I’ve had a recent revelation that I thought might interest my fellow brothers (and sisters if there are any!) in the noble art. I’ve been wet shaving since 2019 when my girlfriend got me the venerable Rockwell 6s for Christmas and down the rabbit hole I went. I shave every day sometimes skipping a day and found myself in a weird place with the Rockwell. I either stuck with the 3 plate and could only get a close enough shave by spending about 45 minutes in the bathroom doing 96 passes or I would use the 4 (again three passes) which would feel great for smoothness but start to irritate my skin with daily use.
So, the inevitable period of experimentation began, and I tried a bunch of razors in the mid- high end tier looking for the answer including the brass Karve with the B and C plates. In short it was a disaster. The razor started to patina remarkably quickly (my water perhaps) and by a few weeks of use looked like it had been salvaged among the ruins of the Titanic which I did not dig. Worse than this though was how it shaved, I could tell it was more efficient but a probable flaw in my technique led to a bunch of irritation on my neck with both the B and C plate and I was frustrated. And yes before you ask, I tried a bunch of blades, experimented with angle and using no pressure etc. etc.
So I stuck with the Rockwell mainly, although I did have a flirt with the Merkur Progress for a while which I find a great little shaver but it bit me every now and again and plus it feels a little ‘cheap’ to me and as I was willing to try all these nice expensive razors, I couldn’t help feel like I was missing something. Recently, an online UK seller started doing the Karve razors and I felt it hard to believe that it could have been as bad (for me!) as I remembered so I ordered the daily shave kit in stainless steel (B,C and D plates) and decided to give it another try.
It was the same story! Far less comfortable than the Rockwell after three passes, irritated the heck out of my neck and I got no closer a shave. I went to that place that many of us go… a low ebb. I had spent a girlfriend leavingly large amount of money for apparently no reason and started to regard men with beards with a dark envy. The Karve was all set to go to the great digital market place in the sky before I was struck, 24hrs later (and face still decidedly tender) with a counter intuitive idea. Let’s try the D-plate! In went a fresh Voskhod
It was an aha moment of epic proportions which I share in the hope it might inspire others in a similar situation. By going more efficient (I dislike the term ‘aggressive’ – I save that for razors that feel like they are trying to hurt me!), I got the closeness I wanted in two passes – I didn’t need to go against the grain at all. I stopped doing a classic 3-passer and just focused on what I actually needed to do to get rid of the stubble on my face.
I had assumed the irritation I had been getting meant I should be going milder when in fact the opposite was the case. WTG and XTG with the D plate got me all the DFS I needed for a day in the office with no irritation whatsoever. The cause of my irritation was doing too many strokes to try and clear stubble with a milder razor. The penny had dropped.
So gents, don’t assume you should be going milder just because you’re getting irritation. Try getting the job done with a more efficient razor in fewer strokes/passes. The Mrs waiting outside the bathroom with her legs crossed will thank you for it as I’m now done in about half the time! I’m sure the experienced among you will be rolling your eyes at the obviousness of this but it’s these little revelations that make our shaving journey all the more enjoyable and I can finally join in with praising the Karve as its design means the efficiency is amazingly comfortable for a daily shave on the bigger gaps and I can now see why they can go all the way up to G plates. I’m not quite ready for that, although I am tempted to try the E – maybe I can get it down to one pass! Any more recommendations for efficient but comfortable razors?
So, the inevitable period of experimentation began, and I tried a bunch of razors in the mid- high end tier looking for the answer including the brass Karve with the B and C plates. In short it was a disaster. The razor started to patina remarkably quickly (my water perhaps) and by a few weeks of use looked like it had been salvaged among the ruins of the Titanic which I did not dig. Worse than this though was how it shaved, I could tell it was more efficient but a probable flaw in my technique led to a bunch of irritation on my neck with both the B and C plate and I was frustrated. And yes before you ask, I tried a bunch of blades, experimented with angle and using no pressure etc. etc.
So I stuck with the Rockwell mainly, although I did have a flirt with the Merkur Progress for a while which I find a great little shaver but it bit me every now and again and plus it feels a little ‘cheap’ to me and as I was willing to try all these nice expensive razors, I couldn’t help feel like I was missing something. Recently, an online UK seller started doing the Karve razors and I felt it hard to believe that it could have been as bad (for me!) as I remembered so I ordered the daily shave kit in stainless steel (B,C and D plates) and decided to give it another try.
It was the same story! Far less comfortable than the Rockwell after three passes, irritated the heck out of my neck and I got no closer a shave. I went to that place that many of us go… a low ebb. I had spent a girlfriend leavingly large amount of money for apparently no reason and started to regard men with beards with a dark envy. The Karve was all set to go to the great digital market place in the sky before I was struck, 24hrs later (and face still decidedly tender) with a counter intuitive idea. Let’s try the D-plate! In went a fresh Voskhod
It was an aha moment of epic proportions which I share in the hope it might inspire others in a similar situation. By going more efficient (I dislike the term ‘aggressive’ – I save that for razors that feel like they are trying to hurt me!), I got the closeness I wanted in two passes – I didn’t need to go against the grain at all. I stopped doing a classic 3-passer and just focused on what I actually needed to do to get rid of the stubble on my face.
I had assumed the irritation I had been getting meant I should be going milder when in fact the opposite was the case. WTG and XTG with the D plate got me all the DFS I needed for a day in the office with no irritation whatsoever. The cause of my irritation was doing too many strokes to try and clear stubble with a milder razor. The penny had dropped.
So gents, don’t assume you should be going milder just because you’re getting irritation. Try getting the job done with a more efficient razor in fewer strokes/passes. The Mrs waiting outside the bathroom with her legs crossed will thank you for it as I’m now done in about half the time! I’m sure the experienced among you will be rolling your eyes at the obviousness of this but it’s these little revelations that make our shaving journey all the more enjoyable and I can finally join in with praising the Karve as its design means the efficiency is amazingly comfortable for a daily shave on the bigger gaps and I can now see why they can go all the way up to G plates. I’m not quite ready for that, although I am tempted to try the E – maybe I can get it down to one pass! Any more recommendations for efficient but comfortable razors?