Brother AimlessWanderer,
I'm 81 years old. I can assure you that my whiskers are much tougher than they were when I was 51. That is normal.
Wait and see.
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Turns out milder is better for me
- Thread starter Slipknot
- Start date
I'm 81 years old. I can assure you that my whiskers are much tougher than they were when I was 51. That is normal.
Wait and see.
My father had a Fatboy and a Super Speed and mostly used the Super Speed up until the early 1980s when he moved to a Norelco electric. Stayed with Norelco the rest of his life, did not like carts and even got me a Norelco when I started shaving.
Did you ever leave DE shaving like he did? I’m assuming you DE shave now being on the this forum.
I’ve always been curious about what most shavers did in the 80s, if they stuck with DE and bought blades at the Rite Aid after the blades mostly disappeared elsewhere. I remembered DE blades at the checkout isles until about 1991 or 1992 when they seemed to fall off the face of the earth (In Maryland anyway). I’ve wondered what percentage of people went to carts versus electric.
When I started shaving in 1987, that Norelco gave me razor burn and was too much for my neck. I stuck with that Norelco for a few months until finally going to the Atra. My father tried to steer me away from carts and Gillette because he thought they were too expensive.
AimlessWanderer
Remember to forget me!
I'm just over halfway there, Steve, so it will be a while before I can confirm
I'm not doubting that the beard will get coarser, only that a mild razor will struggle to cut coarser whiskers as well. Maybe a little more gap or blade exposure will help with looser skin (mine is still fairly taut), but I don't see coarseness alone defeating my current favourites.
The MMOC is as mild as a Gillette Tech and very efficient if used as directed by the manufacturer!
Micromatic OC and it's rise to stardom...with the help of an old friend.
Yep. Just finished two months with the MMOC as daily driver for both beard and head shaves. I simply can't relate to the comments about the difficulty of using it.
I also had the same experience as with the MMOC. Was terrified to use it the first time because of all the stuff I read about it on the forum. First shave was very efficient and smooth; there was only a bit of sting with the alum block around my adams apple.
I'm pushing 60 and already have pretty coarse whiskers. Mild razors are my strong preference.
Over 60 with very coarse hair (what remains of it) on my noggin, getting there on the beard and mild razors can perform just fine. I use both mild and aggressive and have no strong preference for either. I used to prefer aggressive until figuring out it's 95% technique. On the beard this means super attention to angle and shaving with two hands.
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IMightBeWrong
Loves a smelly brush
I love razors of varying aggression levels as long as they’re intuitive to use so I don’t get surprise nicks. I do reach mostly for mild razors unless I’m straight shaving, though.
It isn't difficult by any means, just harsh on my skin with repeated use. Milder works better for me.
The preponderance of preference for mild razors on this thread is not surprising. After all, it is a thread labeled "milder" razors.
There are threads for aggressive razors, and I suspect on those threads a preference for aggressive razors is stated.
Then too what is mild and what is aggressive? Are we talking Gillette Super Speed Blue Tip mild vs. Muhle R41 aggressive? Or what?
Decades ago a flare tipped Super Speed handled my softer whiskers with aplomb. Nowadays my face and whiskers require a Gillette Super Speed Red Tip or a 1946-47 Gillette Superspeed type of razor. Actually my best shaving razor, all things considered, from my 80 DE and SE and Injector razors is a Muhle R89 with 2 shims under the blade. When I shave with that combination all the planets and all the stars are in perfect alignment.
The selection of a razor must be customized to the fragility of one's skin and to the toughness of one's whiskers, not vice versa. BTW that is why I dearly love any adjustable razor. I relate well to a Fat Boy on 5, and a Slim/Super Adjustable on 6.
There are threads for aggressive razors, and I suspect on those threads a preference for aggressive razors is stated.
Then too what is mild and what is aggressive? Are we talking Gillette Super Speed Blue Tip mild vs. Muhle R41 aggressive? Or what?
Decades ago a flare tipped Super Speed handled my softer whiskers with aplomb. Nowadays my face and whiskers require a Gillette Super Speed Red Tip or a 1946-47 Gillette Superspeed type of razor. Actually my best shaving razor, all things considered, from my 80 DE and SE and Injector razors is a Muhle R89 with 2 shims under the blade. When I shave with that combination all the planets and all the stars are in perfect alignment.
The selection of a razor must be customized to the fragility of one's skin and to the toughness of one's whiskers, not vice versa. BTW that is why I dearly love any adjustable razor. I relate well to a Fat Boy on 5, and a Slim/Super Adjustable on 6.
I, too, shave with a straight razor most days, but prefer mild when it comes to DEs. In fact, switching to straights has made me appreciate milder DEs more and to get better results with them.
Current favorite of my DEs is my British-made Hybrid Tech. Not quite as mild as a post-war Tech, not as aggressive as a pre-war Tech.
Current favorite of my DEs is my British-made Hybrid Tech. Not quite as mild as a post-war Tech, not as aggressive as a pre-war Tech.
This is where I've gone over the last year too. To less and less blade gap in a rigid design. The modest gap of the NEW SC can irritate my skin after 3 passes. Good thing Polsilvers give me the BBS I like in 2 1/2.
My 1917 Gillette Single Ring gives me the same BBS finish with the same blade in the same amount of passes, but because it has less blade gap, its more comfortable.
At 50+ hours growth mine looks like frosted wheat field stubble. I hope I'm still here at 81 to find out, but as it is right now with milder razors I generally need more passes and buffing to get to the same level of BBS, but they're more gentle on the skin at a wider range of angles.
I believe most of this is all in the angle used, like Anthony states below.
Used at the right angle and I cant feel the blade in the MMOC. I find that a bit unnerving, so I steepen it just enough so I can feel it. The steeper I stray from that design angle, the more blade I feel. Its still a very smooth shave because its such a rigid razor and blade, but even slightly steep I need to be careful, but less careful than when using my R41.
Much the same as my Fatip Grande. Used as shallow as I do the blade is invisible. Even the R41 can be used like that but because its a less rigid design its a more difficult and time consuming shave.
In the picture below, think of the red line as the plane of my skin with the cap pushed into it.
Use at that angle with the amount of pressure I need to achieve it, even first pass directly ATG at 50+ hours growth with a Gillette Yellow or Polsilver, that razor is every bit as mild as a Tech, but 5 times as efficient.
Any razor could be used aggressively. At the same time, most razors can be used in a way that makes them give a very mild shave.
Making a mild razor more efficient is difficult. Making a rigid razor with a lot of blade exposure mild, is all in the angle.
I too have switched from aggressive razors to razors that are on the milder end of the spectrum. I currently enjoy the Razorock SLOC and the Feather AS-D2 razor. These two are providing some of the most comfortable and carefree shaves.
Found out that milder razors were for me when I considered a Parker 87R a tad aggressive.
I like to use a mild razor (Rockwell 6S with the #3 plate) coupled with fast, light, long strokes. First pass N-S, second pass diagonally across and down from sideburns to chin, third pass ATG. That gets me to BBS with no irritation on my daily shave and usually gets me done and dusted (or aftershaved) in 7 minutes with no extra prep beyond face lathering. And I have pretty tough whiskers.
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