Reducing the Aggressiveness of Adjustable DE Razors

[UPDATE: If this article is relevant to your interests, be sure to read the comments section at the very bottom. Some additional, useful information is provided there in a short comment conversation between an informed reader and the author.]

I am on record saying several things about the Parker Variant adjustable razor:

• Its shaving geometry makes for a non-irritating shave.
• It may be the best affordable adjustable razor design on the market.
• It adjusts to settings sufficiently aggressive to satisfy most users who prefer (or for some reasons need) a very aggressive razor.
• Its adjustment range is adequate to meet the needs of most (but not all) users.
• Like every adjustable DE of which I'm aware, it doesn't adjust to a mild enough setting for users who prefer or need very mild razors  -- like me.

Long ago, I stopped using my Variant for the first four to six shaves with most new blades. Instead I used milder razors that were less likely to nip my wound-prone skin, which is NOT in and of itself baby smooth. Though you can't tell by looking, my skin is rather micro rough, which leaves it prone to nicks/weepers whenever I shave certain areas to my desired level of closeness.

I found a simple solution to the not-mild-enough problem with the Parker Variant (and likely other adjustables such as the Merkur Progress as well as the Merkur Futur and other razors based on the Futur design -- even the Gillette adjustables!).

The solution is to elevate the shave plane slightly, thus lowering the blade edge in relation to the shave plane. This is done easily and inexpensively (and without risking any harm to the razor) with a few strips of electrical tape.

With a couple of strips of electrical tape, the shave plane of the razor can be tweaked to shave just a bit milder.

What the added tape does is make the top cap just a tad thicker near the blade. This raises the top cap's contact point with the skin. This raised contact point tips the shave plane slightly more away from the blade edge, which makes the blade exposure slightly negative -- meaning that the edge is now slightly below the shave plane, rather that directly on it.

Without the tape on the top cap and the razor at its mildest setting, the blade exposure is fairly neutral, with the edge pretty much at the shave plane. This can be too aggressive for a minority of users.

With just a single layer of electrical tape and the razor set to its mildest setting, the shave plane rises enough that the edge is now clearly underneath it. This is a negative-blade-exposure configuration, and makes the razor much safer, more user friendly for those with easily-nicked skin.

Happy shaving!

Hump Day Revelations

Grandad's Shave Soap

I have a fairly large batch of Grandad's Shave Soap, my personal recipe for an all-natural, plant-based, unscented shave soap for those who may be sensitive to fragrance and other additives.

At one time I did offer samples for a modest price, and though a few took me up on the sample offer -- and even a few wanted to order a puck, it was a commercial failure.

Yet recently I've been shaving with Grandad's Soap, and I find it to be an excellent option. It makes rich lather that lubricates well.

The reasons for it's commercial failure include the following:

• No fragrance
• Samples were too small and awkwardly packaged
• Normal-sized quantities were not made available (and probably would have been priced too low!)

Ah well, live and learn. 

Gillette Slim

I had to change razors in the middle of this morning's shave. After with-grain and then cross-grain passes (and using a light touch, with the razor on its mildest setting), I removed the blade from my Gillette Slim and put it into my Parker Variant, which was also set on its mildest adjustment.

Making my final pass against grain with the Variant was a much more comfortable experience. It has motivated me to remove the Slim once again from my small selection of at-hand razors.

I'm done with the Slim. If it works for you, more power to you. It's just not my cup of tea.

Happy shaving!

Best Razor for Sensitive, Easily-Nicked Beards?

I made a careless mistake last week as part of my adjustable-razor comparison. I had a blade with a single shave on it -- meaning it was relatively new and very sharp.

My error was to set that day's adjustable razor choice to a too-aggressive setting for my with-grain first pass. The result was many weepers and a one or two minor cuts. Then for several days after that, despite my reverting to very mild adjustable settings and using care with my shaving technique, I kept re-opening the wounds.

Remembering that discretion is the better part of valor, I retreated to my most mild-shaving razor for the next two days, which gave my skin an opportunity to recover. And yet I still got a close shave.

Just below is the razor, and further below I'll give the several compelling reasons why many men should have this razor on hand.

The Best Mild Razor is.......

The Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements' (PAA) Original Double-Open-Comb Razor (DOC)!!!

Here is my PAA DOC -- in my opinion the best mild razor available. It has a uniform nickel finish, though the lighting in this image gives the illusion that the head has a chrome look, which it does not.

Reason #1: Well, It's Not Likely to Bite

When you need or prefer a DE razor that isn't going to shave skin along with whiskers, this razor is one of several available in the market. However, the PAA DOC has advantages that the other mild razors lack. Read on.

Reason #2: The DOC Gives a Comfortable Shave

Unlike some other razors that have a non-aggressive nature but have a shaving geometry that still irritates my skin such as the Weishi 9306 family of razors, the DOC offers a shave-head geometry that provides optimal shave comfort. 

Reason #3: The DOC Offers a Close Shave Using Buffing Technique

The open-comb design of the DOC's top cap leaves lather behind if you keep the razor on your skin for the return, non-cutting stroke. This means that the combination of its non-aggressive geometry, its comfortable character, and the residual lather left when using reciprocating strokes allows for a close shave despite its relative safety.

I often use reciprocating strokes (a.k.a. buffing) for all passes in a three-pass shave when using this instrument.

Here is a stock photo of the DOC showing its uniform plating. Don't confuse its coating with chrome, however. In real life, this razor has the characteristic slightly-golden hue that accompanies its nickel plating. 

Reason #4: The DOC is Adjustable?

That's right, it's adjustable. If you want a more aggressive "setting" for the DOC, you can loosen the handle 1/8th, 1/4, or whatever of a turn from snug, and its shave character becomes progressively more aggressive. Try doing that with a one-piece razor like the Weishi 9306. (You can't.)

Reason #5: It's Reasonably Priced

Not much more to be said on this point. The razor isn't terribly expensive and offers good value for its unique and useful design.

Summary

This razor is an indispensable member of my small, at-hand stable of razors. I use this with all first-use blades (and beyond as necessary). I use it when I've abused my skin and need a respite from more aggressive options. 

If you ever thought you might benefit on occasion from a milder razor but were reluctant to invest in a limited specialty razor, this one is not limited. I recommend giving this razor a closer look (click HERE for the PAA website).

Happy shaving!

The Importance (to Some) of Razor Choice

Why All the Fuss?

Some readers may be wondering why all this writer's fuss about choice of razor? Why not just pick one of the available adjustables and call it good? Or even simpler, why not pick a moderate (not mild, not overly aggressive) non-adjustable razor and live with that?

These are reasonable questions, and I will address them in today's article.

The Perfect Shave

The perfect shave is baby smooth in all directions over one's entire beard. It is also without insult to skin including no blood shed and no other skin irritation of any kind.

For me, using a double-edge razor (DE), the perfect shave is a fantasy.

For me, the best shave that I can get with minimal skin insult is one that is baby smooth with grain and across the grain, but with perceptable stubble (by touch) when feeling against the grain. Virtually all of my shaves look close -- even those single-pass, with-grain shaves. But for a good shave that looks good all day, my best shave is the target for which I aim.

Why Not Truly Baby Smooth?

Oh, I can shave so that my beard is truly baby smooth over nearly its entirety. The price that I pay for that ultra-close shave is blood shed.

The combination of my face and neck topography (contours), the flat angle of my beard grain in many places, and the sensitivity of my skin as well as its lack of micro smoothness results in shave outcomes that are a balancing act -- balancing between closeness and skin insult.

Uber-sharp blades tend to cause a bit of invisible razor burn even in the mildest razors -- and that's at best! Worse is when they open small weeper wounds, or when my careless technique allows minor nicks.

I Prefer Adjustable Razors

When I go for an optimal shave, which is essentially every day, my skin is so sensitive to the blade that non-adjustable razors limit the useful life of every blade I try.

This is because essentially all new blades work best for me in a very mild razor. If the razor isn't extremely mild with a new or newer blade, then I'm guaranteed to have to deal with wounds. 

However, as a blade progresses through its useful life -- which is typically 20 to 30 daily shaves -- the razor must become less mild if I am to achieve my desired degree of shave closeness. This realization resulted in my stating the concept of PRA: progressive razor aggressiveness. So every non-adjustable razor is a huge compromise meaning that for any given blade, there will be a period where the blade-and-razor combination is optimal, but there will be longer stretches within the blade's life span where the shave is not close enough (meaning excessive perceptible stubble), too close (meaning wounds), or both.

A razor that is adequately adjustable for my beard must go from very mild to moderately aggressive. An adjustable that is adequately variable for the everyman must accommodate me in the very-mild-to-moderate adjustment range, but then also go to very aggressive settings for those that need that.

Optimal Adjustable Razors

For some, vintage adjustables such as the Slim from Gillette meet the preceding adjustment-range criterion. Yet there is the issue of razor comfort. For me, the Slim has at best tended to produce a bit of invisible irritation that I must treat with after-shave products.

For others, the Parker Variant is the optimal razor. Though it doesn't adjust to as mild a shaving character as the Slim, it does tend to offer a comfortable, minimal-irritation outcome for those who don't need an extremely mild razor when using a blade fresh out of the wrapper.

The Wisdom of Experience

My years of chasing the shave that is comfortable, baby-smooth and wound free have taught me that, in my case, that goal is a fool's errand. But before I realized that fact, I had rejected the Slim as offering too harsh of a shave for my mug. Of course, lately in the light of my growing shaving enlightenment, I'm revisiting the Slim, and comparing it to the Variant -- as I announced in my article yesterday.

Comparison Progress

Today's shave was the third shave with a Dorco ST-301 blade. With two shaves under my belt with the Slim (shave number one and three) and one shave with the Variant (shave number two), I'm already drawing some useful conclusions.

But I won't report out any observations until I've completely done the trial using the full life of the blade. Stay tuned for the eventual analysis.

Happy shaving!

Parker Variant Versus Gillette Slim: The Adjustable Challenge Begins

After yesterday's new-blade shave with my Slim adjustable razor, I decided to emulate with razors my shave-soap challenge, about which I reported in my article on Sharpologist.com entitled "Shave Test: The Rolls-Royce versus the Toyota Yaris of Shave Soaps."

So yesterday I took shave one with a Dorco ST-301 blade in my '63 Gillette Slim razor. Today will be shave two on the blade but this time in my Parker Variant razor. I will continue to alternate daily shaves between the two until the blade is completely used up.

Then I will report the results in an article.

This process was very useful in understanding the relative performance of what many consider to be the alpha and omega of shave soaps: Martin de Candre and Williams. Much to my surprise, after alternating between the two for my daily shaves, I saw little difference between them -- virtually no functional difference to justify the huge disparity in retail pricing.

That soap test opened my eyes once again to the influence that price and other marketing tactics have on perception. It also made me regret some comments made and likely harm done to a now-defunct soap seller, Pyrate Cove Soap Works (PCSW).

Taking my experience from the MDC-Williams comparison to my remaining inventory of PCSW soaps, I found that their modest price adversely influenced my opinion of the product -- and I shared that opinion publicly in this blog. I regret that.

I turns out that I'd much rather buy and use PCSW shave soap than many others, and not just for the price, but also for the performance. I regret that I didn't support PCSW more. I also hope that the prime movers behind that company see this article and resurrect their product line and company name, but this time charging a bit more so that the market can appreciate their products' performance without being negatively influenced by the perception that the soap is cheap and therefore inferior.

But I digress.

Stay tuned for my outcome of the duel in Detroit (apologies to the Indycar race, the Dual in Detroit). Slim versus Variant: the stuff of legend. More to come.

Happy shaving!

The Slim with a New Dorco Blade

After my last article about how my opinion of the vintage Gillette Slim adjustable razor is evolving, I temporarily set aside the well used but not quite worn out SuperMax blade and installed in the Slim a new Dorco ST-301 blade.

Varying slightly from the previous three-pass shaves, I was a bit more careful with my razor settings. Today my first pass (WTG) was set on 2. The second pass (XTG) was also on 2. The third pass (ATG) was on 1. Final clean-up strokes were set to 2.

Again, surprise! A close, reasonably comfortable shave. The post-shave irritation faded quickly. There were a few pin-point weepers, but, again, on my face this isn't unusual and most if not all were the same ones present in previous shaves.

Even after years of DE shaving, my shaving technique and awareness apparently continues to evolve -- even though I'm not consciously trying. I guess my touch is lighter, although maybe my skin is just toughening up.

The net result is that I may further reduce my at-hand razors to just two: the Slim and my Parker Variant; thus relegating all my non-adjustable razors to storage in the closet shaving box.

Who knew? (Not me!)

Happy adjustable shaving!

Gillette Slim Redux (Yet Again)

I'm on the record (repeatedly) as opining that the vintage Gillette Slim adjustable razor is not my favorite.

However, I've learned repeatedly over the years of writing this blog that my opinions shift over time like desert sands. So after considering what is the best razor for the everyman and writing an article on that concept for Sharpologist.com, I thought it appropriate to drag my Slim out into the light of day once again and give it a go.

So I had a SuperMax Titanium blade with 12 shaves on it, and the other day put that blade into my Slim. I took the first pass with grain on a setting of 3. The second pass -- cross grain -- used a setting of 2. The third pass -- against grain -- was set to 1. Then I took some clean-up strokes under my jawline and on my neck on a setting of 2.

In all a very good shave. There was a bit more irritation, I believe, than I get with, say the Parker Variant, but a good shave nonetheless.

It was so surprising, in fact, that I also took the 14th and 15th shaves with that SuperMax blade using the Slim and the same shaving process.

All the shave outcomes were close, with only a few pin-point weepers (which is totally normal for me whenever I take a close shave), and not having enough irritation to worry or talk about.

One of the things that I like about the Slim is that it has the ability to dial back to offer a pretty mild shave. Of course, the drawback is that there's something about the cutting geometry of the head design that is not quite as comfortable as I would ideally like -- irrespective of the setting. Historically, this drawback has been most noticeable with a new or newer blade.

So the next test comes when I have fully used up the current SuperMax blade and open a new blade. I'll be doing that next week and will report out on my results.

Happy shaving!