How many passes before your get irritation?

[Timor1322]

In my SR shaves it depends 1 to 3 passes

The mechanics depends on the followings;

- sharpness of the edge (Finishing stone 8K, 12K, etc...)
- type of the SR (Hollow, half hollow, extra hollow)
- Size of the SR (3/8,4/8,5/8, 6/8, etc..)
- Steel of SR (Metallurgy)
- number of the shaves in the same SR after last touch up
- day(s) of growth

 

[oscar11]

I do a very satisfactory one pass shave. No reason to more passes for a marginal result.

 

[Darth Scandalous]

^ I agree! If you get irritation, you are not controlling the angle and pressure; or your bevel has not been set.

I'm going to politely disagree, at least partially. I say partially, because there's irritation, and then there's IRRITATION. But I get noticeably different levels of comfort during and after the shave, with different finishes, even on the same razor finished different ways.

 

[Steve56]

It isn’t as simple as just the number of passes. I usually do two passes but have done 3 passes many times with no issues. There’s no point in 4 passes for me, no difference from 3. The thread title overlooks some points that are obvious to experienced SR shavers.

Irritation is caused by too much exfoliation, you’re getting down to living skin cells. But you want some exfoliation, that’s what BBS etc is the result of IMO. Many factors contribute to exfoliation.

- The quality of the edge - if the toe and heel aren’t bevel set and finished well, it will scrape rather than cut.
- Synthetic edges exfoliate more than good natural edges. The difference is not huge but noticeable.
- Too much pressure will cause irritation.
- The angle of the blade makes a large difference. Want irritation (and nicks)? Raise the spine up. A higher angle is very effective at cleaning up stubble on the last pass, but reduce the pressure.
- You will get less irritation with a slick, high quality soap that also has good residual slickness. Avoid drugstore soaps and creams. They usually get ‘tacky’ or sticky if they get drier and cause the blade to dig in.

 

[5whiskey]

I´m with Slash. I enjoy my shaves, but at the same time it´s not some kind of required zen time. Shaving is something I have to accomplish, a chore if you wish. It was really a chore back in the Mach3 days. I got no enjoyment out of it, and it was a hassle that had to be done. DE and SR shaving changed that, and I do enjoy my shave routine. But I don´t look for ways to purposefully lengthen it, or ensure that it has to be done more frequently. Yes, I too enjoy the manly (yet gentlemanly) way to shave. I also really enjoy taking 150+ year old implements and making them as useful as modern ones.

All that said, I usually do 2.5 passes. 1 WTG, 1 hybrid XTG/ATG, and then I have to clean up in some trouble areas. This gets me a DFS, and I rarely begin to feel detectable stubble before 12+ hours. I could get a slightly closer shave with an extra pass, but I feel it would be a point of diminishing returns.