Depends on the razor and handle weight plus balance. For example I do (for the most part) when using my "195", Black Beauty and Big Fellow.
Does everyone let the weight of the razor do the work?
- Thread starter Steve K
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I find that some razors need more pressure than others. My R41 is best behaved with as little pressure as possible, whereas my Oristo requires pressure that would render the R41 a lethal weapon.
Agreed. Mild razors require pressure pretty much by definition.
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You're obviously going to need to hold the razor against your face but you need to have extremely light pressure in doing so or you will get razor burn. "Let the razor do the work" is exactly correct. Additional pressure will only result in razor burn and cuts. It's nothing like what you see in typical cartridge ads where a guy casually swipes a razor, raking it across his face . That's bad, bad, bad with a DE.
Every thing in moderation...especially when following overly trite cliches such as “let the razor do the work” or my favorite from honing a SR to use only “the weight of the blade.”
No, nope, too far from reality / physics for me.
I do like shaving the lather, FWIW, as the picture brought to mind seems to allow for one to get the idea without getting hung up on what the quote’s stipulating.
No, nope, too far from reality / physics for me.
I do like shaving the lather, FWIW, as the picture brought to mind seems to allow for one to get the idea without getting hung up on what the quote’s stipulating.
I find a short handled razor enables me to finely control weight, pressure and direction to avoid nicks and post irritation
for me it all depends on the razor and blade combination ie: if I have my plastic Wilkinson and a midrange blade I find that in some areas I need a slight touch of preasure but put a sharp blade like a feather in I have to take care not to press .then again in my Rockwell which has more weight to it I just let the razor do its thing .
I’m a fan of ”aggressive“ razors, but I still press down depending on the blade. Knowing your razor and its blade combination is key.
... and knowing your technique, i.e. angle etc.
AimlessWanderer
Remember to forget me!
My aim is to hover the blade at skin level. No pressure at all. Weight of the razor is nothing more than inertia.
The nice thing about DE shaving is if a person does it wrong, they bleed. It sort of eliminates debate on the topic. Having said that, I use as little pressure as possible. I ride the top cap. If I happen to press on it too hard it seems to raise the blade off the skin.
Ron R
I survived a lathey foreman
Shaving traditionally is a paying attention to blade feel and equipment being used. A light razor that weighs 1 oz will behave different than one weighing 3 oz on downward strokes and upward strokes. You have to compensate pressures as the shave progresses IMO. If a razor is skipping on your beard you have to stop and adjust something because you will be nicked possibly(change blade or add a little pressure to keep the blade at skin surface). Over time your skill level experiences compensates almost automatically it seems for a particular razor & blade . It's not rocket science but more common sense at times!
Have some great shaves!
Have some great shaves!
I am only a week in, so least knowledgeable but maybe closer to the Transition Fear. 
I have had great luck holding my Slim lightly - almost same lightness of grip as when holding a fencing foil. I played with angle and the dialed exposure and have been quite happy with the results.
Edit: to address the OP more directly: and with basically no additional pressure beyond that required to hold it to my face or head.
I have had great luck holding my Slim lightly - almost same lightness of grip as when holding a fencing foil. I played with angle and the dialed exposure and have been quite happy with the results.
Edit: to address the OP more directly: and with basically no additional pressure beyond that required to hold it to my face or head.
I let the razor gravity do the work. I will place my fingers up high on the handle for light pressure and lower on the handle if it needs more pressure.
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Thanks everyone!!
Chandu
I Waxed The Badger.
Not with my Merkur 45.
AimlessWanderer
Remember to forget me!
I must admit, I find the notion of a razors weight affecting how heavily it contacts with the skin, to be a rather perplexing notion. I readily admit that this is based purely on how my own DE technique developed a few decades ago.
I hold a razor where it is most balanced. This gives me maximum control of it, but also negates the mass of the razor influencing weight of contact. The second part of that is intentional, as I strive to keep that to an absolute minimum. For the razors weight to be allowed to "work" for the user, it would need to be held below the balance point, to allow the razor to "fall" against the face. I would not feel I have adequate control of the razor in that way.
There was also mention of a light razor "skipping" over the beard earlier. Again, this is an alien concept to me. I hold the razor securely enough, that my skin would skip off the razor, not the other way around. I have had the skin skipping, or more accurately a judder, when lather hasn't been slick enough, or a blade is too dull, but the only time I've had the razor skip, was when using a Gillette Click. This wasn't so much a weight thing, as the whole head flexing back on the handle.
Again, this is just personal perspective, and not any kind of mantra on right or wrong.
I hold a razor where it is most balanced. This gives me maximum control of it, but also negates the mass of the razor influencing weight of contact. The second part of that is intentional, as I strive to keep that to an absolute minimum. For the razors weight to be allowed to "work" for the user, it would need to be held below the balance point, to allow the razor to "fall" against the face. I would not feel I have adequate control of the razor in that way.
There was also mention of a light razor "skipping" over the beard earlier. Again, this is an alien concept to me. I hold the razor securely enough, that my skin would skip off the razor, not the other way around. I have had the skin skipping, or more accurately a judder, when lather hasn't been slick enough, or a blade is too dull, but the only time I've had the razor skip, was when using a Gillette Click. This wasn't so much a weight thing, as the whole head flexing back on the handle.
Again, this is just personal perspective, and not any kind of mantra on right or wrong.
The adage of using no pressure is especially helpful to new wet shavers who are used to using a Gillette Mach/Fusion, etc. and are used to pressing as hard as they want with no ill effects. You need to be in the mindset of using no pressure to help gety over that. Now, having said that I've been doing this for almost 10 years and have developed a technique where, yes, I do use a bit of pressure. But I also prefer lighter razors. If I'm using a heavier razor, I will use less pressure.
Virtually impossible to "let the weight of the razor do the work" You need to apply pressure. The sentence "use a light touch" is more fitting and reasonable.
The best advice I ever ran across were the Aimless Wanderer Guides (here and here), which address the OP's question and other critical things. (Things every newbie should read about IMO.) As far as weight of the razor goes, the two posts above nicely sum up how I see things today.
The following videos have been around for awhile, but I still find watching them from time-to-time an enjoyable and helpful, if tongue-in-cheek, reminder. In the first, Naomie Harris demonstrates the straight razor training and skills she used to shave James bond in Skyfall. The second shows the actual scene.
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