Blade suggestions for abnormally tough beard on extremely sensitive skin.

[ironfingers]

Today I did a second shave with the Gillette Wilkinson Sword Chinese made blade loaded on my trusted Pearl L55 Closed Comb. It was the second use of the blade. I remember the Indian version of the same blade did give me quite a comfortable second shave but I still felt that I didn't need to do 2 shaves with them as even with just 1 shave they were better value than any other blade I owned. And this Chinese version shaved similar to the Indian version. That was why I wanted to do a second shave with it to see if it was similar on the second shave too. It wasn't.

Right from the first stroke WTG on the left cheek the tugging was extreme, probably the most significant I can remember. On the right cheek it was slightly better. Not much pulling in the neck area but I was beginning to feel that the blade wasn't sharp anymore. If I needed any convincing, the chin area provided it. Horrible tugging and pulling that I didn't even bother to do some more strokes to catch leftover hair and rushed onto re applying the lather for the second pass XTG. This pass was bearable in the cheeks but the neck, chin and mustache areas were exactly the opposite.

The third pass ATG was again tugging a lot but with most of the hair already gone it didn't feel too horrible. This is another one shave blade for me. I don't need to buy this anyway as I feel the Indian version is significantly better and has already registered with me well.

Other than that I also ran through the entire 10 blade pack of Gillette 7 O'Clock Super Platinum Black I had. It was 13 shaves overall. Did 3 shaves with the first blade of which first was very good, second was horrible and the third bearable. With the second blade I did 2 shaves and this time the second shave was much more bearable but still like the previous times the blade felt more like a fork on my skin on the second use. I then made it a point to do only a single shave with each of the remaining 8 blades. One of those 8 blades felt very bad on the first shave itself. Others did well. But as I said earlier this blade doesn't cut it for me. It's sharp but I have 2 other sharper blades, the Feather and the BIC, that I love and they're far more consistent too. And they offer me 3 shaves each for a single blade. So despite the Gillette 7 O'Clock Super Platinum Black being locally made, the per shave cost is the same as the Feather and about twice as expensive as the BIC. Even on smoothness and forgiveness scale I would rate the Gillette Wilkinson Sword India version infinitely better at just 1/3rd the price. I want no more of it.

 

[Atlantic59]

Why torture yourself!? Remember you have Nacets in the drawer...and don't forget the Schone...

 

[ironfingers]

Ran through the supply of Gillette Wilkinson Sword Chinese version pack of 5 and got back to the Schone and Astra SS combo. Day before yesterday I shaved with a fresh blade and today again with the same blade.

The first shave as usual led to a lot of irritation. Usually the second shave would be a bit more comfortable but this time the second shave too led to some irritation though not as much compared to the first. The issue basically for me is that while the problem free areas get close with just the first 2 passes mostly, the problem areas are needing many strokes and passes to be clean. If I don't go that clean then the stubble is not even when it comes back. By evening it will look like I didn't shave some areas properly. Moreover I am able to get comfortable and close shaves with even the sharpest of blades on my closed comb Pearl L55.

So far I have had 6 shaves with the Schone razor with 3 different Astra SS blades doing 2 shaves with each. Of the 6 only 3 were very uncomfortable, 1 moderately uncomfortable and 2 were kind of okay. Some were closer than those offered by my closed comb Pearl L55 but none as comfortable.

I heard that the Schone was smoother than the Pearl L55 open comb but my personal experience isn't so. It's noticeably more rough and aggressive. I am beginning to think that I shouldn't have bought it. However I am still not giving up on it especially having spent a lot of money on it.

 

[Atlantic59]

Ran through the supply of Gillette Wilkinson Sword Chinese version pack of 5 and got back to the Schone and Astra SS combo. Day before yesterday I shaved with a fresh blade and today again with the same blade.

The first shave as usual led to a lot of irritation. Usually the second shave would be a bit more comfortable but this time the second shave too led to some irritation though not as much compared to the first. The issue basically for me is that while the problem free areas get close with just the first 2 passes mostly, the problem areas are needing many strokes and passes to be clean. If I don't go that clean then the stubble is not even when it comes back. By evening it will look like I didn't shave some areas properly. Moreover I am able to get comfortable and close shaves with even the sharpest of blades on my closed comb Pearl L55.

So far I have had 6 shaves with the Schone razor with 3 different Astra SS blades doing 2 shaves with each. Of the 6 only 3 were very uncomfortable, 1 moderately uncomfortable and 2 were kind of okay. Some were closer than those offered by my closed comb Pearl L55 but none as comfortable.

I heard that the Schone was smoother than the Pearl L55 open comb but my personal experience isn't so. It's noticeably more rough and aggressive. I am beginning to think that I shouldn't have bought it. However I am still not giving up on it especially having spent a lot of money on it.

I'm going to be frank with what I hope is constructive criticism. I've noticed you have a tendency to blame the equipment yet, others can use similar equipment without many issues. I've noticed you have a tendency to chase the BBS and I think this might be part of the issue with the Schone.

Quite a lot of people are able to get a clean shave with a Fatip or Schone OC in two passes, or two passes plus cleanup. They can get a smooth shave without much irritation. How can that be explained in relation to your experience so far? Do you really need so many passes?

It is understood that if you keep going over the same area over and over again, you will get irritation. If you use too much pressure, you will get irritation. If you don't have good lather or enough lather, you will get irritation. There's no mystery in these things. If your angle is wrong, you will not get a close shave. The Schone is fairly tolerant on what shaving angle you use, so you may want to experiment with this. Try going by the sound you hear to set your angle. More pressure is not necessary to get a close shave with these razors and may be counter-productive.

I use the Fatip Piccolo almost every day and get very close shaves without much irritation. The only time I get irritation is when "over-shaving", that is, going over the same area too many times, or using too much pressure. But, I did not get as good results back when I first started with it.

You are used to the Pearl, that is why I think you find it easier to shave without issue using it. One needs some time and practice to learn any new razor. I think when you have mastered it you will no longer expect the first shave to be an irritating one. Consider changing your goal from always getting a BBS to getting the best and smoothest shave you can get in two or three passes. You will start to get BBS shaves "on accident" without striving.

 

[ironfingers]

I'm going to be frank with what I hope is constructive criticism. I've noticed you have a tendency to blame the equipment yet, others can use similar equipment without many issues. I've noticed you have a tendency to chase the BBS and I think this might be part of the issue with the Schone.

Quite a lot of people are able to get a clean shave with a Fatip or Schone OC in two passes, or two passes plus cleanup. They can get a smooth shave without much irritation. How can that be explained in relation to your experience so far? Do you really need so many passes?

It is understood that if you keep going over the same area over and over again, you will get irritation. If you use too much pressure, you will get irritation. If you don't have good lather or enough lather, you will get irritation. There's no mystery in these things. If your angle is wrong, you will not get a close shave. The Schone is fairly tolerant on what shaving angle you use, so you may want to experiment with this. Try going by the sound you hear to set your angle. More pressure is not necessary to get a close shave with these razors and may be counter-productive.

I use the Fatip Piccolo almost every day and get very close shaves without much irritation. The only time I get irritation is when "over-shaving", that is, going over the same area too many times, or using too much pressure. But, I did not get as good results back when I first started with it.

You are used to the Pearl, that is why I think you find it easier to shave without issue using it. One needs some time and practice to learn any new razor. I think when you have mastered it you will no longer expect the first shave to be an irritating one. Consider changing your goal from always getting a BBS to getting the best and smoothest shave you can get in two or three passes. You will start to get BBS shaves "on accident" without striving.

For me the issue is on many levels actually. Though I call my passes as WTG, XTG and ATG I am almost always shaving in all directions. That's because my hair grows in many directions. In the cheek area it's almost straightforward except for the area close to my ears when I have to pull my ears away and then shave down, across, against and then up and across to get close. But it's not for getting really close that I do this. But each direction removes some hair and leaves some. If the hair is progressively shortened and is even I will consider leaving it but that's not the case. In the Jawline the hair is flat against the skin. So 3 passes still leave some hair which can be removed only after I pull the skin up and go across, upwards across and some other ways.

Worst part is the neck area. Around the Adam's apple region my whiskers grow in circular pattern. Again 3 passes still leave a visible patch which if I don't clear up will show up significantly in about 3-4 hours itself. And trust me, people have told me "you missed a patch in your neck" most of the time I did that. And about an inch below the jawline is again another nightmare.

Even if I did 3 passes and left it at that within 5 hours I will see whiskers that look like a broken extension of the side burns, unevenly on each side. And the Adams's apple region looks like it was missed. The Jaw and chin show whiskers in 4 hours. With the closed comb I get an even shave. With the Schone I get very close in some areas easily, sometimes in just 2 passes. That means that I need to match other areas likewise to avoid uneven appearance of whiskers. And since the patches are not of a well defined shape it's impossible to go over just the patches very precisely. When the strokes touch upon some already clean areas around the impact is far more pronounced with the open comb. So considering that I have no escape from having to go over some areas a few times beyond the 3 passes, is what makes me question if the Schone would make a difference. The Pearl L55 closed comb gives me a comfortable and close enough shave. The Parker Semi Slant gives me a slightly less comfortable but closer shave. The Schone is even less comfortable than the Parker Semi Slant but not as close. And because of the irritation I sometimes am not able to get even as close as the closed comb. Anyway having spent on the Schone I would still try to get used to it. Right now, about 14 hours after the shave the cheek bone, mustache area still show no visible stubble. Jawline shows visible whiskers from a feet away. Right side of the neck looks like I just trimmed really close but not shaved. The chin area showed whiskers around 5 hours from the shave itself. If all places showed the same amount of hair I may not mind. This is exactly why I try to get a close shave. And I am indeed able to get it some of the tools I already own.

I agree that the Schone is going to take some more getting used to. But what I am surprised about is that with the same blade I get a more comfortable shave even with the Pearl L55 open comb which I heard was actually rougher than the Schone.

 

[Atlantic59]

For me the issue is on many levels actually....

I agree that the Schone is going to take some more getting used to. But what I am surprised about is that with the same blade I get a more comfortable shave even with the Pearl L55 open comb which I heard was actually rougher than the Schone.

Certainly a lot to think about. I'm somewhat surprised, also, since I really expected you would get good results with the Schone precisely because you have dense stubble that grows in many different directions. I'm glad you're planning to keep trying it for at least awhile.

Not everybody agrees the Pearl is a rough shaver, some people seem to get very good results with those. I found the Fatip OC very smooth, it's become a favorite for me. The first few shaves were not as close as I wanted, but it got much better with practice.

 

[ironfingers]

Today I shaved with the Schone again with a fresh Astra SS blade. There were 2 things I wanted to try a little different to see how it impacts the shave. First was I worked up the lather with a little less water. Though I usually prefer the wetter lather as it's slicker and feels better during the shave. But I've also found that slightly lesser water makes it more cushiony.

The second thing was that I wanted to use a bit of a shallow angle to improve the cutting efficiency. As planned I worked up a thick lather with slightly less water than usual, applied and worked it over my beard with my Pink Woolf boar brush. Then took the first stroke on the right cheek with a slightly more shallow angle. It did make a difference. The pass felt easier and there wasn't as much resistance as the previous times with the same combination.

The first pass was a little less comfortable than the previous times but I was expecting this as the steeper angle was more comfortable. However this was a wilful trade off as I was looking for the overall comfort and not that of a single pass.

After the first pass this time I could see that the pass had removed more hair than the previous times. The second pass XTG shortened the whiskers further. Some areas were clean enough. But the jawline, chin and some areas of the neck. After the third pass it was almost clean everywhere except the chin. The comfort of the shave was good too compared the previous shaves with the same combination, though not comparable with the closed comb.

Spent some time to cleanup the chin area and it led to a little irritation. When I applied the Brut Original Aftershave later on the burn a little lesser than usual with this combo. Through the day there was a little stinging in the chin area and some areas in the neck. Still not very bad.

Gonna experiment more with the razor till I get the hang of it.

 

[ironfingers]

Certainly a lot to think about. I'm somewhat surprised, also, since I really expected you would get good results with the Schone precisely because you have dense stubble that grows in many different directions. I'm glad you're planning to keep trying it for at least awhile.

Not everybody agrees the Pearl is a rough shaver, some people seem to get very good results with those. I found the Fatip OC very smooth, it's become a favorite for me. The first few shaves were not as close as I wanted, but it got much better with practice.

Do you use a preshave? How many passes do you do with your Fatip?

 

[Atlantic59]

Do you use a preshave? How many passes do you do with your Fatip?

For preshave, I just wash the face with a mild glycerin soap bar and a soft shaving brush using lukewarm water. I let the soap stay on the beard for a minute or two while I do something else. Next, rinse about half of the soap off, and face lather the shaving soap over top of this slick layer.

I'll do two or three passes plus a touch up pass with the soap left in the brush. I don't aim for a BBS, more of a DFS, but I get accidental BBS shaves fairly often this way. They just happen when not really thinking about it directly. It must be muscle memory, like in sports.

 

[Salil]

I also have the same skin issues, I suggest try Merkur 37/39 C slant bar razor with feather/ persona/Astra with out applying any extra pressure. Take care of all other prep work...
it shaves so comfortable.

 

[Salil]

Can try Parker semi slant which is cheaper and available in India as well on amazon

 

[ironfingers]

Can try Parker semi slant which is cheaper and available in India as well on amazon

Yes, I have the Parker Semi Slant. Do like it. Does shave closer with fewer strokes. And the best part is that the shave is effortless even with the Astra SS which usually tugs a bit on the closed/open comb razors. I do use it once in a while. Have only tried the Astra SS in it. Scared to try any of the sharper blades on it.

 

[ironfingers]

Did 4 more shaves with the Schone and Astra SS combination, with 2 blades for 2 shaves each. It's a total of 10 shaves so far with this combination. I must say that I've grown more comfortable with the Schone now. Also I believe that I have figured out some of the reasons for some of the issues I've had with the razor. I don't have a definite solution yet though.

Firstly, what I felt different or rather odd about this razor was the areas where I got irritation. Neck is the most sensitive area for me and that's where I get the most irritation usually. With this razor though, after just a few shaves, I was no longer having any more noticeable irritation in the neck area than what I got with even the closed comb razors. But surprisingly the jawline and chin areas were the areas of most prominent irritation.

This is quite unusual because I have never thought these areas were as sensitive as the neck. In fact I could go over these areas more number of times than the neck and still have lesser irritation comparatively. This was exactly I couldn't dismiss it as inexperience. Now I believe that I have a theory.

A closed comb razor, equipped even with the Feather or BIC is still not as efficient in removing hair. It does take more passes/strokes than an open comb or slant bar razor. However it does shave evenly for me. So if I chose to be done with just 2 passes then whatever whiskers are left are almost even all over. But with the Schone, after 2 passes, some areas (mostly the cheeks) are really close. And that's the problem. Whichever area is not clean shows up obviously. And it's noticeable.

When it comes to these patches, they are bigger in the neck area and so doing more strokes still hits hair mostly and hence doesn't lead to a lot of irritation. But in the cheek area only the jawline and chin have patches. And the areas are neither large not continuous. It's kind of difficult to hit the exact spots and not touch areas around. This seems to be the problem. I have figured out that it's not the patch areas that get irritated but the areas surrounding them where the blade still makes contact when trying to clear the patches.

This likely happens with the closed comb too but the blade feel of the open comb is what I would reason for the irritation. I have tried to keep the strokes that I do for cleaning up the patches precise and as short as possible in the last few shaves to try to keep the irritation in check. It did work.

More practice will definitely makes things better. But there are also other alternatives like doing the cleanups alone with a closed comb or just switching to the closed comb on pass 3 itself. However I don't think I would do that ever, at least not at this point.

Lastly, I have stayed away from my BICs and Feathers for over 2 months now. This is the longest duration so far that I have stayed away from these 2 blades even since I got back to DE shaving in the last week of Dec 2019. Have fought the temptation so far to give the other razors/blades a fair chance. Now I am going to use the BIC on my Pearl L55 Closed Comb again for the next shave which is on Monday. BICs give me 3 shaves per blade. Got to try the Nacet, Voskhod and Crystal blades too, soon. The Nacets will obviously be compared against the BIC and Feather, the Crystal and Voshkod with the Astra SS. Presently the idea is to just use a single BIC blade for 3 shaves and then get back to trying and mastering the Schone. But the BIC always spoils me.