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The missing variable that Gillette knew, but most modern razor manufacturers are oblivious

Unfortunately, I think it will be impossible to verify it by testing. Razor blades vary in bevel angles, sharpness, dimensions, etc.
I measured thoroughly 14 different razor brands, and while the nominal width of a razor is 22.00 mm, in reality, depending on the razor, it varies from 21.90 till 22.20 mm.
And to be honest, I think the width of a razor blade has much bigger influence on shaving experience than the shaving angle, since it may change the blade exposure drastically.
There is no obvious answer whether it’s right for people to prefer one angle over another, but I can argue that there is an optimal cutting line. Whenever cutting with a sharp point, one will always get the cleanest smoothest cut by drawing the point directly into the item. Drawing the point into the hair at an angle creates angle forces which can irritate the skin and ruin the cut. These forces that are not directed into the bevel don’t just have the potential to irritate the skin they can also can bend the bevel prematurely.

The optimal cutting angle will not change whether the person has thick or thin hair, it makes no difference in which direction the hair grows and so on. All these factors may change the final cutting forces number, but an optimal clean-cut will always perform best as the point goes straight into the cutting surface. Cutting the hair at an angle will increase the diameter of the cut, but the optimal cutting angle is relative to the direction and the plane that the point is moving in

A straight blade has 100% blade exposure and has the potential to give the cleanest irritation free shave. Blade exposure is more important for steep angle shavers, as it’s really hard not to put too much pressure when scraping. Blade exposure is also really important for shallow angle shavers, because they need to use the cap as a fulcrum. Straight-edge razor’s also use a guide and that is the spine.
 
I used to rate each shave as 1 if i didn't draw even a drop of blood and 0 if I did. Now, I can go a year without blood. That rating system did more to improve my shaving technique than anything else.

I use an angle so shallow that the blade almost lifts off my face. A superlight touch is essential. I prefer Wiliams Mug Soap. I get about 180 shaves per puck and only have 26 pucks left. My second is ARKO. I have 24 sticks of that and two pucks.

They all work together. If a person keeps changing their setup, they will likely not improve as quickly as if they would if they chose a setup and stuck with it.
 
Missing variable was budget. Gillette was developing razors and blades simultaneously, to complement each other, and they had all the money in the world. Modern blade tech was made these days, by Gillette. Today we have blades worse than 50 years ago, and made by companies that dont make DE razors, and don't tend to.
 
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