What do you consider "good enough?"

[AZBronco]

I used to chase a perfect shave. I was constantly trying new razors, blades, and soaps/creams believing the perfect setup for me was out there and that with enough trial and money, I'd find it. After going through lots of razors, trying tons of different blades, and buying way too many artisan soaps I came to the conclusion that I was making the whole shaving routine way too complicated. I shifted my thinking and focused on making the best of what I already had. My setup now consists of 4 soaps/creams, 2 DE blades, and probably 60% of my shaves are always with the Mamba 70. The other 40% of my shaves are rotating through my collection of razors just for fun (ATT Calypso and OneBlade get used regularly, and I use a straight razor normally on Sunday when I have time for the whole routine).

I no longer chase an all-over BBS shave. Now I get a nice BBS on my face and am comfortable with a DFS on my neck where hair grows in a swirling pattern. At some point I realized that no matter how close my shave was, by lunchtime the stubble would start to arrive. No one looking at me can tell the difference between DFS and BBS, but they can certainly tell if I have razor burn that leaves my neck red all day. Also, becoming comfortable with what I consider a great shave, I'm finally saving the money I expected to save when I bought my first DE razor.

For those of you that have arrived at "good enough," I'm curious what that is for you.

 

[Butch Waxx]

I used to chase a perfect shave. I was constantly trying new razors, blades, and soaps/creams believing the perfect setup for me was out there and that with enough trial and money, I'd find it. After going through lots of razors, trying tons of different blades, and buying way too many artisan soaps I came to the conclusion that I was making the whole shaving routine way too complicated. I shifted my thinking and focused on making the best of what I already had. My setup now consists of 4 soaps/creams, 2 DE blades, and probably 60% of my shaves are always with the Mamba 70. The other 40% of my shaves are rotating through my collection of razors just for fun (ATT Calypso and OneBlade get used regularly, and I use a straight razor normally on Sunday when I have time for the whole routine).

I no longer chase an all-over BBS shave. Now I get a nice BBS on my face and am comfortable with a DFS on my neck where hair grows in a swirling pattern. At some point I realized that no matter how close my shave was, by lunchtime the stubble would start to arrive. No one looking at me can tell the difference between DFS and BBS, but they can certainly tell if I have razor burn that leaves my neck red all day. Also, becoming comfortable with what I consider a great shave, I'm finally saving the money I expected to save when I bought my first DE razor.

For those of you that have arrived at "good enough," I'm curious what that is for you.

“No one looking at me can tell the difference between DFS and BBS, but they can certainly tell if I have razor burn that leaves my neck red all day”………

Well said sir.

 

[dotKomo]

Agree. Your observations about "good enough" pretty well line up with mine. I can get BBS on the cheeks, but invariably am left with some level of stubble on the neck. Like you, my hair grows in all different directions under the chin and neck.

My criteria for a great shave - no nicks, cuts or weepers and, most importantly, NO IRRITATION.

I have about a dozen razors and will thinning them up some in the coming months, but there are some I can't part with. I recently purchased a Goodfellas Styletto and am falling in love with it. The other three that are consistently good are my Rockwell 6S, Game Changer .84, and Colonial General. I have some vintage Gillettes I will hang on to. I had a Tech but gave it to my teenage son.

 

[Alexland]

My equally weighted criteria for a good shave is (1) did I enjoy the experience and (2) do I look good afterwards? I can get that at every price point from a basic Mach3 up to a well preserved vintage or precious metal razor. Even if I found shaving perfection it wouldn't last long as I would get bored and attracted to the next shiny thing. So I am not chasing perfection just variety and have accepted this mini-hobby is going to cost some money over my lifetime but I save where I can and try to recover the value in anything I don't keep.

 

[StewB]

INo one looking at me can tell the difference between DFS and BBS, but they can certainly tell if I have razor burn that leaves my neck red all day.

My criteria for a great shave - no nicks, cuts or weepers and, most importantly, NO IRRITATION.

Agreed, @AZBronco and @dotKomo. Even if I don't feel irritation, red spots on my neck isn't my favorite aesthetic. The goal for me is a close comfortable shave without the skin on my neck either feeling or looking irritated.

 

[SharpieB]

I don’t really care about a BBS shave. I used to and always did 3 passes but now I just do two. Good enough for me and it stops potential irritation if I shave the next day.

 

[BigJ]

Great observations!! ’Good enough’ is good enough! And far better than most guys.

And I do get BBS when the stars align!

 

[EclipseRedRing]

What makes a good shave for me is relaxation, quiet time, and a general feeling of contentment and well being. The most effective way I have found to achieve that is by using products that, for various reasons, evoke happy memories for me. The actual closeness of the finished shave is of no importance to me whatsoever.

 

[The Blackadder]

For me good enough is a shave without any discomfort (irritation, tugging, overshaving, etc). I don’t mind a few hairs below my ears which ran away from the razor

 

[AimlessWanderer]

My "good enough" varies somewhat.

On some shaves, I'll accept nothing less than dolphin smooth perfection. Other days, what the forum considers a CCS or DFS shave will be perfectly adequate. From time to time, I'll take my first pass, and then think "that's enough for today". No matter what level of closeness I want on any given day, I always expect to be free of irritation, with no signs of the red stuff escaping.

 

[Ravenonrock]

I almost always do a single pass straight razor shave. It has always been my habit to just lather once and shave and be done. I only became aware of multiple pass shaves on this forum and dabbled, but not for me. I’m very satisfied with the quality and comfort of a daily single pass shave, it just works for my preferences. Now, when it comes to soaps and brushes, that’s a different story.

 

[euro]

To me it's more than shaving. It's the whole ritual behind it, the hot shower, the great smell of the shaving cream, that grshhh grshhh sound while shaving. When I used the Mach3 I HATED shaving, I hated it with a passion. Fusion blades performed even worse than the Mach3 on my face. I never could achieve a BBS with any cartridge system, with a DE blade it's very easy to achieve. Just this fact makes it good enough and worth the time and the money.

My goal is always a full BBS, it's a part of the ritual unless if I'm very tired then I do just one WTG pass but that is rare. DE blades should really make a comeback like in the past, most cartridge systems I used are just a waste of money and as if that isn't enough ... nope they always left me with ingrown hairs, razor burns, razor rash. I'm so glad I got into DE shaving and would recommend this to every young man.

 

[Never Picked]

Good enough is the stage before irritation. Irritation will make the next shave delayed leaving you less closely shaved in the interim. No reason to chase after a baby's butt if it's unreachable for you due to factors out of your control.

 

[DesertIguana]

I shave Daily, I do not chase the BBS, my mission is to just remove a days groth.

For 30 years I work freelance, most client never met me, and my looks were not important.

My ability to creat images then need was watch they wanted.

I felt lucky to dress in jeans, tennis shoes, and a tshirt, or sweat shirt.

Chasing the BBS was not priority.

 

[Alum Ladd]

I exclusively use vintages, occasionally the Mach 3.

I always do 3 passes, shave once every 36-48 hrs though it can go to 72 hrs, depending on mood.

Always get a smooth face, neck, jawline and upper lip. I believe without a final ATG pass, you have not shaved.

Never get irritation, rare weeper with a new blade. I favour blades on the sharper end of the spectrum.

Use Arko!, Palmolive Classic, Proraso Red and Cella only. Nivea post shave balm. Inexpensive synthetic. Face lather.

This regime, equipment and acquired technique has brought me to this state. I find the whole process to be a comfort. If pressed or stressed the Mach 3 serves as well as my DE's using the same technique.

I'm comfortable in my shave, in all senses. I don't feel the need to purchase more stuff or develop any further. I would like a 1941 Ranger Tech one day, but it's not a pressing urge.

I suspect I have learned to shave as well as I ever will, as far as my face and motor skills allow.

That's almost entirely due to B&B and the things I have learned here, plus about 3 decades of using the SE BIC orange. It greatly helped in helping me figure out angle and pressure

To me, the above is 'good enough'.

 

[Lockback]

Excellent thread starter.
I don't chase a BBS shave. I did once and nicked myself and it's just silly and unnecessary.
I have a couple of "trouble spots" along my jawline that are often a challenge. If the blade/razor combination isn't good enough to get it pretty smooth, I probably won't be happy despite the fact I'm sure it's not noticeable to most people.
Smoothness is of the utmost importance to me. I'll use a blade/razor combo that's not terrible smooth if the overall closeness is good but I won't be happy about it.
Even after a year, I'm still experimenting a bit although I told myself a few months ago that the experimentation period was over. The fact is I enjoy trying different blades in particular. I have a dozen razors, which is about ten or eleven more than I really need but I enjoy the variety and particularly like vintage Gillettes not only because they happen to be stunningly good razors but they have a sentimental value to me.
I have a ridiculous number of blades and enjoy trying them in different combinations with various razors. I was gifted 101 Treet blades recently so I'm working them into the rotation, although I don't have a set system. I go with my gut when I pick blades.
I rarely get a really bad shave. They're almost all good. Some are smoother than others but I don't concern myself with BBS at all. Even my worst DE safety razor shave is better than any cartridge razor shave I ever had.

 

[Quaznoid]

BBS, unless I’m using my Krona.

 

[Spy Car]

When I shave, which is daily (generally speaking) I expect to be extremely smooooooth when I'm finished. BBS (or close).

Fortunately my skin/hair takes well to close multi-pass shaves. Men are wise to know their own faces and shave appropriately.

What I do routinely would be bad news for a lot of guys. I know that. Irritation and ingrown hairs aren't worth it.

Be smart.

Bill

 

[La Malice]

as long as my chin is DFS I am good, chin and 1 sq inch patch on the left side of the trachea are the painful spot as long as they are DFS, the rest of the face is top notch. That is good for me and chasing farther generaly result in cut nicks and irritation, just not worth it.

 

[user9]

How close a shave I get is almost exclusively a function of the elapsed time since I last shaved. I have tried to control for everything else and that's the only variable that consistently makes a difference. If I shave within 24 hours of the last shave, I use a Hydro5 or Fusion and take whatever I can get because I know it's the best I can do.

After about 36-48 hours, I get a kick *** smooth shave no matter what I use.

Edit: Thanks, auto-mod, for protecting the group from my degenerate vulgar language.