(Slaps link to thread) You Can Fit So Much Wrong In This Journal

[AimlessWanderer]

Gotcha. In my minds eye I see your technique as the cap and comb sitting on the cushion of the lather, the two combining to operate like the skirt on a hovercraft, with the blade sitting on the skin at just the right level and angle, mowing down the whiskers. Am I close?

Kind of. I see it like a kids bike, with the blade as the main tyre riding along, and the cap and comb as the stabiliser wheels, there to catch you if you go a bit wonky.

 

[Esox]

It doesn't align, it just allows the hair to get to the blade, whereas the closed comb hold the razor off from the stubble. With several day's growth, yes, you need to lean in a bit to get the blade down on the first pass, because the stubble won't let the razor ride low enough. Or get the scissors/clippers out first. Not fun. A closed comb sails through much easier.

However, I'm partially bearded, and a closed comb comes to some kind of stop as it reaches the beard boundary, whereas open comb can plough in. Both still offer the safety of a depth stop as regards skin cuts, which I very much welcome personally.

Beards are, generally at least, comprised of curly hairs. The space between the teeth would align them to meet the blade. As you said, the closed comb comes to a stop, the OC doesnt. Any comb aids in aligning and untangling, hair. Thats their purpose.

A level of safety for some, sure I can see that Al. I'm just saying that any tool is only as safe as the person using it. There have been days where I've worked hard and had tired, shaking arms and skipped a shave because I knew I'd be bleeding if I didnt lol.

 

[TinyT]

Kind of. I see it like a kids bike, with the blade as the main tyre riding along, and the cap and comb as the stabiliser wheels, there to catch you if you go a bit wonky.

Ok, that's a bit different to how I thought of it. You really do mean the blade and only the blade having any kind of contact, assuming everything goes according to plan. If that's the case does that mean that razors that provide very generous exposure are a lot more difficult to use, with that particular technique? Could that explain the Fatip issue?

 

[AimlessWanderer]

A level of safety for some, sure I can see that Al. I'm just saying that any tool is only as safe as the person using it. There have been days where I've worked hard and had tired, shaking arms and skipped a shave because I knew I'd be bleeding if I didnt lol.

... and some people can be safer with some tools, than they can with others A safety razor doesn't automatically make everyone a safer shaver, but many people can shave safer with a safety razor, than they can with a straight. Would you go as far as to agree with that?

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Ok, that's a bit different to how I thought of it. You really do mean the blade and only the blade having any kind of contact, assuming everything goes according to plan. If that's the case does that mean that razors that provide very generous exposure are a lot more difficult to use, with that particular technique? Could that explain the Fatip issue?

Remember I can and do use a shavette, which doesn't have the "training wheels", so exposure alone doesn't cause me a problem. I think the Fatip might be set at the wrong angle for me. There's definitely something other than exposure/rigidity that didn't work for me. I would much rather use a blade in the Dovo shavette, than the same blade in a Fatip Grande.

 

[Esox]

A safety razor doesn't automatically make everyone a safer shaver, but many people can shave safer with a safety razor, than they can with a straight. Would you go as far as to agree with that?

Yes but lol, the same mistakes can be made with either. Its not easy to call any razor inherently safe but I'll concede the fact that a "typical" DE is a safer to use instrument for most than a straight of any design, but, neither is really "safe".

Its like the safety on a gun. Its there and it has a function but you should never explicitly trust it.

 

[Esox]

I think the Fatip might be set at the wrong angle for me.

I've said many times, the angle is in there it just needs to be found. Where that becomes difficult for you is your technique. You've shaved the same way for so long that altering your technique is, mostly, out of the question. It would be akin to me trying to adapt your technique to my shaves. Aint happenin lol.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I've said many times, the angle is in there it just needs to be found.

I found it. I just didn't like it

 

[Esox]

I found it. I just didn't like it

If you didnt like it, you didnt find it.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

If you didnt like it, you didnt find it.

Well, I did find it... in a different razor The one in the face plane didn't fit

 

[Clay S]

Isn't that what the term 'safety razor' really refers to? Not that it's safer to shave with (I wonder how many people were unintentionally killing themselves when shaving) but that it doesn't double up as well as a deadly weapon? (although prison culture has since proved that a bic can be turned into a very effective weapon).

Safety pins - 1849, Safety bicycles - 1885, Safety razors - 1880. I would say that it was a marketing term. When it was coined, not being able to use it as a weapon might have been a detraction.

 

[thombrogan]

is it, really?

Uh-huh. You’re both positioning razors so their cutting edges may apply most of their kinetic energy towards rupturing protrusions of keratin and away from damaging skin. Towards that end, both of you prefer thin, slick lathers over dense ones and both of you have at least one model of Fatip safety razor you don’t enjoy.

 

[thombrogan]

Last night’s shave:
MMOC
GEM PTFE (4)
30mm Maggards Synthetic Brush
Pre-shave: hot shower
Lather: Stirling Naked and Smooth
Post-shave alum block
Post-shave Lather: Stirling Naked and Smooth
Stirling Unscented Menthol with Witch Hazel & Aloe
Grapseed oil

Went for light pressure and letting smooth cuts or tugs guide me. Didn’t quite succeed. Must’ve gripped the razor too lightly as I don’t remember fussing over which pen grip to use and only skin stretching. The odd thing is that while my skin felt irritated then and still feels irritated hours later, the alum only had one or two pinprick stings and a slight tingle even after applying thoroughly. Close enough shave and no curlbacks, so there’s that.

Happy shaves, everyone!

 

[Raven Koenes]

... and some people can be safer with some tools, than they can with others A safety razor doesn't automatically make everyone a safer shaver, but many people can shave safer with a safety razor, than they can with a straight. Would you go as far as to agree with that?

I find a steep angle works best, and it's a really easy angle to find on a Fatip. My one observation, revisiting my Merkur 34c, it's easy to get the skin too hot with a Fatip. This even when staying awake than with a Merkur or EJ head. It's easier to get consistent irritation free shaves with Merkur or EJ, but you can with Fatips as well given the occasional off day. The Fatip shave will be much longer lasting.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I find a steep angle works best, and it's a really easy angle to find on a Fatip. My one observation, revisiting my Merkur 34c, it's easy to get the skin too hot with a Fatip. This even when staying awake than with a Merkur or EJ head. It's easier to get consistent irritation free shaves with Merkur or EJ, but you can with Fatips as well given the occasional off day. The Fatip shave will be much longer lasting.

If I steepen the angle on my shaves, the blade would lift, unless I used some pressure. I won't use pressure. Neutral angle shaving only for me, and if that means some razors won't work for me, I'm OK with that.

 

[thombrogan]

@Rosseforp - the razor at Sally’s Beauty Supply is a charming copy of a Feather Artist Club. Only cost nail design powder for me to find out.

I squeezed the blade while toddling around the store and an off-brand 49-50mm blade fell out. And then I reinserted the blade, put the razor back, and informed the cashier while purchasing my kid’s stuff.

 

[Rosseforp]

I squeezed the blade while toddling around the store and an off-brand 49-50mm blade fell out. And then I reinserted the blade, put the razor back, and informed the cashier while purchasing my kid’s stuff.

One of the reviews said it took AC blades. And my Feather SS Pro only says Feather on the handle

 

[thombrogan]

Last night’s shave:
MMOC
GEM PTFE (1)
30mm Maggards Synthetic Brush
Pre-shave: hot shower
Lather: Stirling Naked and Smooth
Post-shave alum block
Post-shave Lather: Stirling Naked and Smooth
Aftershave: Snake Bite
Grapseed oil

So I tried bowl-lathering to see if the lather could be “dialed in” as I‘ve been using my face and palm as current lather-building sites.

The same 24 swirls that give me more than enough lather for my pass, pickup, and post filled my classy, gray cereal bowl with a small mountain of lather. Very thick and capable of supporting my brush. So I added water and swirled until the bubbles were nigh-microscopic and repeated. Took my shower, then added more water to the bowl and repeated until just a very wet and moveable moisture mass materialized.

Happy days!

Painting this foam on my face didn’t cue me to the pending folly.

Using a firm grip and attempting to hover the blade onto the stubble lacked the expected gentleness to my skin. The frustration persisted, so I did something nearly right.

Two passes above the jawline, three and a pickup or two below all with the dawning horror my understanding of rupture mechanics is not yet even embryonic.

A teeny, scrapy weeper on the bottom of the neck and a rough finish. Better than the last shave where I forgot to grip the handle firmly, but I’d have had less roughness if the razor was taking requests.

Again, the alum was puzzlingly benign. A small sting near the weeper and warmth and nary a tingle elsewhere.

Applying the post-shave lather revealed I added way too much water and this was just foam.

Ironically, this was still less damaging than my last two “good” shaves at a steeper angle. So there’s that.

Happy shaves, everyone!

 

[thombrogan]

Last night’s shave:
MMOC
GEM PTFE (2)
30mm Maggards Synthetic Brush
Pre-shave: hot shower
Lather: Stirling Naked and Smooth
Post-shave alum block
Post-shave Lather: Stirling Naked and Smooth
Grapseed oil

Who was two thumbs and used pressure? This guy! Decided to chase the crunch of hair being cut (quiet at design shallow) for some reason and the alum reminded me of my quest.

Happy shaves, everyone!

 

[Clay S]

Last night’s shave:
MMOC
GEM PTFE (2)
30mm Maggards Synthetic Brush
Pre-shave: hot shower
Lather: Stirling Naked and Smooth
Post-shave alum block
Post-shave Lather: Stirling Naked and Smooth
Grapseed oil

Who was two thumbs and used pressure? This guy! Decided to chase the crunch of hair being cut (quiet at design shallow) for some reason and the alum reminded me of my quest.

Happy shaves, everyone!