[Content lifted from another thread...but it's mine.]
The RazoRock Mission was the razor that started it all. Well, it's the one that SWMBO got me for Christmas when I first started DE shaving. Truth be told, I (literally) couldn't wait for it to arrive, so I bought a '45 Tech (triangle slots) and Flare Tip at an antique store. The Tech was my first actual shaver, but it's the thought that counts...
Anyway, I wasn't super-stoked with the Mission. However, I know that each razor is different, so I committed to giving it the old college try to see if I could figure out how to get good shaves.
I had a few tiny nicks and missed hairs on the first run, but that could have been because I did only WTG the day before and my skin does best if I get a two-pass shave daily. Unfortunately, the second day of shaving with it was much the same - tiny nicks and areas of inefficiency, coupled with more irritation than I get with my Slim.
I have been using my solid soap/brush combo to give myself the best possible chance at figuring out this razor. I told myself that I would work with it through the month, and if by that milestone we weren't getting along, you could look for it in a May PIF.
In my determination to make friends with the Mission, I tried something very different: steepness. I'm usually a "ride the cap" kind of guy, but when doing some clean-up on my second go with the razor, I found that using a steep angle seemed to be surprisingly efficient and less fraught.
So, for a few days now, I have tried shaving in a way that is antithetical to what I've done (and believed) for the last four years. I keep the handle down, "riding the bar", and it has been a revelation! The result is a closer and less-irritated shave than I've ever had with this razor, even on the wiry-haired, craggy chin area. I may be onto something...
One issue that I find with certain razors - ones that don't hold the blade quite rigidly, like the Mission and most OC razors - is that the blade chatters. On my face, this equals missed hairs, nicks and irritation. I suspect that "riding the bar" keeps the blade from flexing because it has nowhere to go - it's forced against the top cap, even with the very light pressure being used. With a rigid blade comes more efficiency, so I'm going to try this technique with my much-loved but rarely-used razors, like my Old Type thin cap, Aristocrat and NEW LC.
Do you have a razor that gives you trouble when riding the cap? If so, try gently riding the bar (or teeth) and see what happens!
The RazoRock Mission was the razor that started it all. Well, it's the one that SWMBO got me for Christmas when I first started DE shaving. Truth be told, I (literally) couldn't wait for it to arrive, so I bought a '45 Tech (triangle slots) and Flare Tip at an antique store. The Tech was my first actual shaver, but it's the thought that counts...
Anyway, I wasn't super-stoked with the Mission. However, I know that each razor is different, so I committed to giving it the old college try to see if I could figure out how to get good shaves.
I had a few tiny nicks and missed hairs on the first run, but that could have been because I did only WTG the day before and my skin does best if I get a two-pass shave daily. Unfortunately, the second day of shaving with it was much the same - tiny nicks and areas of inefficiency, coupled with more irritation than I get with my Slim.
I have been using my solid soap/brush combo to give myself the best possible chance at figuring out this razor. I told myself that I would work with it through the month, and if by that milestone we weren't getting along, you could look for it in a May PIF.
In my determination to make friends with the Mission, I tried something very different: steepness. I'm usually a "ride the cap" kind of guy, but when doing some clean-up on my second go with the razor, I found that using a steep angle seemed to be surprisingly efficient and less fraught.
So, for a few days now, I have tried shaving in a way that is antithetical to what I've done (and believed) for the last four years. I keep the handle down, "riding the bar", and it has been a revelation! The result is a closer and less-irritated shave than I've ever had with this razor, even on the wiry-haired, craggy chin area. I may be onto something...
One issue that I find with certain razors - ones that don't hold the blade quite rigidly, like the Mission and most OC razors - is that the blade chatters. On my face, this equals missed hairs, nicks and irritation. I suspect that "riding the bar" keeps the blade from flexing because it has nowhere to go - it's forced against the top cap, even with the very light pressure being used. With a rigid blade comes more efficiency, so I'm going to try this technique with my much-loved but rarely-used razors, like my Old Type thin cap, Aristocrat and NEW LC.
Do you have a razor that gives you trouble when riding the cap? If so, try gently riding the bar (or teeth) and see what happens!
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