Thread: Question on WTG

So I have sharpened several razors and have been shaving w/ them for a couple of years on and off. My question is: how does your face feel/look after being done with your WTG passes on a freshly honed razor? Mine removes a decent amount of the stubble but there is still some visually there until I go across and then against the grain for BBS. I am wondering if anyone hones a razor good enough to simply do WTG passes and call it a day...?

Perhaps, the razor is not sharp enough or their is an issue with angle or both I experienced both.

How are you honing the razor, if I might ask?

Oh, and, yes. Many here get a DFS(Damn Fine Shave) with a WTG pass alone.

I think a lot of it might have to do with your beard type and prep. When I do the whole "wrap my face in steaming towel" thing my WTG gets more hair than my day to day routine of just a hot shower. Either way, for me there is still hair there to be removed with an XTG pass and or ATG pass to get even closer.

Originally Posted by Siguy

Perhaps, the razor is not sharp enough or their is an issue with angle or both I experienced both.

How are you honing the razor, if I might ask?

Oh, and, yes. Many here get a DFS(Damn Fine Shave) with a WTG pass alone.

800-10k choseras, then 1 & .5 diamond, and finish on .125CBN. The stropping is very limited to around 15-20 pps with each grit. I have had feedback from others who have shaved for years that it produces a very smooth close shave, but I was just curious as to other's experience. Here is a pic of the finished edge...

Originally Posted by criswilson10

I think a lot of it might have to do with your beard type and prep. When I do the whole "wrap my face in steaming towel" thing my WTG gets more hair than my day to day routine of just a hot shower. Either way, for me there is still hair there to be removed with an XTG pass and or ATG pass to get even closer.

Cris, how awesome is that... I live in Easley lol!! Thanks for the input btw...

Originally Posted by razoredgeknives

So I have sharpened several razors and have been shaving w/ them for a couple of years on and off. My question is: how does your face feel/look after being done with your WTG passes on a freshly honed razor? Mine removes a decent amount of the stubble but there is still some visually there until I go across and then against the grain for BBS. I am wondering if anyone hones a razor good enough to simply do WTG passes and call it a day...?

I am the same as you and do 4 passes. Always wondered about the one pass shave. I have never gotten one even with a Muhle R41 and Feather blade. I don't think my edges are that crappy or technique that bad so I just write it off to everyone having different beards.

Bob

Oh, and I forgot to say that I can get BBS without any weepers or cuts, so I don't think it's my technique... I learned in a hurry that I must use a shallow angle when shaving to avoid bleeding and pain!

Wow and I thought I was all alone in this little town.
I'm guessing you run razor edge knives in G'ville?

Originally Posted by razoredgeknives

My question is: how does your face feel/look after being done with your WTG passes on a freshly honed razor?

If I do good beard preparation (lather up and pile on a hot steam towel), on WTG visually I look good enough to be done. But if run my finger tips in the right direction; especially ATG I can feel the stubble. If I leave it this way by the end of the day, it will be starting to look like I need a shave. Not all furry faced but stubble will show.

If I go ahead and do XTG and then ATG, and do it well, my face will feel like smooth wet glass. I'll barely be able to feel stubble in a few patches very late the same night. The next morning I will have just enough stubble to shave again lightly.

Same thing if I skip a day shaving, a single WTG pass will be a DFS from an appearance point of view. Let me just come clean, I'm a faceturbator. I might look fine, but the tiny stubble will make me feel crazy. But if I'm in a hurry I've done WTG shaves and I look just fine.

I've only been doing this since May. So grain of salt, but I could never get a BBS shave with a cartridge razor without several passes in different directions either. When I go WTG, XTG, and ATG I get a shave with the SR, the cartridge razor might get me to on the first shave with a brand new one.

Someone else said it better, it comes down to what kind of beard you have. I had a buddy in the Army that was an American Indian. He basically had almost zero beard. He wouldn't need more than a couple of swipes for BBS. I had a colleague in corporate America who had a beard so thick and fast growing, he had to shave twice a day if he was going out at night.

Best,

Ed

I am sort of on board with Bob. My whiskers tend to grow laying very flat against my skin. A with the grain pass doesn't net me anywhere near the results of a against the grain pass. Most of the time for most of my face I don't bother going with the grain. On an average nothing special shave i do one pass against and on pass across and that is it. That to is a bit of a generalization but you get the picture. If there is something special happening like I need to suck up to my wife, I work at it a little bit harder. I have my edges and my bench mark edges that shave around the same.

What's the magnification of that edge and did you edit out the rest of the blade?

Also, I've been a 4 pass guy as of late. One north-south, 2nd east-west, 3rd west-east, 4th south-north.

regards,