You’ve got me thinking now whether a one pass ATG was at one time a fairly common method of shaving.Regarding shaving WTG vs ATG some of the old, pre-DE, shaving manuals advise to always shave WTG to mitigate the risk of the blade cutting ones face after turning downward by catching on the hairs. Wonder if many of the instructions recommending an initial WTG pass are carryovers from what was then a recommended practice for SE shaving? Suspect that with the level of safety provided by DE vs. SE razors that this risk is largely mitigated enabling safer first pass ATG shaves for those who prefer shaving this way.
Like you, ATG on a first pass works very well for me where I use it. Of course YMMV based on preferences and beard characteristics always applies.
Nobody ever talked about shaving back then, but I know it was a chore for most people, and something to be done as quickly as possible.
I remember as a boy watching my dad shave and longing for the day when I could do it. He used to say, wait until you have to shave every day, you won’t want to then.
He was right, and I used to be covered in nicks and cuts at the beginning. I learnt very quickly just to use short strokes when I was shaving, but I’ve never been able to shave ATG with ordinary bar soap.
Come to think of it neither did he, he always used Ingrams shaving cream, and there was nobody more frugal than him.
He’d served in the army in WW2 and had seen some really hard times. Make do and mend, and just get on with it was his philosophy.