Is a close shave actually possible with a single WTG pass?

[tomstephens89]

Hi all, I’m trying a few things in order to lesser skin irritation. Currently using a Rockwell 6S on plate 3, and I’ve been trying to achieve a good shave with only a single pass exclusively with the grain.

However I can’t get a close shave, not even close. There is so much ‘bristle’ and odd hairs left after a single pass that it winds me up and I’ll do a 3 pass include across and against anyway.

But saying that, with this Rockwell 6S on plate 3, even after a 3 pass I’m not BBS.

Is this likely to be too tame of a set up to achieve a passable shave with a single WTG pass?

 

[Mike Smart]

Hi all, I’m trying a few things in order to lesser skin irritation. Currently using a Rockwell 6S on plate 3, and I’ve been trying to achieve a good shave with only a single pass exclusively with the grain.

However I can’t get a close shave, not even close. There is so much ‘bristle’ and odd hairs left after a single pass that it winds me up and I’ll do a 3 pass include across and against anyway.

But saying that, with this Rockwell 6S on plate 3, even after a 3 pass I’m not BBS.

Is this likely to be too tame of a set up to achieve a passable shave with a single WTG pass?

Very few people achieve BBS
don’t look to much in to it
Just enjoy
personally i prefer Plate 4 but we’re all Different.

 

[tomstephens89]

Very few people achieve BBS
don’t look to much in to it
Just enjoy
personally i prefer Plate 4 but we’re all Different.

I think I’m going to have to try plate 4 or 5. There was a lot of bristle and ‘missed’ spots on plate 3 with a single pass. More hair left on my face than I was happy with.

 

[Scorpio93]

Hi all, I’m trying a few things in order to lesser skin irritation. Currently using a Rockwell 6S on plate 3, and I’ve been trying to achieve a good shave with only a single pass exclusively with the grain.

However I can’t get a close shave, not even close. There is so much ‘bristle’ and odd hairs left after a single pass that it winds me up and I’ll do a 3 pass include across and against anyway.

But saying that, with this Rockwell 6S on plate 3, even after a 3 pass I’m not BBS.

Is this likely to be too tame of a set up to achieve a passable shave with a single WTG pass?

Personally I struggle to get a close shave with single WTG pass. I do have to use more aggressive razors to get borderline DFS in one pass (think ikon el jefe, MMOC, potentially blackbird too but more rarely happens with that one).

Rockwell 6s overall isn’t that aggressive of a razor so i believe your technique would have to be really really good to get to e.g DFS level.

As Mike says - not many people get BBS and definitely not every time either - don’t get hooked up on it - once technique gets better then you’ll get there occasionally. Also try to go for higher plates - they’re slight more efficient I believe (I used to use plate 4 and didn’t venture further - need to bring it out with next two plates soon).

 

[tomstephens89]

Personally I struggle to get a close shave with single WTG pass. I do have to use more aggressive razors to get borderline DFS in one pass (think ikon el jefe, MMOC, potentially blackbird too but more rarely happens with that one).

Rockwell 6s overall isn’t that aggressive of a razor so i believe your technique would have to be really really good to get to e.g DFS level.

As Mike says - not many people get BBS and definitely not every time either - don’t get hooked up on it - once technique gets better then you’ll get there occasionally. Also try to go for higher plates - they’re slight more efficient I believe (I used to use plate 4 and didn’t venture further - need to bring it out with next two plates soon).

Im pleased that I’m not the only one that tries a WTG pass and is not pleased. I know the 6 isn’t an aggressive razor, I’ll have to try the other plates see how it lands. But so far on plate 3, think I’ve had better results with my 34C.

 

[Scorpio93]

Im pleased that I’m not the only one that tries a WTG pass and is not pleased. I know the 6 isn’t an aggressive razor, I’ll have to try the other plates see how it lands. But so far on plate 3, think I’ve had better results with my 34C.

I wouldn’t say that I’m not pleased with it - I think just my expectation is different. Not many people do one pass and done - and those that do seem to have shaved for ages and know their facial hair and what works for them really well.

after all it’s all about beard reduction. I normally go for 3 passes - or if I feel that the razor is efficient enough then two passes (WTG, ATG) is enough for me - but as with everything in this hobby, YMMV.

Experiment with the plates and see how you get on!

 

[Ferrum]

Thinking about DE only, I normally shave daily, in which case I tend to use a "medium to low aggressive" setup, with sharp blades, and do 2 passes and a touch-up, or sometimes 3 passes. Usually, I check for results after Pass 1, and work from there.

However, if I skip a day or two, I go for a more brutal approach (think R41, adjustables on high settings, Nodachi, .85 and upwards gaps, but not always sharp blades), and I can get by with one careful, leisurely pass and a touch-up in one particular area.

I never try to eke out a blade, and always ditch it after three sessions, or sooner, if it doesn't perform to plan.

 

[zygalski]

The only way I can even get close on one pass is with my Old Type & lots of skin pulling to tighten it.
I'd much rather have a nice, comfortable 3 pass shave with a Tech, DE89 or Merkur HD than hack away trying to get a BBS shave & getting irritation in the process.
I do wonder how many shavers appear to get "effortless BBS" all the time. They must have bum fluff for stubble.

 

[tomstephens89]

The only way I can even get close on one pass is with my Old Type & lots of skin pulling to tighten it.
I'd much rather have a nice, comfortable 3 pass shave with a Tech, DE89 or Merkur HD than hack away trying to get a BBS shave & getting irritation in the process.
I do wonder how many shavers appear to get "effortless BBS" all the time. They must have bum fluff for stubble.

The main thing that caused me to write this post was watching YouTube shavers such as geofatboy and others seemingly just mowing off their facial hair with the wave of a magic wand, saying how smooth their skin is literally immediately after a single stroke with the razor.

But when I do the same, there is clearly visible stubble still there.

 

[zygalski]

The main thing that caused me to write this post was watching YouTube shavers such as geofatboy and others seemingly just mowing off their facial hair with the wave of a magic wand, saying how smooth their skin is literally immediately after a single stroke with the razor.

But when I do the same, there is clearly visible stubble still there.

Well it's not just that. Not all BBS's are equal.
To me a true BBS is when you can firmly push your fingertips against the grain anywhere on your face and not feel any hint of stubble.
I can bet most of the alleged 'BBS' shaves you see do not meet that criteria.
I only have moderate stubble and I can get there, but only with a really aggressive razor, and to me cuts and/or slight irritation just isn't worth the hassle.

 

[hotmetal]

Well I'm not very well qualified to speak but here's as good a place as any to share my experience.

I normally shave with a straight razor but was recently given a Wilkinson Classic and some blades by GordyC on here. Today was my first DE experience. I watched the Geofatboy video to get some tips then cracked on.

Razor: Wilkinson Sword Classic
Blade: Gillette Wilkinson Sword
Soap: LEA stick
Post: Baxter California balm

In short, this was a remarkably comfortable and impressive shave for a first go. I have no idea how the setup compares to other blades and razors but I suspect quite mild. I did a first pass WTG riding the cap and paying attention to blade angle, but pretty much N-S rather than beard mapped. Was pretty effective and acceptable at a push but defo not BBS and as I was enjoying it and wanted closer I went for 3 passes. I think you'd have to have a perfect setup and years of experience to get a top notch result in one pass, if indeed its possible. I rarely get BBS with my straights and don't chase it, because the hard bit to get really smooth is right where some fairly crucial main blood vessels run!!
I certainly would have "got away with" 1 pass but for my own satisfaction I think at least 2 passes are needed.

 

[tomstephens89]

Well it's not just that. Not all BBS's are equal.
To me a true BBS is when you can firmly push your fingertips against the grain anywhere on your face and not feel any hint of stubble.
I can bet most of the alleged 'BBS' shaves you see do not meet that criteria.
I only have moderate stubble and I can get there, but only with a really aggressive razor, and to me cuts and/or slight irritation just isn't worth the hassle.

I agree with that statement, BBS to me also means you can run your fingers against the grain anywhere and not feel any stubble at all.

But to achieve that level of smoothness I don’t think it’s possible without 3 passes with touch up.

 

[Paul L]

I agree with that statement, BBS to me also means you can run your fingers against the grain anywhere and not feel any stubble at all.

But to achieve that level of smoothness I don’t think it’s possible without 3 passes with touch up.

We're all different Tom

I often attain BBS with my usual WTG/ATG routine, I never do any touch ups - however the finish is, is fine with me

 

[donnie_arko]

If I haven't shaved for a few days I can largely get a close shave with a more efficient razor in one pass, eg like a Yaqi Katana, but I find it's too much for my skin for anything more, so I end up using another razor/blade to clear up the areas I missed.

My face finds it a lot more comfortable and I get better results by shaving daily and having a 2 pass shave, one with the grain and a XTG pass.

We will have different skins and stubble growth so it is about finding what suits you the best.

Edit,
I never chase the closest shave but the most comfortable one and that is a balance between a number of passes and how much growth is left behind. One pass would be better for my skin, but with a mild razor it could be a bit itchy to have a bit more stubble left behind, so I find another pass with a mild razor to suit my face the best.

 

[Paul L]

The main thing that caused me to write this post was watching YouTube shavers such as geofatboy and others seemingly just mowing off their facial hair with the wave of a magic wand, saying how smooth their skin is literally immediately after a single stroke with the razor.

But when I do the same, there is clearly visible stubble still there.

You can take some youtube shaving videos with a pinch of salt - some say the stuff you want to hear for their own gain = to sell products & attain more subscribers etc

 

[Bogeyman]

The main thing that caused me to write this post was watching YouTube shavers such as geofatboy and others seemingly just mowing off their facial hair with the wave of a magic wand,...

Therein lies the problem: the "porn star effect". Many people after watching these shave videos feel they don't "measure up" and therefore theorize they need more expensive eqpmt. and an über aggressive razor if not multiple passes. That is not the case. Do what is comfortable and that which does no harm and above all stop "faceturbating" (rubbing your mug like a Greek philosopher). The hair will be back tomorrow and never lose sight of your goal. However, if your goal is simply a BBS shave and modern disposable ctg. razors do that for you w/o irritation & ingrown hairs then you are merely wasting time & money with DE/SE shaving. Many of us are here due to these two aforementioned maladies. Forget the saving money part that some harp about as most here have spent far more on DE/SE shaving.

Also, don't watch shave videos by people trying to sell you something. They are almost always not objective. The same goes for people getting free products to "test".