Anyone else doing 4 pass shaves?

I agree. Stick with what you know. I have a 2 safety razors and 3 straights and I always prefer a straight shave.
I would be remiss if I did not recommended trying a straight razor if you haven't already.

I am not brave enough for straight razors. :D

Ha Ha, I think you'll find that will last only so long.
Honestly, if you're confident with your technique, you'll have no problem with a more aggressive razor.

I don't know if i am confident about my technique. I know that i find the cutting angle by pure instinct on both Weishi and EJ DE89 and maintain it without thinking and as such, i didn't find i have to adjust my technique to any of them. I can just swap between them naturally. And i can work with them with extremely low chance of nicks, weepers or irritation.

I don't know if my technique is good enough for more aggressive razors and i don't even know whether i would have to readjust my technique or not. So reason tells me "since you are naturally getting good results with these 2, stick to these 2, don't change more variables". I don't know if they really are so similar razors or if i have a light touch or natural talent, but with these 2 razors, i have tried over 15 blades and i rotate 12 blades that i have bought by the hundreds with pretty much equally good results and the only blade that has seriously caused me problems is the BIC Chrome Platinum and in my early days, the Derby, but for the opposite reasons (Derby is very dull, so it requires more work and special treatment, with more pressure and more speed than any other blade, while BIC Chrome Platinum seems a butcher's best friend).

I can't swear i won't buy the Baili Tech clone though, just because it's also very mild. But i already have 3 EJ DE89, 4 Weishi (2 short, 2 long handled), so i don't want to get into RAD too, after SCAD and BLAD and lately some BRAD. :p
 
I am not brave enough for straight razors. :D



I don't know if i am confident about my technique. I know that i find the cutting angle by pure instinct on both Weishi and EJ DE89 and maintain it without thinking and as such, i didn't find i have to adjust my technique to any of them. I can just swap between them naturally. And i can work with them with extremely low chance of nicks, weepers or irritation.

I don't know if my technique is good enough for more aggressive razors and i don't even know whether i would have to readjust my technique or not. So reason tells me "since you are naturally getting good results with these 2, stick to these 2, don't change more variables". I don't know if they really are so similar razors or if i have a light touch or natural talent, but with these 2 razors, i have tried over 15 blades and i rotate 12 blades that i have bought by the hundreds with pretty much equally good results and the only blade that has seriously caused me problems is the BIC Chrome Platinum and in my early days, the Derby, but for the opposite reasons (Derby is very dull, so it requires more work and special treatment, with more pressure and more speed than any other blade, while BIC Chrome Platinum seems a butcher's best friend).

I can't swear i won't buy the Baili Tech clone though, just because it's also very mild. But i already have 3 EJ DE89, 4 Weishi (2 short, 2 long handled), so i don't want to get into RAD too, after SCAD and BLAD and lately some BRAD. :p
:D...whaaaat!
 
...A straight gives the best and most comfortable shave once they are mastered. Once upon a time they were in every single gentleman's bathroom...

I personally believe far more working men just simply went to a barber for a cutthroat shave once or twice a week back in the day and of course the wealthy more often. I am sure that for most men sharpening a straight razor ranked up there alongside hauling manure, chopping wood and mercury treatment for the "clap" on their "to do" list. :eek: :rolleyes: ;)
 
I do 2 passes. Chasing BBS gives me bumps. Sometimes I do 2 + small patches that are left behind.
2 passes gives me a chance to enjoy my shaving routine more often :)

I am still searching a perfect way to shave the neck. Just a few days ago I figured out I did XTG (straight down on the beard) on my neck instead of WTG cause my beard grows from left to right.
So now I am switching to shaving from left to right which should be my WTG. Alongside that I am trying out some blade buffing to make the shaving more efficient. Seems ok so far.
 
3 passes. Then I squeeze what's left in the brush into my hand and chase any areas that still feel rough.

I've noticed however, that there's diminishing returns on constant buffing. Not only does it irritate the skin if overdone, I observed that 30 mins later, my skin feels smoother than when I am washing off my face.

This was explained to me as being a consequence of the water absorption of hair - once dried, the tiny protrusions of stubble shrink.

1 pass or 4, safety or straight. My shave is as much about the process as the result. It's about the pause to decide which soap, blade and razor will get the nod. It's my 10-15 mins listening to the radio at the start of the day. It's the occasional moment with one of my kids who wander in to watch me or to ask a question about the upcoming day. It's the washdown and slap of moisturiser that indicates that the day has truly begun and I'm ready to go.
 
I agree that the face feels slightly rough immediately after shaving. Wait ten minutes and my face feels smooth and soft. You may not even need balm to get a great postvsgave feeling!
 
3 passes. Then I squeeze what's left in the brush into my hand and chase any areas that still feel rough.

I've noticed however, that there's diminishing returns on constant buffing. Not only does it irritate the skin if overdone, I observed that 30 mins later, my skin feels smoother than when I am washing off my face.

This was explained to me as being a consequence of the water absorption of hair - once dried, the tiny protrusions of stubble shrink.
Agreed 100%. The OP owes it to himself to try 2 passes with an aggressive razor at least once.
 
3 passes. Then I squeeze what's left in the brush into my hand and chase any areas that still feel rough.

I've noticed however, that there's diminishing returns on constant buffing. Not only does it irritate the skin if overdone, I observed that 30 mins later, my skin feels smoother than when I am washing off my face.

This was explained to me as being a consequence of the water absorption of hair - once dried, the tiny protrusions of stubble shrink.

1 pass or 4, safety or straight. My shave is as much about the process as the result. It's about the pause to decide which soap, blade and razor will get the nod. It's my 10-15 mins listening to the radio at the start of the day. It's the occasional moment with one of my kids who wander in to watch me or to ask a question about the upcoming day. It's the washdown and slap of moisturiser that indicates that the day has truly begun and I'm ready to go.

I 've seen too that with much buffing (lather is gone at that spot), irritation lurks. More reason why i went for 4 passes, with less buffing.

Agreed 100%. The OP owes it to himself to try 2 passes with an aggressive razor at least once.

I don't think aggressiveness is the main problem. On my cheeks, i can get BBS with 2 passes and little buffing or just 3 passes and no buffing. The problem is below jawline, especially on the right half of the throat, where i have 4 growth directions: North to South, East to West, West to East and the best of all, diagonal. It's impossible to get with 2 passes, all that. I rinse the blade very often, so the razor doesn't get all congested. So the razor is cutting, but there are so many different growth directions, that there is no clear WTG, XTG or ATG. Even funnier, just below jawline, i have at the same level, the growth pattern spliltting. 1/3 goes right to left, 2/3 go left to right. It's chaos.

On the contrary, on the left half of my face below the jawline, it's much easier to get BBS, because i have 3 growth directions instead of 4 (i don't have the diagonal, which is also the most problematic, because if i try to shave ATG in diagonal, i get irritation in seconds).
 
I go for two passes, around my fairly light beard. My neck is the main focus of my shaves and requires two passes. I can do 3 but I don't see enough extra benefit for the work done. Moreover, if I go N>S on my neck at any point, I get weepers. This is almost regardless of the blade/razor/soap/brush combo. I've recently found that more of a 'buffing' action at these problem points helps but ultimately doesn't resolve the issue. I don't mind a little bit of slightly rougher skin here and there anyway! Better than irritation in my books. :)

Edit: I do prefer more blade-feel with my shaves, however. I tend towards the more aggressive razors, I think.
 
If it works for you, that's great.

I usually do two passes, and sometimes three.

But to be honest, two passes with a Fatip open comb is close enough for me.

I can go with WTG-ATG only on my cheeks, because fortunately there the hair growth is vertical. So it's very straightforward.
 
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