What would be "too aggressive" of an angle?

[ShaneN.]

I'm curious to which angle we're shooting for. For instance, do i want to hold the razor to my face with the handle pointed straight down and then slightly raise/pivot the handle upwards until the blade contacts OR would I want to hold the razor parallel to the floor and lower/pivot the handle downwards until the blade touches? I'm not sure that my r89 head has a large degree of differing angles that will still allow the blade to touch my face but now that i'm working on getting better shaves i'm curious to what proper angle really means.

 

[djh]

If you are getting better shaves, then your technique is on the improve. The angle which you seek is found by holding your razor parallel to the floor and tilting the handle down until you have blade contact with your face.

 

[ShaneN.]

interesting, but that seems like the most aggressive way for the blade to be touching your face, wouldn't it be? that'd make the blade really angle into your skin rather than skim along the surface if the handle was pointed down and then angled up till it touches.

 

[Eeyore]

You really cannot go very wrong with a R89, there isn't too much variety in angle.

The R89 (and corresponding EJ) is one of the easiest razors to shave with, in my experience, with a very well thought out head. It "automatically" drops into the right position on your skin.

 

[ShaneN.]

I've never had another one to compare to but that's what i figured as it does seem like a small amount of angle allowance. i was just curious to which side of the spectrum i should be shooting for.

 

[Eeyore]

I've never had another one to compare to but that's what i figured as it does seem like a small amount of angle allowance. i was just curious to which side of the spectrum i should be shooting for.

The one that feels best to you, of course.

 

[djh]

interesting, but that seems like the most aggressive way for the blade to be touching your face, wouldn't it be? that'd make the blade really angle into your skin rather than skim along the surface if the handle was pointed down and then angled up till it touches.

This article from the Wiki should help you out. The idea is that the blade should lay as close as possible to parallel to your skin- that way it should glide and cut rather than digging and scraping.

 

[Eeyore]

What might help you to visualise it, is shaving a sheet of paper. Start with an upright position of the handle, and gradually lower it, until it just catches the paper. That is the angle you want.

The advantage of this is that you can look at it while experimenting with angles ... and that it doesn't hurt when you scrape over a paper sheet

 

[Kostas_Greece]

EJ89 is the smoothest.

 

[Eeyore]

EJ89 is the smoothest.

Yes, it is a great razor.

The designers of the EJ89 / R89 razor head really knew what they were doing!

 

[ShaneN.]

i feel like knowing this that i got a closer shave today. i was doing the handle straight to the floor and then angling it up until the blade touched, which was clearly reverse. not that my r89 made for a huge difference in angle though. i feel like the "proper" way is much less audible though... i heard less of the hair against the blade.

 

[phillylion]

This Wiki article explains it all. Remember, if you start with the handle parallel to the floor, lowering it and stopping when the blade touches the face, rather than starting with the handle perpendicular to the floor and raising it upward, you will end up with a smaller and safer angle to the skin (although for the r89 there's not much difference). So until you get more familiar with your angles, that would be the recommended approach, IMO.

http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/Blade_Angle

 

[Ducati Scotty]

I wish the pictures at the end of the article were in reverse order. I've found much better luck getting the angle right when starting with the cap against my face (handle parallel to the floor) than starting with the guard against my face (handle pointing at the floor). Although either can work, the former gets you to the shallowest angle that will work more quickly.

Scott

 

[ShaneN.]

I wish the pictures at the end of the article were in reverse order. I've found much better luck getting the angle right when starting with the cap against my face (handle parallel to the floor) than starting with the guard against my face (handle pointing at the floor). Although either can work, the former gets you to the shallowest angle that will work more quickly.

Scott

i think that's what they are saying is the proper way. i thought the opposite way was the right way based on those pictures too, they're a bit misleading.

 

[Wayne1963]

Apply just the safety bar to your face. Pivot the handle upward until the blade makes contact, that will be your angle, plus or minus a few degrees. Take the blade out, and practice this on some of your tricky areas. It will quickly become intuitive and you'll never think about it. Once you gain this skill, you no longer have to apply the safety bar first, but the whole head as a unit will touch your beard at once. Another skill I learned from straight shaving is to have the razor in motion before it contacts the skin. This sounds dangerous, but will actually all but eliminate nicks when learned properly. Good Luck.

 

[phillylion]

i think that's what they are saying is the proper way. i thought the opposite way was the right way based on those pictures too, they're a bit misleading.

I don't think the order of the pictures at the end is of any significance, except to show what happens as the angle of the razor progresses from one end to the other. The only recommendation given is when they discuss the options in finding the proper angle in an adjustable razor (which is discussed earlier) with a larger than nominal blade gap. When discussing option #2, starting with the guard against the skin and rotating the handle upwards, they indicate this would result in larger angles and a more agressive shave, and further state "Therefore, using the top cap as a guide is safer than using the guard as a guide." This also holds true for non-adjustable razors.

 

[Ducati Scotty]

Apply just the safety bar to your face. Pivot the handle upward until the blade makes contact, that will be your angle, plus or minus a few degrees. Take the blade out, and practice this on some of your tricky areas. It will quickly become intuitive and you'll never think about it. Once you gain this skill, you no longer have to apply the safety bar first, but the whole head as a unit will touch your beard at once. Another skill I learned from straight shaving is to have the razor in motion before it contacts the skin. This sounds dangerous, but will actually all but eliminate nicks when learned properly. Good Luck.

I've found it better to start with the cap against my face and pivot down than to start with the bar against my face and pivot up. There is a range of angles that will cut, but starting with the cap gets you to the shallowest effective cutting angle first. Starting with the bar gets you to the steepest effective cutting angle first. I find the shallower angle far less irritating.

Scott

 

[ShaneN.]

Apply just the safety bar to your face. Pivot the handle upward until the blade makes contact, that will be your angle, plus or minus a few degrees. Take the blade out, and practice this on some of your tricky areas. It will quickly become intuitive and you'll never think about it. Once you gain this skill, you no longer have to apply the safety bar first, but the whole head as a unit will touch your beard at once.

Is this not exactly opposite of what most people are saying is the correct angle?