Two-Pass Challenge

[Babou]

I have a sensitive skin, only one pass WTG for the beard and the head.

A long time ago, I tried two passes, I finished with blood, irritation and burns.

Two passes for a person with sensitive skin = this picture

 

[Iridian]

How many passes do I do?
Usually 2, WTG+ATG. I never do XTG, my hair/skin isn't wired (haha) that way.
But I don't stop at 2.

I usually do very long and focused strokes, depending somewhat on the razor. The razor I used the longest before trying others was the R41.

My THIRD pass is a correction pass. Often dry, before I apply aftershave. If I find stubble somewhere... I scrape it off. This is also why I like razors that shave steep and are particularly suited to that type of correction, the Timeless Slim, the Greencult razor, Smart Helix Apollo come to my mind.

I do not have sensitive skin, so I can do that. I wonder if I just bled out in my early years with the R41, on my second shave with the R41 and Feather blade combo I managed to cut myself like in the photo above. OK, not quite as bad. But it bled badly.

While I don't do 2-pass-only shaving, my skin improved a lot through wetshaving, despite irregular nicks and cuts. Shaving with an electric shaver hurts and irritates my skin a lot more.

 

[Ckmaui]

1) My favorite razor of them all (with either 2 or 3 passes) is the Charcoal Goods Everyday in brass. Shaves even smoother than the Wolfman, Tatara or T68SB.

2) With 2 passes, my second favorite razor is the TB38. The most aggressive razor in my collection (positive blade exposure but small gap), it mows well and won't leave much left over after 2 passes.

3) After those two, I probably like the Tatara the most out of the rest. Super smooth shave even though it doesn't glide as smooth as the Wolfman or CG...but plenty efficient.

4) Then the Wolfman 95. Always gets me great results, but it is the razor that is most likely to nick me if I shave in a hurry...even with a 2-pass shave, a .95mm gap is more likely to cut me than a narrower gap.

5) Then my Henson (mild). Not sure anyone can get an easier BBS even with 2 passes than with the Henson. Smooth as butter.

6) Then the T68 is next. An excellent razor, but I find that it can sometimes pull just a little if it's been more than 24 hours since the last shave.

7) My Karve has dropped to last place with me going to 2 passes. The B plate is just a little too mild, and I can't get a BBS with only two passes. I need 3. So my choice is to do 3 passes or I can go buy the C or D plate which would solve the issue. But I don't want to spend that money right now, so the Karve is getting benched for now.

As far as your Wolf95, T68, Tatara question, I find all three shave totally different. On the face, I like the feel of the Wolfman the best. Post-shave I find to be best with the Tatara, and the Timeless is sort of stuck somewhere in the middle. The Tatara just doesn't feel as buttery on the face and makes more cutting noise than the other two. But I find it to be slightly more efficient than the other two yet crazy mild on the skin.

You really can't go wrong with the Masamune IMO. The Nodachi on the other hand is brutally aggressive. By far the most aggressive razor I have ever used. More aggressive than my Fatip Grande by a country mile. It literally hurt my face so much that I immediately sold it in the first week or so. Impossible to use for me. So I urge some caution on that one.

On the Wolfman, I had a WR1 at some point (mild gap) and thought it didn't shave well enough for me to keep it. Another one I sold relatively quickly, although this one I tried to make work until it was abundantly clear it was never going to work...felt too tuggy on the face IMO.

thanks great info

charcoal goods keeps going on and off my want to try and reckon I should I prefer the Ti then stainless BUT love love two tone with brass or bronze or ? plates

the all 3 different on the face yeah the ya just have to try them is so true and why not

Karve has also been on the should I should I not should I should I not list

the tatara is a for sure and interesting as I was going back and forth get all the plates and caps OR the adj ? or maybe both in the end ? again that lupo 95 is past what I want so anything has to be under that for comfort if comfort is better and efficiency more that is fine

like you said about nicks I find the wolf better than the lupo which can bite and I have been bit with the wolf BUT everytime I knew it was coming kinda like sticking your hand in a cage I get moving to fast to low on my neck clean up or to fast over edge of my ears or that adams apple area

it is funny how this hobby just sucks you in though which is fine cause I never ever would have thought I could enjoy shaving so much ?

again thanks for the great info appreciate it

 

[Roedeer]

Approximately 2-pass here, but I always get the upper lip and mouth area out of the way first, with two-way XTG where it helps, and then cruise through the other stuff, so the workflow might look a bit strange.

Other face area is mostly WTG/ATG (N-S and S-N). Throwing in an XTG, I hear more cutting going on, but it's unnecessary.

"Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good" applies, particularly to below your chin and on your neck.

My face can put up with over-shaving (thick stubble, thick skin), but I know soon enough if I've flayed my neck (thin stubble, thinner skin).

 

[steffenapelz]

thanks great info

charcoal goods keeps going on and off my want to try and reckon I should I prefer the Ti then stainless BUT love love two tone with brass or bronze or ? plates

the all 3 different on the face yeah the ya just have to try them is so true and why not

Karve has also been on the should I should I not should I should I not list

the tatara is a for sure and interesting as I was going back and forth get all the plates and caps OR the adj ? or maybe both in the end ? again that lupo 95 is past what I want so anything has to be under that for comfort if comfort is better and efficiency more that is fine

like you said about nicks I find the wolf better than the lupo which can bite and I have been bit with the wolf BUT everytime I knew it was coming kinda like sticking your hand in a cage I get moving to fast to low on my neck clean up or to fast over edge of my ears or that adams apple area

it is funny how this hobby just sucks you in though which is fine cause I never ever would have thought I could enjoy shaving so much ?

again thanks for the great info appreciate it

Whatever you do...If you go for Tatara, I would not recommend the adjustable. Totally overpriced and the Masamune is already amazing for a fraction of the money...

 

[Dov Shaves]

I agree with most of the contributions here and don't see the need for a third pass. WTG, ATG and few J-hooks on the second pass is plenty.

 

[Doc Strazz]

I have been a two-pass shaver forever, forgoing the third pass after having unnecessary irritation. I usually can skip a day if I am diligent shaving. Lately I have been trying only one-pass shaves with my timeless 68OC with very little stubble as well as getting away with one-pass with the 68CC if not too fussy. It does require more concentration on technic when shaving but the results are satisfactory, and the face appreciates it. If I forgo my 3-time use of the Feather or Voskhod blades and use only once it is even better. MOPO

 

[sternej]

I never do more than a single pass with buffing. I Only apply cream once, and very dense cream

 

[carluchi]

So I have tried doing two passes for about a week now and I'm just not satisfied with the final results. Main complaint being the shave just isn't as close as I like.

I have gone back to a third pass since it only takes maybe an extra 3 minutes including lathering up, but the end result is more what I like.

I may give it another go in the future, but for now it's not for me. Still, it was fun trying new things so thanks for the challenge!

 

[Dominic]

I have a sensitive skin, only one pass WTG for the beard and the head.

A long time ago, I tried two passes, I finished with blood, irritation and burns.

Two passes for a person with sensitive skin = this picture

View attachment 1413494

Maybe this will help with the sensitive skin issue:

 

[musicman1951]

I am unable to get BBS with two pass shaves. I do get very acceptable shaves, but the second pass in no way resembles the second pass of my three pass shave.

With the 3 pass shave I am virtually doing one pass of the razor over each part of my face. There might be a tiny overlap at the start of the next stroke, but it's pretty much one pass of the razor. If I hit the angle that gets the job done.

With the 2 pass shave I seem to be trying for the same result, thus making the second pass more like blade buffing my whole face. I can't say there is much reduction in irritation as I'm getting at least the same amount of razor on face time. It is a fine shave, and would be considered acceptable for just about any occasion that doesn't have someone gently caressing my face ATG.

I cannot bring myself to call it a DFS, as it's 2/3 of an excellent shave. If a painter did an excellent job on your room and left one wall unpainted I suspect you wouldn't tell him he did a DF job.