Thread: Passes

Hey guys,

I am a current DE shaver and briefly experimented with a straight for awhile. I ended up getting rid of it, but I bought a real nice straight and I'm back, baby. With my DE I do the standard with, across, and against passes. I'm just getting bored with my DE and I need to go back to the challenge of the straight. Do you guys feel that you do the same amount of passes with the straight, or less? I love the shave but doing three passes kind of gets old fast.

Welcome to SRP!

Shaving with a straight requires at least a couple passes, at least for me. I suppose it depends on your beard type. The "once over" doesn't cut it with my whiskers. That being said, I've heard some guys say that they have to do 4 passes with a DE, but only 3 (or less) with a straight; not my experience, I do my 2-1/2 pass shave not matter what type of razor I use.

What do you mean when you say a 3 pass shave "gets old fast"? Is it a quicker shave you want? You can experiment with one pass shaves and hybrid passes etc, but it seems to me that multiple passes comes with the territory. If you're looking for a quick and simple shave perhaps traditional wetshaving isn't the answer...

i have to agree with ryan if u want a faster shave than you may want to avoid straight razors

I guess I didn't really mean three passes time wise, I meant it more of a "can it be done in less passes to save my face a little abuse". Three passes used to be fine on my face and I shaved every day before work, but recently I seem to be getting a little more irritation around the neck. It could be that I'm just getting bored of the DE and getting a little careless - but I definitely won't go back to a cartridge razor. I think I just need the challege/badass look of the straight again to get me on track.

Originally Posted by Rklement

I guess I didn't really mean three passes time wise, I meant it more of a "can it be done in less passes to save my face a little abuse". Three passes used to be fine on my face and I shaved every day before work, but recently I seem to be getting a little more irritation around the neck. It could be that I'm just getting bored of the DE and getting a little careless - but I definitely won't go back to a cartridge razor. I think I just need the challege/badass look of the straight again to get me on track.

It will take some time and learning the lay of your face, but I only do three passes on my checks around my mouth and neck is to sensitive for it. on those areas I do a WTG and ATG pass and am nice and smooth. It took like tree months before i was getting smooth. Just take your time and watch your angle/pressure and if you get uncomfortable go back to the DE to finish that day off. It will eventually come and you will love it when it does.

I do a two pass with a straight and always have. With a DE I do three.

For the man who wants quick shave a straight is not the way to go. But hey your here and your trying it. to Answer your question I agree with Ryan82 It differs with each person.

I do WTG, Check for any missed patches in the swirly growth pattern that's my chin and neck, lather up then XTG. I find that works fine for me.

Speed will come with time and practice, I can do 2 passes now in the same amount of time it took me to do 1 pass when I first started. I enjoy shaving with a straight so I have to force myself to slow down to stretch it out.

Its an odd feeling you get when you finally get the results your happy with, sheer pride and satisfaction ( it might be utter releif because you hav'nt killed yoursef). Needless to say when that day comes youll find yourslef counting down the hours and minutes until you have to shave next.

Good luck

Here's the ritual I've gotten into:

Normally I use 3 passes; WTG, XTG, ATG but it all depends on how good of a shave I want and how much time I want to spend. To do all 3 passes it takes me 6 to 8 minutes. For the best finish, after rinsing I use an alum block and let that dry while I'm cleaning the brush, finish stroping the razor and generally cleaning things up. Next witch hazel. Now the alum and witch hazel have tightened the pores making the beard stand at attention and any less than perfect spots really stand out. While my face is wet from just the witch hazel I very lightly run over those areas (of course a very sharp blade is a must). In all the the process takes 15 to 20 minutes and yields a true BBS finish that I can get away with for up to 24 hours.

Happy shaving.

IME as my technique with the straight razor improved my results, speed, comfort following the shave improved. I'm also a 2 pass man. Just for an experiment give the cold water shave a try. The method is detailed in the 1905 pamphlet linked in this thread here . Many guys, myself included, have switched over to the cold water shave and not looked back.

Originally Posted by Ryan82

Welcome to SRP!

Shaving with a straight requires at least a couple passes, at least for me. I suppose it depends on your beard type. The "once over" doesn't cut it with my whiskers. That being said, I've heard some guys say that they have to do 4 passes with a DE, but only 3 (or less) with a straight; not my experience, I do my 2-1/2 pass shave not matter what type of razor I use.

What do you mean when you say a 3 pass shave "gets old fast"? Is it a quicker shave you want? You can experiment with one pass shaves and hybrid passes etc, but it seems to me that multiple passes comes with the territory. If you're looking for a quick and simple shave perhaps traditional wetshaving isn't the answer...

This is as good of an answer as you can get. Sure you can get by with less passes and it's all depending on your beard and preferences. I can get a shave knocked out in about 10 minutes now, but that's without pushing it. If you push it...your razor will remind you to slow down. I'm a three pass guy myself...& sometimes a touchup around the chin area.