Unless you're in an antique shop and they've got a vintage one cheap, at least
I've seen people in here who've managed <$5 for a fatboy, for goodness sakes The absurdity of Aggressive VS Mild
- Thread starter Mick
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I've seen people in here who've managed <$5 for a fatboy, for goodness sakes 
There is another thread where the ATT M2 seems to be thought of as closer to a NEW Long Comb ... which could be why your R2 isn't as smooth for you?
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/430117-Gillette-new-vs-att-m2
This is a very good thread. And from my own personal experience (YMMV) I agree ... at least to a point....
The ATT system is I think a really good case study of mild vs aggressive as the only thing that varies between them is the blade gap (and consequentially blade exposure and blade angle ... but the design difference is only in the blade gap). (Note: Merkur and Gillette adjustables should offer the same type of comparison, but I haven't used any of them.)
For me, I like my ATT M1 ... but I love my ATT H1. something about the H1 makes it steep-angle-shave much better than the R1 (which is oddly my personal least-favorite of my three baseplates). I can get a good shave with an M1 ... but steep-angling with an H1 gives me a faster, closer shave with less irritation ... most especially on my neck.
That said, it is certainly possible that in a few years my skill level will step up a notch and I'll be able to get equally great shaves from either one.
Cheers,
Shawn
Thanks for bumping this Boge. It certainly is a very nice read.
I have a Gillette Red Tip and Gillette New - both provide good shaves. They're a good pair of razors to use when you're on a two-day shaving interval; you get very close, clean shaves.
But if you're on a one-day shaving interval, or if your beard doesn't grow out prodigiously, the Red Tip and New may not be the best choice. An aggressive razor will do the job quickly and easily; that's why the R41 is so highly favored.
And - to complicate things - a steeply tapered blade like the Personna Lab is going to be easier to shave with if you're using a milder razor than an aggressive one. With a Lab, I have to shave super lightly if I'm using an aggressive razor. That's kind of why shaving can be so much fun.
But if you're on a one-day shaving interval, or if your beard doesn't grow out prodigiously, the Red Tip and New may not be the best choice. An aggressive razor will do the job quickly and easily; that's why the R41 is so highly favored.
And - to complicate things - a steeply tapered blade like the Personna Lab is going to be easier to shave with if you're using a milder razor than an aggressive one. With a Lab, I have to shave super lightly if I'm using an aggressive razor. That's kind of why shaving can be so much fun.
I started out with the Merkur LH, gravitated to the EJ DE89L and now after 3 months have the Muhle R41.
All of my shaving has pretty much been with Derby blades. This morning I am surprisingly disappointed. Yesterday I managed a bbs shave with two passes of the R41 and felt very proud. No nicks or weepers, bumps or burns. There was not a hint of beard under the nostrils, sides of the mouth and cleft of the chin (my reference, I find those places the hardest to shave well without a nick or two).
Today I woke up, had a stroke of the face to see what lay ahead and couldn't quite understand why my face was so smooth. I woke up with a ccs!
May be my technique has improved, I am sure it has. I do believe that a more aggressive razor has made that difference. I take less time to shave as a result and it looks like my headlong dive into the accumulation of soaps and creams has doubled their shelf life (it must have rocketed to 50 years if I only now have to shave every other day)
For me an aggressive razor is more efficient. I am now keen to work with my milder razors to see if I can create the same outcome.
All of my shaving has pretty much been with Derby blades. This morning I am surprisingly disappointed. Yesterday I managed a bbs shave with two passes of the R41 and felt very proud. No nicks or weepers, bumps or burns. There was not a hint of beard under the nostrils, sides of the mouth and cleft of the chin (my reference, I find those places the hardest to shave well without a nick or two).
Today I woke up, had a stroke of the face to see what lay ahead and couldn't quite understand why my face was so smooth. I woke up with a ccs!
May be my technique has improved, I am sure it has. I do believe that a more aggressive razor has made that difference. I take less time to shave as a result and it looks like my headlong dive into the accumulation of soaps and creams has doubled their shelf life (it must have rocketed to 50 years if I only now have to shave every other day)
For me an aggressive razor is more efficient. I am now keen to work with my milder razors to see if I can create the same outcome.
Pick a razor that looks cool then spend the time to learn how to use it
This has always worked for me
+1
Therein that quote, lies the key.
I love the look of my ATT R1 and have been using it daily for the last 4 months getting bbs shaves every day.
Great minds think alike or are we fools that never differ.
Pick a razor that looks cool then spend the time to learn how to use it
This has always worked for me
Absolutely, and thanks for pointing me in this direction earlier this year!
one of my biggest mistakes I made when starting DE shaving was changing blades and razors too often. I totally agree, buy one and stick with it until you master it! You even need to stick with the same blade for at least a couple of weeks. Unless its working REALLY bad for you! I tried a Lord Platinum for a week and I could have shaved better with a broken beer bottle!
I now do the same thing with creams, brushes and soaps. I use them together for a few weeks and if I can't get a good shave, they are bye bye forever!
I now do the same thing with creams, brushes and soaps. I use them together for a few weeks and if I can't get a good shave, they are bye bye forever!
The absurdity of calling a Tech a razor.........
What at is absurd is thinking that a Tech is not the equal and better than MANY new junk DE razors
Absurd for you, perhaps, but not for everyone. I have been safety razor shaving since 1953. I may be a bit of a klutz, but my technique is what it is. Given that, it seems to me that wet shaving is an idiosyncratic and synergistic business. What works for you, works for you. Your experience may or may not be a useful lesson for me, but I am happy to consider it and thank you for sharing it.
For the second consecutive year, I tried to participate in OC OCtober. A long-time Tech shaver, I can't enjoy shaving with any of the vintage Gillette OCs I collected back in the 1980s. Even the NEW SC -- probably the mildest of the lot -- is too aggressive for me. I reluctantly bowed out mid-month.
For the second consecutive year, I tried to participate in OC OCtober. A long-time Tech shaver, I can't enjoy shaving with any of the vintage Gillette OCs I collected back in the 1980s. Even the NEW SC -- probably the mildest of the lot -- is too aggressive for me. I reluctantly bowed out mid-month.
It is the technique, not the razor.
garyg
B&B membership has its percs
Technique is important, but .. it depends. I've spent some time wet shaving, used a bunch of different razors, and still do. If there was one razor I could call out as ineffective, on my beard, it would be the Tech. Had one in the sixties, didn't work. Tried a couple over the last few years, based on the odd postings here that they work. On me they do not, they clog, pull, even with a feather. Sometimes it is the arrow, not the Indian ..
Itzhak Perlman can make a $500 violin sound great. Your average middle school violinist cannot make a Stradivarius sound great.
But Itzhak Perlman still sounds better on a Stradivarius than on a $500 violin.
If you want good results, you need (1) a good tool, (2) that suits you well, and (3) good technique.
I know I am swimming against the stream here, but it is not ONLY technique, technique, technique. Some razors will never work for some guys, no matter how good their technique is. And some razors are not very good for anyone.
But Itzhak Perlman still sounds better on a Stradivarius than on a $500 violin.
If you want good results, you need (1) a good tool, (2) that suits you well, and (3) good technique.
I know I am swimming against the stream here, but it is not ONLY technique, technique, technique. Some razors will never work for some guys, no matter how good their technique is. And some razors are not very good for anyone.
I like this analogy.
And I'm glad a decent razor doesn't cost millions of dollars ...
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That's a great point, but an even better point is really one that has not been mentioned and that is that many people seem to believe that the mere possession of a great razor will solve all problems.
Just because you own a Steinway doesn't make you ready for Carnegie Hall.
Brother after 2 years of differing blades I gave all my OC razors away. I was lossing to much blood.
Truth be known, OC razors are far better suited for cheeks & necks than for the chin area or close to the mouth for many including yours truly.
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