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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 the fundamentals. So today we're going back to basics and covering some useful tips on how to assemble and handle your razor. Most of you have been shaving for many years, but I encourage you to still give it a watch. You just might learn something new.

 
Thanks for making this video. The grip shown is very different to how I typically hold a DE razor (and I’ve never had much luck with them). I eventually gave up and started using a SR with much better results. I will have another try. It could be that I was doing it all wrong.
 
I gave the suggested pencil grip a try last night. It felt awkward at first but I have to say it was a very good shave. One of my best DE attempts. I’ve always held the razor with my finger tips in the middle of the handle and “let the razor do the work”. I felt like I had better angle and pressure control with the grip close to the head. This may have been my problem all along.
 
Good video to post. Some of the stories and pictures I've come across with cut fingers have been disturbing to me and have made me more aware of how I'm handling razors, especially three-piece razors.

Someone somewhere — it might have been here, but I don't remember — recommended essentially the same thing as in this video, but holding the razor upside down against a top surface while screwing the handle in. So, for example, holding the head of the razor upside down and screwing the handle into it, rather than holding the head and screwing the razor handle in from the bottom. I think the idea is that the head can slip sometimes when you're holding it, and it reduces the number of moving pieces in play. I'm not sure if it matters that much, and it has its own awkwardness, but it's another variation I've come across.

All of this is one reason TTOs I think got some traction. I think there was/is a safety aspect to it in addition to pure convenience.
 
Someone somewhere — it might have been here, but I don't remember — recommended essentially the same thing as in this video, but holding the razor upside down against a top surface while screwing the handle in. So, for example, holding the head of the razor upside down and screwing the handle into it, rather than holding the head and screwing the razor handle in from the bottom. I think the idea is that the head can slip sometimes when you're holding it, and it reduces the number of moving pieces in play. I'm not sure if it matters that much, and it has its own awkwardness, but it's another variation I've come across.

That’s one of the benefits of pinching the head tight with the base plate cinched down in your fingers before you add the handle. When you screw on the handle it's not actually doing any tightening and it doesn't exert much rotational force on the head. So it's unlikely to cause to the head to slip in your fingers and cut you.
 
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