I think you need to read my post over again. Nowhere in it is there mention of Tech razors, your technique or criticism of any kind. It was about my opinion concerning comparisons. The beginning and end also state that it is my respectful disagreement in my respectful humble opinion.
More and more aggressive...
- Thread starter JCarr
- Start date
Not directly, but my comment was referring to what EclipseRedRing said that in the past most razors weren't super efficient, yet people didn't complain at all and that the people who complain now have issues with their technique and it's not the razor's fault. People back then used DE razors like everyone these days is using cartridge razors. Things are not even remotly the same and that's like comparing old cars, computers, the internet and whatever of today to back then, it's similar, but not the same. Just because for example you and a couple of people around your age are using the same razors then and now and have no complains that doesn't mean that this would apply to everyone. Some vintage razors are great, but for me, the Tech isn't one of them, but it's still a good razor for beginners to have a perspective of what different razors can do. Having a different opinion is not a bad thing, but it's more like what works for you specifically rather than saying how it should work for everyone.
I interpreted Eclipse to be saying millions upon millions of people have used razors like the Tech with success. That's one of the most produced, most popular razors ever. Our bodies are essentially the same then and now. So, complaining the Tech is just too mild to be effective is not a statement of fact, but more of a preference or a modern fashion for shaving hobbyists who want more aggressive razors.
That's not intended as a personal insult or attack.
Nor indirectly. My comment was referring to your opinion concerning (apples to oranges) comparisons only. Although our opinions differ, I respect yours, Please respect mine. Now lets move on.
Easy gents.
Couple of thoughts: 1) older DEs were not universally mild, that was largely a post-WWII change.
2) We do not have the same social imperatives. Today, it is socially acceptable for men to walk around looking like the mangy south end of a north bout donkey, and it's "stylish", whether you're talking about x-days worth of stubble, patchy beards, etc..
Shave enthusiasts buy a lot of shave gear, and we certainly drive trends, but I suspect there are more guys buying (or having bought for them) Wolfman, Timeless, Blackland, etc., razors than post regularly, if at all, on boards.
Couple of thoughts: 1) older DEs were not universally mild, that was largely a post-WWII change.
2) We do not have the same social imperatives. Today, it is socially acceptable for men to walk around looking like the mangy south end of a north bout donkey, and it's "stylish", whether you're talking about x-days worth of stubble, patchy beards, etc..
Shave enthusiasts buy a lot of shave gear, and we certainly drive trends, but I suspect there are more guys buying (or having bought for them) Wolfman, Timeless, Blackland, etc., razors than post regularly, if at all, on boards.
I understand, but in general when a person doesn't like a mild razor like the Tech in particular there's always someone who throws the ''muh technique'' card on the table implying that it's the persons fault that he can't get a good shave out of it. A few months ago when I was browsing on Ebay for vintage razors, I came across a #160 Goodwill along with a post-war Tech and I've got them, because of the Goodwill. After they arrived I wanted to give the Tech a try and after a few strokes, I left the Tech and grabbed the Goodwill instead and I don't think I'm ever going to give that Tech a second try.
The only Techs that I ''kinda'' like are the British Hybrid and the Flat Bottom and even they are ridiculously mild and inefficient. People can like and say whatever they want, that's their opinion, but trying to convince me that a Tech is all a person needs can only work for someone who haven't tried anything else before.
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That's what I'm trying to say, is that things are not the same and in almost all cases comparing how anything in the past worked and why it doesn't work now is a bad argument at best. Back then the idea behind those razors was much different and there's a reason why Gillette made the Super Speed trio for different types of men and then started making adjustable razors. Also, if Techs were that great, me and lots of other people wouldn't have gone far and beyond trying other vintage and modern razors. That's like saying my shoes are comfortable and therefore they should fit everyone the same way.
I'm not disrespectful and you can think whatever you want to think and I'm ok with that, it's just that your opinion is in the minority and for most people that wouldn't work.
- Thread starter
- #49
Could be. I think my face got used to it.
when I first got back into DE razors around 2012 I gravitated to more and more aggressive razors. However, over the last 3 years I've begun appreciating mild razors quite a bit. I guess I'm fickle.
There are plenty of modern and vintage razors that feel quite mild, but are also quite efficient at the same time. The word ''mild'' alone can't fully describe the razor's properties and it doesn't necessarily mean that all mild razors are super inefficient. I think the terms mild and aggressive have a different meaning for everyone and the same goes for steep and shallow angle. As strange at it might look, I have noticed that not everyone fully agrees on what a steep and shallow really means despite claiming that they do, but that's a whole new topic of discussion.
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So true.
I haven’t read anything about men’s shaving habits during WW1, but I do know, my grandfather was a barber on the USS Missouri. I have the straight razor and the leather strop he used. I don’t know how he got the edge sharpened: just how he maintained it. I with I would have asked him about that.
My dad was on BB-64, USS New Jersey, in Korea.
I started out with a Claymore Evolution. Brian Mulreany told me it was a “mild but efficient” razor. I had no frame of reference at the time.
Fast forward 9.5 months: I still like razors that fall into that genre. I do have razors closer to the “medium but efficient”, but they are all smooth and comfortable. I do have an inexpensive R41, but I haven’t tried it yet.
In a week or so, a few of us are going to be experimenting with the RR Lupo with the .72OC/.72SB and the .95OC/.95SB combinations. I’m guessing the.95 base plates would be classified as efficient/aggressive, I’m hoping they will be smooth and comfortable. We’ll see.
Fast forward 9.5 months: I still like razors that fall into that genre. I do have razors closer to the “medium but efficient”, but they are all smooth and comfortable. I do have an inexpensive R41, but I haven’t tried it yet.
In a week or so, a few of us are going to be experimenting with the RR Lupo with the .72OC/.72SB and the .95OC/.95SB combinations. I’m guessing the.95 base plates would be classified as efficient/aggressive, I’m hoping they will be smooth and comfortable. We’ll see.
I feel that all levels, from mild to aggressive, have their place in a rotation. It all depends on the day.
Of course if you are a 1 razor type of person you should probably narrow it down to the most adequate one for your needs.
Of course if you are a 1 razor type of person you should probably narrow it down to the most adequate one for your needs.
Ron R
I survived a lathey foreman
With a aggressive razor you can regulate it like a adjustable razor but on the fly once you dial it in.
For myself I have some aggressive 3pc razors and the best way to master them is with steep angle (riding the bar) with a short handle give some spectacular shaves irritation free mostly(blemishes can get sliced off easily). It is mostly blade feel on the fly is the best way to describe the shave. The short handle reduces leverage and weight and quicker to respond + good to hold the steep angle at the bottom of the neck area with out scooping out to complete a stroke.
Good luck with your razor hunting!
For myself I have some aggressive 3pc razors and the best way to master them is with steep angle (riding the bar) with a short handle give some spectacular shaves irritation free mostly(blemishes can get sliced off easily). It is mostly blade feel on the fly is the best way to describe the shave. The short handle reduces leverage and weight and quicker to respond + good to hold the steep angle at the bottom of the neck area with out scooping out to complete a stroke.
Good luck with your razor hunting!
Hi Dapper Gent, I recently researched the facts behind the history of the three pass shave (thread via link below) and they actually support a historic standard of one to two passes. Yes three passes existed but they were a rare exception, not the rule. All the historic documents talk about a one pass shave with two passes if one wanted an extra close shave. Even a barber school text noted that a third pass shave was rarely done. Your everyday shave at a barber shop standard was exceptional back then. This is consistent with @Medivh 's post #30 above.
My personal experience also supports that. When I first started shaving, with a DE when in college not that many years after you began, all the instructions I saw led me to a one pass shave with some touch up using canned shaving cream. Never heard of three passes until I returned to DE (switched to electric 5 years after I started shaving) 3+ years ago. From what we can tell the more wide spread messaging around the three pass shave occurred over the past 10-15 years via the internet as DE shaving evolved from a basic personal hygiene activity into a hobby for many. This evolution into a hobby does make historical DE shaving less comparable to what we do today.
Have a look at the sources and posts in the thread linked below and you will see how exceptional the shaving techniques learned from your father were versus what was typical decades ago.
How Did the Three Pass Shave Originate? One or Two Passes Were Standard Historically.
Curious as to the origination of today's recommended three pass DE shave with, across and against the grain? Is anyone familiar with the basis for this? My attempt to research the topic hasn't found any historical basis for this beyond the more recent posts and videos from DE shavers who...
www.badgerandblade.com
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