Astra vs Feather

[Theodore]

Ah, if only it were that easy. My prep with a shower where I keep my face constantly wet and then face lathering only produces 2 reliable shaves with a Feather. I have gone 3, but that 9th pass is always a disappointment. But I can't get 14 shaves from any blade. My best is 8, and even then 7 would have been the better choice.

How long do you face lather for? I personally got a lot more prep value out of spending more time face lathering than having pre-shave showers. I used not to be able to shave well without a shower, now I can shave any time.

Also, have you had a look through the excalibur thread? Lots of very useful discussion on the different ways we can improve our techniques, such that longer blade life is a natural byproduct (rather than something specifically sought as an end in itself).

 

[musicman1951]

How long do you face lather for? I personally got a lot more prep value out of spending more time face lathering than having pre-shave showers. I used not to be able to shave well without a shower, now I can shave any time.

Also, have you had a look through the excalibur thread? Lots of very useful discussion on the different ways we can improve our techniques, such that longer blade life is a natural byproduct (rather than something specifically sought as an end in itself).

Prep is a very individual thing. There was a post a while back (maybe a year or so) about leaving the lather on for 10 minutes before shaving and dramatic improvement. I tried it and it provided no improvement at all for me. That only means my prep was sufficiently finished by the time I was building lather and the other shaver's prep clearly was not adequate to his particular needs. The only way you find out is to experiment, and I'm delighted you found something that works for you.

An experiment by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who tried to find out why steel razor blades go dull so quickly, especially when they are just cutting soft human hair. By observing and recording the cutting process under a scanning electron microscope, the team noticed that the hairs created small chips in the blade surface. These microscopic chips wreck the blade’s ability to cut hair, according to Cem Tasan, professor of materials science at MIT and an author on the study published today in the journal Science, a finding that nobody expected.

Apparently some shavers have face/beard that allows them to continue shaving with these microchips (just guessing here). I, unfortunately, am not one of them.

 

[Theodore]

Prep is a very individual thing. There was a post a while back (maybe a year or so) about leaving the lather on for 10 minutes before shaving and dramatic improvement. I tried it and it provided no improvement at all for me. That only means my prep was sufficiently finished by the time I was building lather and the other shaver's prep clearly was not adequate to his particular needs. The only way you find out is to experiment, and I'm delighted you found something that works for you.

An experiment by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who tried to find out why steel razor blades go dull so quickly, especially when they are just cutting soft human hair. By observing and recording the cutting process under a scanning electron microscope, the team noticed that the hairs created small chips in the blade surface. These microscopic chips wreck the blade’s ability to cut hair, according to Cem Tasan, professor of materials science at MIT and an author on the study published today in the journal Science, a finding that nobody expected.

Apparently some shavers have face/beard that allows them to continue shaving with these microchips (just guessing here). I, unfortunately, am not one of them.

Thanks for the article, I've printed it off and am going to have a good read through it.

Let me know how you go if you ever try the old 3 minute face lather. I think it used to be the standard for a reason. It's less about how long the lather is on, and more about the extra time brushing, IMO.

 

[musicman1951]

Thanks for the article, I've printed it off and am going to have a good read through it.

Let me know how you go if you ever try the old 3 minute face lather. I think it used to be the standard for a reason. It's less about how long the lather is on, and more about the extra time brushing, IMO.

I did try the 3 minute lathering for the past two days. I can't say it improved my shaves, but it did change the lather. It went considerably toward the cushion side and seemed to have a little less slickness. I assume that's because the extra lathering seemed to add more air to the lather.

My guess is that if my prep is finished it doesn't matter much what I do, the shaves seem to stay the same.

 

[Theodore]

I did try the 3 minute lathering for the past two days. I can't say it improved my shaves, but it did change the lather. It went considerably toward the cushion side and seemed to have a little less slickness. I assume that's because the extra lathering seemed to add more air to the lather.

My guess is that if my prep is finished it doesn't matter much what I do, the shaves seem to stay the same.

You are a gracious good sport sir. Thank you for your contribution to our collective understanding here.