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A Razor Cannot Be "Efficient"

Bogeyman

Bogeyman

Shave Member
It never ceases to amaze (annoy?) me how many people "parrot" terminology on wet shaving forums that actually have little if any basis in fact. The classic example is the word efficient.
A razor is not unlike a lawnmower and when's the last time you heard someone say "Hey Ralph, I lowered the blade on my Lawnboy and she is now efficient!!. You don't. :rolleyes:

They can alter the blade gap/exposure on a razor that either allows a blade to cut closer or farther away from the skin, Period. There is no secret Keebler Elf efficiency "magic" involved. The razor is merely a blade holder. Just like raising or lowering the blade on a lawnmower. Yet, many seem to fail to grasp this most basic fundamental aspect of shaving & keep repeating the same old tired mantra. A razor that cuts closer, or "aggressive", is just that. Nothing more & nothing less.


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Bogeyman said:
It never ceases to amaze (annoy?) me how many people "parrot" terminology on wet shaving forums that actually have little if any basis in fact. The classic example is the word efficient.
A razor is not unlike a lawnmower and when's the last time you heard someone say "Hey Ralph, I lowered the blade on my Lawnboy and she is now efficient!!. You don't. :rolleyes:

They can alter the blade gap/exposure on a razor that either allows a blade to cut closer or farther away from the skin, Period. There is no secret Keebler Elf efficiency "magic" involved. The razor is merely a blade holder. Just like raising or lowering the blade on a lawnmower. Yet, many seem to fail to grasp this most basic fundamental aspect of shaving & keep repeating the same old tired mantra. A razor that cuts closer, or "aggressive", is just that. Nothing more & nothing less.


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Totally disagree.

Efficiency can be properly used as a term within the subject of traditional shaving, whether a technique, a brush, a razor, a blade, or what have you. Something that enables one to achieve desirable results with less expended effort/resources.

A razor is an important piece of the operation of shaving. The razor can hold the blade in a more efficient manner or a less efficient manner, in regard to angle, exposure, blade gap, etc, as you mention. So efficiency can be a trait assigned to a razor.

I don’t follow lawn mowing with the same enthusiasm as I do traditional shaving...so I can’t comment if there is or isn’t a lingo. Efficiency could also be properly in that area also however.

www.merriam-webster.com

Definition of EFFICIENCY

the quality or degree of being efficient; efficient operation; effective operation as measured by a comparison of production with cost (as in energy, time, and money)… See the full definition
www.merriam-webster.com www.merriam-webster.com
 
Yet so many of ua have different razors. Why is that? They give us different shaving experiences. One thing we experience differently is how smooth a razor feels. Another is how many strokes it takes to get an area to a well shaven state. Put them together, that's efficiency.

I don't see anything wrong with the term, in fact I like it.
 
I never had a problem with people using the word ‘efficient’ when describing a razor BUT I have to say I absolutely understand the disconnect between how the word is used and what I think the word is intended to mean, it’s like it is out of context for me. Perhaps the better way to look at it would be to say a particular razor (or blade, or razor & blade combo, etc) makes/made for a more efficient shave. Like a particular blade setting on the lawnmower makes for a more efficient mow (as measured by how evenly I can mow within a given number of passes)

Then you have “effective” vs “efficient”. A razor with minimal blade exposure or a poor blade angle might not be very effective regardless of your technique...or your technique might be so poor you render an excellent razor ineffective. An in effective razor won’t ever be effective but an effective razor won’t automatically become efficient either. Then again sometimes you just have to use the word efficient. It’s hard to argue a straight razor (or other naked edge) used with proper technique is anything but efficient and effective...no matter how you want to look at it.
 
This is a debate that has been gone over for the entire 14 years I’ve been doing traditional wet shaving .
I use the words efficient or efficiency when describing a razor. I also now and then use the term aggressive when describing a razor.
How efficient a razor is to me is how many strokes/passes does it take to achieve the desired shave results I’m looking for.

How I describe or measure aggressive/ aggressiveness is how the face feel is as in is a razor somewhat harsh or very harsh when shaving with it.

A couple quick examples: I once did a Shave of between an Ikon Shavecraft Tech vs a Gillette Fat. Handled Tech. The Ikon Tech which most know has a reputation for being very very efficient or some would call it very very aggressive which is pretty much the extreme opposite of the Fat handle Tech which is known to be very mild. The reason I did this unlikely Shave Off is I wanted to see how many strokes it would take each razor to get me to a solid BBS shave. I counted every stroke I took with each razor and I don’t remember the exact count but I remember the Ikon Tech achieved the BBS in less than half the number of strokes it took the Gillette Tech to get there. So which razor was more efficient at giving me the desired results.

Another example is I’ve shaved with razors that are not necessarily very efficient but are aggressive or harsh feeling on my face when using them and it could be because of something simple like the teeth on a open comb being very square with somewhat sharp edges so not very comfortable on the face at all. So for me the razor was what I’d call aggressive which translates into harsh feeling.
So I guess it’s how you look at the words efficient and aggressive and what they mean to you personally when describing a razor and how it shaves for the individual person.
So for me when someone says oh that R41 is very aggressive I think to myself. For me efficient yes but not aggressive at all.

I respect and do not judge how a person describes how a razor is for them wether they use the word efficient or aggressive especially once I know what they mean when using the terms. This works well when having a discussion with a shaving brother. In fact a friend of mine and I where having a phone chat about a razor and I knew exactly what he meant when he described the razor as being very aggressive but very smooth. I would have said it differently as I would have said extremely efficient yet very smooth! Bottom line we both meant the exact same thing!

thats all I’ve got in the tank right now on the subject.

Great shaves to all!!
 
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Dragonsbeard said:
I respect and do not judge how a person describes how a razor is for them wether they use the word efficient or aggressive especially once I know what they mean when using the terms. This works well when having a discussion with a shaving brother. In fact a friend of mine where having a phone chat about a razor and I knew exactly what he meant when he described the razor as very aggressive but very smooth. I would have said it differently as I would have said extremely efficient yet very smooth! Bottom line we both meant the same thing.
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This is the main thing to me, I really don't understand the need to get worked up over this. There are a lot of ways to describe things and even more ways to experience them.

I have no problem with thinking we could improve and try to standardize some terminology. Too me aggressive means harsh and rough but gets the job done, efficient the same but smooth.

I like @CBLindsay 's effective term, that sort of takes smoothness, roughness out of the term.
 
Bogeyman said:
It never ceases to amaze (annoy?) me how many people "parrot" terminology on wet shaving forums that actually have little if any basis in fact. The classic example is the word efficient.
A razor is not unlike a lawnmower and when's the last time you heard someone say "Hey Ralph, I lowered the blade on my Lawnboy and she is now efficient!!. You don't. :rolleyes:

They can alter the blade gap/exposure on a razor that either allows a blade to cut closer or farther away from the skin, Period. There is no secret Keebler Elf efficiency "magic" involved. The razor is merely a blade holder. Just like raising or lowering the blade on a lawnmower. Yet, many seem to fail to grasp this most basic fundamental aspect of shaving & keep repeating the same old tired mantra. A razor that cuts closer, or "aggressive", is just that. Nothing more & nothing less.


xcLWcxT.jpg
Click to expand...
I moved to this forum to AVOID offensive, complaining rants about other people’s innocent behavior. Oh well, here we go again............
 
Nah, this is just typical wet shaving fodder. If stuff like this isn't discussed, we're left with talking about our pets and cars, perhaps some complaining about the job.
 
Jellodancer said:
I moved to this forum to AVOID offensive, complaining rants about other people’s innocent behavior. Oh well, here we go again............
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i wouldn’t worry my friend I don’t think this thread is going to go any further down that path. All it takes is just respecting another persons opinion or how they use a word line efficient or aggressive and what it means to them. It would be great if there was one standard meaning for each of those two words that everyone acknowledged but it hasn’t gotten there yet but that’s where respect for others opinions comes into play. You found the right forum as a newbie on here I can tell you it’s filled with gents that are just that. Respectful and helpful as well. So welcome!
 
I don't use my lawnmower to try and cut the grass as close to the dirt as I can so that I can't feel the grass sticking out when I run my hand over the lawn, without scalping the dirt and digging up the grass roots. I also can't grow whiskers less or more often depending on if it rains enough or the sun is out..........................................I'm confused.......................
 
In the lawnmower example, if you cranked the wheels high enough you wouldn't cut grass... Period. A negative exposure works the same way... except no it doesn't. That's because the skin isn't a lawn. It's soft, supple where you can manipulate the skin. Good luck pulling your lawn back.

With all of that said, I feel there's a lot of factors involved with these different perspectives. I see a lot of people over the years posting things like, " I can shave with any razor at this point ". They've been at it for decades, and probably have less sensitive skin than I. I absolutely don't doubt them.

The polar opposite, I've been wet shaving for around two years. I'm a redhead with pale skin. Before I began traditional shaving, when it was a chore and I did it once a week, I would develop very painful hair folicules (I presume?) if I let it grow too long. I probably have some of the most sensitive skin on this board. To me, those little nuances still make a big difference. In a decade, they probably will still... Remember I have sensitive skin... But not likely as much as they do today.

We're all different and everything that works for me might not for you... And vice versa. Also, keep an eye out for the Gillette Backhoe - coming July 2024.
 
Brew said:
Nah, this is just typical wet shaving fodder. If stuff like this isn't discussed, we're left with talking about our pets and cars, perhaps some complaining about the job.
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We may even talk about shaving our pets, while sitting in our car, outside our jobs.

Best to let the conversation wander in this direction. Lol.
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I think it's fine to say a razor is efficient for you. When you compare one razor to another, some just work better, and you may chalk that up to efficiency. But my issue is using the term efficiency in reviews and recommendations. What is efficient for you, is not relatable to me (or anyone else), because it's such a subjective term.

I mean, all terms in wet shaving are subjective to a point, but some are just more useful. I think saying a razor is efficient is the least useful adjective when it comes to someone else undertanding how that razor is going to shave for them. Smooth/rough is a bit more useful, but still subjective. I think the mild/aggressive is one of the better descriptors, but even that has a certain level of subjectivity.

I like mild razors. Aggressive razors feel rough, give me weepers, and leave my skin feeling raw. But someone else can use that aggressive razor and say it's a smooth shaver that is very efficient. In that case, smooth and efficient mean nothing to me..... but I think we both can agree it's an aggressive razor. Tell me it's aggressive and that has meaning and I know it's one I should stay away from.

Just my 2 cents.

As with everyhting, it's YMMV. Everyone's experiences are different. I'm not going to fault anyone for using any certain terminology when it comes to describing their own shaving experience.
 
mrdoug said:
We may even talk about shaving our pets, while sitting in our car, outside our jobs.

Best to let the conversation wander in this direction. Lol.
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Some of the best grooms our pups got were from a mobile groomer! I completely approve in wandering in this direction.
 
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