I figured we could have a thread about this, although I have a vague recollection of something similar being around. I couldn't find that one.
I'll sum up some of what I'd learned so far, and it applies to shaving the face as well as to bodily grooming that I did myself.
DE razors
Weak clampers
Examples: Merkur/Edwin Jagger/Muhle and clones
The popular Edwin Jagger/Muhle DE89 head (likely shaving similarly), which is a very close cousin of the Merkur closed comb heads. The Lord L6 mentioned occasionally is, IMO, a fairly shabby clone of the Merkur head. There are also clones and varieties of this type of design that feature on open comb. Giesen & Forsthoff Solingen are of the better sort in this design and they also cover the blade tabs.
Major characteristic of those heads:
- they only support the blade from the bottom in two rather narrow (2-3mm wide) lines.
- how these two strips push the blade up against the top cap and whether you can nudge the blade to rest against the top cap yourself makes a pretty remarkable difference to the shave
- poor support from the bottom allows for a lot of blade flex, which can make for very uncomfortable passes against the growth
- tension in the blade, usually by bending it, alleviates that issue a bit
- riding the top cap usually makes shaves smoother, but it doesn't help all that much when going against the growth
Examples:
- the VIGShaving head (on this the support strips jut out much higher than on the usual fare) and Rockwell 6C plate 5/6 allow(ed) me to pull the blade against the top cap to change the blade's curve and rest it against the top cap a bit.
- Razolution 4shave /Simbatec does this itself, but goes to the extreme. It works quite well, actually, but it does make handling the razor a bit quirky
Strong clampers
Examples: Gillette Old, Yaqi DOC, PAA Ascension, Timeless, Homelike Start, Gamechanger, Mamba, iKon 101/103, Maggard's slant...
These clamp the blades toward the edges with varying support toward the middle. If the clamp near the edges is flat and wide enough, the net effect is practially the same and supporting the blade along its full length.
- they have the tendency to be smoother and allow for very little to nearly no blade flex
- passes against the growth are much smoother than with weak clampers
- they can be a bit deceptive in that the smoother feeling strokes make them feel safer when it comes to shaving skin anomalies (e.g. moles), but it isn't really so
I prefer strong clampers by far.
Open comb vs closed comb and slants
Some say that open combs and slants are more aggresive. I found it the be as inaccurate as any generalisation that's based on precious few samples. When not riding the comb, blade exposure and clamp make for just about all the difference. Well, it's so even when I'm going comb first.
I'm a top cap rider almost all the time, so the better flow through of open combs makes them my preference in most cases.
SE razors
With the exception of the Occam's razor, The Single Edge (by Supply Provision) and half-DE razors, I found them all to be over hyped and not really any better or much different than strong clampers, regardless of the blade type (Artist Club, Schick-style injector, GEM, Feather FHS) used.
I've come to appreciate some half-DE blade single edge razors with a pivot (The Leaf, Focus R48, Broman), as they allow me to get a more even shave a bit quicker.
Oh, and the Feather FHS blade are pretty pants. They just don't last.
Cartridge razors
They get a lot of flak, but of the few I'd tried so far, Gillette Mach 3 and Skinguard work a treat for me. I didn't much care for the Wilkinson Sword Hydro (that goo was pretty awful) I tried or the Gillette Guard (way too light). They are very difficult to clean, rather pricy and I don't care for more than one blade, so now now I don't have any.
Electric shavers
I used them exclusively for ~18 years. Never had been very happy with them, though. The exceptions would be Philips Oneblade and Remington Durablade, but they're more like trimmers, although when used with a shaving soap, they do get close and make me look presentable for about half a day. They're great for trimming (or nearly shaving) sensitive areas.
Blades
For what's it worth, I found Feather blades of all kinds to be shorter lasting than their counterparts, perhaps with the exception of the Super Pro and Pro Guard. Their DE blade feels more flimsy than sharp to me.
Carbon blades have always been uncomfortable and rough for me, and they didn't even last well.
Even the humble Derby Extra blades do the job very well if they're not at odds with the geometry of the razor head (the shallower the angle against the skin, the better).
Preparation
For me, a ~28-30 minute run with a lukewarm water rinse works best now. Cold water shaves are actually kinder to my skin than warm water shaves. I found that lukewarm water and soap wash still softens the hair a little, and doesn't upset my skin like warm water tends to.
I also found that the diet makes a difference, more so than I suspected. Less cabs FTW.
Post shave
Cold water rocks. Witch hazel solution if the skin is unhappy, but I mostly don't need it.
Soaps
Slick with as short an ingredient list as possible. Barbus Classic, Wickham's etc. work a treat. My skin hates EDTA salts and most preservatives and colourants in soap.
Bodily grooming
For bodily grooming, I found mild open combs a much better choice. The Parker open comb head (in e.g. the 24C and the 26C) is a good sample of this. iKon's 101, too.
Technique
This, for me, makes the most difference. I adjust my grip and lather depending on the razor I use and my technique depending on the part of my face or body I shave.
Grip
I like to hold razor handles by their sides with two fingers, having a third finger underneath the handle. This allows me to more easily follow the contours of my face, usually with little movement of my hand unless changing plane (then I just teleport it ;-) ).
It's why I prefer slightly longer handles. Incidentally, those also work better for me when shaving the back of my neck and armpits.
Technique
I am a top cap rider (i.e. I use a shallow angle of the blade to the skin) in most cases, with the exception of moles, where I go guard-first for a little bit of a skin stretch and lesser efficiency.
Lather
Mild razors - thin lather or just shaving oil.
The rest of them get a fairly fluffy-lather, although not a whole lot of. I like to shave the hair off, not swipe lather off.
I have tried water-only shaves, but there isn't enough glide it in for me and I need to see my moles and tender spots, so shaving in the shower is out for me.
Apologies for the litany, but I figured someone might find it useful.
