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Fool's Pass With A Straight Razor - All You Need To Know

Maybe I'm crazy. I'm still counting my shaves and will continue to do so until I hit 100.

I'm. At 35 now. And I've done the fool's pass, after 1-2 WTG passes, for 5 of them.

I have to do it with 2 hands. I started with a combo of moving my head and razor but I'm moving my head less each time.

It's a challenge. But it's by no means an insurmountable one. It's also the only way I can get the upper lip the way I want it.
 
Maybe I'm crazy. I'm still counting my shaves and will continue to do so until I hit 100.

I'm. At 35 now. And I've done the fool's pass, after 1-2 WTG passes, for 5 of them.

I have to do it with 2 hands. I started with a combo of moving my head and razor but I'm moving my head less each time.

It's a challenge. But it's by no means an insurmountable one. It's also the only way I can get the upper lip the way I want it.
Nah, not crazy, I think it's common to not hear about it as being something to avoid - I'd never heard fools pass before.

Though, I knew from the name alone what must be getting referenced when I saw the post because it's kinda clearly one of the trickiest parts to do. You knew it was tricky which is why you haven't done it most of your shaves. We all let our comfort and patience guide us, and that's not crazy, it's the best way to do something you may potentially injure yourself doing - straight shaving
 
Nah, not crazy, I think it's common to not hear about it as being something to avoid - I'd never heard fools pass before.

Though, I knew from the name alone what must be getting referenced when I saw the post because it's kinda clearly one of the trickiest parts to do. You knew it was tricky which is why you haven't done it most of your shaves. We all let our comfort and patience guide us, and that's not crazy, it's the best way to do something you may potentially injure yourself doing - straight shaving
Yeah. I hear what you're saying. Except I wondered if I was crazy for starting it so soon instead of after 100 shaves or so.

I'm glad I did it when I did though. Any sooner would have been beyond my skill level. But I feel I started at the right point. It's given me some insight into the chin area as well.
 
Is CdM, coup de maître, French for master stroke? (OK: @Scrubby confirmed this.) Seems much more elegant than "Fool's Pass," which sounds like an ill-advised route through the mountains, one which might lead to the need to consume the flesh of one's deceased fellow travellers.

What you need is a SR with an edge as keen as or better than some of the keenest DE blades out there.

So, that is possible, then. Insufficient keenness due to inadequate honing remains the greatest hurdle for me, I think.

Glad the two-handed grip is regarded as legitimate, as that's something I've implemented some.

What about a short, fanning stroke, driven by wrist movement? That is something I'm employing some on the upper lip, focusing on the toe and forward portion of the blade, though, so as to get the rest of the slicer out of the way. I'm trying it on mouth corners and on up the lip margins, trying to chase away the dreaded cactus.
 
The trick to shaving the upper lip is a truly shave ready edge, proper angle, two hands, not trying to shave the whole lip in 2 or 3 passes, and lite pressure.

Place the edge near the top of the lip then move back, (Down) to the top of the lip. Do the passes and clean up with Across the grain passes, here is where a properly honed and stropped toe will shine.

For mouth corners I use the heel and the toe. Again, the toe and heel must be properly honed and stropped.

What ever it takes, there are no rules…
 
I have sparse, but very coarse tough hair, making ATG a difficult, and in the beginning, bloody affair. I guess I am about 30 shaves in, or so. I have managed a fools pass in nearly half of them, by my guesstimate. It's not easy, but honestly, I don't find it the most challenging part of my shave. I two-hand it, and kind of wriggle my nose down onto the blade.
 
Yea, you need a keen edge, keener than most folks can handle.

I hone for a few guys with super tough, coarse beards, shave twice a day beards. They prefer an edge finished hone on 1um and .3um and stropped on .25 CBN.

It is way too keen for my face, but they love it. ATG should not be difficult, you need a keener edge.
 
Yea, you need a keen edge, keener than most folks can handle.

I hone for a few guys with super tough, coarse beards, shave twice a day beards. They prefer an edge finished hone on 1um and .3um and stropped on .25 CBN.

It is way too keen for my face, but they love it. ATG should not be difficult, you need a keener edge.
How long does that edge last them? Just curious.
 
Agree that a fool’s pass is a great way to test the keenness of an edge. I’m not sure whether my upper lip has hairs that are thicker, tougher, or perhaps growing at a steeper angle, but when doing the long, light ATG strokes on my cheeks I can feel a significant difference as the razor starts catching the hairs at the corner of my mouth. That’s when I switch to 2 hands and the very short buffing strokes for the upper lip.

I shave every day, but average only 2 passes, so maybe do the fool’s pass twice a week.
 
“How long does that edge last them? Just curious.”

For guys with beards like that, I sent them a Pellon strop pasted with .50um on one side and .25 CBN the other. They can maintain an edge for about 6 months using 2-3 quality razors in rotation.

CBN will thin an edge and it will fail but .50um can revive a flagging edge and 5-10 laps on .25um can maintain it for a while.
 
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