A shallow angle is not counterintuitive at all. If you were told to hold the blade in your hand and shave your face, you would intuitively use the shallowest angle that would cut the stubble. Everybody would. That's my argument that a shallow angle is actually intuitive, and people who choose to use a steep angle are the ones who are doing something counterintuitive.
Steep vs shallow angle?
- Thread starter Goatrope
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For me, it really depends on the razor that I'm using. Some razors work better with steep while others work better with shallow angle. While I can use both without a problem, I do have a bit of a bias towards the steep angle. I used to enjoy the shaving and the end results of my Ti Blackbird, but once I've got my Ti Yates 921 EH, I rarely use anything else and I do own quite a few premium high end razors.
I'm still waiting for the Ti Paradigm Diamondback to arrive and two other razors and if they can't beat the Yates, then I might sell most if not all of the razors I have and ''retire'' from this hobby for good.
I've recently got into drones and I guess they will fill the void after ending my shaving addiction.
I'm still waiting for the Ti Paradigm Diamondback to arrive and two other razors and if they can't beat the Yates, then I might sell most if not all of the razors I have and ''retire'' from this hobby for good.
I've recently got into drones and I guess they will fill the void after ending my shaving addiction.
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I noticed on my shave last night that the top cap of my Tech razor was not gliding smoothly but kind of sticking to my face during shaving strokes as if all the water and lather was scraped off leaving my face like a dry, sticky rubber surface. I was using Haslinger soap which normally performs well and is slick, but apparently no slick film was left behind on my skin as I scraped off the lather. This seemed to happen more on my cheeks perhaps because they are more plump and fleshy. Adjusting my razor to a bit steeper angle helped to bypass this issue.
Maybe this is why some guy's prep with preshave oil to help razor glide more easily?
I think on my next shave I will try using MWF because it tends to leave behind more of a slick film which I can still feel post-shave, even after rinsing my face.
Maybe this is why some guy's prep with preshave oil to help razor glide more easily?
I think on my next shave I will try using MWF because it tends to leave behind more of a slick film which I can still feel post-shave, even after rinsing my face.
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Interesting. When I look at videos it looks like most are using a steep angle. With most straight shave pictures the blade appears to be at a 45 degree angle.
Oh, it certainly has.
Flak jackets and flame retardant suits at the ready, gents!
I started a thread on this topic myself a few months ago and came to the conclusion that all razors have an optimal angle, and we are probably all doing pretty much the same thing then quibbling over semantics.
For me, the key point of doctrine is whether one should approach that optimal angle by pivoting up from the bar or down from the cap. I maintain that pivoting down from the cap is the One True Way and that all bar pivoters are heretics who knowingly commit a grievous sin against the god of comfortable shaves.
With an original R41, an angle too steep will cause you to experience something equivalent to falling down the stairs, only with more blood. There's a gash-and-hop cycle that will indicate the wrong angle was used.
Since that R41 was my very first DE, I sort of ingrained the habit of start at the cap and work towards the comb until the angle feels about right.
I seem to generally get much better results riding the cap more so than riding the bar. The AS-D2 definitely seems to favor the cap and a shallow angle, as a steep angle it seems to pass over rather than cut the whiskers.
I'm sure it's razor-dependent but for me it's also dependent on the location I'm shaving. I will use my feather artist club kamisori with sometimes a near right angle to my face, other times nearly flat upon it.
Since that R41 was my very first DE, I sort of ingrained the habit of start at the cap and work towards the comb until the angle feels about right.
I seem to generally get much better results riding the cap more so than riding the bar. The AS-D2 definitely seems to favor the cap and a shallow angle, as a steep angle it seems to pass over rather than cut the whiskers.
I'm sure it's razor-dependent but for me it's also dependent on the location I'm shaving. I will use my feather artist club kamisori with sometimes a near right angle to my face, other times nearly flat upon it.
Same experience here.
I have not found this to be true at all, with the exception of that guy that owns shave nation (geofatboy). He shaves steeper than anybody i've ever seen. His facial skin must be like leather.
Haha. He's the one I used to watch a lot before I started. His skin is definitely like leather the way he does XTG and ATG everywhere.
To me is more important the razor that is being used than the technique. As a generalization, the technique has to adapt to the tool and not vice-versa!
Yet vintage Gillette ads and posters etc. would disagree....
This is what I've learned recently as well. I started a month or so ago shaving with a Feather Artist Club razor. Counterintuitively to me, I started getting better results when using a shallower angle. Then it occured to me that it's cutting so much better because the blade is almost parallel to my skin and slicing, as opposed to more perpendicular and raking at the hairs. I think some people feel the opposite because some razors, depending on how much they bend the blade, require more angle before the edge starts efficiently cutting the stubble/hairs.
Totally YMMV IME. I have owned some razors that were predisposed to operate at a steeper angle and I have owned razors that were predisposed to operate better with a shallow angle. In the decade I have been at this, I have figured out that razors requiring a steeper angle never work for me. Steep angle shaving gives me (due to my extremely thick and coarse stubble) ingrowns because it generates pull. A shallower angle just creates less ingrowns for me.
Consequently, I own ONLY razors these days that I can go very shallow with (Blutt, Wolfman WR2, Carbon CX316, Charcoal Everyday, and to a slightly lesser extent, Timeless). I sold off everything else.
But even then...I find that blade selection specific to each razor still matters tremendously and it takes lots of experimentation.
Consequently, I own ONLY razors these days that I can go very shallow with (Blutt, Wolfman WR2, Carbon CX316, Charcoal Everyday, and to a slightly lesser extent, Timeless). I sold off everything else.
But even then...I find that blade selection specific to each razor still matters tremendously and it takes lots of experimentation.
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