Preferred Grip for Safety Razor

[willk93]

I've always held my DE razors with all fingers on the handle and my pinky at the base. However, I recently heard about holding the razor like a pencil. I'm going to give this technique a try soon, in hopes that it offers me more control and dexterity.

How do you like to hold your safety razor? Do you prefer a shorter or longer handle? Light-weight or heavy-weight?

 

[DesertIguana]

Well most all of my Razor are Vintage Gillettes, the Knurling is fine. Look at many at local Razor Supply. The REX INHO is too abrasive for my hands, very grippy, but very abrasive.

Everyone has different like and dislikes, it about personal choice.

 

[Darth Scandalous]

I've always held my DE razors with all fingers on the handle and my pinky at the base. However, I recently heard about holding the razor like a pencil. I'm going to give this technique a try soon, in hopes that it offers me more control and dexterity.

How do you like to hold your safety razor? Do you prefer a shorter or longer handle? Light-weight or heavy-weight?

I tried that approach after some discussion, but I went back to my preferred grip, which is thumb and middle finger somewhere near the center of mass and my pinky near the end for stability. I prefer skinnier, longer handles in general but I can get by with whatever.

 

[Stikeyoda]

I've always held my DE razors with all fingers on the handle and my pinky at the base. However, I recently heard about holding the razor like a pencil. I'm going to give this technique a try soon, in hopes that it offers me more control and dexterity.

How do you like to hold your safety razor? Do you prefer a shorter or longer handle? Light-weight or heavy-weight?

The second half of this video (the first half is good too).

Razor Handling Basics

Everyone here knows the basics of razor assembly, disassembly, and handling, right? After watching and encountering a LOT of shavers over the years, I've come to believe that many of us could use a refresher. We tend to be stuck in ways and spend our time focusing on advanced skills instead of...

www.badgerandblade.com

 

[willk93]

@Stikeyoda That's the exact video I watched that got me thinking haha. Shane with Blackland Razors is awesome

 

[anoop]

I load the razor with the head in the palm of my hand and tighten with the my hand on the edges (where the tabs would stick out except that they don't with the AS-D2). While shaving I hold the razor as shown in the Blackland video (close to the head) but without the pinky under the handle. I prefer a short handle with grippy knurling.

I think I watched this video about 10 times before I had my first DE shave. He holds it a bit different, but I intuitively gravitated towards the way shown in the Blackland video.

 

[profusion]

I've always held my DE razors with all fingers on the handle and my pinky at the base. However, I recently heard about holding the razor like a pencil. I'm going to give this technique a try soon, in hopes that it offers me more control and dexterity.

How do you like to hold your safety razor? Do you prefer a shorter or longer handle? Light-weight or heavy-weight?

I sort of hold the razor like a pencil for upstrokes, but I have my ring and pinky fingers touching the bottom of the handle for more stability. To me, a true "pencil grip" with those two fingers tucked in would leave the razor too wobbly.

I haven't developed a strong preference for handles. Part of the interest in having a razor collection is adjusting to different sizes and geometries. I love heavy razors for downstrokes, but I find that to be an encumbrance for upstrokes. Light razors offer me more control, but I do have to pay close attention to what I'm doing.

 

[Mempho]

Interesting video. I use the same three-finger grip but about halfway up the handle. I try to keep my fingers as relaxed as possible while shaving. The tighter I grip the razor, the more pressure I tend to use on my face, leading to more irritation.

 

[tejolot3]

Rats. I thought this thread would be about different handle textures.

 

[Luc]

There might be more grips out there but have a look at the wiki article. I know it doesn't exactly answer your question but it might help: Safety Razor Grips - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/wiki/Safety_Razor_Grips

 

[threshyper]

I think what you need to pay more attention to is the angle of shaving. As for how to hold it, it depends on personal habits.

 

[catchacoolbreeze]

For me its not a specific kind of grip that I'm thinking about. By using the razor a lot, you figure out the angle in which you like the head of the razor on your face and I adjust my grip for that angle. Since I can't change the geometry of the razor head, the only thing I can change is my grip to accommodate that geometry.

 

[njpaddy]

I like the bottom of my DE resting on the side of my pinky, which is why SuperSpeeds and Merkur 34G (C) were my favorites for years. Well into retirement, I began shaving less frequently needing a more aggressive DE, and switched to a GameChanger. I liked the GC, but it was a bit too long to rest on my pinky. Thankfully, GC began offering an optional, shorter, thicker handle which is perfect for me.

 

[anoop]

Well into retirement, I began shaving less frequently …

In retirement you should be doing more of what you love not less!

 

[emwolf]

I use a light pencil grip. I'm not sure where I learned it, but most likely from my dad.

 

[cpcohen1945]

There might be more grips out there but have a look at the wiki article. I know it doesn't exactly answer your question but it might help: Safety Razor Grips - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/wiki/Safety_Razor_Grips

i stopped reading when I got to this:

Balance Point Method​

This method works for any razor, Single Edge, Gillettes, Merkurs, etc. It gives you maximum control and is the best way to let THE WEIGHT OF THE RAZOR DO THE WORK, without putting any additional pressure on the blade.

Think about it:

. . . If you're holding the razor at its balance point, loosely, and bring it to your skin, there's no pressure _at all_ on the edge of the blade. It doesn't matter how much the razor weighs.

So that method _doesn't_ let "the weight of the razor do the work".

It happens to be the grip that I use. And I am _very_ conscious of how much pressure I'm putting on the blade.

 

[EclipseRedRing]

In my opinion 'let the weight of the razor do the work' and 'no pressure' etc. is helpful guidance for beginners used to cartridge razors, but I take no notice of it and apply controlled pressure when I consider it appropriate. If constant pressure is required throughout the entire shave then something is probably wrong, but someone who has been shaving for any length of time should know what works best for them.

 

[HDSledge]

I hold mine like a 4" paintbrush and the strokes are about the same too come to think of it. Note: I do not hold pre-1900 Kampfe, Scharf, etc like a paintbrush since I don't like the sight of my own blood.