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Razorock BBS First Impressions

Had my first shave with the RR BBS today. I procured it from the BTS from a fine member and had a positive purchase experience. I loaded it with a fresh Nacet blade and lathered with Stirling Hipster after my usual shower and pre-shave oil.

I was really hoping this would be a “magic bullet” for me given my sensitive skin. Instead the experience was....hard to describe. This might be the lack of blade feel people discuss? It was just a different experience trying to find the right blade angle and feeling confident. I experienced drag which is not something I’ve dealt with before.

One big thing I should factor in: length between shaves. With a DE i usually shave every other day, which has been about right. Today, being impatient to try it, I shaved for the second day in the row, which could be why the experience was odd for me.

One thing very interesting- the area I usually can’t get rid of stubble is truly BBS. Ironically, a different area has stubble left instead! Also, I seem to be the one guy who got nicks from using it.

All in all, I think I need to keep shaving to see what I think.

Pros:
-Great fit and finish. Felt super solid.
-Delivered a closer shave than my usual 34c
-Was pretty smooth ATG

Cons:
-Hard to find unique angle
-lack of blade feedback
-Experienced drag (probably due to angle issues)
 

Old Hippie

Somewhere between 61 and dead
We know the angle is designed to be different because the razor cranks the blade down more like a slant. Although all of us can find the right angle with any razor, if it's different from our normal angle it's easy to drift back.

What was worse about today's shave?

O.H.
 
We know the angle is designed to be different because the razor cranks the blade down more like a slant. Although all of us can find the right angle with any razor, if it's different from our normal angle it's easy to drift back.

What was worse about today's shave?

O.H.
More razor burn, lots of nicks.
 

never-stop-learning

Demoted To Moderator
Staff member
If you are getting razor burn and nicks with a BBS, I'll bet you dollars to donuts that you are using pressure and a non-optimal shaving angle.

This is how I would approach the challenge:

Well hydrated face and beard. (Sounds like you do this already.)

Properly hydrated lather.

Correct shaving angle. (Fairly neutral using the BBS.)

Short, smooth strokes.

No pressure.

Map your beard.

Start with a with the grain (WTG) pass. Rinse. Do a second WTG pass. Stop and rinse.

Make a note of every place you feel stubble and add that information to your 'beard map'.

Do these steps for a week or so until you feel that you are comfortable with proceeding.

When you are comfortable doing so, try adding either an across the grain (XTG) or an against the grain (ATG) pass. If that feels comfortable, repeat for a week or so until it becomes second nature.

Before too long, all of this will be second nature. :)

Just my opinion and YMMV. :)
 
@never-stop-learning is correct and add maybe looking at other blades. Your Nacet blade might not play well with that razor, but perform well in another. PolSilver, or maybe a Gillette Silver. Others may suggest alternative blades here.

Also remember the Golden DE Rule - if it ain't white, don't shave it! Meaning no lather, do NOT hit a spot again until you understand your methods. Too many rooks drop out of DE because of this basic rule violation, which guarantees razor burn. If you need to hit a spot again, add more lather. (you can learn to "buff" later)
 

never-stop-learning

Demoted To Moderator
Staff member
@never-stop-learning is correct and add maybe looking at other blades. Your Nacet blade might not play well with that razor, but perform well in another. PolSilver, or maybe a Gillette Silver. Others may suggest alternative blades here.

Also remember the Golden DE Rule - if it ain't white, don't shave it! Meaning no lather, do NOT hit a spot again until you understand your methods. Too many rooks drop out of DE because of this basic rule violation, which guarantees razor burn. If you need to hit a spot again, add more lather. (you can learn to "buff" later)

Very much +1 to this. :)
 
If you are getting nicks and irritation with a razor like the BBS, you are, as the dearly departed old internet meme used to say, "doing it wrong."
 
Everything you just listed is 99% user's
Error.
And I mean that as a hard number, in other words there is no wiggle room in the statistic..
I probably sound like I am inferring this razor is poorly designed or something. I know its "me", I'm just not sure how to fix it. I am also assuming that some people and some razors just aren't the right combo, like me and skinny jeans. The jeans aren't wrong, and I'm not wrong (well.....) but we just don't belong together.

I will keep shaving but I'm feeling, having had good shaves with other razors, I'm not sure if I want to put the work into the relationship or move on.....
 
Either stick with it until you master it (a fixed four for a month is a great way to do it) or set it aside and hone in your technique using the 34c or any other razor you have that provides good shaves. BTW, IMHO it is tough to beat the 34c. Selling is another option but be aware of seller's remorse.
 

JCarr

More Deep Thoughts than Jack Handy
Put a Kai SS blade in it. Ever so slightly wider. You'll pick up a bit more blade feel...just enough to help the overall experience.
 
So did you have less blade feel than with the 34c? If so, it’s very possible you might have been pushing a bit too hard. Every razor is different unfortunately, you just have to try a few more times before you move on.

Also, as a Nacet user, that’s a deceptively smooth blade. I would try something sharper like a Feather or Silver Blue, you’ll get more blade feel with those and they are sharper for me, less pushing required.
 
I find the razor has a ton of blade exposure, and is very easy to feel necessitating a very lite touch, but produces nice shaves very efficient.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
So I’ve been using the BBS for a few months now. I’ve been having decent shaves, but a few problems. The biggest problems were weepers and irritation on the sensitive spots of my necks. It got bad enough that I stopped using it and went back to my Gamechanger.

Well, to make a long story short I figured out the problem. And it’s an easy fix. Instead Of using a 35 degree angle as suggested on the Razorock website, I was using more like a 55 degree angle; I was going the opposite way from the usual 45 degree angle of most other razors.

It can be a little counterintuitive, but once I got to actually shaving at a 35 degree angle(instead of 45 or 55 degrees) my shaves have completely changed. The last 3 shaves have been the best in my 5 years of wet shaving. Every shave has been BBS, with absolutely no irritation or weepers.

If your having issues with the BBS, check your blade angle, the closer you are to 35 degrees the better your shave will be.

The SS BBS is my new favorite, absolutely a joy to use. Tomorrow I think I’m going to buy a second one.

Happy shaving
 
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