Its been over a month since I posted about my return to shaving with a DE, so I figured it was (past) time for an update. Sorry this is so long.
Various wetshavers stressed the importance of prep and, as Smedley puts it, GAP (grain, angle, pressure). They were right.
Ive discovered that no pressure is trickier than it sounds, but is attainable. Correct blade angle is a constant concern, not always met successfully. And beard grain is an adventure. There are times I think my beard changes directions from day to day just to keep me off balance! As many of us have found, grain direction changes with location and can reverse itself abruptly 
. I guess Im still learning, because I find patches where growth that I thought went like so now seems to go thataway instead. And Im still trying to settle on the best approaches for areas where whiskers seem to grow in two directions or places like my jawline, where N-S starts going W-E or E-W.
With the exception of two days Ive been using a black-handled SuperSpeed. I seem to have gotten the hang of using it fairly quickly. (I did use DEs for years, so this may be a return of habits both good and bad.) I fear my attentiveness to detail may drop off occasionally as a result. I generally do 2-3 passes; WTG, XTG, and then either touching up specific areas or another XTG in the opposite direction. I was pleased to find I could go S-N on my neck (XTG) without disaster. ATG seems largely a bad idea and may remain so. Mostly Ive used AOS unscented cream and built lather on my face with a C&E best badger brush.
Ive been working my way through letterks sampler. The Merkur blades were consistent, but only lasted through a couple shaves. When one is done its done, and continuing to use it is ill-advised. They were good blades for me to start with. The IPs (Crystals) are sharper and hold up better. The sharper blade meant better cutting in a few places, which I appreciated. Because their performance degrades gracefully I have a tendency to use them a little longer than is advisable. Im trying to make a point of changing them every 3-4 shaves now.
I did not have good experiences with the Derby blades. Two separate attempts, 2 blades each time, from two different packs. Lots of irritation, bumps and ingrowns. I initially attributed this to a breakdown in my technique, but have decided these just may not be the blades for me. Ive put them aside and returned to the Crystal blades (my current baseline). When my face recovers a bit more Ill try the Swedish Gillettes.
While I have attained some BBS results, my standard for now is generally good enough without irritation or other problems.
Various wetshavers stressed the importance of prep and, as Smedley puts it, GAP (grain, angle, pressure). They were right.
Ive discovered that no pressure is trickier than it sounds, but is attainable. Correct blade angle is a constant concern, not always met successfully. And beard grain is an adventure. There are times I think my beard changes directions from day to day just to keep me off balance! As many of us have found, grain direction changes with location and can reverse itself abruptly . I guess Im still learning, because I find patches where growth that I thought went like so now seems to go thataway instead. And Im still trying to settle on the best approaches for areas where whiskers seem to grow in two directions or places like my jawline, where N-S starts going W-E or E-W.With the exception of two days Ive been using a black-handled SuperSpeed. I seem to have gotten the hang of using it fairly quickly. (I did use DEs for years, so this may be a return of habits both good and bad.) I fear my attentiveness to detail may drop off occasionally as a result. I generally do 2-3 passes; WTG, XTG, and then either touching up specific areas or another XTG in the opposite direction. I was pleased to find I could go S-N on my neck (XTG) without disaster. ATG seems largely a bad idea and may remain so. Mostly Ive used AOS unscented cream and built lather on my face with a C&E best badger brush.
Ive been working my way through letterks sampler. The Merkur blades were consistent, but only lasted through a couple shaves. When one is done its done, and continuing to use it is ill-advised. They were good blades for me to start with. The IPs (Crystals) are sharper and hold up better. The sharper blade meant better cutting in a few places, which I appreciated. Because their performance degrades gracefully I have a tendency to use them a little longer than is advisable. Im trying to make a point of changing them every 3-4 shaves now.
I did not have good experiences with the Derby blades. Two separate attempts, 2 blades each time, from two different packs. Lots of irritation, bumps and ingrowns. I initially attributed this to a breakdown in my technique, but have decided these just may not be the blades for me. Ive put them aside and returned to the Crystal blades (my current baseline). When my face recovers a bit more Ill try the Swedish Gillettes.
While I have attained some BBS results, my standard for now is generally good enough without irritation or other problems.
