I found my XD20 in a drawer I was tidying up on Sunday and realized I hadn't used it in years. It seemed a shame so although it's not a razor I'm particularly keen on I thought I'd try using it for a while and get back in practice.
Monday - put in a new Derby (I've got a stock of half blades because I prefer to use them than to snap a full DE, you always end up with a bent bits where you snap it). I used Palmolive shave stick for lather. First shave wasn't great but could have been worse. I nicked a tiny pimple underneath my bottom lip but that can happen with any shave if you're unlucky. Less unlucky and more bad technique was a scratch on my left cheek which was a result of bad angle holding the razor so the tip made contact before the heel. I also managed to get a little irritation under my chin which I decided was due to excess pressure.
Tuesday - wanted to be extra careful both with the angle of the razor and to be extremely light, the result was no nicks or irritation but a poor and patchy shave. I think over caution and lack of sureness in my movements caused this, you can't be afraid of the razor and still get a decent shave.
Wednesday - tried to be more confident without over doing the pressure, kind of firm but gentle, watched the angle very carefully. Result was a good shave with no irritation. Only criticism I would make was missing about half an inch at the top of the side burn on one side.
Conclusion - after shaving with a straight for years and having shaved with a Coolcut before I wasn't expecting so much trouble with it. Definitely a different beast from both my straight and the Dovo Shavette I use for travel. I can't help wondering how much of the improvement is due to dialling in the technique and how much is due to the blade mellowing over a few shaves. I found it an interesting experience if nothing else. I'm probably going to continue for the rest of the week then retire it back to the drawer of forgetfulness.
Monday - put in a new Derby (I've got a stock of half blades because I prefer to use them than to snap a full DE, you always end up with a bent bits where you snap it). I used Palmolive shave stick for lather. First shave wasn't great but could have been worse. I nicked a tiny pimple underneath my bottom lip but that can happen with any shave if you're unlucky. Less unlucky and more bad technique was a scratch on my left cheek which was a result of bad angle holding the razor so the tip made contact before the heel. I also managed to get a little irritation under my chin which I decided was due to excess pressure.
Tuesday - wanted to be extra careful both with the angle of the razor and to be extremely light, the result was no nicks or irritation but a poor and patchy shave. I think over caution and lack of sureness in my movements caused this, you can't be afraid of the razor and still get a decent shave.
Wednesday - tried to be more confident without over doing the pressure, kind of firm but gentle, watched the angle very carefully. Result was a good shave with no irritation. Only criticism I would make was missing about half an inch at the top of the side burn on one side.
Conclusion - after shaving with a straight for years and having shaved with a Coolcut before I wasn't expecting so much trouble with it. Definitely a different beast from both my straight and the Dovo Shavette I use for travel. I can't help wondering how much of the improvement is due to dialling in the technique and how much is due to the blade mellowing over a few shaves. I found it an interesting experience if nothing else. I'm probably going to continue for the rest of the week then retire it back to the drawer of forgetfulness.
