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Have You Found Your Balance?

Guys, I've been into this hobby for just a few months now, and I'm still experimenting with different blades. I'm trying to find the ideal balance of the type of razor, type of blade, and number of passes. I find that if I use one of the sharper blades, I can get a good close shave with minimal irritation in fewer passes. If I use a milder blade like a Derby, I can get just as close, but with one additional pass. If there's a difference between those two techniques in the degree of irritation I suffer, it'll take more experience to bear that out. I'm sure the same balancing act applies to aggressive vs. mild razors, but right now I'm using the same razor every time so as not to over-complicate my experiment.

So please tell me about your experiences and the setups that work best for you. Which razors, which blades, how many passes? All comments are welcome.
 

Rhody

I'm a Lumberjack.
I keep going back to my timeless 68 oc and kai blades
pretty much my gold standard i think
 
I mostly use Gillette Silver Blue in my rotation with a feather and astra every now and then.

Its a hobby that eases my need to shave everyday. My rotation includes a toggle (5), ATT S2, guerilla, PAA AE, and ATT H1.

WTG and ATX every time.
 
Any razor I have, any blade I’ve tried, any of my soaps - 3 pass BBS/DFS is a normal, relaxing shave; 2 pass BBS/DFS if I’m in a hurry.
 
After more than five years of traditional shaving I've not settled on one combination I reach for automatically. I can get a DFS/BBS with very many different set-ups, and enjoy the variety of trying different ones.
 
Generally my standard balance is a Rockwell 6s for workday shaves and vintage or other modern razors like the R41 on weekends. Soap is generally rotated. AS is usually going to be a version of Old Spice.
 
I use Feather in all razors. I have always done two passes: WTG and ATG. I have tested a few time to add a XTG pass, but I see no benefit of it.

Out of about 30 razors I almost always shave with iKon X3 and if I am away from home Saiver.
 
I went through a bunch of blades early on... Rotating often, but I'm not convinced that my developing technique was fair to many of those I rejected... I used Feathers exclusively for some time, then switched to Personna Med Prep blades which I have been using in all the razors in the rotation since. I've never been able to get as close as I like with just 2 passes, but three gets the job done.
 
I use a variety of brushes, soaps and razors. The only 2 blades which I buy these days are Astra SP and Personna Med Prep - my wife is finishing off the end of my stock of Derby but will happily use one of my other blades when they are gone.

My shaving routine changes depending on my mood and, plans for the day (or evening) and how much time I have on hand. It may be a simple WTG, ATG shave or it could be 4 passes.
 
I have pretty much settled on the combination of a mild/moderate razor with sharp blades (from my rotation). I also prefer slick ‘tallow’ soaps from more established manufacturers.
 

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
I do have my favourites, but I still use others too. I don't select kit to suit my technique, my technique adjusts to suit the kit.
 
My blades are set - Israeli Personna Red. I think I have one more Gillette Silver Blue, and couple more tucks of Astra SPs, so I'll toss those in every once in a while to mix things up, but the Personnas are my every day go-to blade.

Everything else fluxes or rotates. I'll usually use a different razor everyday. One or two days a week, I'll use one of my vintage brushes, but most of the time, I'll use my Rooney Pure Badger. Aftershave rotates, also. Most of the time, I'll use a "drugstore" AS, occasionally throwing in some Dior Sauvage, or some other non-drugstore AS.

About 2 or 3 times a year, I'll spend a month or two using nothing but my SE razors with GEM/Personna PTFE SS blades. I have quite a few Schick/PAL/Personna injector razors, but I don't use them very often.
 
I appear to be your age, Carson. I spent several years trying different razors and blades, but for the last 4 years I have only used one razor, a Merkur 34G. I don't care for sharp blades (like Feathers, 7 O'Clock yellows and blues). I'd rather do a little extra touchup with a milder, more forgiving blade. My favorite blade is Astra SP which I toss after 3 shaves, but since I accumulated about 800 Personna Red blades during my SuperSpeed phase, I also use them in the Merkur. The Reds get tossed after 2 shaves. I started off with Derby blades, but Astra SP and Personna Reds are much better blades in that mild, forgiving category.
 
Weber DLC and Polsilver blades work great together for me . The Polsilver blades are also nice in a slim or an aristocrat too .
 
I have a variety of razors, brushes, blades, soaps, and aftershave at my disposal.
With the ability to use any in any combination to achieve a fantastic shave without fail certainly make me think that I found my balance.
 
In general, my experience has been that sharper blades tend to work better in milder razors, while less aggressive blades pair well with more aggressive razors.

For example, I like to pair:

Feather Blades with my Black Tip or TV Special Superspeed
Polsilver blades in my Parker Variant
Gillette Silver Blues in my Fatboy and Slim

As noted in other posts, however, YMMV.
 
My blades are set - Israeli Personna Red. I think I have one more Gillette Silver Blue, and couple more tucks of Astra SPs, so I'll toss those in every once in a while to mix things up, but the Personnas are my every day go-to blade.

Everything else fluxes or rotates. I'll usually use a different razor everyday. One or two days a week, I'll use one of my vintage brushes, but most of the time, I'll use my Rooney Pure Badger. Aftershave rotates, also. Most of the time, I'll use a "drugstore" AS, occasionally throwing in some Dior Sauvage, or some other non-drugstore AS.

About 2 or 3 times a year, I'll spend a month or two using nothing but my SE razors with GEM/Personna PTFE SS blades. I have quite a few Schick/PAL/Personna injector razors, but I don't use them very often.

I know what you mean about the Israeli reds. I got one of the best shaves ever from the one I tried. I'll surely try more.
 
In general, my experience has been that sharper blades tend to work better in milder razors, while less aggressive blades pair well with more aggressive razors.

For example, I like to pair:

Feather Blades with my Black Tip or TV Special Superspeed
Polsilver blades in my Parker Variant
Gillette Silver Blues in my Fatboy and Slim

As noted in other posts, however, YMMV.

I'm beginning to lean in that direction as well. It seems that so far I've had better all around experiences using sharp blades in my Edwin Jagger DE 89, but I'm still too green to make a fair conclusion. Thanks for the feedback.
 
I have a variety of razors, brushes, blades, soaps, and aftershave at my disposal.
With the ability to use any in any combination to achieve a fantastic shave without fail certainly make me think that I found my balance.

Everything works for you. That has to be the best situation of all.
 
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