Please help - over half a year and still can't find a BBS razor

[Bsamps]

I didn’t know that there was a BBS razor?? Sometimes I get a BBS shave, but, most times I don’t. It’s not something I chase. I have found that just about every razor in my den could give me a BBS if I really took my time and paid attention to my technique. It normally doesn’t happen unless I do at least a four pass shave with some buffering involved. My face pays for it in the end, though. To me, it’s just not worth it. Today I shaved with the infamous R89 and got a very near BBS. I also think it depends on what someone’s definition of a BBS is. My definition is that if I can run my fingers ATG on my face and not feel any resistance, that’s a BBS. Good luck in finding your BBS razor.

 

[idjekyll]

Life is just simpler and more peaceful when we can accept mediocrity.

 

[NorthernSoul]

Life is just simpler and more peaceful when we can accept mediocrity.

Pretty sure that was meant as a joke, but life really is simpler and more peaceful if we can drop perfectionist or OCD tendencies. Just get a comfortable shave, and get on to other things.

As someone pointed out, a BBS only lasts a couple of hours at most.

 

[idjekyll]

Pretty sure that was meant as a joke, but life really is simpler and more peaceful if we can drop perfectionist or OCD tendencies. Just get a comfortable shave, and get on to other things.

As someone pointed out, a BBS only lasts a couple of hours at most.

Oh definitely not a joke! But that being said, everyone is free to milk as much of this hobby as they want. I fully accept mediocrity but I somehow still struggle with RAD when mediocrity suggest that a $50 razor could get me what I want as much (oftentimes better) than a $250 razor. Humans are complex beings .

 

[eSteve]

Wet shaving for over 40 years here. Like others I rarely get an all-over BBS and that's ok. I can if I really want to. I just enjoy it but it isn't a hobby, it's what I do. Every day, well 6 days a week anyway. Relax, work on your technique, and enjoy it. It will come.

And you don't need to buy more aggressive razors either. The one I might suggest you try is a Schick Injector. After all this time this has been a revelation for me. Cheap and easy.

Yeah I like this. I'm just nine months deep. I'm checking out different razors, I've enjoyed my shaves. Sometimes my technique feels consistent. The Schick Injector has been a cornerstone of my learning too. One could stop fussing, get a Type E, and shave with it 'til it gets comfortable. That's shaving.

 

[Fiddler]

The razors I've tried so far:

• Henson Mild

If you liked the Henson Mild and had no problem with the shaving angle, get the ++ in Ti...one of the best bargains in modern shaving and a guaranteed BBS at the end of it.

 

[Bsamps]

If you liked the Henson Mild and had no problem with the shaving angle, get the ++ in Ti...one of the best bargains in modern shaving and a guaranteed BBS at the end of it.

At $250? Not quite a bargain. You can get a BBS with any razor and you don’t have to spend nearly as much money. IMHO.

 

[PinJim]

Great thread. I'm new to wet shaving and have read so much about BBS. Like it's some kind of goal, which of course became mine after all of the reading. I'll just chill and enjoy the various soaps, aftershave and the pure enjoyment of the experience.

 

[Fiddler]

At $250? Not quite a bargain. You can get a BBS with any razor and you don’t have to spend nearly as much money. IMHO.

It's all relative, I suppose.

Great thread. I'm new to wet shaving and have read so much about BBS. Like it's some kind of goal, which of course became mine after all of the reading. I'll just chill and enjoy the various soaps, aftershave and the pure enjoyment of the experience.

Chasing BBS obsessively is a recipe for scraping off more skin cells than comfortable...there will always be some little area that isn't BBS...as you said, just get most of it smooth...some small area on the Adams apple is not so critical.

 

[yys310]

Did you try skin stretching?
Are you shaving with cold water?
If not I recommend these 2 videos. Although it's in Mandarin but it has CC subtitle on it.

 

[Hobby Hoarder]

I just wanted to give a quick update, but first, I'd like to thank everyone who has replied so far. I can't reply to each individually, but I tried to most of you and I've certainly read every comment. Thank you!

Now for the update, and it's a good one! Since the Mühle R41 kept coming up, I checked it out and found a barely used one locally for next to nothing. So why not, I've already tried plenty.

I paired it with Astra Platinum and have gotten the best shave since I've switched to DE. 9/10 smoothness, barely any irritation on my neck and only a gentle burning sensation when applying aftershave. The next day, the shave was even better and I'd say 9.5/10 in terms of BBS. I know a lot of you said not to bother, but I really enjoy chasing a perfect shave.

Anyway, I've decided to store and/or sell all the other razors and use R41 for a few months exclusively. If I'm already getting such good shaves right away, they can only get better with time.

Which really got me thinking how misplaced the term "aggressive" is when talking about razors. I only bought Henson as my first razor because it was touted as mild and beginner friendly. Same with Rockwell and Progress, they were all mentioned as being mild to medium. I'll never know how my experience might have been if I started with R41 right away, but despite being "one of the most aggressive" razors, it's also giving me the smoothest and irritation-free shave of any razor I've tried.

In any case, I think I've finally found an excellent starting point and I'm really looking forward to seeing how it does in half a year. Thank you again to everyone who's chimed in!

 

[Barbablanca]

Good luck to you. My beard grows nearly parallel to my skin on my neck, too. The Razorock Lupo .95 is the best atg razor I have, but the Blackland Blackbird is within a point or two of it, and is my favorite razor overall.
Jack

 

[profusion]

I just wanted to give a quick update, but first, I'd like to thank everyone who has replied so far. I can't reply to each individually, but I tried to most of you and I've certainly read every comment. Thank you!

Now for the update, and it's a good one! Since the Mühle R41 kept coming up, I checked it out and found a barely used one locally for next to nothing. So why not, I've already tried plenty.

I paired it with Astra Platinum and have gotten the best shave since I've switched to DE. 9/10 smoothness, barely any irritation on my neck and only a gentle burning sensation when applying aftershave. The next day, the shave was even better and I'd say 9.5/10 in terms of BBS. I know a lot of you said not to bother, but I really enjoy chasing a perfect shave.

Anyway, I've decided to store and/or sell all the other razors and use R41 for a few months exclusively. If I'm already getting such good shaves right away, they can only get better with time.

Which really got me thinking how misplaced the term "aggressive" is when talking about razors. I only bought Henson as my first razor because it was touted as mild and beginner friendly. Same with Rockwell and Progress, they were all mentioned as being mild to medium. I'll never know how my experience might have been if I started with R41 right away, but despite being "one of the most aggressive" razors, it's also giving me the smoothest and irritation-free shave of any razor I've tried.

In any case, I think I've finally found an excellent starting point and I'm really looking forward to seeing how it does in half a year. Thank you again to everyone who's chimed in!

That's awesome that you seem to have found your shave. I find the R41 to be a very uncomfortable shave, but it's also true I haven't tried with it for quite awhile. I'm going to be focusing on my modern razors in March (I'm a vintage razor guy), and I'll be giving the R41 a few spins then.

Hope it keeps working out.

 

[horizon]

Once again, I am convinced that there is a lot of speculation about the concept of BBS. Everyone interprets it as they like. But in the end, it may turn out that those who complain that they cannot do BBS are much closer to it than those who claim that they do it, simply because the requirements of the former are higher. I see that there is talk of BBS with King C and R89, I don't know how you do it, but I personally can't achieve it with these razors, or at least, not the BBS that I consider to be such. When I do a real BBS, it lasts at least 12 hours, and with Blackbird and R41 over 15 hours. Such BBS cannot be done with every daily shave. That is why I don't take seriously the claims that someone does daily BBS, I exclude those from whom even my grandmother has more beard. I see that there are opinions saying that it makes no sense, because he lasted from 6:30 to 8:00, that's just not BBC.
In my opinion, first it should be clarified what exactly is meant by this concept, and only then can we comment on who, how and whether it can be done at all...

 

[Frito Ray]

Late to the party, and also have beard that grows parallel to skin.

Easiest way for me to get a consequence free BBS is to use a mild blade and three passes including an ATG pass.

Yes, mild blades are tuggy, and take getting used to but worth giving a shot.

Two really mild blades I enjoy are two that get a bum rap here, namely the Tiger Platinum and the Derby Extra.

Sharper is not necessarily better for everyone.

 

[gdawg55]

I just wanted to give a quick update, but first, I'd like to thank everyone who has replied so far. I can't reply to each individually, but I tried to most of you and I've certainly read every comment. Thank you!

Now for the update, and it's a good one! Since the Mühle R41 kept coming up, I checked it out and found a barely used one locally for next to nothing. So why not, I've already tried plenty.

I paired it with Astra Platinum and have gotten the best shave since I've switched to DE. 9/10 smoothness, barely any irritation on my neck and only a gentle burning sensation when applying aftershave. The next day, the shave was even better and I'd say 9.5/10 in terms of BBS. I know a lot of you said not to bother, but I really enjoy chasing a perfect shave.

Anyway, I've decided to store and/or sell all the other razors and use R41 for a few months exclusively. If I'm already getting such good shaves right away, they can only get better with time.

Which really got me thinking how misplaced the term "aggressive" is when talking about razors. I only bought Henson as my first razor because it was touted as mild and beginner friendly. Same with Rockwell and Progress, they were all mentioned as being mild to medium. I'll never know how my experience might have been if I started with R41 right away, but despite being "one of the most aggressive" razors, it's also giving me the smoothest and irritation-free shave of any razor I've tried.

In any case, I think I've finally found an excellent starting point and I'm really looking forward to seeing how it does in half a year. Thank you again to everyone who's chimed in!

Nice. The R41 should serve you well. Seems like blade forward is the ticket for you.

 

[Frank Shaves]

Congrats on your progress!

Took me a while to figure this whole thing out using a DE and then again using a straight. For me, it seems to always come down to finding a blade that works on my face and fundamentals.

For example, Astra Superior Platinum - bad, Astra Superior Stainless - good, and Personna Stainless (German or Israeli) - good. And then really understanding how my beard grows and using little to no pressure.

 

[mozartman]

I've been wet shaving every day since 1975, and imo by far the most important thing is what several have said here already, technique. You want a close shave, close enough so that your wife isn't asking you to shave again at 6 pm before you go to some semi-formal function (though that's unavoidable for some). But far more important is, no irritation, no soreness, no nicks or weepers, no bumps or rashes. Chasing a BBS shave too far will end up leaving your skin looking and feeling worse. Multiblade cartridges are designed to cut below skin level and will give you a more BBS shave than any DE razor can. But the price is razor bumps and other skin problems. So learn how to get the best out of your DE razor. You already have some good ones.

 

[JTP]

Get an R41.

 

[Jaybyrd]

I am glad you found something positive in your DE wet shaving journey so far. My journey started a year ago, so I don’t have the vast knowledge that most folks here possess but I can share my own experience:
Wet shaving has been one of the best self care experiences/hobbies I’ve ever done. It has been very hard for me to achieve a BBS shave, so I stopped going for BBS. I get irritation, redness, burning, and some weepers on my neck with ATG passes. I prefer to shave daily and to enjoy my shaves so I mostly shoot for and get a DFS+/-. This keeps my face looking clean and allows me to shave daily without any irritation.
Wish you the best!