Thread: The Two Razor Shave

I haven't really thought about doing this,
I guess because I never saw the need,
but I do strop some of my razors between
passes, and I have full hollows and near
wedges. So....I may is well make full use
of my razors and give it a try. This does
mean of course two razors to dry and oil,
so I expect this wont become part of my
regular habit.

Originally Posted by nun2sharp

Maybe like a lot of us you need to skip the 3rd pass and just do the WTG and XTG and forget the ATG. I cant argue what you have said in your previous post, but it does make me wonder.

I've considered that, especially after a rough 3rd pass, but on the other hand, I've had plenty of fine ATG shaves, and that glassy smooth quality is for me the holy grail of straight shaving. In the past, my problem areas ATG were the chin and the area around the corners of the mouth and below the lip (the few times I did ATG on the upper lip were real unpleasant and I haven't gone there since). Mainly, the problem being nicking: for example, when I tense the chin muscles, the surface produced is not uniformly flat, so I almost always would get a cut or two ATG there. So far with the 2 razor approach, my third passes on the chin have been smooth and nick free.

I am intrigued by this. Found this forum by typing "beard mapping" in the search, but this is just another take at the same issue. I was trying to figure out if growth angle would require a different approach, but given I actually keep in a beard some of my passes aren't giving me the smoothness I am looking for where I desire there to be no beard.

It's almost like carving the perfect beard out of stone. Perhaps a wedge in my arsenal would be beneficial?

I am not sure if there is a way to rank corse-ness of beards, but mine will stop a trimmer if I am not careful.

Cheers,
JackofDiamonds

One last word: the 2-razor shave proposed here is not intended as a substitute for proper stropping and overall shaving technique. Some people can do three passes without stropping mid-shave and not have to go to the hones for months. Others will need to touch up every so often on high grit stones and/or sprayed felt. Still others will find that a third pass just isn't in the deck. So be it. Anyone here can learn to reasonably execute a multi-pass shave with a single blade of any given size, grind or geometry.

The only point I wish to make is the following: you can shoot 18 holes of golf with just a 1-wood or just a putter, but if you've got both in the bag, why not use both?

Originally Posted by GringoMexicano

One last word: the 2-razor shave proposed here is not intended as a substitute for proper stropping and overall shaving technique. Some people can do three passes without stropping mid-shave and not have to go to the hones for months. Others will need to touch up every so often on high grit stones and/or sprayed felt. Still others will find that a third pass just isn't in the deck. So be it. Anyone here can learn to reasonably execute a multi-pass shave with a single blade of any given size, grind or geometry.

The only point I wish to make is the following: you can shoot 18 holes of golf with just a 1-wood or just a putter, but if you've got both in the bag, why not use both?

I couldn't agree more. A prime example of why the technique you have described is so nice is a disposable straight that I started with. With it, I had to change blades after one pass. If I didn't the blade would catch and cut me. Might have been the poor quality, or the fact I was new. But it sure sounds like you have solved that problem with your set up. I applaud you.

I can understand the arguments against your methods, but they are not shaving your beard. If it is anything like mine, you might as well be shaving fine steel wool off your face. Do what works for you, I will attempt this as soon as I can get a fictional wedge.

Many thanks,
JackofDiamonds

I've been doing it for about the past 3 years . Works great for me , and I can also say there is nothing wrong with my honing . I do the first pass with a 6/8 , and do the second with a 5/8 , works great for me . Not that I can't do both passes with the same razor (I did for the first 2 years) , but using a fresh razor for the second pass just makes the shave better . Don't knock it 'til you try it .

Originally Posted by GringoMexicano

The only point I wish to make is the following: you can shoot 18 holes of golf with just a 1-wood or just a putter, but if you've got both in the bag, why not use both?

I would have to disagree. Different grinds don't necessarily work differently (at least as dramatically as golf clubs). The bevel is the only part of the razor that does the shaving and should be relatively the same on most razors.

I'd say once you get more experience, this is a technique that will become obsolete for you. Then again, maybe my understanding of a razor isn't what I think it is.

Originally Posted by dave5225

I've been doing it for about the past 3 years . Works great for me , and I can also say there is nothing wrong with my honing . I do the first pass with a 6/8 , and do the second with a 5/8 , works great for me . Not that I can't do both passes with the same razor (I did for the first 2 years) , but using a fresh razor for the second pass just makes the shave better . Don't knock it 'til you try it .

Thanks for the corroboration Natty, I couldn't believe I was the only person on the planet who has tried this...

Originally Posted by ats200

I would have to disagree. Different grinds don't necessarily work differently (at least as dramatically as golf clubs). The bevel is the only part of the razor that does the shaving and should be relatively the same on most razors.

I'd say once you get more experience, this is a technique that will become obsolete for you. Then again, maybe my understanding of a razor isn't what I think it is.

Thanks for the input, Ats. However I take issue with the notion that the bevel is "the only part of the razor that does the shaving". If that were indeed the case, then straight razors could be produced with widths on the order of that of the bevel (<1/16). The width of the blade and grind of a blade, and the weight they imply, play a fundamental role in the dynamics of the shave, producing momentum needed to push the blade through hair. While the bevel on different types of razors may be structurally similar, differences in geometry, grind and width will produce very different shaves according to which pass one is performing as well as the part of the face one is shaving. There are hundreds of posts in the forums here in which these differences are expanded upon in minute detail.

I'm not sure you're correct.

To my understanding, the hollowness of the blade refers more to the forgiveness of the steel not a difference in the bevel. The different geometry may come from varying honing techniques. The only differences may be how wide the end of the blade is and in most cases I'd say the measurements are too minuscule to make a huge difference.

But again, I could be wrong, this is just how I've thought of things since I began shaving and I don't have any evidence to back it up although it may exist in older forum discussions because I had to have come to this train of thought somehow.