondback does not shave the same way as my Rockwell 6S nor are the results the same.
 

Rosseforp

I think this fits, Gents
Good morning all!

I think we need to differentiate between shaving results and shaving experience.

I have 8 razors in my current rotation (all of them on the aggressive/efficient side) and I can achieve DFS+/BBS- results with all of them using my usual two pass routine (WTG, XTG + some buffing/cleanup at the end of the shave). So yes, the shaving results are pretty much the same, regardless of the razor/blade used.

Now for the shaving “experience”, that’s a completely different story, at least for me. Some razors are much more efficient, some are smoother, some are harsher, some are enjoyable, others not so much…. Once again, for me.

I do have favorites among my razors, blades and razor/blade combos. I also have favorite soaps and aftershaves. I will recognize that these favorites mainly affect the shaving experience, but not it’s results.

The only two things that seem to make no difference to me are the brush and the bowl.

My 2 cents.
Nailed it. It's the experience that matters most.

~doug~
 

Tirvine

ancient grey sweatophile
I do not find your conclusion ridiculous. I believe all razors using the same blade are equally comfortable and efficient IF the user always manages to use it in its optimal position. There are differences in razor geometry that affect the optimal position. I'll bet you have very small, but appropriate, differences in the ways that you have learned to use your razors. I have one razor with two plates, mild and medium. I usually use the mild, but now and then, once or twice a year, I use the medium. It takes more attention and adjusting. If it were in a much shorter rotation it would be closer to autopilot.
 
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