Pressure

M

mugs

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Okay, advice needed. I have a light razor (Aluminium handle Tech) and if I try to shave with no pressure, just holding the razor steady and letting it do the work as is advised on most guides that I've read I find I have to take many (4-5) passes just to get to SAS, and it leads to a quite uncomfortable first couple of passes with some risk of snagging/dragging and basically seems more hassle than it's worth. I've adopted a style of shaving now where I go fairly light on the first pass, but still apply some pressure - enough to help the blade cut swiftly and cleanly through the hair. Second pass I tend to go a touch heavier still as there's less stubble and I get a better glide and this usually results in a decent enough result, if a little patchy.

Am I doing right with this, or should I persevere with a light touch and work on my technique, or maybe get a razor with a heavier head to help me out? I didn't have a problem when I was using Wilkinson blades, but andyjreid kindly PIF'd me some Derbys and I nicked myself several times tonight. Nothing too bad, but more than I've had before - if I ever plan to try feathers I think my current technique may lead to blood! I'm 90% confident that my lather is okay, and I have a range of good creams and soaps, if I do a simple 2 pass shave without going too heavy then I get acceptable results with no irritation, but I'm struggling to get BBS as an XTG tends to lead to irritation and no real improvement over what I reach in 2 WTG passes.

Lots of questions, but basically it boils down to; do I need to practise with a light pressure more to get better, just keep doing what I'm doing and I'll get less nicks with experience, or try a heavier razor? or something else altogether (or even a combination of factors)....help me forumites! I'm even wondering if I'm expecting too much, I've only been at this a month, maybe expecting BBS is just beyond me right now, but I'm not really much better than I was on the very first shave I did with a DE and I'm getting a little impatient.
 
Don't fear the Feather, especially in a mild Tech, the sharper the blade the less pressure/passes required and that should help in your pursuit of a closer shave. If you do feel you have reached the limits of your kit I'd certainly look to getting a razor with more heft, it will actually be easier to apply less pressure when you can let the razor do the work. Don't forget the blade sampler pack, the right blade often makes the most difference but don't get too hung up on BBS either, it might come but there is a very fine line between achieving that and getting irritated skin.
 
Techs are good little razors, but not the easiest to use in my experience. Applying excessive pressure is always going to put you at risk of skin irritation, so I'd concur with Tony and suggest you use a sharper blade: Feathers are the obvious choice, but they're a bit on the rough side as well as sharp. 7 o'clock yellows or Iridiums should work well in a Tech. A more "aggressive" razor is actually rather more amenable, within reason.
 
Hi Mugs,
Guess it's unanimous, less pressure needs a sharp blade, my experience. Let the blade do the work so that you wont have to. If you get the chance to use a travel razor some of the younger guys at the gymn I go to (cut rates for wrinklies) have a travel razor they seem to disinfect and pass around between them when they are getting the hang of developing their technique. They reckon that the combination of short handle and lightweight means they get a real feel for what's happening at the sharp end.
I've never used the razor you've got so can't comment on it, sorry.
Never mind, as governments keep coming into office singing, "Things Can Only Get better".
Take Care, JohnnyO.
 
Thanks for the advice guys. I managed to get some really good results yesterday so I know I can do it with this razor - at least I don't need to buy another just yet. Next up is a blade sample pack from Paul and I'll invest in a few different after shaves as well to see if I can get consistently closer and avoid the irritation that I'm getting just now.

This hobby is fun, but there are sooo many permutations, especially if you're a noob like me who is constantly trying new soaps, creams, blades, balms, pre and post shave routines and products. I think until you can get consistent results with the same kit day after day, it's pointless trying to do what I was trying to do because there's no way of knowing where the fault lies. I'm going to limit myself to derbys and Trumpers for a week, then re-evaluate. By then my new blades should be here so I'll have a good base for comparison testing.
 
I may have the same razor. Derbys didn't work for me.
Applying even more hot water may help. Hot water held to the face with a flannel is the most important thing in attaining a good shave in my opinion.

Also, as has been suggested, maybe a sharper blade may be helpful. PM me if you would like to try a packet of Astras. I find them good.
 
Hi Mugs,
I think your right to stick to one set up. Although, I'm not so sure that derbys are great blades. It depends on if you have the horizontal writing or vertical writing on them. I've been wet shaving with a DE for almost a year. Recently I've taken a step backwards and just concentrated on getting an acceptable shave in 2 passes. This has highlighted areas that I'm not doing so great on, so I've worked on my angle. Also when I started my 2 pass on routine I had a lump on my neck which was quite painful if it was touched. This led me to using really light pressure on that area. Where I'd previously been getting a red neck, all of a sudden I wasn't and I still removed the same amount of stubble with the light touch.

I've got a tech, but yet to use it as I'm getting used to other stuff first, rather than chopping and changing every day. I may try if after the coming weekend just to see how it performs and possibly report back on this thread.

I would say in conclusion, to concentrate on getting a good comfortable shave with as few passes as possible, not a BBS shave at this moment. Perhaps go for the BBS if you have a special occasion.
 
Derby blades come up for discussion often here: some people get on with them, others think they're unusable. The truth may well be that they're inconsistent, which is enough to condemn them as far as I'm concerned.

This BBS thing comes up time and again (I suppose we have Badger and Blade to thank for that egregious acronym). Rather a long time ago, long enough for me not to bother looking for the thread at any rate, Antdad hit this particular nail squarely on the head when he said you should be shooting for par. Attempting to achieve the perfect shave every day, and worrying away at your long suffering face is as likely to cause irritation as anything else I can think of (American shaving jargon notwithstanding).
 
I wish I could take the credit for that "shooting for par" analogy but I must have pilfered it, probably from Mantic.

If your'e always aiming for a hole in one, after two rounds you're unlikely to make the cut....ahem.
 
mugs said:
Thanks for the advice guys. I managed to get some really good results yesterday so I know I can do it with this razor - at least I don't need to buy another just yet. Next up is a blade sample pack from Paul and I'll invest in a few different after shaves as well to see if I can get consistently closer and avoid the irritation that I'm getting just now.

This hobby is fun, but there are sooo many permutations, especially if you're a noob like me who is constantly trying new soaps, creams, blades, balms, pre and post shave routines and products. I think until you can get consistent results with the same kit day after day, it's pointless trying to do what I was trying to do because there's no way of knowing where the fault lies. I'm going to limit myself to derbys and Trumpers for a week, then re-evaluate. By then my new blades should be here so I'll have a good base for comparison testing.
Click to expand...

Thats a good idea. only change one thing at a time, or you will struggle to pinpoint what works and what doesnt. Stick with same prep, same razor, same cream and aftershave/balm.. you have blade sampler pack coming, so start changing them and see what works..

A lot of folks seem to get on with the iridiums and red IP's, so they might be a good starting place when you get ya sampling pack from Paul.

As for BBS, I stopped worrying about that and so long as I got an irritation free shave I was happy. BBS will happen with time and improvements in technique.
When you do decide to buy another razor ( and you will ;) ),some good ones for sale in these forums.. so keep and eye out.
 
Some very good advice given.

Assuming your prep is good & you have mapped out your beard growth, the tech might not be the weapon of choice for you. However, stick with it thru the blade sampler pack. You will hopefully find your blades & will improve on your technique.

If you have not tried alum in your post shave routine I recommend you give it a go. It, nothing for that matter, is not the answer for curing a poor shave technique. But it helps to settle down any "rough" spots.
 
I'd like to thank everyone for all the advice. In the end I did buy a new razor, but still nothing too agressive, just a little heavier. I've got some new blades so once I'm used to the new razor I'll start working through them.

Practise is everything though - by going back to the absolute basics I'm at a point where I can get a good shave after two passes, and if I really need to, I can go against the grain. Not that I'm going to do it everyday, but it's nice to know I can get a super close finish when I want or need to.
 
I noticed you got a new razor in the end. I tried my tech this morning for the first time. It's very light and tame. I did get a good shave, I also noticed that if the angle was wrong by too much, you'd only remove lather not your beard. Compared to my preferred razor which has more leeway. I hardly used any pressure, tempting as it was with such a light razor.
 
Having swapped to a heavier razor and having a bit of time to get used to it, I realise I was being pulled into using too much pressure. I was blaming the lightness of the razor when I used little pressure and got poor results, whereas now I'm 99% certain that it was angles and lather which were at fault. I could 'force' a good shave from the tech by applying a bit of pressure and this led me to think it was the best way to use it, but if I applied pressure and actually got the right angle at the same time I think it was just too much and this was what was causing the irritation and patchy results.

Using a heavier razor is definitely easier for me at this stage. I'm still a relative noob, but it's far easier to get good results from the DE87 than the tech because I'm not solely reliant on angles, the weight of the razor does help out and it's not aggressive enough to cause problems when I do get it right.

That said, the tech is a decent little starter razor. Even when getting really close it stung, and on my typical problem areas resulted in some rashes, but generally speaking I 'got away with it' on a lot of shaves with just a bit of stinging, whereas with a more aggressive razor I would have probably really messed myself up. I can't blame the tech, it was just poor technique on my part and approaching the shave in the wrong way, trying to force the razor instead of letting it do the work.

Changing razor was a good experience though. It taught me as much about the tech as it did about the Edwin Jagger that I ended up buying. Rather than slogging on with a decent razor that I wasn't enjoying, having the change has [I feel] taught me a lot about how to use a razor.
 
Hi Mugs,

Glad to hear that things are improving m8. Now that you are getting better results with the EJ you can settle down to really have confidence in your equipment and develop that technique.
Enjoy.
JohnnyO.
 
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