New to B&B.

[BigJ]

Welcome aboard!

 

[JCinPA]

Welcome! Pull up a chair, grab a cuppa joe and have a look around!

 

[GWood]

Thank you all for the kind welcomes and tips.
What I have found works so far is the Feather blade for the face (About 5 to 6 shaves) and Astra for the head shave(Have 4 head shaves on the latest, still going strong).
On the head, I was going against the grain for the first pass, since that is what I had to do with a cartridge razor. I changed that up to do a with the grain pass first. I can usually clean up by just rewetting my head in the areas that need it.
Constantly learning!

 

[JoWolf]

Thank you all for the kind welcomes and tips.
What I have found works so far is the Feather blade for the face (About 5 to 6 shaves) and Astra for the head shave(Have 4 head shaves on the latest, still going strong).
On the head, I was going against the grain for the first pass, since that is what I had to do with a cartridge razor. I changed that up to do a with the grain pass first. I can usually clean up by just rewetting my head in the areas that need it.
Constantly learning!

Your blades and shaves demonstrate very good techniques in your shave. I was not able to use Feathers in my shave for well over a year. I have been a face & head shaver since the mid 80’s. My shave now has morphed into an ATG Single Pass face and head shave. I morphed into a single use Feather, for each shave. Always practicing and using the same sharpness in the blade has elevated my shave.

Why would you use dull or dulling blades in your shave?

The apex of any blade will start to lose the keenness or become rounded with use. This blade will not cut through the load as quickly or cleanly as the sharp blade. Slower cutting and it tends to rip through the load rather than slice through the load. More pressure is required for the same cut. Some speed and some efficiency needs to be sacrificed to complete the cut.

If slicing a tomato with a freshly honed slicer. Fast, efficient, clean cut with no juice lost or sacrificed In the cut. A duller slicer and you move the blade apex towards heel or toe of the knife looking for good purchase into the load to make the cut. Blade is not as sharp therefore the tearing of the rounded apex and the added pressure required finishes the slice with a jagged cut and juice loss. The same physics applies to all apex’s.

A used blade does not slice as well as a new blade. Campaigning used blades requires you to manipulate the blade to get a cut. Since it isn’t as sharp. So you are practicing or shaving with a duller blade. The blade being duller will not be as efficient therefore you will require more strokes to achieve the same results as a sharper blade. If the sharp blade completed the shave with fifty strokes and the duller blade needed sixty five strokes. You are balancing time, efficiency, and comfort with the sharpness of the blade you use.

After single use Feathers for over a year. I tried a Bic Chrome Platinum (sharper than your Astra’s, duller than the Feather) The first stroke the blade caught and pulled on whiskers (same feeling you get with the tug in carts) My stroke was too quick for the blade sharpness. The apex making purchase in the hair was not sharp enough to slice through and a tugging on the whiskers was overcome by slowing the speed of the stroke down and increasing pressure. Now my usual single pass BBS went to a two pass DFS. Good shave no problem, not what I am used to or prefer. A year ago I was single pass with the Bic. I could get to the single pass again with more practice but more strokes would be required since it isn’t as sharp as a Feather.

GWood I have no suggestions for your shave other than use sharpest blade possible. It will elevate your shave a lot quicker than most of us did. There are many wonderful products and equipment to bring pleasure and luxury to your shaves. Trying them out is the only way to see what works best for you and Your Shave.

If you are interested in my progression of a six pass face & head to a two pass face & head it is recorded and posted in my journal. Good luck on your journey.