The Gillette Slide

[bbnewsahve]

Do you use the Gillette Slide either full face or partial face?

While shaving one day I caught myself using WTG ( for the first, reduction pass). Then for the second pass I used XTG (on the jaw line), then the Gillette Slide on the flat planes and under the jaw/chin. From day to day the only thing I do not do is ATG which I save for special occasions.

 

[chevyguy1982]

What's the Gillette slide???

 

[G2No]

I use a modification to the traditional Gillette Slide on my cheeks. As demonstrated by Mantic on YouTube, the traditional slide is to hold the razor head parallel to the floor and stroke at a diagonal on the cheek. I, on the other hand, hold the razor head at an angle to the floor and stroke north-south on the cheek. Either way it's a guillotine type action familiar to woodworkers when planing a board.

 

[bbnewsahve]

What's the Gillette slide???

View attachment 584754

 

[snowman]

What's the Gillette slide???

Its what you do if you don't have a Slant.

 

[ackvil]

Its what you do if you don't have a Slant.

+1. But when I do it it doesn't work as good as a slant.

 

[Cash_Stronomer]

I do the holding on a slight angle and pull straight down thing. I find it slices the stubble easier.

 

[SnafuJack]

.i use the slant angle-stroke advocated by Gillette for the entire shave. Efficient and quick method of shaving.

 

[DaltonGang]

There are several on YouTube. J-hook Gillette slide, and others. I use a short stroke, on my problem areas.

 

[fightingillini22]

Interestingly, I do a slide on my neck but not my cheeks. I've found it gets me a very close shave without going full out ATG in some places on my neck. ATG directly under my chin is asking for irritation.

 

[p38thadl]

It shouldn't be a proper noun. It's not that specific. "Draw strokes" could even be used by straight shavers, if they weren't trying to adapt the traditional tools to an inflexible cartridge technique. I'm surprised B&B hasn't defined it as "30 degrees rotation from square to the direction of stroke," to match the disservice done to the DE razor's range of pitch angles.

I've been chewing on this a long time, especially since joining Excalibur. It's impossible to cookbook, so you almost never hear them say anything more specific than the word "technique," but I think it's safe to say that it's the key to using a blade to its full potential. The descriptive problem is, there are now two directions to the cutting head, motion and skew -- which do you choose to align to the direction of growth?

At first, trying to reprogram my navigation, it seemed "XTG" didn't even make sense anymore. The best skew direction was always aligned WTG or ATG. But with the least acute edges, I find the XTG skew most effective, which I cannot quite explain yet. It may be a gentler distortion for the skin at the higher tensions required to cut. Maybe if I solve the riddle, I could get into the 60+ range of shaves on one blade, too.

To test for yourself what I'm talking about, direct your razor square into the jaw corner, and carefully stroke N-S. That's always been a great stroke on my neck, too. Put a finger down on "N" to hold the skin tension. Oh, and you do actually have to grip the tool.

 

[Haggises]

Its what you do if you don't have a Slant.

It's what you can do with every razor instead of relying on only a slant

 

[Dave-the-rave]

I've never found shaving to be a complicated affair.

 

[blueliner21]

I've never found shaving to be a complicated affair.

This really hits the nail on the head for me. I love this forum. So much so that not too long ago I stopped lurking and joined. But I've found, at times, that I get caught up in things I read about here that never crossed my mind as an (almost) life long wet shaver. Sometimes that works out for the better, but often it ends in a less than ideal shave. When I return to my way of doing things, I usually get exactly what I'm looking for. Naturally, that's not everybody's experience (and we all have to learn) but well said Dave. Well said.

 

[p38thadl]

Well, Gillette seems to know its market. In 1925, though, some still held hope that the common man could be instructed:



http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...ompany-History-Geek-Out?p=5430732#post5430732
So you see, it's not presented as "advanced technique," for difficult spots; it's merely correct.

 

[p38thadl]

Contemporary YouTube videos are equally depressing, though, once you adopt this advice as the truth. It's just all very unfortunate. But if I could make just one more appeal to reason here: the reference to "a hoe" in Figure 1. When you use oblique strokes, the risk of a cut does increase, and I think everyone sees that immediately. What is not apparent until you try it, though, is that it's a hyperbolic curve, with lots of room on its gentle slope for safety. Sliding catches more hair, and shaves more gently, more shallow. When you shave square to the direction of motion, you get maximum drag. It really does dig, like a hoe.

 

[Tea-bott5000]

I think the Gillette slide rocks. I don't really practice it with any kind of regularity or great philosophy, more like I catch myself using it, mostly in the hollows of my neck, where my hair grows at funny angle anyways. It's a good trick.

 

[kingfisher]

I do it all the time, on every shave, and I do it both the way Gillette illustrated it AND, in other places, by tilting the razor and using straight strokes.

Either way works beautifully.