The World Shave Off Showdown

[ShavePastor]

Following!
Small suggestion.......(actually a big one)....pics, pics, pics!!!

These beauties need not only written about in how they perform, but they also need shown!

 

[Hannah's Dad]

I’ll be following this thread with great interest, too!

 

[User 306]

Following!
Small suggestion.......(actually a big one)....pics, pics, pics!!!

These beauties need not only written about in how they perform, but they also need shown!

Hi
Good suggestion. Just want to understand your request.
I was going to start the actual Shaves tomorrow but I’ve decided my beard is long long enough to start the shaves today with the first two adjustable razors so what I’d normally do is post photos of two competing razors and the other gear I’ll be using.

Are you suggesting I post photos of all the razors before getting started?

I could for example take photos of all the adjustable razors like in a group photo since we decided to stat with that category first before starting the actual shaves.
I just thought about that because to take a photo of all the razor would be hard to fit into one group photo there are so many of them.

 

[ShavePastor]

Hi
Good suggestion. Just want to understand your request.
I was going to start the actual Shaves tomorrow but I’ve decided my beard is long long enough to start the shaves today with the first two adjustable razors so what I’d normally do is post photos of two competing razors and the other gear I’ll be using.

Are you suggesting I post photos of all the razors before getting started?

I could for example take photos of all the adjustable razors like in a group photo since we decided to stat with that category first before starting the actual shaves.
I just thought about that because to take a photo of all the razor would be hard to fit into one group photo there are so many of them.

Anyhow you want sounds good! I was thinking of pics of the two contenders for each shave, not a big group photo.

 

[User 306]

Skin Stretch Short Stroke Technique ​

Well here it is and I hope if you take the time to learn you find it as helpful to you as it has been for me in achieving even better shaves.

Skin Stretch, Short Stroke Progressive Beard Reduction Technique ​

This technique is a way of shaving using a technique that I developed originally to use only when I was using very efficient razors to avoid nicks, cuts and also irritation. Well I found out, as I got more proficient with the technique that it works on any razor I’ve used from the mildest to the very efficient. DE or SE it doesn’t matter it works on of any type or razor. My original inspiration came one day when I stumbled on a video of an old Italian barber shaving a customer using a straight razor and I was amazed at how well he not only wielded his tool but at how he skin stretched and the way he did it. It got me thinking why couldn’t I use a similar technique when using very efficient DE or SE razors and so I experimented on the technique for well over 6 months, making adjustments and modifying things to suit shaving with a safety razor. So a little history of how I discovered and developed this technique that I use 95% of the time.


I’ve been asked by more than a few members to share this technique. An I’ll add that this technique may or may not work for every face or beard type but it has changed the way my shaves have turned out by reducing the number of passes I need to achieve a CCS, DFS or a BBS shave and decrease irritation as well. Hope it works for you. Using the technique has also enabled me to tame the most efficient or as some call “ Aggressive razors.


Before you begin to try the technique it is important to understand that the movement or strokes are more of an almost continuous movement rather than a stop and go movement that’s most commonly used in traditional long stroke techniques.

For example as seen in the drawings if you’re going north to south on a WTG pass. Your stroke starts with a straight down first stroke about an inch and a half or two max, then going right back up to the original starting point which I call “ center” the next stroke is again downward but this time you go slightly to the left. Then again back to center and then downward again this time going slightly to the right as seen in the drawings. You can reverse the movements going right to left instead of left to right if you find it easier for you as long as you do all 3 strokes and always go back to center. So just to be clear that’s a total of 3 short strokes, each time you progressively work your way downward to the base of your neck. This movement or strokes are center, right left and are used whether going from the sideburn to the base of neck (WTG) or (XTG) ear to nose or (XTG) nose to ear and the same goes for going (ATG) base of neck to sideburn for example.


When you first start to use the technique it may seem awkward so take your time and if you need to stop and go when you first try it please do but remember your goal is to be able to keep the razors moving. I highly suggest practicing with a razor with no blade in it just to get the feel of the movement until it becomes second


This sheet is meant to coordinate with the visual drawing sheets you see below and the arrows point in the direction to go and the SS stands for Skin Stretch and shows you were to start your skin stretching from. The RSS is called “ reverse skin stretching and I’ll explain that better below. Sorry I’m not an artist it's the best I could do.


Also a note! Using this technique there are probably going to be times where you may need only on 1 pass with some touch ups to do a complete shave to your satisfaction and sometimes it may take more passes. Again each shave with a different razor and different blade can change the number of passes and strokes needed to achieve the shave your looking for that day. Also what your looking for will also vary. Example if I’m looking for a very solid DFS shave for what I call a daily work shave then in most cases I can just do 1 pass and I’m good to go! Other times I’m looking for a BBS shave and it will require more passes or more strokes.

As some of you know I have broken down BBS shave results into 3 different levels and to be clear I’ll explain. A Level 1 BBS is when you cannot detect any stubble by hand feel post shave but if you were to do a cotton test you’d find some cotton residue would stick to various parts of your face where you’ve shaved. This shave for example could last 6 hours or more until you feel some slight stubble that has shown up as you run your hands over your face/beard. A Level 2 BBS is the same. Can’t feel any noticeable stubble with the hands after the shave but a cotton test will revel that in some areas which may or may not be some of your trouble areas there will be a little bit of cotton residue that sticks to just to that spot and nowhere else on your face does the cotton stick. The Level 2 BBS may last you 8 to 10 hours or more again for example. Now a Level 3, which is what I consider to be the very closest or ultimate shave is when once more you cannot feel any stubble left with your hands after a shave but in the case of a Level 3 the difference when doing the cotton test is there is absolutely no cotton residue sticking to the face at all on any area of the face and neck. The BBS Level 3 may last for a very long time and each face will be different I’m sure. A cotton test is when you take a loose piece of cotton and to be clear not a tight ball of cotton and run it on your face after a shave and after your face has dried completely. Run it WTG, XTG and ATG. I have become very attuned to these different levels of BBS shaves and can usually tell by hand feel alone what level I’ve achieved for that shave as I’ve done so many cotton tests and know how they feel afterwards but there are times and especially if I’m doing a shave comparison between two razors for example where I’ll use the cotton to be 100% certain before posting my shave results if I’m doing a shave review or a comparison that I’ll go back to the cotton test to make sure my report is correct. There are also times where I think I’ve achieved a level 3 BBS and after a cotton test it really was only a level 1 in some areas and a level 2 in other areas so now and then so I have to check myself now and then and this again only increases my ability to be able to tell what kind of shave I’ve achieved by hand feel. Hopefully I’ve explained the cotton test in detail so if you decide to try it for yourself you understand how to do it and what to look for.


Below are the symbols and meanings of the abbreviations I’ve used in the drawings on the sheets.


1. SS stands for Skin Stretch and in the illustration you’ll notice here is an arrow that is pointing in the direction that you should be stretching the skin! For example if I’m going north to south on a WTG pass my starting point may be right below my sideburns so using the back of the opposite hand from the one holding the razor I begin to stretch the skin above the razor. As I move down using my 3-stroke movement. Remember the skin stretching hand follows behind the razor and depending on what part of my face or neck I generally stay about a solid inch or two behind my razor. So in the drawings you’ll also notice that for example when I’m going ATG south to north where I start skin stretching is at the base of my neck and as a little side note sometimes I use a barber towel to skin stretch on my neck as I keep one on my shoulder when doing my shaves. It works great but using your hand is absolutely fine and I highly recommend that you start that way when first trying this technique.


2. RSS stands for Reverse Skin Stretching, which is a little more difficult to understand based on the drawings so I’ll do my best to explain. So lets go back to the WTG pass and we’ve SS all the way down to lets say the base of your chin for example well if you want to get even closer and still be going WTG you begin to go back up towards your starting point which is back to your sideburns. Here is the difference now your opposite hand is still above the razor and you are still taking downward strokes but your moving in reverse so hand goes up a bit and SS’s and your razor follows still taking down strokes. So you eventually wind up back at your sideburns and have essentially made two passes all going WTG and yet when you feel your face especially if your using a very efficient razor you may be done on 1 pass! I have some razors I can do this with and even though I may need a few touch ups here and there on my trouble spots I’m all done with my shave and it feels like I made 2 and a half or 3 traditional long stroke passes. Really helps when your in a hurry or if your prone to irritation. So the arrows are not pointing in the direction of SS like they are when you see the SS and arrow but rather they are pointing in the direction to go if your going to go in reverse and do RSS. Hope I’ve been clear in my explanation you understand what RSS means now. If not please feel free to ask questions, as I’ll do my best to answer any you may have.


3. Lastly the 3 arrows. They are showing you the direction of the strokes which like I mentioned are straight then back to center, down slightly left and back to center and down right and back to center and then your center progresses forward which could be WTG, XTG both ways or ATG.


I hope you enjoy the SSSST and I’d love to hear your feedback. Just remember it takes a few shaves to get the rhythm or the 3 strokes movement and the entire technique down to where it becomes a natural movement.


Thank you and great shaves to all.

 

[User 306]

First Shave Off is complete! ​

So as I noted earlier we decided to start this World Shave Off Showdown with the adjustable razor category and I though what better way to kick this off than with one razor that probably 100% of the members can relate to and that's the Fatboy. Mine is a 1959 E 2 and it's pretty special to me since it's the first razor I every bought back 9 years ago when I threw away my cartridge razor and began to Wet shave. I didn't really know any history or anything about the Fatboy only that I liked the name and the way it looked. I searched around for a good one thinking this will be my only razor! Ha we all know how that story goes! Anyway I found this one and it was in great vintage conditon and it was love at first shave! I played with the dial and tried to find the best setting for me like most do and i also bought my first brush, a bowl and my first real lathering shave soap or should I say cream as it was Green Proraso and to this day not only do I love my Fatboy but Proraso will always have a spot in my den. Anyway this is the only Fatboy I have in my collection of razors and about 3 yrs ago wanting to keep it in great conditon I had it replated in White Rhodium and it still remains looking great. With so many razors in my den I don't use it as often as I used to but I pull it out once in a while and today was one of those days where I had the opportunity to try out a legend of a razor the Red Dot Fatboy thanks to a member and friend James aka @loot as it's part of his great collection of vintage razors. As some know the head on the Red Dot is different than on the regular Fatboy like mine. According to James it's the same as a Toggle and I'm sure he will chime in this Shave Off and give us a little history lesson which I know I'd enjoy hearing about although I'll probably never own one as they are just a little bit pricey and unless I found one in the wild I'd say probably not gonna happen. James Red Dot has recently been replated in Nickel as he wanted to keep it more like the original nickel plating.

I looked at the difference in the head and pulled out one of my Toggles and sure enough it's got the same head so my first thought was will it shave the same?

Anyway on to the Shave Off

I decided to use a Feather blade in each as it's a tradition with me when using my Fatty to use a Feather which is not often my blade of choice in many of my other razors but that's what I used in both razors for todays shave.
I decided since it was very muggy and hot today to use my Peppermint Shave Cream from AOS and I love the scent and the cooling effect I get from it and as a shave cream I happen to like and have no problems using AOS Creams especially the older ones. Got my Fine bowl out and my Italian Barber boar brush out and after my shower I started my shave. So remember in this Shave Off I'm using my SSSST so based on my experience with my Fatboy I know I can get a great shave in 2 passes. WTG and ATG so I wanted to see if the Red Dot could manage to keep up with my fatty.

1st Pass - WTG So as always I divided my face into 4 quadrants and decided to give the Red Dot my difficult right side of my face and my Fatboy the right side on my neck with the nasty cowlicks. I gave my Fatboy my left side of my face and the Red Dot my left side on my neck. Which if you haven't read before my left side is much easier to shave than the right side which all kinds of funky cowlicks and beard growth that goes every which way and so unlike my very normal left side. Anyway I started with the Red Dot and I immediately noticed like my Toggle it was very smooth and although it had some blade feel and sang a nice audible song that wasn't very loud it was there. Started my pass N to S and it was great. Smooth and yet I could feel it taking down my 3 days growth in a very kindly way. So nice pass and on to my Fatboy on my terrible neck and like an old friend I found my angle in a NY heartbeat and although it has just a tad more blade feel than the Red Dot it is still a nice smooth shaver. Also the AOS soap was working really well providing a very thick and slick lather not to mention the amazing peppermint scent and the cooling effect so another good pace out of my old friend. Immediately went right over to my left side and proceeded to skin stretch and worked my way down to my lower chin and a nice easy drama free pass. So picked up the Red Dot and hit the neck and it was a very nice pass again. So all and all both razors performed very well on my 3 day old beard and I could have stopped right there if I was looking for a very solid CCS to go to work with.

2nd Pass ATG - This would be the test I said before starting the pass as I know what to expect out of my Fatboy but not the Red Dot. Well no disappointments here. No blade chattering or skipping just a nice smooth glide across my face. I even did a few J Hooks with it just to see how it handles and although the handle is a little longer than the E2 it feels very nice in hand and I'd give it a real nice score if I was judju n not requests It performed great on my neck and on the other side on my face.My fatty pulled another really good pass out for this shave and so all and all a really nice shave out of both Fatboy razors today.

Also wanted to say that with me using my SSSST most often most razors to not require 3 passes so my reviews my be bit shorter which I'm sure some of you are saying that's the best news I heard today as I do have a tendoncey to put a lot of verbiage in my posts.

 

[Shavemd]

Excellent demonstration of skin stretch and great review of the 2 Fatboy razors Which one are you declaring a winner? That red dot is certainly an unobtanium unless I walk into a store and find one laying around LOL

 

[Hannah's Dad]

You certainly started this Shave-Off with a bang. Great stuff. I’m assuming you’re waiting for the 5 O’Clock shadows to appear to declare a winner.

How gorgeous is that Red Dot?! The differences between it and the Fatty are striking.

 

[BigJ]

Two WONDERFUL RAZORS (love the Red Dot especially)!!

 

[User 306]

Excellent demonstration of skin stretch and great review of the 2 Fatboy razors Which one are you declaring a winner? That red dot is certainly an unobtanium unless I walk into a store and find one laying around LOL

Thank you Mark and I have to say the shave was very close with the Red Dot being a touch smoother and my Fatboy having a bit more blade feel and I will name the winner in the next post as it was a very close but I've got a clear winner to name. Yes it hit me when I was shaving with the Red Dot that I had a razor that would probably sell for at least $800 to over $1,000 in my hand and I'm with you on the only chance I'll ever have to get one is I find one at Goodwill or a little antique store in my travels. I just got an email from a member who not only wanted a copy of the SSSST sheets but he offered to redo them and make them even better as my drawing skills are limited so I'm pretty excited about that.

You certainly started this Shave-Off with a bang. Great stuff. I’m assuming you’re waiting for the 5 O’Clock shadows to appear to declare a winner.

How gorgeous is that Red Dot?! The differences between it and the Fatty are striking.

Thank you and your so spot on. I had to wait as the shave was very close. I'm going to name the winner in the next post. Yeah I think if my Fatty wasn't replated it would have really been outshined by the Red Dot.

ALSO I just realized when I posted the photo's of the Red Dot I forgot to show the darn Red Dot! What is the matter with me!

Two WONDERFUL RAZORS (love the Red Dot especially)!!

Thanks @BigJ and your right two great shaving razors and it was a fun and enjoyable shave last night. Loved the whole peppermint experience as well. LOL

 

[User 306]

Results are in on the first Shave Off.

Ok so it's been about 12 hrs since my shave last night and just starting off the Shave Off I totally forgot to get some cotton at the drugstore so I couldn't do the test and name a winner right after the shave because it was a very close Shave Off as the two performed almost neck and neck. So after the 12hrs I've got to give the win to the regular Fatboy by a little bit and the reason for that is my face and neck is smoother with less regrowth in the areas where I used the regular E2 Fatboy than the Red Dot and it's noticeable enough to know who the clear winner is in this Shave Off. With that said please remember just to keep things real. I don't have a blade gap measuring tool to be sure that with both razors set on #7 that they were equal in blade exposure. For example maybe if I did have the tool I would have the Red Dot set at 8 or 9 to be equal to the E2 at 7 setting so the results may have been different but I did the best i could eyeballing the gaps on both to try and get them the same.

I would be willing to buy one and redo the shave down the road if someone would post which kind of tool I'd need to measure blade gap as I admittedly am not that much of a handyman.


So as of right now the E2 moves on in the competition and the Red Dot goes back into safe storage.

 

[Hoka Hey]

Results are in on the first Shave Off.

Ok so it's been about 12 hrs since my shave last night and just starting off the Shave Off I totally forgot to get some cotton at the drugstore so I couldn't do the test and name a winner right after the shave because it was a very close Shave Off as the two performed almost neck and neck. So after the 12hrs I've got to give the win to the regular Fatboy by a little bit and the reason for that is my face and neck is smoother with less regrowth in the areas where I used the regular E2 Fatboy than the Red Dot and it's noticeable enough to know who the clear winner is in this Shave Off. With that said please remember just to keep things real. I don't have a blade gap measuring tool to be sure that with both razors set on #7 that they were equal in blade exposure. For example maybe if I did have the tool I would have the Red Dot set at 8 or 9 to be equal to the E2 at 7 setting so the results may have been different but I did the best i could eyeballing the gaps on both to try and get them the same.

I would be willing to buy one and redo the shave down the road if someone would post which kind of tool I'd need to measure blade gap as I admittedly am not that much of a handyman.


So as of right now the E2 moves on in the competition and the Red Dot goes back into safe storage.

Well done!

What you want to measure gaps is a set of plastic feeler gauges. The metal ones are better, but not recommended for this application for obvious reasons.

 

[Shavemd]

WoW So Gillette got it right years ago when it went with the design we now call the Fatboy

 

[Twelvefret]

Hi
Good suggestion. Just want to understand your request.
I was going to start the actual Shaves tomorrow but I’ve decided my beard is long long enough to start the shaves today with the first two adjustable razors so what I’d normally do is post photos of two competing razors and the other gear I’ll be using.

Are you suggesting I post photos of all the razors before getting started?

I could for example take photos of all the adjustable razors like in a group photo since we decided to stat with that category first before starting the actual shaves.
I just thought about that because to take a photo of all the razor would be hard to fit into one group photo there are so many of them.

So, you wait for your beard to grow? Doesn't that effect the usefulness for those of us who need to shave daily?

 

[User 306]

So, you wait for your beard to grow? Doesn't that effect the usefulness for those of us who need to shave daily?

Good point and question.
Doing a review or shave comparison I have to set a certain format to follow so it’s consistant. When evaluating mild to very efficient razors I normally shave every two days as it enables me to have a decent amount of beard growth to test any razor. If for example I use two very efficient razors and end up with a level 2 BBS I really won’t have enough growth to give what I consider a proper report with only one days growth.
With that said and your point well taken I’ll be sure to add to some of my Shave reports a statement about how I think the participating razor would be if used as a daily shaver.
This way members would also get an idea and a different perception of how the razors would perform If used daily.

Thank you for the post and the good point you brought up.

 

[User 306]

WoW So Gillette got it right years ago when it went with the design we now call the Fatboy

Mark I think that James and a few other members have stated in threads I’ve read. Gillette probably had their reasons to change the head to the more commonly known Fatboys that we all are familiar with. Also I’ve heard the Red Dots are finicky and hard to work on and I can see that as for ecample opening and closing the two razors or adjusting the dials is so much smoother in the E2 than on the Red Dot and I’m going to confirm my findings with an email to Cap as no one on this planet knows more about these rare Gillette’s and how they are put together and function better than that man!
So yeah like the Tech it was made to appeal to a wide audience of wet shavers in my humble opinion.

 

[Twelvefret]

Good point and question.
Doing a review or shave comparison I have to set a certain format to follow so it’s consistant. When evaluating mild to very efficient razors I normally shave every two days as it enables me to have a decent amount of beard growth to test any razor. If for example I use two very efficient razors and end up with a level 2 BBS I really won’t have enough growth to give what I consider a proper report with only one days growth.
With that said and your point well taken I’ll be sure to add to some of my Shave reports a statement about how I think the participating razor would be if used as a daily shaver.
This way members would also get an idea and a different perception of how the razors would perform If used daily.

Thank you for the post and the good point you brought up.

You are welcome. Last week I was camping and was very impressed with the NDC Super Speed performance on two days growth whereas I am not normally as impressed with one pass as a daily user.

Thanks for taking the time to make these evaluations.

 

[loot]

Round 1 in the books! Great stuff my friend.

Efficiency is certainly a major part of any razor's performance. Comfort/smoothness, to me, is just as important if not more important. A razor can be super efficient but if it gets harsh, I'm not at all interested in using it. Those get sold pretty quick.

The Red Dot has a Standard Toggle head. That head is smoother than a regular Fatboy. I think that is why most people, myself included, prefer the shave of a Toggle.

It is my understanding that the number on the diall is equivalent to that number of blades thick in blade gap...if that make sense. 1=1blade thickness in gap, 2=2 blade thicknesses in gap, etc. So, any adjustable Gillette should have the same blade gap at the same turret setting. I could be totally wrong here. CAP would be a great resource to answer. Maybe another member can confirm my belief here.

All of this should comfort the guys that covet Toggles and Red Dots. They do not shave much better than a readily available production Fatboy. You aren't missing much where it counts, the shave. Unless you just HAVE to have their more expensive brethren, your gear $$$ are better served on other razors. I fell in love with Gillette adjustables and just HAD to have one of each model available at relatively reasonable prices. That ruled out Serial Toggles and Bottom Dials. I've got zero interest in obtaining those.

None of this is meant as criticism of your conclusion, friend. I'm just offering my thoughts and understanding of vintage Gillette adjustables.

Shave on!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

 

[Zoost]

This is like, the coolest thread. You guys putting this together have put/are putting so much time and effort into this. I wish I had been able to contribute but I only returned home from a long vacation recently and I am trying to get my den in order

Ill be posting some pretty good stuff in the BST thread this week to clear my den a little, as I made quite a few purchases while I was away (my mail box was full when I returned!!).

One purchase was the Timeless Bronze SB - I shaved with it for the first time over the weekend, and it gave me one of the best shaves I've ever had. My trusty Gillette #16 has been my go to daily driver for so long, but seriously it may get nudged out of the way now for my shiny new Bronze! Wonderful with a Gillette Rubie blade sliding all over my Grooming Dept Ambra cream! I am looking forward to seeing how the Timeless performs in this showdown!

 

[Sharp_Obsession]

Skin Stretch Short Stroke Technique ​

Well here it is and I hope if you take the time to learn you find it as helpful to you as it has been for me in achieving even better shaves.

Skin Stretch, Short Stroke Progressive Beard Reduction Technique ​

This technique is a way of shaving using a technique that I developed originally to use only when I was using very efficient razors to avoid nicks, cuts and also irritation. Well I found out, as I got more proficient with the technique that it works on any razor I’ve used from the mildest to the very efficient. DE or SE it doesn’t matter it works on of any type or razor. My original inspiration came one day when I stumbled on a video of an old Italian barber shaving a customer using a straight razor and I was amazed at how well he not only wielded his tool but at how he skin stretched and the way he did it. It got me thinking why couldn’t I use a similar technique when using very efficient DE or SE razors and so I experimented on the technique for well over 6 months, making adjustments and modifying things to suit shaving with a safety razor. So a little history of how I discovered and developed this technique that I use 95% of the time.


I’ve been asked by more than a few members to share this technique. An I’ll add that this technique may or may not work for every face or beard type but it has changed the way my shaves have turned out by reducing the number of passes I need to achieve a CCS, DFS or a BBS shave and decrease irritation as well. Hope it works for you. Using the technique has also enabled me to tame the most efficient or as some call “ Aggressive razors.


Before you begin to try the technique it is important to understand that the movement or strokes are more of an almost continuous movement rather than a stop and go movement that’s most commonly used in traditional long stroke techniques.

For example as seen in the drawings if you’re going north to south on a WTG pass. Your stroke starts with a straight down first stroke about an inch and a half or two max, then going right back up to the original starting point which I call “ center” the next stroke is again downward but this time you go slightly to the left. Then again back to center and then downward again this time going slightly to the right as seen in the drawings. You can reverse the movements going right to left instead of left to right if you find it easier for you as long as you do all 3 strokes and always go back to center. So just to be clear that’s a total of 3 short strokes, each time you progressively work your way downward to the base of your neck. This movement or strokes are center, right left and are used whether going from the sideburn to the base of neck (WTG) or (XTG) ear to nose or (XTG) nose to ear and the same goes for going (ATG) base of neck to sideburn for example.


When you first start to use the technique it may seem awkward so take your time and if you need to stop and go when you first try it please do but remember your goal is to be able to keep the razors moving. I highly suggest practicing with a razor with no blade in it just to get the feel of the movement until it becomes second


This sheet is meant to coordinate with the visual drawing sheets you see below and the arrows point in the direction to go and the SS stands for Skin Stretch and shows you were to start your skin stretching from. The RSS is called “ reverse skin stretching and I’ll explain that better below. Sorry I’m not an artist it's the best I could do.


Also a note! Using this technique there are probably going to be times where you may need only on 1 pass with some touch ups to do a complete shave to your satisfaction and sometimes it may take more passes. Again each shave with a different razor and different blade can change the number of passes and strokes needed to achieve the shave your looking for that day. Also what your looking for will also vary. Example if I’m looking for a very solid DFS shave for what I call a daily work shave then in most cases I can just do 1 pass and I’m good to go! Other times I’m looking for a BBS shave and it will require more passes or more strokes.

As some of you know I have broken down BBS shave results into 3 different levels and to be clear I’ll explain. A Level 1 BBS is when you cannot detect any stubble by hand feel post shave but if you were to do a cotton test you’d find some cotton residue would stick to various parts of your face where you’ve shaved. This shave for example could last 6 hours or more until you feel some slight stubble that has shown up as you run your hands over your face/beard. A Level 2 BBS is the same. Can’t feel any noticeable stubble with the hands after the shave but a cotton test will revel that in some areas which may or may not be some of your trouble areas there will be a little bit of cotton residue that sticks to just to that spot and nowhere else on your face does the cotton stick. The Level 2 BBS may last you 8 to 10 hours or more again for example. Now a Level 3, which is what I consider to be the very closest or ultimate shave is when once more you cannot feel any stubble left with your hands after a shave but in the case of a Level 3 the difference when doing the cotton test is there is absolutely no cotton residue sticking to the face at all on any area of the face and neck. The BBS Level 3 may last for a very long time and each face will be different I’m sure. A cotton test is when you take a loose piece of cotton and to be clear not a tight ball of cotton and run it on your face after a shave and after your face has dried completely. Run it WTG, XTG and ATG. I have become very attuned to these different levels of BBS shaves and can usually tell by hand feel alone what level I’ve achieved for that shave as I’ve done so many cotton tests and know how they feel afterwards but there are times and especially if I’m doing a shave comparison between two razors for example where I’ll use the cotton to be 100% certain before posting my shave results if I’m doing a shave review or a comparison that I’ll go back to the cotton test to make sure my report is correct. There are also times where I think I’ve achieved a level 3 BBS and after a cotton test it really was only a level 1 in some areas and a level 2 in other areas so now and then so I have to check myself now and then and this again only increases my ability to be able to tell what kind of shave I’ve achieved by hand feel. Hopefully I’ve explained the cotton test in detail so if you decide to try it for yourself you understand how to do it and what to look for.


Below are the symbols and meanings of the abbreviations I’ve used in the drawings on the sheets.


1. SS stands for Skin Stretch and in the illustration you’ll notice here is an arrow that is pointing in the direction that you should be stretching the skin! For example if I’m going north to south on a WTG pass my starting point may be right below my sideburns so using the back of the opposite hand from the one holding the razor I begin to stretch the skin above the razor. As I move down using my 3-stroke movement. Remember the skin stretching hand follows behind the razor and depending on what part of my face or neck I generally stay about a solid inch or two behind my razor. So in the drawings you’ll also notice that for example when I’m going ATG south to north where I start skin stretching is at the base of my neck and as a little side note sometimes I use a barber towel to skin stretch on my neck as I keep one on my shoulder when doing my shaves. It works great but using your hand is absolutely fine and I highly recommend that you start that way when first trying this technique.


2. RSS stands for Reverse Skin Stretching, which is a little more difficult to understand based on the drawings so I’ll do my best to explain. So lets go back to the WTG pass and we’ve SS all the way down to lets say the base of your chin for example well if you want to get even closer and still be going WTG you begin to go back up towards your starting point which is back to your sideburns. Here is the difference now your opposite hand is still above the razor and you are still taking downward strokes but your moving in reverse so hand goes up a bit and SS’s and your razor follows still taking down strokes. So you eventually wind up back at your sideburns and have essentially made two passes all going WTG and yet when you feel your face especially if your using a very efficient razor you may be done on 1 pass! I have some razors I can do this with and even though I may need a few touch ups here and there on my trouble spots I’m all done with my shave and it feels like I made 2 and a half or 3 traditional long stroke passes. Really helps when your in a hurry or if your prone to irritation. So the arrows are not pointing in the direction of SS like they are when you see the SS and arrow but rather they are pointing in the direction to go if your going to go in reverse and do RSS. Hope I’ve been clear in my explanation you understand what RSS means now. If not please feel free to ask questions, as I’ll do my best to answer any you may have.


3. Lastly the 3 arrows. They are showing you the direction of the strokes which like I mentioned are straight then back to center, down slightly left and back to center and down right and back to center and then your center progresses forward which could be WTG, XTG both ways or ATG.


I hope you enjoy the SSSST and I’d love to hear your feedback. Just remember it takes a few shaves to get the rhythm or the 3 strokes movement and the entire technique down to where it becomes a natural movement.


Thank you and great shaves to all.

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Great job! Thank you very much for sharing this valuable information that you created through extensive experience. This needs to be a sticky.