Turning around on blade feel

[TheChrisC]

I think this is probably best placed here but if you feel it’s better suited to the DE forum by all means pop it there!

Anyway, been thinking about this lately and wondering what people’s thoughts are on blade feel in a razor. Asking because I’m turning around on it. I used to hate it, but using my Henson a lot has me thinking that the lack of blade feel actually makes me go over a lot of areas constantly instead of trusting the blade to do its job.

Does blade feel matter to you?

 

[jphelan81]

Think much the same as you, I used to not enjoy blade feel at all, however that’s changed for me these days. I find blade feel gives me more control over my shave, and helps me avoid over shaving which I definitely used to do. I even use OC now, something that was impossible for me until the last few months. I’m also enjoying more blade feel combined with a heavier razor.

 

[Chris]

I’ve gone full circle, my second razor was a Tech which I enjoyed a lot, I went through an aggressive razors phase and am now back to preferring very little blade feel. With that said I can feel the blade in a Tech so I’ve never really had a problem with knowing that it was doing its job. The one exception to this was the Henson which ultimately I just didn’t get on with.

I do tend to prefer my lather on the thin and sloppy side so it’s very slick but with not much cushion so it’s probably easier for me to feel the blade than if I used thicker lather.

 

[vartik]

For me it depends on how long I didn't shaved for. If I'm going to shave more than 3 days growth, I crave blade feel and I prefer aggressive razors for those days. If I shaved a day before, I'm going for the mildest, most comfortable razor.

 

[VisceralWatch]

Chris, I have the same experience sometimes with very mild razors, in that they encourage me to go over the same areas multiple times and this can sometimes lead to irritation! These days I find myself preferring razors that are the most proportionally aggressive, meaning that if a razor has high efficiency then it should feel aggressive in use, and the opposite is what I desire for a mild efficiency/feeling razor.

 

[Rowlers]

I'm not keen on very blade forward razors, such as the Rex. I just find them rough feeling. I love the Henson shave and the zero blade feel. I don't find that I over shave either as I use my free hand to test for stubble, before any touching up. So I think i'm open to either ends of the spectrum, but I don't like a rough feeling shave!

 

[R181]

I don't mind feeling the blade on my face so long as it is sharp and smooth not harsh. This is a carry over from learning to shave with a straight razor. Hope that makes sense.

Bob

 

[Nishy]

I'm with Bob, give me a straight razor and I'm happy, give me an ATT S1 and I'm happy. In fact give me anything and I'm happy as long as it's not a jagged edge which I can't shave with. Technique is king unless your skin is sensitive IMO.