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How much blade feel? How about pressure?

Chan Eil Whiskers

Fumbling about.
I'm only a dozen or so shaves into using a true SR (as opposed to a Feather barber razor), and still have newbie questions. I'm a good and experience safety razor shaver.

How much blade feel do you get with your SR?

It occurred to me this morning that at some very shallow angles (spine just about on my skin) I'm not getting really any blade feel, but I think maybe the blade is cutting whiskers.

With a safety razor I usually get only a little blade feel (and I don't dislike or fear blade feel), but it's largely angle and razor dependent I think with the safety razor.

Do you use pressure with the SR or do you use a very light touch or what?

Again, this morning I noticed myself at a very shallow angle using some pressure, but maybe this was stupid or an otherwise bad idea?

Thanks and happy shaves,

Jim
 
Light touch, very little feel. It’s about the same as with a DE. I’m now at a point where I focus on the audible and am not impatient for the second or third pass. Reduction just comes.


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Increasing the pressure effectively increases the blade angle. Think about it, if you are deflecting your skin the incident angle at the edge is increasing. I find that the lighter the pressure, the closer the shave.
 

Chan Eil Whiskers

Fumbling about.
Light touch, very little feel. It’s about the same as with a DE. I’m now at a point where I focus on the audible and am not impatient for the second or third pass. Reduction just comes.

Thank you.

Increasing the pressure effectively increases the blade angle. Think about it, if you are deflecting your skin the incident angle at the edge is increasing. I find that the lighter the pressure, the closer the shave.

Much appreciated.

Happy shaves,

Jim
 
Okay, after thinking about it and paying attention with my shave this morning, I do use pressure, but not from my arm or hand. Everything I do is with the fingers. I tend to roll the tang as when I strop.
 
Comparing what my straight felt like to what it felt like to shave with a DE razor was one of the three things that REALLY helped me learn to have the right touch with a straight razor. The other two were a light little 4/8" razor, and watching @GearNoir's shave videos.
 
Comparing what my straight felt like to what it felt like to shave with a DE razor was one of the three things that REALLY helped me learn to have the right touch with a straight razor. The other two were a light little 4/8" razor, and watching @GearNoir's shave videos.
We are all helping each other. :a21:
 
I'm only a dozen or so shaves into using a true SR (as opposed to a Feather barber razor), and still have newbie questions. I'm a good and experience safety razor shaver.

How much blade feel do you get with your SR?

It occurred to me this morning that at some very shallow angles (spine just about on my skin) I'm not getting really any blade feel, but I think maybe the blade is cutting whiskers.

With a safety razor I usually get only a little blade feel (and I don't dislike or fear blade feel), but it's largely angle and razor dependent I think with the safety razor.

Do you use pressure with the SR or do you use a very light touch or what?

Again, this morning I noticed myself at a very shallow angle using some pressure, but maybe this was stupid or an otherwise bad idea?

Thanks and happy shaves,

Jim

To try and answer your questions:

- Open blade shaving is by its nature, 100% blade feel, but you have a much wider cutting window than a DE, which forces you to accept a range of angles or optimal angle that may otherwise be uncomfortable for you. You have more control in an open blade which allows you to mitigate a lot of that blade feel by flattening the razor put closer to the skin (shallow angle, akin to riding the cap on a DE).

- There is some pressure involved, but I prefer to think of it a a light hand (very minimal pressure) combined with a good amount of momentum to carry the stroke through, momentum being pressure more parallel to the cutting surface than pushing into the cutting surface. In a DE, you have the cap and guard not just to help stretch the skin but to try and help you be mindful of your pressure without causing damage; in open blade shaving, you have no such safety or drastically less of it at least, it’s all up to ability, feel, angle, and skin stretching.
 
To try and answer your questions:

- Open blade shaving is by its nature, 100% blade feel, but you have a much wider cutting window than a DE, which forces you to accept a range of angles or optimal angle that may otherwise be uncomfortable for you. You have more control in an open blade which allows you to mitigate a lot of that blade feel by flattening the razor put closer to the skin (shallow angle, akin to riding the cap on a DE).

- There is some pressure involved, but I prefer to think of it a a light hand (very minimal pressure) combined with a good amount of momentum to carry the stroke through, momentum being pressure more parallel to the cutting surface than pushing into the cutting surface. In a DE, you have the cap and guard not just to help stretch the skin but to try and help you be mindful of your pressure without causing damage; in open blade shaving, you have no such safety or drastically less of it at least, it’s all up to ability, feel, angle, and skin stretching.
Well said.
 

Chan Eil Whiskers

Fumbling about.
To try and answer your questions:

- Open blade shaving is by its nature, 100% blade feel, but you have a much wider cutting window than a DE, which forces you to accept a range of angles or optimal angle that may otherwise be uncomfortable for you. You have more control in an open blade which allows you to mitigate a lot of that blade feel by flattening the razor put closer to the skin (shallow angle, akin to riding the cap on a DE).

- There is some pressure involved, but I prefer to think of it a a light hand (very minimal pressure) combined with a good amount of momentum to carry the stroke through, momentum being pressure more parallel to the cutting surface than pushing into the cutting surface. In a DE, you have the cap and guard not just to help stretch the skin but to try and help you be mindful of your pressure without causing damage; in open blade shaving, you have no such safety or drastically less of it at least, it’s all up to ability, feel, angle, and skin stretching.

Thank you.

I also finally found your shave journal on this forum and your video shave log on YouTube.

Happy shaves,

Jim
 
GearNoir is quite right, particularly as regards momentum as opposed to pressure. Also as bluesman notes, more pressure effectively increases the blade angle and, I would imagine, one probably sacrifices momentum in the process... less momentum + increased blade angle = more bitey (or at least more irritating).
 

Chan Eil Whiskers

Fumbling about.
GearNoir is quite right, particularly as regards momentum as opposed to pressure. Also as bluesman notes, more pressure effectively increases the blade angle and, I would imagine, one probably sacrifices momentum in the process... less momentum + increased blade angle = more bitey (or at least more irritating).

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Thanks to you and everybody mentioning momentum. It seems right clear to me that momentum is hugely important and also that I'm not quite there yet, but I'm making progress.

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It can be a little scary!

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I'm not sure of the percentage, but I'll take it on faith. I'll take on faith, too, that there's a potential downside, but I'm becoming a bit less afraid of it.

I've long been a guy to extremely hydrate my lathers. Now I'm exploring my soaps to see which is most slick and has the most residual slickness as a matchup to SR shaving.

Happy shaves,

Jim
 

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
I've still got my learner plates on when it comes to straight shaving, but that's more to do with the handle being in the "wrong place", instead of perpendicular to the centre of the blade. The face feel is pretty much the same as DE, and as to pressure, I try to "hover at skin level" just like I do with any other razor.
 
This quickly became one of my favorite aspects of straight razor shaving, I really enjoyed my fat boy adjustable and would often alter it in between and during my passes. Then I picked up a straight razor and learned that angle can ultimately be viewed as infinitely adjustable. Flat against the face makes for a very comfortable pass that still quite efficiently removes hair, a little more angle seems to more closely shave. I often will slightly increase angle each pass to increase closeness, its the only thing that has ever made my neck comfortably BBS.
 
This quickly became one of my favorite aspects of straight razor shaving, I really enjoyed my fat boy adjustable and would often alter it in between and during my passes. Then I picked up a straight razor and learned that angle can ultimately be viewed as infinitely adjustable. Flat against the face makes for a very comfortable pass that still quite efficiently removes hair, a little more angle seems to more closely shave. I often will slightly increase angle each pass to increase closeness, its the only thing that has ever made my neck comfortably BBS.

Interesting. I think I need to try that on my submandibular triangle. I’ve been keeping a shallow angle and shave in every direction to no avail.


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Chan Eil Whiskers

Fumbling about.
This quickly became one of my favorite aspects of straight razor shaving, I really enjoyed my fat boy adjustable and would often alter it in between and during my passes. Then I picked up a straight razor and learned that angle can ultimately be viewed as infinitely adjustable. Flat against the face makes for a very comfortable pass that still quite efficiently removes hair, a little more angle seems to more closely shave. I often will slightly increase angle each pass to increase closeness, its the only thing that has ever made my neck comfortably BBS.

Thank you. I find this both interesting and helpful.

Happy shaves,

Jim
 
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