I'm curious to know what everyone's description of DFS would be.
Forget About BBS For a Better Shave
- Thread starter CoolBurn
- Start date
ATG under my chin is pretty rough so I leave it out. Everywhere else, though gets the BBS treatment and I do enjoy it.
I'm in no danger of being accused of having a Cary Grant face, but using a M3, blade buffing and little pressure as outlined by Mantic, I can BBS every day with no irritation. The cost of such is the cost of M3 cartridges, rather expensive.
Still working at it with my DE.
Still working at it with my DE.
I follow the same routine on a daily basis: four pass, some buffing and call it quits. I never have the intent of chasing BBS but do get the result which is great. If not, I get an extremely smooth DFS and am happy to enjoy it irritation free.
Basically don't chase result, just let the cards fall as they may using technique that my face can handle.
Basically don't chase result, just let the cards fall as they may using technique that my face can handle.
I think you hit on what this whole forum boils down to. When you use quality equipment you will, in time, achieve better shaves and more comfortable shaves. What I have noticed in six months of "retro-shaving" is that (1) I enjoy shaving whereas I previously hated it; (2) my face feels better whereas it felt chapped all the time; (3) the results are better; (4) the cost is more reasonable; (5) I have become proficient at it and it does not take as much time as it did when I started.
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Sounds like what you want to aim for with your shave (BBS, DFS, SAS, etc.) is just another area where YMMV applies. Nothing wrong with trying for BBS everytime, just realize the risks, and don't be surprised when it doesn't pay off. And there's nothing wrong with aiming for a less close shave, for whatever reason. Maybe to avoid irritation and cuts, or it may be just because, as njpaddy says, you just don't like such a smooth feel. Or you may just not want to put that much time or effort into it. The choice is yours. 
That is an almost perfect description of my own experience since I started DE shaving in February of this year. I should add that I have also become a source of amusement for my wife and kids who cannot believe how enthusiastic I have become about DE blades, "old fashioned" razors, and badger hair brushes!
I am not certain a DFS is second best. If it works, there is no irritation and your face feels good...then that is what is right for you.
I have two small section under my jawline that DFS is easy to achieve, but BBS causes irritation and I am leaving these DFS so as to be comfortable.
I have two small section under my jawline that DFS is easy to achieve, but BBS causes irritation and I am leaving these DFS so as to be comfortable.
I treat the BBS shave as a zen project. It will be a very rare event acheivng it but even just a decent shave is good enough.
If that doesn't hit the nail on the head I don't know what does.
Somewhere along the line, BBS automatically began to be equated to the 'best shave you can get'.
I'm all for striving for your best shave. But, as many others have already expressed, BBS isn't necessarily it...
In my particular case, I have thick, course facial hair (if I have 3 days of 5 o'clock shadow you can rub my cheeks against a grill grate and it'll clean it better than a brass brush) and a somewhat sensitive neck. So, while BBS is comfortably achievable on my cheeks, the angle of strokes/number of passes needed on my neck in order to chase it down result in major irritation - in other words, far from a 'best' shave for me. (In my book, three things need to be present for a 'best' rating on a shave: close, comfortable, and enjoyable.)
On the other hand, BBS on the cheeks with DFS on my neck can not only be achieved with great comfort (if I pay close attention to angle, pressure, and limit myself to two passes) - it also leaves me looking and feeling quite clean and refreshed.
So, by all means - definitely strive for your best shave... just don't make the instant assumption that BBS is what's 'best' for you. Find what is best for you and master the moves to be able to get it repeatedly and with maximum comfort and enjoyment.
Just my two cents on 'best shave' and BBS.
Shave on!
I've never bothered with the categories. I just want to start the day with a face that is smooth to my casual touch and doesn't have any evidence of previous blood-letting on it. I find stray hairs around my mouth a bit annoying but that's about it. Using a DE has allowed me to develop a technique that can take as long as I like or as little as ten minutes to get this result. I just wish I'd discovered DE razors, quality creams and soaps, and aftershaves about a decade earlier than I had.
I too feel that trying to get a BBS while still learning isn't worth worrying about. Perhaps when my technique has improved, I'll try to get closer - but for now I'm just pleased at not cutting my face or getting any irritation.
Second best? Nuts to that.
I see the idea that people have to go for a BBS to be a deterrent to new shavers.
If you want one and can get one, then great. Knock yourself out.
I will settle for a visually clean shave that leaves my skin feeling healthy.
I see the idea that people have to go for a BBS to be a deterrent to new shavers.
If you want one and can get one, then great. Knock yourself out.
I will settle for a visually clean shave that leaves my skin feeling healthy.
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