Using a 3 piece safety razor without the base plate ?

[Cal]

I'm just wondering if anyone has tried this, and I'm also seeking general comments / thoughts on the idea. Is it dumb, interesting, useful, pointless etc. ? I'm thinking of giving this one a try.

This has been done quite a bit, but usually, as Old Hippie said, by altering the baseplate rather than removing it entirely.

My penultimate "No Guard" shave was over three years ago (with a modified baseplate).

Encouraged by this thread I dug it out and fitted my new GT handle (15 grams) to it. Here it is loaded, viewed from the top:

and from the bottom (you can see where the guards have been completely ground off):

I call my No Guard "The Coach" as it's a great one for technique polishing. I'm a steep angle shaver (guard rider) so it makes for a fun learning experience when there's no guard to ride (and a gap of infinity ).

It would be of no benefit to shallow angle shavers (cap riders) because it has a cap.

---

SOTD with "The Coach"

Brush: Shavemac 20/46 Silvertip 2-Band
Soap: Phoenix Scentsless
Razor: Gillette No Guard Tech "The Coach" GT
Blade: Gillette Rubie (7)
ASL: Clubman VIBR

A very good shave.
I got one tiny nick after accidentally lifting off on a back stroke, rather than keeping the blade on the face (to re-lather it).


Happy shaves guys.

 

[Pappa Piccolino]

I tried this again today, the 2nd time in 4 days. A 15C with a Feather Blade 4th use. No base plate for the first WTG pass, and no base plate for the 2nd XTG pass. I reattached the base plate then did the 3rd ATG pass. The shave was very good. Less irritation than normal (I have very sensitive skin), but I went with a super light touch (like I was only touching the shaving cream) and also riding the cap. I went very slowly and took great care. No weepers, cuts etc., and barely any redness. Apart from the fact that I feel quite nervous when I shave, I'm impressed.

 

[Iridian]

Hmm.

Do exactly the same... but just leave the baseplate attached. Magic!

I am sorry, seems you are digging your own hole deeper. Maybe some will jump in right after you.

I consider it bad advice and rather dangerous.

OR... just go straight razor. We have lots of people here who went there and got used to it and all things related to honing etc..
If the win is to reduce the safety bar, an OC plate night do the same and safer.

 

[BradWorld]

OR... just go straight razor.

Or get the best of both worlds and use a Feather Artist Club razor. The format of a straight, with a ridiculously sharp interchangeable blade equals a super close shave.

 

[Iridian]

The format of a straight, with a ridiculously sharp interchangeable blade equals a super close shave.

Just wait till this one gets reduced to holding the blade only...
Followed by a statement that it shaves better without the holder.

 

[Cal]

The shave was very good. Less irritation than normal (I have very sensitive skin), but I went with a super light touch (like I was only touching the shaving cream) and also riding the cap. I went very slowly and took great care. No weepers, cuts etc., and barely any redness. Apart from the fact that I feel quite nervous when I shave, I'm impressed.

Pappa,
(IMO) your impressive shave was due to the extra care and attention given. That is particularly true for "less irritation," as cap riding bunches the skin up in front of the blade. It's an ideal system for lopping off any skin irregularities (like old scars, moles, spots, etc). Do you wonder why so many people complain of skin irritation? I don't.

To repeat myself, as per post (#41) above:
QUOTE
I call my No Guard "The Coach" as it's a great one for technique polishing. I'm a steep angle shaver (guard rider) so it makes for a fun learning experience when there's no guard to ride (and a gap of infinity ).

It would be of no benefit to shallow angle shavers (cap riders) because it has a cap."
UNQUOTE

As cap riders don't use (or even touch) the guard during their shave, using a guardless razor makes NO DIFFERENCE to their shave.


IF YOU'RE INTERESTED:
Reference post HERE.

 

[Batchief909]

Sorry, I just don't see myself trying this. I'm awfully fond of keeping all my blood where it belongs.

 

[ShaverAZ]

Sure! It's called a "devette" -- a combination of "shavette" which is a naked-edge razor that usually looks like a straight razor, and "DE" for double-edge. There are also "sevettes" made from single-edge razors.

With only a few rare exceptions, devettes and sevettes are homemade. It's a thing that goes back into the 1930's at least, when guys would cut one or both bars off the baseplate of a Gillette razor. Cut off both bars or most of the teeth on the baseplate and it's a devette. Cut off one bar or teeth on one side and it's called a "half-sider."

Some guys would just take off the baseplate and screw the handle back on. Others would put a small steel washer between the handle and blade. Some would cut off just the bars and leave the frame ends in place to hold the edge up off the counter when the razor is laid down, others would take off the frame ends as well and simply set the razor down on its side.

I was always a little skittish about devettes. However, I just wrapped up five weeks shaving with nothing but, and it was OK. I found that I can't go ATG with it, but I can do WTG and mostly that's good enough. It's a little better if I also go XTG but that requires some care.

I'm a head shaver, and while I like shavettes and use them occasionally, I've always had trouble finding good grips and still being able to see what I'm shaving and control the razor. A devette is just a T-shaped shavette, and I already have lots of muscle memory for using a T-shaped razor.

Search my recent posts and you'll see a picture of it. I used a RazoRock BBS standard, cut off both bars and left the frame ends in place. I also have an OC baseplate for that razor, which I will keep that way as I like it as an OC as well.

I'd say do a little reading, get a good razor for it, and make one.

O.H.

Now I know why! I got a New SC with all the teeth broken of on one side. I got the razor specificaly so I could use the handle on a restoration I'm working on. Nevertheless, IMO, the bottom plate is useless, but the top cap will go into the parts box for use rehabbing something in the future.

 

[Tirvine]

Sounds like a good way to prepare yourself for the skip the grill trick. Just pop a glowing charcoal briquette in your mouth and eat a raw steak or roast a bite at a time, chewing well to ensure proper doneness.

 

[taffy]

Just me, but I see absolutely no point in doing this.

 

[luvmysuper]

There are, and always will be folks who feel the need to buck against accepted methodology.
Proscribing great benefit from the miraculous results from shaving without a base plate, or honing with a curved surface stone, or using peanut butter as a pre-shave, or stropping their DE blades, or... or..., or...
This "hobby" of ours has been examined infinitum over a hundred years by people who shave, people who design shaving tools, and people interested in improving the process.
No one is ever successful in convincing the self convinced that there's no need to go to such extremes and that they can do absolutely just as well by using the equipment as designed.
Eventually, unless they have a vested interest (financial or glory) in promoting their bizarre suggestion, they eventually just move on.
It's fun for them to experiment, and that's just fine.
I would NOT advise anyone to try these things as a means of improving their shave when much simpler ways of improving your technique are readily available without the associated risks

 

[Eric_75]

or using peanut butter as a pre-shave

Stephen Stills at one point soaked his guitar strings in bbq sauce. Perhaps he tried the peanut butter pre-shave.

 

[DEgeezer]

Hey, how about removing the handle? Look at the weight you'd save.

 

[luvmysuper]

Get a stainless DE, remove the base plate AND the blade, and then just hone an edge on the top cap!

 

[Slock]

I'm still waiting to be able to shave with a freaking laser.

 

[Old Hippie]

No one is ever successful in convincing the self convinced that there's no need to go to such extremes and that they can do absolutely just as well by using the equipment as designed.
Eventually, unless they have a vested interest (financial or glory) in promoting their bizarre suggestion, they eventually just move on.
It's fun for them to experiment, and that's just fine.
I would NOT advise anyone to try these things as a means of improving their shave when much simpler ways of improving your technique are readily available without the associated risks

Excellent (and fair) point, Phil. Thanks.

I look at it kind of like the famous dancing bear. It's not important how well it dances, the cool thing is that it dances at all.

Did the experiment; it worked better than I feared. But frankly that doesn't make me a proselyte for it.

Like anything: anybody wants to try it on, fly right at 'er. But if not, that's perfectly fine, too.

FWIW, back to the Rex Konsul. A much better razor in many regards.

O.H.

 

[luvmysuper]

Excellent (and fair) point, Phil. Thanks.

I look at it kind of like the famous dancing bear. It's not important how well it dances, the cool thing is that it dances at all.

Did the experiment; it worked better than I feared. But frankly that doesn't make me a proselyte for it.

Like anything: anybody wants to try it on, fly right at 'er. But if not, that's perfectly fine, too.

FWIW, back to the Rex Konsul. A much better razor in many regards.

O.H.

Don't get me wrong, I love the little experiments people do here, and I'm not critical of anyone having fun, life's too short not to have fun. I've done some of those little experiments myself.
I just wanted to make sure that some new guy looking for advice on B&B doesn't warn all his friends and neighbors to stay away from this place because he tried what he thought was a piece of advice for developing technique or an easier way to get a BBS!

 

[FarmerTan]

View attachment 1487231

Seems like OSHA would cite them for not using any seatbelts doggone!

 

[AnimalCatcher]

Here's my contribution. In 2020 I epoxied a GEM blade to a plastic razor from a Flintstones play shaving kit for children. I dulled both corners and it actually shaved remarkably well.

 

[FarmerTan]

Here's my contribution. In 2020 I epoxied a GEM blade to a plastic razor from a Flintstones play shaving kit for children. I dulled both corners and it actually shaved remarkably well. View attachment 1490194

This is pretty much the coolest thing I've seen on Badger and Blade my friend!!!