No Sugar Coated Feadback Wanted

[DonN]

been shaving with a double edge now for about 6 months - cvs, 7o'clocks,franklins,dorco, & red personnas attached to either my FatBoy or the Merkur 34C-HD - good cross section of blades - I'm retired and so i've had the time to master lather production and technique - and it's hot shower with hair conditioner before the shave.

i enjoy the process and find it neat to be shaving with a 50 year old razor but here's my peeve - with a fresh blade & a 2-day beard it always feels and sounds like i'm scraping the whiskers off rather than quietly and smoothly removing them ala Fusion with goo for example.

granted after 1-2 passes above the jaw line and 3-4 below the face is pretty smooth but i can't get beyond that scraping sound in order to make the entire experience comparable to the Fusion.

in all honesty are there any of you who can relate to this and if so do you just accept it or have you truly found a way to mitigate it ?? honest answers please !!

 

[davecmu]

It is my very humble opinion that the sound is part of the enjoyment of the whole experience, although I do understand that there are people with certain sound sensitivities. I have been known to shut the door, turn off the fan, silence the radio - whatever it takes - to be able to hear the sound of the whisker whacking.

There are some guys (myself included) here who actually consider that sound a form of feedback about their technique, kind of like driving a car or riding a motorcycle. When it's running right, you know what it sounds like. You could always think of the whisker sound the same way.

 

[DFrancis]

What creams/soaps are you using? I find with a few days a growth a tallow soap works best (usually MWF & tabac) for me (superspeed and astra SP blades). Perhaps a sharper blade would also help.

 

[BladeRunner001]

I think the sound is there to stay...you will hear different sounds from different blades too (if you listen carefully). I wouldn't worry about it...as long as you are getting a nice smooth shave, that's all that counts.

 

[Snargle]

The reason you don't hear sounds from the cartridge razors is they're mostly made of plastic. A nice DE razor is made from machined metal and equipped with a sharp metal blade...it's going to resonate nicely when it's doing its job. Enjoy it...as mentioned before, it's a great form of feedback.

 

[Shavely Manden]

been shaving with a double edge now for about 6 months - cvs, 7o'clocks,franklins,dorco, & red personnas attached to either my FatBoy or the Merkur 34C-HD - good cross section of blades - I'm retired and so i've had the time to master lather production and technique - and it's hot shower with hair conditioner before the shave.

i enjoy the process and find it neat to be shaving with a 50 year old razor but here's my peeve - with a fresh blade & a 2-day beard it always feels and sounds like i'm scraping the whiskers off rather than quietly and smoothly removing them ala Fusion with goo for example.

granted after 1-2 passes above the jaw line and 3-4 below the face is pretty smooth but i can't get beyond that scraping sound in order to make the entire experience comparable to the Fusion.

in all honesty are there any of you who can relate to this and if so do you just accept it or have you truly found a way to mitigate it ?? honest answers please !!

Is the scraping sound accompanied by tugging? If it's just the noise, maybe you could just play some music or turn on the radio.

 

[Kcaps]

I love the sound of a sharp blade slicing through my beard!

I didn't get any sound with the fusion, but that's probably because there is no sound made by hairs being ripped from their follicles..... That or the screaming drowned it out

 

[Crixus]

A nice DE razor is made from machined metal and equipped with a sharp metal blade...it's going to resonate nicely when it's doing its job. Enjoy it...as mentioned before, it's a great form of feedback.

My 1956 solid handle ball end tech is about as solid as it gets when assembled. Even with a new blade and perfect lather, the sound when I'm alone in a quiet bathroom seems like you could hear it clear across a gymnasium. Obviously it's close to my ears so the sound is somewhat exaggerated, but it is very pronounced and I love it. I also assume it is a case of fine metal resonance.

 

[Legion]

Possibly a question of blade angle?

 

[Go West Young Man]

You're going to have to turn the radio up - that scraping sound is a feature, not a bug.

 

[Slivovitz]

If you think that's loud, get yourself an old single edge lather catcher, something like a 1907 Gem Junior Bar, and compare. If you shave early enough in the morning, you may wake other people up.

 

[Mick R]

I (almost) live for that sound. It is how a shave should be. It's even more pronounced with my usual cut-throat shaving. I think the DE shaves a little too quietly sometimes.


Mick

 

[HoosierTrooper]

Like others have said, the sound is part of the experience. A 1912 Gem sounds like you're buttering toast with a piece of sandpaper.

 

[Bodach]

DonN,

As others have said, if you find the audible feedback of the blade worrisome or down right annoying, then certainly flip on the radio or ask your better half to come in and provide a running commentary on your experience. Either way you won't hear the sound of your whiskers being cut off.

For most wet shavers, that sound is part of the experience that we've come to enjoy. By the by, if you find the sound of a DE annoying, you should hear someone shave with a 5/8 full hollow-ground straight razor. You can hear those whiskers being sliced off in another room entirely.

Seriously, if you are not experiencing tugging or difficult shaves, but it's just the noise that is getting to you, then flip on the radio and enjoy the beautiful DE shave.

Cheers,

Bodach

 

[DonN]

well in general things have improved since i returned to DE shaving after a 50 year break - not going to the plastic surgeon as much any more and the trips to the emergency room for blood transfusions has diminished - getting back to that scraping sound though - i don't get it nearly as much with the FatBoy - i have him at "3" & that setting must complement my natural wrist tilt - just got a 34C to give FatBoy a break & really noticed the scraping sound - but since it's not adjustable the only other change would be the wrist ****.

the other thing that struck me was the difference between the FatBoy and the 34C in workmanship - to me the 34C is flimsy and cheap compared to FatBoy - i liked the workmanship on the Futur but it was way too aggressive.

BTW if anyone has or knows someone that wants to sell a mint FatBoy send a PM - thanks

 

[El Judio Bravo]

The only thing I like more than that sound is the need to make sure I have a blade in the axe, i.e., the planets are in alignment and the shave is so smooth you cannot feel the action!

 

[DavyRay]

well in general things have improved since i returned to DE shaving after a 50 year break - not going to the plastic surgeon as much any more and the trips to the emergency room for blood transfusions has diminished - getting back to that scraping sound though - i don't get it nearly as much with the FatBoy - i have him at "3" & that setting must complement my natural wrist tilt - just got a 34C to give FatBoy a break & really noticed the scraping sound - but since it's not adjustable the only other change would be the wrist ****.

the other thing that struck me was the difference between the FatBoy and the 34C in workmanship - to me the 34C is flimsy and cheap compared to FatBoy - i liked the workmanship on the Futur but it was way too aggressive.

BTW if anyone has or knows someone that wants to sell a mint FatBoy send a PM - thanks

Don,

I love the sound of whiskers being sliced. The sound talks to me. I use a Gillette 1946 Aristocrat, which is not adjustable. The fatboy is not the only heavy DE out there.

 

[arghblech]

You might have better luck with the later models of Super Adjustables that had the plastic base plate. The real problem is the vibration and the plastic may provide you some relief. That Super-Adj is about as close as you can get to a Fatboy without being all metal, as far as I know.

 

[Crixus]

getting back to that scraping sound though - i don't get it nearly as much with the FatBoy - i have him at "3" & that setting must complement my natural wrist tilt - just got a 34C to give FatBoy a break & really noticed the scraping sound - but since it's not adjustable the only other change would be the wrist ****.

Don, that's because the Fat Boy isn't vibrating as much as the 34. I don't think wrist angle is the culprit.

 

[D/E Bob]

I shave every day, (with a rare exception here and there), but by doing so it is quite easy for me to get a 2 to 3 pass BBS shave all the time. It takes more effort when I skip a day. I love the clean fresh feeling of a smooth shave and I actually look forward to shaving every morning.

D/E/ Bob