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Thinking about returning my Vector....any advice?

Hi,

Just a little background...I'm fairly new to shaving with safety razors and started with vintage DE Gillettes, the post-war Tech being my favorite of the bunch. My routine is simple, I start with hot water to the face, a nice slick lather of soap, shave, then a once over with an alum bar followed by Fellow Barber Everyday Tonic in lieu of aftershave. I like a smooth face, so I shave daily, but I wouldn't say I have unusually dense growth or anything.

So after shaving with the Tech for awhile I decided to treat myself to something nice, and settled on a Vector Ti, even though some said it was actually an aggressive razor.

I started using it with the Feather ProGuard blades. My first shave was a bit rough, had a few weepers, but shaves 2-4 were great and I thought I found my razor. Shave 5 was a bit "tuggy", so I thought maybe the blade needed changing and I opened up a pack of Feather Professional Artist Club blades that I bought with the set.

Ow! Despite being careful with a new blade, I got a really good cut just under the corner of my left jaw. Also, it seems to be irritating my face. I've attached a picture from this morning, this is day 8 with the razor and day 2 with the Feather Professional blade.

Do you think I made a mistake buying this razor? I would just go back to the ProGuard blades, but getting only 5 shaves out of them is really disappointing. Maybe I should stick with a milder DE razor like my Tech? Does Blackland offer anything like that? I'd swap for a Blackbird but I hear those are aggressive too. The other razor I was considering was a Tatara Masamune, but I'm open to suggestions.
 

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Was there an issue with your tech, or did you just want to try something new? If the latter, maybe it's worth going back and checking the forum for something similar so you can treat yourself but still have a similar experience.

For what it's worth, I also use the ProGuard and love them. For whatever reason, I can't use the feather pro's on my neck without some bleeding, but the ProGuards are fine, so those might be the blades for you, but if you're not getting enough shaves out of them maybe it's not worth it.
 
There was nothing wrong with the tech, I just wanted to treat myself to something nice. I also liked the idea of being able to go 10 days between blade changes.
 
No offence intended, but we have seen this before. The combination of light weight Ti razor plus guarded blades causes a person to add unintended pressure, sometimes just stabilising the razor. Throw in a new blade format and you are really trying to figure a lot out at once. This is meant to make you feel better, even if it doesn't sound like it, as this happens all the time, you aren't alone.

The issue with only getting 5 shaves out of a ProGuard only reinforces this as you don't feel like you are getting a close enough shave. Tuggy is not completely uncommon or the end of the blade, AC blades feel different, but how you deal with it is what takes experience. Also, the spacing between the guards on those blades is how I got myself once, just like you did with the unguarded blade. You may need to accept waisting some blades in the beginning, but I don't know anybody that gets less than about 8 shaves per blade once they have it figured out. The Feathers can take a bit of a journey in terms of their feel as they get more shaves on them. Sometimes they can feel unexpectedly sharp one shave and then magically mellow out for four more shaves.

I am not going to attempt to tell you how to shave with an AC razor, but the Vector is not exactly a beginner razor. If you can get it figured out, your technique with any razor in the future will improve. I would keep at it with the ProGuards until you find the correct angles and are sure you aren't applying any pressure, you will have to accept a less close shave while learning.

Edit: one trick is to make a single, careful pass with the grain with the Vector and then finish your shave with a familiar razor. That way you can learn the razor and not push it in order to get a close shave.
 
Do you have the open comb or safety bar baseplate? I have a polished SS Vector with both, but I find the OC baseplate rather harsh. I'd say the Vector is quite aggressive, but not excessively so, especially with a mild blade like the ProGuard. You got three great shaves with the ProGuard, but it was the same razor for the first and last shaves, which weren't so good, so that suggests something else was different (lather, technique?).

There's not much that's as forgiving as a Tech (I have a variety of them) and the Vector certainly demands a bit more respect. I'm still experimenting with my Vector, though and it seems worth the effort. I got just one terrible shave with the OC plate and a Feather Pro Super blade (several weepers). I'd persevere a bit longer if I was you; it will be rewarding once you've nailed it. Just use the Tech until your skin is back to 100%.

Good luck!
 
Hi,

Just a little background...I'm fairly new to shaving with safety razors and started with vintage DE Gillettes, the post-war Tech being my favorite of the bunch. My routine is simple, I start with hot water to the face, a nice slick lather of soap, shave, then a once over with an alum bar followed by Fellow Barber Everyday Tonic in lieu of aftershave. I like a smooth face, so I shave daily, but I wouldn't say I have unusually dense growth or anything.

So after shaving with the Tech for awhile I decided to treat myself to something nice, and settled on a Vector Ti, even though some said it was actually an aggressive razor.

I started using it with the Feather ProGuard blades. My first shave was a bit rough, had a few weepers, but shaves 2-4 were great and I thought I found my razor. Shave 5 was a bit "tuggy", so I thought maybe the blade needed changing and I opened up a pack of Feather Professional Artist Club blades that I bought with the set.

Ow! Despite being careful with a new blade, I got a really good cut just under the corner of my left jaw. Also, it seems to be irritating my face. I've attached a picture from this morning, this is day 8 with the razor and day 2 with the Feather Professional blade.

Do you think I made a mistake buying this razor? I would just go back to the ProGuard blades, but getting only 5 shaves out of them is really disappointing. Maybe I should stick with a milder DE razor like my Tech? Does Blackland offer anything like that? I'd swap for a Blackbird but I hear those are aggressive too. The other razor I was considering was a Tatara Masamune, but I'm open to suggestions.
If you want to stick to SE razors, get the ATT X1 slant. You wont regret it!
Ignore the fact that it says slant. Shaves like any other razor with no special technique. The head is slightly tilted
which gives a very very smooth and efficient shave without irritation. It's fantastic!
And for DE's, the Tatara (masamune) would probably be a good option because it's on the milder spectrum.
I have the aggressive Nodachi!
ATT has the X1 on sale right now and Tatara will have a sale starting on the 22nd.
Here is the latest thread about the ATT slants and the ATT page as well:
(For ATT, you'd want to select the X1 SE slant, not the SE1 or SE2!)


 
The shallow/steep thing has always been kind of confusing for me...would a shallow angle be like riding the curve of the head against the skin?
 
If you want to stick to SE razors, get the ATT X1 slant. You wont regret it!
Ignore the fact that it says slant. Shaves like any other razor with no special technique. The head is slightly tilted
which gives a very very smooth and efficient shave without irritation. It's fantastic!
And for DE's, the Tatara (masamune) would probably be a good option because it's on the milder spectrum.
I have the aggressive Nodachi!
ATT has the X1 on sale right now and Tatara will have a sale starting on the 22nd.
Here is the latest thread about the ATT slants and the ATT page as well:
(For ATT, you'd want to select the X1 SE slant, not the SE1 or SE2!)


Hmm...for the price of the Vector Ti I could get both. I'm kind of leaning towards something on the milder side, given the irritation I seem to be having lately.
 
Hmm...for the price of the Vector Ti I could get both. I'm kind of leaning towards something on the milder side, given the irritation I seem to be having lately.
Get both then!!🤣
ATT has a 90 day return policy and Tatara has a 15 day policy.
Can't go wrong!
 
90 days? That's unreal. Tatara's sale starts in a couple of days so I don't have to decide right now. I really like Blackland's craftsmanship, maybe one of these new releases they've been hinting about will be something milder. They seem to do solid work, even if their products are a tad aggressive for me.
 
The Vector might just be a bit much for you at your stage in the shaving game. I find AC format razors to be on the aggressive side compared to DE razors (just a generalization on my part from the razors I have). I might return it and focus on DE for now. The Tatara Masamune mentioned is a nice shaving razor as are lots of others. Nothing wrong with your Tech if it provides the shaves you’re looking for.

The ATT X1 mentioned is a fabulous AC razor and super smooth. My favorite to date in that format. I do find however I can get better shaves from my DE razors.

Your entering into the fun part of DE/SE shaving…..acquiring too many razors looking for “the one”.
 
90 days? That's unreal. Tatara's sale starts in a couple of days so I don't have to decide right now. I really like Blackland's craftsmanship, maybe one of these new releases they've been hinting about will be something milder. They seem to do solid work, even if their products are a tad aggressive for me.
ATT & Tatara's craftsmanship is the same as Blackland's. Just letting you know!
 
A “tuggy” feeling shave means you aren’t using enough pressure. This is a common problem for people coming to the Vector because we’re used to the “no pressure” rule. Due to its light head, the razor is skipping and tugging instead of plowing through the hair. Add pressure until the tugging sensation goes away and the shave smoothes out. This should fix that issue.

Also be sure to watch the video below.

 
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