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Sunday, September 6, 2015

Standard Shave Week

This week I'm determined to take a standard shave every day.

I use the word determined because it's difficult for me to stop with a single pass. Take this morning, for example: I used my c.1948 gold Gillette Tech and a 21st-shave Personna red blade (21 shaves!!!!), with oblique, with-grain strokes. I got an adequate but mediocre and unrewarding shave. So I couldn't help myself as I pulled out the Weishi 9306, transferred the blade from the Tech, and took a quick, against-grain second pass.

When I say quick, I'm not kidding. Though the mild, face-friendly Weishi rightfully inspires confidence, it's still a razor after all, and a careless beginning to a stroke gave me the tiniest cut, which disappeared with rinsing and required no post-shave care.

The result of the second pass, however, was much more rewarding, being comfortable and close enough to really satisfy.

Still, tomorrow's shave is the Gillette Slim set to 5/9 of max. capacity, and I'm determined to really shave old school, meaning one and done.

The formula for shaving technique tomorrow will be as follows:
  • Razor set to moderate aggression (5 on the 1-9 adjustment scale)
  • With-grain strokes
  • Oblique strokes
  • Anti-raking stroke pattern
  • Short, slow, deliberate strokes
I'll report out Monday on the result.

Happy shaving!

1 comment:

  1. I predict the blade will not oblige below the jaw; it would have to be quite picky-sharp to do much good WTG. (I just had such a shave with a fairly new Feather, where I ALMOST stopped at one.) Recommend ATG there, and XTG on chin and mouth, and that stroke that's a bit of both at the jaw corners.

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