Interesting. Mine has a round post, where the top portion that meets the top plate is unthreaded. The bottom 1/3-1/2 is fully threaded.
WTG doesn't do anything. Some advice.
- Thread starter Hawkweber
- Start date
Angle brother. My guess is you're riding the cap big time. Bring the handle closer to your handsome mug. I can't conceive of any other reason you're not eliminating whiskers on your first pass, even with a lousy blade.
Steep angle rules
Ha, I'm the exact opposite, especially when trying a new razor.
I place top cap on my cheek, with the handle horizontal (starting at my. sideburn area), then slowly lower handle so the blade just start to cut. Once I know the angle for any given razor, I don't have to repeat this part and go off memory.
That's my angle.
Should lead to the same result, just the other end of the range. I like steeper angles, that's all.
Yep - XTG in either direction does a decent job at removal. Then with the other XTG and then ATG I have a pretty good shave. Might need a touch-up here or there for stubborn areas (far sides of the neck). But other than that, it's a good shave. And XTG passes are difficult to see the actual angle.
What I will do tomorrow morning, still using the Sharp 7am blade (since it will only be shave #2 on it and supposedly any blade should work), is to play around with the WTG razor angle (as suggested by many, thanks!) without looking at it, and just go by "feel". Perhaps what I am viewing as being the proper contact angle (30 deg) with both safety bar and cap touching the skin isn't actually what is going on.
Your plan sounds really good. If you're getting good cutting going XTG by feel, do the same for your WTG. One can't always trust how the angle looks. As part of "feel" I shave a lot by ear - I start shallow, then lower the handle until I hear (and feel) the razor cutting. That angle changes constantly across one's face. I've been at this for over two years and am still working on improving my technique, so don't worry if its only been a month, you've got a lot of fun ahead of you!
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- Thread starter
- #29
I wasn't riding the cap - I do that on the final ATG pass with buffing for clean-up.
So, we have two trains of thought here - steep angle with the handle closer to the face and shallow angle with it closer to the cap...
As I mentioned, I was keeping the angle at what I could see as being the "perfect" angle with the top edge of the safety bar and bottom edge of the cap touching the face thereby keeping the blade right in the center - you know the "30-degree holy grail" of shaving, which wasn't working. So, I said that today I was going to adjust the angle of the razor from that to see if it makes a difference, and drum roll please...
I had very good stubble removal going WTG by adjusting it up towards the cap (shallower angle). Now, this wasn't riding the cap, but just closer to it from the 30 degrees. I did get decent stubble removal by going steeper as well (handle closer) but not as good as shallower. And using shorter strokes made a difference too. The "feel" was also better shallower.
So, I guess when going XTG and ATG I have had the angle shallower than "perfect", but since one can't really get a good look at how everything is touching the skin, I guess that's why those passes were working.
Now I get to practice the new technique, so it becomes second nature.
Thanks for your help, everyone!
As to the holy grail 30 degrees…
AimlessWanderer
Remember to forget me!
Have you ever cut/nicked yourself with it? If so, the razor is obviously capable of cutting below skin level. If it's capable of cutting below skin level, it's capable of cutting at skin level.
Either your lather is too thick, or your approach angle is wrong. Or both. Keep hunting. The correct angle is there somewhere.
Ghost shave with a credit card or business card. See if you can feel your whiskers with it on the WTG pass. If you can, you have a prep, technique or hardware problem.
1.) prep - make sure you have washed your face with warm water and gentle soap. Then a quick cool water splash to close pores.
2.) if you are brush shaving work the lather into your beard an extra minute just to exfoliate and get the hairs standing out. If you aren’t, consider doing this.
3.) never shim a razor, they were not designed for it. Why cause blade chatter. However it could be that you got a bad 34c, it does have a narrow shaving angle but it should cut with the grain just fine. I still have 2 I use at my offices and I use a 23c for body hair. It is plenty if razor to shave but it is pot metal so the tolerances are quite loose.
4.) consider a few blades, rather than feather (which do bite a lot but are the sharpest) consider Gillette Nacet, Gillette Platinum, Bic Chrome and Personna platinum chrome blades. If they aren’t easy access, try a Tatara blade (just released). All of these are significantly sharper than what you use but also milder than a feather.
Finally of you can’t get a shave with the grain following these steps it is either technique, prep or bad equipment.
Change only one variable at a time (start with the angle, try riding the bar and also the cap).
If that doesn’t work move to soap application. Try a brush to get the whiskers standing straight out. Use as descent of a soap as you have access to.
If this doesn’t work switch blades (heck I would anyhow).
If all else fails, buy another razor like the Overlander to learn with.
Good luck!
1.) prep - make sure you have washed your face with warm water and gentle soap. Then a quick cool water splash to close pores.
2.) if you are brush shaving work the lather into your beard an extra minute just to exfoliate and get the hairs standing out. If you aren’t, consider doing this.
3.) never shim a razor, they were not designed for it. Why cause blade chatter. However it could be that you got a bad 34c, it does have a narrow shaving angle but it should cut with the grain just fine. I still have 2 I use at my offices and I use a 23c for body hair. It is plenty if razor to shave but it is pot metal so the tolerances are quite loose.
4.) consider a few blades, rather than feather (which do bite a lot but are the sharpest) consider Gillette Nacet, Gillette Platinum, Bic Chrome and Personna platinum chrome blades. If they aren’t easy access, try a Tatara blade (just released). All of these are significantly sharper than what you use but also milder than a feather.
Finally of you can’t get a shave with the grain following these steps it is either technique, prep or bad equipment.
Change only one variable at a time (start with the angle, try riding the bar and also the cap).
If that doesn’t work move to soap application. Try a brush to get the whiskers standing straight out. Use as descent of a soap as you have access to.
If this doesn’t work switch blades (heck I would anyhow).
If all else fails, buy another razor like the Overlander to learn with.
Good luck!
I am also in the camp that something is off, most likely the razor angle.
I'm glad you're on the right path. I strongly suspect you have yet to find a good marriage between razor/blade and beard. You certainly should be able to remove some hair with any combination, but It doesn't seem like your current setup is the best one for you.I wasn't riding the cap - I do that on the final ATG pass with buffing for clean-up.
So, we have two trains of thought here - steep angle with the handle closer to the face and shallow angle with it closer to the cap...
As I mentioned, I was keeping the angle at what I could see as being the "perfect" angle with the top edge of the safety bar and bottom edge of the cap touching the face thereby keeping the blade right in the center - you know the "30-degree holy grail" of shaving, which wasn't working. So, I said that today I was going to adjust the angle of the razor from that to see if it makes a difference, and drum roll please...
I had very good stubble removal going WTG by adjusting it up towards the cap (shallower angle). Now, this wasn't riding the cap, but just closer to it from the 30 degrees. I did get decent stubble removal by going steeper as well (handle closer) but not as good as shallower. And using shorter strokes made a difference too. The "feel" was also better shallower.
So, I guess when going XTG and ATG I have had the angle shallower than "perfect", but since one can't really get a good look at how everything is touching the skin, I guess that's why those passes were working.
Now I get to practice the new technique, so it becomes second nature.
Thanks for your help, everyone!
Do continue to experiment with your technique - that's always king. Blades are cheap, so I'd start there looking at different equipment. It sounds like sharper would be better. Wizamet or Personna med prep/lab would be fine choices. Gillette Yellow or Black or Platinum would as well. The Feather would certainly tell the story, but I'd wait another couple of weeks while you experiment with razor angle. Feather is a fine blade, albeit one of the worst for longevity and expensive - not a great combination - but it generally will not tolerate a lapse in technique without drawing a little blood.
You may well find that a different razor would serve you better, but I would wait a while longer until you feel you've done the best you can to make your current razor work for you.
I'm pretty sure it's the angle. Try a different angle, like the other user said you should be able to hear the blade cutting the whiskers. About the blades you mentioned; I used most of them and they're not really good except the Astra SP's. I say stick to the Astra SP's.
If you are getting audible and tactile feedback on your WTG pass, you are, in fact, removing whiskers...more precisely: REDUCING whiskers.
Couple of thoughts:
The 34c is a mild razor. It didn't work for me, giving me much the same result as you. Might have been a "me" problem, but I found better options for me.
Regardless of the razor I use (which all tend to be mild) it seems that I always have stubble left over after the first pass...I expect that I will have stubble left over after one pass, which is why I routinely go for three passes.
The options for me are simple: go for a more efficient razor (generally more agressive) and risk an angry face in exchange for fewer passes, or use a mild razor that requires three passes to get the closeness I seek.
I chose the latter, so for me there is no shortcut, but I don't mind. A nice leisurely 3-pass shave is a ritual that I enjoy and gives me near BBS results.
Couple of thoughts:
The 34c is a mild razor. It didn't work for me, giving me much the same result as you. Might have been a "me" problem, but I found better options for me.
Regardless of the razor I use (which all tend to be mild) it seems that I always have stubble left over after the first pass...I expect that I will have stubble left over after one pass, which is why I routinely go for three passes.
The options for me are simple: go for a more efficient razor (generally more agressive) and risk an angry face in exchange for fewer passes, or use a mild razor that requires three passes to get the closeness I seek.
I chose the latter, so for me there is no shortcut, but I don't mind. A nice leisurely 3-pass shave is a ritual that I enjoy and gives me near BBS results.
I'm sure it's the angle, but like in my case, the angle the hair grows rather than the angle of the razor.
I don't get anything approaching a smooth shave on the sides of my face with a straight razor, if I want a BBS shave it's ATG all the way. Just the nature of my face. Dinking around with the razor doesn't fix that, only ATG passes do much.
I don't get anything approaching a smooth shave on the sides of my face with a straight razor, if I want a BBS shave it's ATG all the way. Just the nature of my face. Dinking around with the razor doesn't fix that, only ATG passes do much.
Sounds like an angle issue. Experiment a little to find it. Some razors have very narrow angles of attack.
- Thread starter
- #40
Just so y'all know, this was resolved in post #29.
And, it's a 34C - a 2-piece razor. No base plate to install upside down.
And, it's a 34C - a 2-piece razor. No base plate to install upside down.
