Open Comb Question?

[Wayne]

I am not sure on this piece of advice. I have sensitive skin and every time I have tried using my adjustables on aggressive setting, I get razor bumps, irritated skin and lot of rashes. Sharper blade and a good slick lather surely helps though.


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Why not? How will allowing the razor to clear help with the shave? Shaving once a week means there is a lot more stubble to remove which means using stubble reduction is the best way to get a good shave. Three or more good passes will be needed with a mild razor. If the lather is sub par and the razor is mild then in order to get a close shave most newer shavers will resort to using too much pressure. Clearing the stubble from the razor is merely a case of rinsing more often. It will not cure the problem of sensitive skin.

 

[BJS]

An Open Comb will not solve your problem. If you have sensitive skin then you need a more aggressive razor and sharper blade. Less passes with less pressure due to knowing the razor/blade combo will cut effectively will cause less irritation. A good protective slick lather is the first thing you need, allowing the razor to glide better. I thought I had sensitive skin at first. It wasn't. It was my own poor technique. Please tell us what you are currently using?

Thanks Wayne, I'm currently using a Rockwell 6s on the 3 plate, I find that comfortable..

 

[BJS]

Razorock has a nice mild open comb razor that is very very well priced. Their Old Type comes with a nice Bulldog handle that is stainless steel. The head is zamak but they are so cheap you can buy two and still end up paying less than an Ikon. And surprisingly the shave is mild. I have trouble shaving every day with most open comb razors but I could shave with this one every day if I had to. I shave once every two or three days. Give it a try.

Thanks, I'll look into it..

 

[JAGS009]

Why not? How will allowing the razor to clear help with the shave? Shaving once a week means there is a lot more stubble to remove which means using stubble reduction is the best way to get a good shave. Three or more good passes will be needed with a mild razor. If the lather is sub par and the razor is mild then in order to get a close shave most newer shavers will resort to using too much pressure. Clearing the stubble from the razor is merely a case of rinsing more often. It will not cure the problem of sensitive skin.

Actually, I have never had a week long beard, in the last 12-13 years and hence can't tell how easy or difficult it would be to shave with that growth. But, if I had to shave, I would use a trimmer first to get my beard to a days growth rather than clogging, rinsing, switching between SB, OC etc etc.

You may have a point but I personally prefer mid aggressive razors to aggressive razors.


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[MntnMan62]

I have shaved off a weeks worth of beard several times before and have never had issues of my open comb razor clogging. Start WTG and rinse after each pass if you have to. the soap and hairs will wash away. Then go XTG. And if you have done it before and it works for you, go ATG. That is my normal routine for every shave. No clogging. And then I usually finish up with some touch up in my problem areas. BBS 99% of the time.

 

[Deleted member 1881]

From my experience, because I often shave one week's of growth, I find that 3 passes are needed with an aggressive razor. With milder, of course, much more. The stubble reduction is the key really. On the first pass, you cut what you can cut, you should not go back to shave closer the areas, this will happen into the next passes. If the razor is really aggressive, trust me, it will warn you to keep steady the pressure and not overshave. With a mild razor, I tend to press and insist on the same areas, because I don't feel the stubble been removed. So yes, I would agree with master @Wayne on this one.

For the mild OC, I would suggest a Parker 24c. Great razor.

 

[R181]

Whatever you shave with the process should be stubble reduction over multiple passes using a very light touch. You try and get it all done in one pass and you are begging for irritation because you are forcing the issue by using too much pressure.

I like OC DEs because for me they do not clog as easily as SB DEs. Another thing to consider is the lather being too thick, not enough water, and that will help clog a DE. Rinse the head often, it costs nothing to do.

Bob

 

[Chris]

I like OC DEs because for me they do not clog as easily as SB DEs. Another thing to consider is the lather being too thick, not enough water, and that will help clog a DE. Rinse the head often, it costs nothing to do.

This.

I do prefer SB these days but for a few days' growth OC all the way.

 

[Hectorsgaf]

Some, including me, found the Mulcuto dual comb very effective. Pm or use search if you need more. Look at the recent pass around.

 

[HMan]

I am not sure on this piece of advice. I have sensitive skin and every time I have tried using my adjustables on aggressive setting, I get razor bumps, irritated skin and lot of rashes. Sharper blade and a good slick lather surely helps though.

I'm of the same mind, I can buff all day long with a mild razor with no appreciable irritation.

 

[JonnyBGood]

15c

 

[TobyC]

Another thing to consider is the lather being too thick, not enough water, and that will help clog a DE. Rinse the head often, it costs nothing to do.

Bob

I very much agree with this, it'll give you a lousy shave and a razor that you have to open to clean it out! Don't spare the water when making lather.

 

[slapo]

I feel like there's some loss of distinction between aggressive and efficient.
If there's a forum glossary page, I've probably missed it. However, I had thought that aggressive means harsh to skin and efficient means effecive at heir removal. Aggressive suggests it's likely to be efficient, but that wouldn't necessarily be true in reverse.
For me, aggressive razors are those that have at least one of:
- poor blade support resulting in lots of blade flex (this is an issue when going ATG and sometimes across as well)
- excessive blade exposure combined with head geometry that doesn't allow to compensate with the angle used.

Thus, for example, the PAA Evolution Aluminus is one of the most aggressive, if not the aggressive, safety razors I have, as it has both. It does allow to compensate for the excess blade exposure by riding the top cap, but going ATG with it is practically always unpleasant. It's also mostly unnecessary, though.

Some razors with little blade exposure really work nearly just as well, but require lots of glide but a thinner lather, as flowthrough often isn't that great. Using just water and shave oil usually works a treat. Also angling the razor head so it slices rather than chops.

More on topic, the razors I found give me a good shave on a week's worth of growth while being gentle:
- Parker OC style head (found on e.g. Parker 24C and 26C, also Maggard's v2 OC head)
- iKon 101 and 103
- Rocnel SE-P OC (and CC, but the OC is more efficient)
- MMOC (has a bit of blade chatter ATG, though)
- PAA Ascension
- Occam's razor
- The Leaf (with more frequent rinsing)

Perhaps another thing to note is that, as mentioned by others earlier, just swishing the razor head in a bowl of water or rinsing it is probably the surest way of preventing clogging.

You could also use a shavette with little blade exposure (Parker has a few models that are fairly inexpensive, too) to go with the growth for the first pass or use something like the Philips OneBlade to mow most of the hair off in one pass (still needs rinsing if you were to use it with soap) and finish off with a safety razor.

You could also do a WTG pass every 2-3 days, it would take probably less than 5 minutes including cleaning the razor and brush and would make things easier.

 

[slapo]

Ah, bugger, that was another long post...

 

[BJS]

Ah, bugger, that was another long post...

No worries, good info, thanks..