Assuming my technique is the same with both, what gives?
I get more nicks, bumps and irritation with mild razors than aggressive razors
- Thread starter 100pctFragranceFree
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A lot of people unconsciously push with mild razors because they aren't cutting. I can think of a couple others that come up occasionally...
+1 I was doing this exact same thing. I switched to a more aggressive plate on my Rockwell and it forced me to truly use a light touch. I thought I was doing that with milder plates but clearly I wasn’t.
It takes time to get the feel and muscle memory to not apply too much pressure.
The next one that comes to mind is feeling the blade edge. It's not just the efficiency at play, it's being able to find and maintain the correct angle. The Henson mild comes up frequently, the advise is always: trust the built in angle, you can't feel the blade. Other mild razors aren't this foolproof and going too steep, even with the Henson, is cited as a leading cause of nicks and irritation. I guess that's it for me.
What's your actual technique? Are you pressing down on the mild razor? Are you repeating passes until you get a BBS? It's going to be hard to figure out what's going on until you provide more details.
How's your beard? If you have a stiff, barb-wire beard, you may need an aggressive razor.
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- #7
Thanks. Yeah, I've noticed I can cut too deep when I'm riding the cap.
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- #8
On the mild razors I think sometimes I'm too confident that they won't cause any damage, so I'm probably a little careless and am not paying too much attention to the pressure. And yet,I'm sure at times I press a little too hard too. (And I don't really try for BBS. DFS is good enough for me.)
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- #9
Thanks. I'd say it's pretty average. Certainly not barb-wire. And my face is pretty smooth.
I think your technique is the problem and the aggressive razors are hiding that issue.
I don't know if you are a daily shaver but the razors with ~0.7 mm gap and ~ neutral blade exposure (DE89 or similar) are perfectly capable of giving you a good daily shave; the TECH has a smaller blade gap. Perhaps try those you call mild razors for a month and you will see an improvement when you dial them in.
I don't understand why because moving away from the neutral angle (also called design angle) moves the blade edge away from the skin. Try and keep to the neutral angle as much as possible during the shave. Have a look at this which may help you understand blade angle; Blade Angle | Badger & Blade
I think you have hit the nail on the head here and using too much pressure to get the results is part of the problem. Let the blade do the work is my motto.
Your Gillette Slim Adjustable set on 3 or 4 should give you great daily shaves with an Astra SP or GSB.
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I think a part of the problem is blade feel. When I'm using a mild razor with minimal blade feel I unconsciously press harder, much like I used to do with cartridge razors. When I use a more aggressive razor I can feel the blade on my skin and allow the weight of the head to do the work.
Ahhh, there's the rub. I assume your technique isn't the same. In this situation I unconsciously try to get the same result from the milder razor (and given the same blade, the only way to do that is to add pressure - which, of course, gives me a face full of irritation).
Great thread!! Excellent advice in each and every post!! 
Which razors and which blades do you use?
do you have to shave every day?
do you have to shave every day?
The two points that come to mind are using too much pressure to overcompensate for the lack of aggression and also the razor/blade tugging and pulling hairs as opposed to cleanly cutting them in a more aggressive razor.
As stated before, a big culprit can be too much pressure.
I rarely get any irritation, weepers etc., but when I do, it's usually with a blade that I've used several times, and has lost some of its Sharpness. Then I probably press harder to compensate.
I rarely get any irritation, weepers etc., but when I do, it's usually with a blade that I've used several times, and has lost some of its Sharpness. Then I probably press harder to compensate.
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- #17
Thanks a lot for the good information. And thanks for the link. (To me, I have a Muhle Twist (basically a DE89 head) and that's as close as I ever want to shave.) I'll try my Slim on 3 or 4. And I love Astra SPs and GSBs.
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- #18
Thanks. Yeah, when I have more blade feel I definitely slow down. No blade feel I'm zooming.
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- #19
Well, a bunch of razors. The more aggresive (for me anyway) ones are the Muhle Twist and Lupo SS .72 and even a Red Tip. The milder ones (that I can get in trouble with): Mamba 53, Blue Tip, SS Flare. Blades I favor: 7 o'clock Black, Astra SP, GSB, Bolzano. Blades I can get cut by: Feather, Wilkinson Sword, Supermax, Shark.
obviously my friend it's all in the technique as well as the type of your skin.
a personal tip:
try as many blades as you can (I recommend the rapira pink , treet platino, personna) and a really mild aggressive razor like an r89 or an ATT 0.40 / 0,50 blade gap, Rockwell 6S plate 3/4
As pre shave use an hot towel and a good unscented soap or cream .
And when you happen to have irritation take a day off in shaving
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