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Does speed matter?

Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
Does how fast you pass the razor over your face master for razor burn? Is it better to make one quicker swipe or several shorter slower strokes?
Good Question, for me when using a new razor I like to use shorter strokes until I dial the razor & blade in. Once you know the blade and razor and dialed in technique you can change to your sweet stroke lengths & speed. A real slowww a stroke a motion does not work to your advantage because it will irritate the hair follicles because your pulling the shear instead were a normal stroke will just shear the whisker IMO.
 

FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
Speed is relative, I think. But I sure know when I have gone too fast. It will eventually become second nature to you, through trial and error.
 

Ravenonrock

I shaved the pig
I’m slow and deliberate in my SR shaves. I have lots of shaves behind me and can’t say I’m going much faster than when I started out. The shave itself is faster now that I’ve featured out my angles of approach. Still deliberate though.
 
Well... it's supposed to be an enjoyable experience, so why rush it through?

Take your time.

Me, if I don't have time to shave, I simply don't.

As for strokes, my chin will require some short buffing strokes to get it completely BBS, while on my cheeks I simply glide the razor across in a single long stroke be it WTG, XTG or ATG.
 
For me... speed does matter but it is relative to the razor, the blade, the length of stubble and the hardness, thickness and density of said stubble. And Experience!

If I have 24 hours or less of growth my WTG pass will intuitively be more fluid and appear to many to be a faster long single continuous stroke. For <24hrs I do not do usually do short strokes for this first WTG pass... I am just looking to thin the growth. If the razor is aggressive then I'll go much slower, shorter and be more careful with the pressure. However once past 30 hours of growth I have to slow it down and do shorter multiple strokes. Short strokes mean that there is usually overlap so it ends up being more than 1 stroke over the skin, usually for a lot of people it's twice or three times sweeping whilst progressively moving across the skin and face. This is like a 2 or 3 passes WTG... as the razor passes over the skin multiple times... this results in more hair being removed and is better for people who don't do ATG shaving or with a lot of growth >1 day.

As I move to XTG the strokes are shorter and ATG even shorter again with buffing. As my stubble is 7/10 in coarseness I find ATG the most resistant and stubborn pass requiring the most attention to achieve that nice shave.

More strokes simply means that the razor is passing over the skin many more times, increasing potential irritation on my skin, which I find redundant if I am doing a 3 pass shave to progressively get that nice clean shave.

Do what works and muscle memory, experience and intuition should do the rest.
 
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I believe it does matter. I’m currently playing with faster strokes. Not super long strokes but quite fast. I think it works better than going slowly. The shave is closer and more comfortable when you commit to the stroke. Of course you have less opportunity to pull back so you may want to save this until you are confident in what you are doing.
 
Interesting topic. I've never really paid any attention to my speed, so my next shave I will. I blame you in advance, @Anonymous Turtle, for any nicks or irritation I end up with for making me think about it.
 
Everyone is different and you have to experiment to find out what works for you and what not. When I usually shave I have plenty of time so i'm not in a rush and it doesn't matter if it's going to take 10-20 or more minutes. What really matters to me is to get a nice close irritation free shave and everything else is a bonus.
 
Definitely counts. I shave pretty fast (a la geofatboy), 1 pass, where e.g. I need 2-3 strokes for every cheek. I find that too slow strokes tend to skip the stubble, especially if I have not shaved in more than 5 days.
 
I tried going fast today, I got my lather done in around 20 seconds, one pass done in 3 mins, rinsing, cleanup, and balm application done in a little over a minute. I didn’t get any irritation or nicks, but it was just a single pass. I don’t feel confident in rushing a full multi-pass shave just yet. Incidentally, I used osp-ukwss scent, Parker 98r with silver star, and a nice mentholated balm.
 

Whilliam

First Class Citizen
I take many short, quick strokes . . . but shave rather slowly, always keeping in mind what I am doing. Works for me.
 
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