Any suggestion of adjustable setting?

[Cutthroat]

I think I'll give the Fat Boy a shot tomorrow. I have never used an adjustable before. I have been using a 40's or 50's superspeed with good luck both with Derby's and Merkur's. Every once in a while i get a little burn on the neck if I am in a hurry. I probably should not change things but I think I will like the added weight of the Fat Boy over the superspeeds. I'm going with a Derby blade but dont know about the setting. Start around 5?

 

[teamacacia]

I initially started around three then moved upto 6 and then down to 4. Now when using the Fat Boy I start with 4 on the first pass and then 5 on the second. Seems to give me outstanding results.

 

[mrob]

I get my best results with the FB staying in the less aggressive settings, perhaps the bottom half of the range. And I almost always use a less aggressive setting for each successive pass.

Just my 2 cents--YMMV.

 

[ouch]

I started with a 5, figuring, well, it's in the middle. Didn't work. Moved up to a 6 and quickly realised that was the wrong direction. Eventually settled on a 3, with an occasional drop to a 2 for touch ups.
In general, I think the initial pass should be the most aggressive; the ensuing passes require a lighter touch. Of course, someone else's experience may be just the opposite.

 

[kenxxxxxx]

I initially started around three then moved upto 6 and then down to 4. Now when using the Fat Boy I start with 4 on the first pass and then 5 on the second. Seems to give me outstanding results.

Wow... I guess I hadn't thought of changing settings BETWEEN PASSES. I figured I found my setting on the adjustable and always used it. I'll have to try more/less agressive settings between passes.

 

[Tito]

3

 

[htownmmm]

First pass: 8

2nd pass: 7

3rd pass: 6

That's loaded with a Derby, Israeli, or Swedish Gillette.


Marty

 

[Agent86]

I typically do two passes with the FB...the first on 3, the second on 5.

 

[jduffy]

Wow, lots of variants on adjusting.

As I recall someone here was anti-adjusting in a big way. He was proselytizing setting it once and leaving it there.

 

[MasonM]

My recently purchased Futur is my first experience with an adjustable. It didn't take me long to figure out that adjustment is a balance between aggressive cutting and comfort.

As I have a tough beard I started out with a high setting and got a pretty nice razor burn for the trouble.

I suppose the ideal setting is whatever gives your face and beard a nice shave without irritating your skin.

But then, I could be wrong.

 

[Gatorade]

See that is intresting. I actually go the opposite way from most here.

5, 5, 7.

I use the 7 on the last pass for cross grain and T&C. The more exposure the closer the cut. Why would you take exposure out of the last pass? If you went over the area at 4 and then went back over it at 2 then your blade wouldn't cut as close to the skin as the first pass. Anyone who adjusts down please expain why?

 

[guenron]

See that is intresting. I actually go the opposite way from most here.

5, 5, 7.

I use the 7 on the last pass for cross grain and T&C. The more exposure the closer the cut. Why would you take exposure out of the last pass? If you went over the area at 4 and then went back over it at 2 then your blade wouldn't cut as close to the skin as the first pass. Anyone who adjusts down please expain why?

It's all very simple, my whiskers are shorter.. Don't need as much blade.

 

[Gatorade]

It's all very simple, my whiskers are shorter.. Don't need as much blade.

But the length of the whisker is not the issue. If anything the shorter whisker would need more exposure to cut the whisker closer to the skin. The shorter whisker would pass under the lower exposure number while the higher number would cut the shorter ones.

If the shorter whisker is what is desired then you should just go to the most exposure and be done with it. If you think of it from a whisker reduction point of view.

Setting #1 ---------\

Setting #2 --------\

Setting #3 -------\

Setting #4 ------\

Setting #5 -----\

Setting #6 ----\

Setting #7 ---\

Setting #8 --\

Setting #9 -\


Going from Setting #5 to #2 gives you something like this:

Setting #5 -----\
Setting #2 ----- \

You are missing the whisker you cut at #5.


Going from Setting #5 to Setting #7 gives you this:
Setting #5 -----\
Setting #7 ---\

Shorter whisker in the end.

 

[superfly]

Start with 3 (or 1) and go from there. That's what's good with the adjustable razor. My dad uses his Gillette Adjustable (slim) on 9, and still leaves the silo a bit opened, for even more blade exposure...

Nenad

 

[Jonnybc]

But the length of the whisker is not the issue. If anything the shorter whisker would need more exposure to cut the whisker closer to the skin. The shorter whisker would pass under the lower exposure number while the higher number would cut the shorter ones.

If the shorter whisker is what is desired then you should just go to the most exposure and be done with it. If you think of it from a whisker reduction point of view.

Setting #1 ---------\

Setting #2 --------\

Setting #3 -------\

Setting #4 ------\

Setting #5 -----\

Setting #6 ----\

Setting #7 ---\

Setting #8 --\

Setting #9 -\


Going from Setting #5 to #2 gives you something like this:

Setting #5 -----\
Setting #2 ----- \

You are missing the whisker you cut at #5.


Going from Setting #5 to Setting #7 gives you this:
Setting #5 -----\
Setting #7 ---\

Shorter whisker in the end.

That's a beautiful post but I must disagree, the edge of the blade is against your face, no matter how much blade exposure there is the blade will always reduce the amount of hair. When I do the T&C pass on "N" on my Vision it always removes more stubble, if your theory is correct no hair will be removed doing this on "N".

 

[kenxxxxxx]

That's a beautiful post but I must disagree, the edge of the blade is against your face, no matter how much blade exposure there is the blade will always reduce the amount of hair. When I do the T&C pass on "N" on my Vision it always removes more stubble, if your theory is correct no hair will be removed doing this on "N".

I have to disagree with you, John. I just cut my lawn on one setting. If I raise (less agressive setting) the deck on my mower and recut it, I don't cut anything. The only way to cut lower (closer) is to lower the deck, to a more agressive setting.

This is a good discussion. I wish my hair would grow faster so I could shave right now.

 

[MasonM]

I have to disagree with you, John. I just cut my lawn on one setting. If I raise (less agressive setting) the deck on my mower and recut it, I don't cut anything. The only way to cut lower (closer) is to lower the deck, to a more agressive setting.

This is a good discussion. I wish my hair would grow faster so I could shave right now.

I'm no expert but this isn't a good analogy at all. The mower is on wheels and thus raising and lowering it moves it's blade closer or farther from the grass. A razor doesn't work that way as adjusting the razor to a more or less aggressive setting actually changes the angle of the blade to the whiskers, not the distance from the blade to the skin.

 

[_C_]

Hi Cutthroat,

I use a Gillette slim adjustable, only. I was flipping around alot trying to figure out what setting to put it one. Some days 2, 3, 4, others where 7, 8, and 9. Something to keep in mind is that the angle at which you set the head against your face will have an effect on how the blade sits on it as well.

After a few 'bouts of razor burn, I got a crazy idea...

Your hands have far more nerve endings than your face, so there's more feeling there. I decided I'd try mock shaving the ends of my finger.... (Keep in mind, your doing this at your own risk! ) It was very easy to determine what was going to be too much and what would be too little. 3 seemed to be just right for me. I tend to get much better contact with all three elements of the razor (safety bar, head, and blade) when using this setting then any other. I find that If I use 1 or 2, there is little to no connection with the blade. 4, 5, 6 tends to expose too much blade for my liking. 7, 8 and 9 actaully requires the saftey bar to be lifted from my face in order to prevent me from removing it altogether.

I guess the real point is, play around and see what works best for yourself. And always start low and work your way up.

 

[guenron]

But the length of the whisker is not the issue. If anything the shorter whisker would need more exposure to cut the whisker closer to the skin. The shorter whisker would pass under the lower exposure number while the higher number would cut the shorter ones.

If the shorter whisker is what is desired then you should just go to the most exposure and be done with it. If you think of it from a whisker reduction point of view.

Setting #1 ---------\

Setting #2 --------\

Setting #3 -------\

Setting #4 ------\

Setting #5 -----\

Setting #6 ----\

Setting #7 ---\

Setting #8 --\

Setting #9 -\


Going from Setting #5 to #2 gives you something like this:

Setting #5 -----\
Setting #2 ----- \

You are missing the whisker you cut at #5.


Going from Setting #5 to Setting #7 gives you this:
Setting #5 -----\
Setting #7 ---\

Shorter whisker in the end.

Great thinking and graphics. Still less beard, less blade. Oddly, despite your splendid rationale, it works beautifully, every time. If someone were to follow your logic to its end, peach fuzz would require a bare blade without benefit of a safety bar.

 

[Gatorade]

Great thinking and graphics. Still less beard, less blade. Oddly, despite your splendid rationale, it works beautifully, every time. If someone were to follow your logic to its end, peach fuzz would require a bare blade without benefit of a safety bar.

I'm not saying you aren't getting a great shave. I get a great shave and go the opposite route. All I am just saying that it seems to me like the whisker is trimmed farther down on the higher setting. As mentioned above someone said that at setting 1 or 2 they noticed the blade moving away from their finger. I just don't think that by trimming a shorter hair with less blade is effective. I think you need more blade for a shorter hair to get closer.

No, following my logic to the end as you say would result in the blade making direct contact with the skin at an agressive angle. Thus cutting the hair as close to the skin as possible. However for some this may actually result in a thin layer of skin being removed and razor burn to develop. That is why you can adjust the blade away from the skin and cause less burn by having less contact with the skin. However this also results in the hair being trimmed farther up the shaft and leaving more exposed at the end of the shave.

I'm not trying to tell you what works best for you. I was just pointing out that while most were thinking the last pass at a less agressive level was removing more hair. It probably was not removing as much as they thought it was. If anything just flip your settings one day and see if there is a difference. Go from least to most. I have tried it both ways and the least to most works best for me. I take the majority off with the first less agressive pass and reduce down to the smallest hair by using the closest blade setting.

By the way Ron a bare blade with no saftey bar is nothing more than a straight razor. And we all know how close a shave that is. By YOUR rational you should hold the straight slightly above but not touching the skin and you would get a smoother shave. That logic doesn't seem right. Less beard more blade.