I never asked him, but my guess is he might have used a straight growing up in Italy. Probably not many other options during WW2.
According to my mom, all he had was a DE in Canada while they were married.
Riding the cap VS riding the guard/comb
- Thread starter samhain666
- Start date
According to my mom, all he had was a DE in Canada while they were married.
I ride the cap. It seems smoother and it's also the only way I can go atg on my cheeks and upper lip. If I try to ride the guard and go atg I just get a lot of blade chatter and cuts.
I go shallow most of the time and with most of my razors.
A "lovely, thick lather" might look good but what works is the thin film of lather between your skin and your blade that lubricates and cushions. That is why I like soaps that have excellent residual slickness. That is the slickness that remains when you no longer have visible lather on your face. I have used one soap whose residual slickness was so good that I did my entire clean-up pass without relathering my face.
If you do not like the safety bar scraping off your lather, I suggest you consider purchasing an open comb razor that will allow some of the lather to slip through the teeth of the comb.
The R41 does not bend the blade as much as other razors, compare to e.g. an Edwin Jagger DE89. So it is only natural that you hold the razors at different angle. I would pretty much expect you to still achieve the same angle between the skin and the blade.
You feel when the blade works best for you. So just relax and see what feels best.
Had my best shave so far using dollar store hair conditioner last night. So my lather-building skills still need work.
Back when I traveled 8-10 nights a month in my job, I shaved with a cartridge razor and whatever hair conditioner was available at the hotel. When I started shaving with straight razors and DE razor, I started looking for better products. However, if I am running late, I still keep a cartridge razor and conditioner in the shower.
With a Muhle R41, my only option for a smoothish shave is to ride the cap. If I ride the guard or go 30 degrees, the shave is quite tuggy and unpleasant. I have the post 2013, milder R41.
ATG I make a conscious effort to ride the cap. For me this leads to less skipping, catching and irritation. It is less efficient than the usual neutral angle that I use for all other passes. This means that a few passes is required to catch everything.
I have no idea the specifics of what I actually do while I’m shaving, but I can say that when things seem off or harsh or inefficient ...I’ve solved more problems by intentionally shallowing out and riding the cap than getting steep and riding the safety bar. Each head has its own unique geometry that you have to experiment with.
For me, the debate makes no sense because every razor has it's own sweet spot, depending on head geometry, blade bend, exposure etc.
What I do is start with the safety bar on my face so that it won't cut anything then tilt the handle upwards until the blade catches...that's what I find is the sweet spot for that particular razor.
What I do is start with the safety bar on my face so that it won't cut anything then tilt the handle upwards until the blade catches...that's what I find is the sweet spot for that particular razor.
Out of my top 3 razors, the Karve has the steepest angle, then the Rockwell then the Progress - where the blade catches quite a bit further down compared to the other two razors.
I feel every razor has it's own optimal cutting angle and while there is a few degrees of leeway, I feel going too far away from that point will reduce the optimal cutting angle of the blade edge.
but the problem is, the whole modern shaving world fiasco of cap riding came from the second version of the muhle r41 open comb. still, its a massive to do **** storm to deviate from it on a good number of shaving websites.
But then again so many people do this as a hipster fad and "im better then you because I have this fancy brand x razor"
But then again so many people do this as a hipster fad and "im better then you because I have this fancy brand x razor"
its always been a fad for the last decade. Ever since the poser in a yachting cap got on the scene its been a fad of mines bigger/more expensive/more rare.
I remember when I first got on the razor scene in 2015 anyone who said anything bad about a fat boy would get banned at the least, normally get castrated then get banned on all forums. NOW its like, "whats a fat boy?"
Steep steep steep. I favor the bar/comb.
That said, timeless razors seem to perform better for me with the cap favored.
That said, timeless razors seem to perform better for me with the cap favored.
Responding to an old post. With the Rex Envoy, if I ride the bar, I get blade chatter, no matter what blade I use. Seems like it is less about YMMV than a particular razor’s geometry.
Old thread, still pertinent and good information.
People tend to think the length of the handle guides how to hold the razor's head to face. Maybe so. When I discovered the concept of floating the razor on its cap and rotating the blade down to cutting angles from there I also discovered there were better points on the handle to maintain smooth control of the shaving system. Not only did this introduce me to a more comfortable shave, but it also added the benefit of increasing the presence and benefit of the soap's lather. I find my Timeless control easily mid-handle, and the bronze Above the Tie (for me) is best controlled more with my fingertips very near the bottom plate. The ability to ride the lather and use adjusting pressure on the cap makes the perspective productive and shaves more enjoyable. I also don't need to enforce stretched skin protocols nearly as much as I would shaving with an Artisan.
People tend to think the length of the handle guides how to hold the razor's head to face. Maybe so. When I discovered the concept of floating the razor on its cap and rotating the blade down to cutting angles from there I also discovered there were better points on the handle to maintain smooth control of the shaving system. Not only did this introduce me to a more comfortable shave, but it also added the benefit of increasing the presence and benefit of the soap's lather. I find my Timeless control easily mid-handle, and the bronze Above the Tie (for me) is best controlled more with my fingertips very near the bottom plate. The ability to ride the lather and use adjusting pressure on the cap makes the perspective productive and shaves more enjoyable. I also don't need to enforce stretched skin protocols nearly as much as I would shaving with an Artisan.
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