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novicewetshaver's shave journal

for tonights shave i went with dg's darkfall. i used 1/2 tsp to about 3 tsp of water. made a pretty good lather. i started off the shave on setting on my fatboy for the first 2 passes then went up to setting 9 for the atg pass and a few clean up passes. still having trouble with the atg pass on setting 7 or lower. seems like i have to use more pressure than i would like to cut through the whiskers on lower settings. i did notice that tonights shave was extremely comfortable with new fatboy, enjoyed shaving tonight with little to no irritation. did a two pass head shave. finished off with thayers rose and darkfall afterhsave. loving the fatboy and thinking about sending it out to get plated, not sure what metal to go with tho. i really like this razor i think its going to be my go to razor from know on.

tonights gear
gillette fatboy settings 7 and 9
wizemet blade second use
dg darkfall 1/2 teaspoon
thayers witch hazel rose flavor
dg darkfall aftershave
 
primotenore said:
I have a Fatboy as well. I open it up to 9 and leave it there. Keep in mind, when you decrease the blade gap, you make it more challenging to keep the proper angle---thus compelling you to use pressure, which, of course is the exact opposite of how to effectively shave.
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Agreed. I keep my adjustables on one setting throughout the entire shave. It's much easier for me to maintain a proper blade angle that way. Setting 9 is more forgiving in that regard (for me) to find the correct angle. Throw in some good lather, plenty 'o skin stretching and a gentle touch, and you're all set!
 
novicewetshaver said:
seems like i have to use more pressure than i would like to cut through the whiskers on lower settings.
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Are you judging this by the sound of the shave or the feel of whiskers after? It's easy to fall into the trap of wanting more audible feedback even though the blade is quietly doing what it's supposed to.
 
NurseDave said:
Are you judging this by the sound of the shave or the feel of whiskers after? It's easy to fall into the trap of wanting more audible feedback even though the blade is quietly doing what it's supposed to.
Click to expand...
im talking about the feel of the wsiskers after, sometmes it feels like they are hard to cut throught or arent bein cut trhough at all
 
novicewetshaver said:
im talking about the feel of the wsiskers after, sometmes it feels like they are hard to cut throught or arent bein cut trhough at all
Click to expand...
Hang in there. It definitely gets easier with practice, and the results get better.

Eliminating variables (changing razor settings, brands of blades, etc.) and using the same set up for an extended period of time helped me improve my technique as I was starting out. Once I developed solid technique, then I could shave well with any non-defective razor. I started out with four-pass shaves, and the results were not great. I get much better results now with 1.5 or 2 passes.

Here are some things that I've found helpful. Everyone is different, and this is just my story.

One way to dial in the proper razor angle is to turn off the running water, fan, music, etc. while you shave. Make the room as quiet as possible. You should not feel any tugging when the blade angle is right, and you will hear the hairs being sliced. Once you get the hang of it, you can literally shave with your eyes closed. I actually find it easier to shave with a Fatboy or Slim set at 9 than one of the lower settings. The sweet spot is a lot wider at 9 than 3. It actually takes more attention and focus to shave well at the lower settings. I've tried changing settings mid-shave, and that doesn't work for me.

If your angle is right, no pressure on the razor against the face works. If your angle is off, adding pressure to compensate is a recipe for irritation and blood loss.

I have never shaved with oil (and don't plan to), but I think this guy does a good job with skin stretching. Proper skin stretching was a game changer for me, and it eliminated a full pass from my shaves.


I do better with shorter, slightly overlapping strokes and not shaving repeatedly over unlathered areas. I can't get away with the long swipes of the razor and shaving multiple times over bare skin. Watching how Mantic does it helped me.


I hope this helps. Again, this is just how I do it, and everyone is different. Good luck, and hang in there! :)
 
wristwatchb said:
Hang in there. It definitely gets easier with practice, and the results get better.

Eliminating variables (changing razor settings, brands of blades, etc.) and using the same set up for an extended period of time helped me improve my technique as I was starting out. Once I developed solid technique, then I could shave well with any non-defective razor. I started out with four-pass shaves, and the results were not great. I get much better results now with 1.5 or 2 passes.

Here are some things that I've found helpful. Everyone is different, and this is just my story.

One way to dial in the proper razor angle is to turn off the running water, fan, music, etc. while you shave. Make the room as quiet as possible. You should not feel any tugging when the blade angle is right, and you will hear the hairs being sliced. Once you get the hang of it, you can literally shave with your eyes closed. I actually find it easier to shave with a Fatboy or Slim set at 9 than one of the lower settings. The sweet spot is a lot wider at 9 than 3. It actually takes more attention and focus to shave well at the lower settings. I've tried changing settings mid-shave, and that doesn't work for me.

If your angle is right, no pressure on the razor against the face works. If your angle is off, adding pressure to compensate is a recipe for irritation and blood loss.

I have never shaved with oil (and don't plan to), but I think this guy does a good job with skin stretching. Proper skin stretching was a game changer for me, and it eliminated a full pass from my shaves.


I do better with shorter, slightly overlapping strokes and not shaving repeatedly over unlathered areas. I can't get away with the long swipes of the razor and shaving multiple times over bare skin. Watching how Mantic does it helped me.


I hope this helps. Again, this is just how I do it, and everyone is different. Good luck, and hang in there! :)
Click to expand...
thanks, i will give this a trry, maybe try starting out on 9 and see how that works out.
 
novicewetshaver said:
thanks, i will give this a trry, maybe try starting out on 9 and see how that works out.
Click to expand...

I found my trick in the beginning was not to worry about the results but the technique. Like Charlie said, concentrate on the technique and get the process ingrained in your muscle memory. One day everything just seemed to click for me and the results followed along. Hang in there you will get it sorted out. In the end its about the journey not the destination.
 
novicewetshaver said:
for tonights shave i went with dg's darkfall. i used 1/2 tsp to about 3 tsp of water. made a pretty good lather. i started off the shave on setting on my fatboy for the first 2 passes then went up to setting 9 for the atg pass and a few clean up passes. still having trouble with the atg pass on setting 7 or lower. seems like i have to use more pressure than i would like to cut through the whiskers on lower settings. i did notice that tonights shave was extremely comfortable with new fatboy, enjoyed shaving tonight with little to no irritation. did a two pass head shave. finished off with thayers rose and darkfall afterhsave. loving the fatboy and thinking about sending it out to get plated, not sure what metal to go with tho. i really like this razor i think its going to be my go to razor from know on.

tonights gear
gillette fatboy settings 7 and 9
wizemet blade second use
dg darkfall 1/2 teaspoon
thayers witch hazel rose flavor
dg darkfall aftershave
Click to expand...
Plated in what? Right now its in factory bright nickel, maybe Rhodium or Gold?
 
Luecke3262 said:
Plated in what? Right now its in factory bright nickel, maybe Rhodium or Gold?
Click to expand...
i was thinking about rhodium, it looks nice and i think its a stonger and prone to less corrossian and more resiliant than nickjel. i coujld be wrong tho. our water here is super hard and metal things tend to get all nasty and pitted looking after a while.
 
SUPER TOTALLY AWSOME SPICE MELANGE SHAVE!!!

i had about 5 days worth of growth because its been so cold around here lately i havent really wanted to shave. for todays shave i used the barristers and manns spice melange. it smelled a bit strong on the smokey side when i opened it up, but when i lathered it up the other scents notes came out and balanced out the smokiness i thought. the stuff took about 6 tsp of water and made a very thick dense creamy lather. overall i was very impressed with this soap. it left my skin feeling very hydrated and i had no irratation whatsover during the shave. I did a 3 pass shave with clean ups with my fatboy, i did the first three passes on setting 7 then switched to 9 for the clean up passes. i did a three pass head shave. i finished the shave off with some thayers rose witch hazel and barristers and manns aftershave and there aftershave balm. my skin felt very well hydrated and there was no irratation at all. when i used the aftershave there was no discernable burn either. the aftershave balm was kinda chunky like it didnt emulsify properply. maybe i need to shake it before using? it still went on to the skin pretty easily tho. over all a super awsome shave today

todays gear
fatboy settings 7&9
wizemet blade third shave
barrister and man's spice melange
captains choice shave bowl
barrister and manns spice melange aftershave and afteshave balm.
 
novicewetshaver said:
SUPER TOTALLY AWSOME SPICE MELANGE SHAVE!!!

i had about 5 days worth of growth because its been so cold around here lately i havent really wanted to shave. for todays shave i used the barristers and manns spice melange. it smelled a bit strong on the smokey side when i opened it up, but when i lathered it up the other scents notes came out and balanced out the smokiness i thought. the stuff took about 6 tsp of water and made a very thick dense creamy lather. overall i was very impressed with this soap. it left my skin feeling very hydrated and i had no irratation whatsover during the shave. I did a 3 pass shave with clean ups with my fatboy, i did the first three passes on setting 7 then switched to 9 for the clean up passes. i did a three pass head shave. i finished the shave off with some thayers rose witch hazel and barristers and manns aftershave and there aftershave balm. my skin felt very well hydrated and there was no irratation at all. when i used the aftershave there was no discernable burn either. the aftershave balm was kinda chunky like it didnt emulsify properply. maybe i need to shake it before using? it still went on to the skin pretty easily tho. over all a super awsome shave today

todays gear
fatboy settings 7&9
wizemet blade third shave
barrister and man's spice melange
captains choice shave bowl
barrister and manns spice melange aftershave and afteshave balm.
Click to expand...
Congrats on a fantastic shave!!
 
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