what kind of passes?

matt · 09-21-2008, 10:21 AM

Okay I admit it I was a fool, I needed some money and decided that my DE razor could do better than my straights. I sold all of my straight gear and shaved with a double edge for a few months. The shaves while normally very nice and close, are just not as comfortable or as nice as a straight Well a couple weeks ago I got the bug and said the hell with it, I am going to get myself a really nice razor and a really nice strop. So I went over to straight razor designs and got a reworked 8/8ths henckels 2/3rds hollow ground razor with India Bacote scales, and a Livi loom strop. Now I know the loom strop could be a gamble, but I have heard good things about them and they come pasted wiith .5 Chromium oxide and a daily stropping side. That strop and then having my razors professionally honed when needed could give me the edge I need. I was never good at honing, and I have tried and tried.

Anyways When I would shave with a straight I would do three passes, wtg, xtg, and atg.What kind of passes do you guys like to do, I would like to get away with a wtg and atg, but the atg pass is alwasys sideways on my neck and usually I would need to go xtg before to make sure I got all of the stubble. It is tricky to get it all trying to move sideways on your neck with a straight, that is why I used a DE for a while.

So anyways I am soon on my way back to straight shaving as soon as my razor gets back from the free!!! honing Don at straight razor designs decided to give it.

Thanks again Don.

RichZ · 09-21-2008, 01:28 PM

Welcome back... I usually just do a WTG and XTG unless
i want it super smooth. But those 2 usually do the trick

Johnny J · 09-21-2008, 04:02 PM

I do WTG and ATG (which is sideways on my neck, so it takes some contortion), then I do a water-only touch-up pass where I edge around my beard & get any spots that I missed. The reason I do this with water only is so I can see what the hell I am doing.

xChris · 09-21-2008, 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RichZ

Welcome back... I usually just do a WTG and XTG unless
i want it super smooth. But those 2 usually do the trick

Same for me when I'm daily shaving with a straight.

dward · 09-21-2008, 04:23 PM

I'm still too much of a newb to do ATG. During the week when I don't much to worry about I do 2 passes WTG and one XG. If I need a closer shave I do another XG. I'm going for comfort first, then close second. I haven't built up enough nerve and experience to do ATG. Maybe never will.

Bart · 09-21-2008, 09:35 PM

A WTG pass on a normal density lather.
An ATG pass on a thin, almost translucent coat of lather (I like the extra visibility)
A few touch up's on the chin and the jugular area that need very specific cutting and shaving angles. Again on a thin coat of lather.

I always aim for total smoothness and get between 85 and 99 % of that, with this approach.

Bart.

Buckler · 09-22-2008, 02:27 AM

WTG, XTG (gets a business job acceptible shave for sure, but not BBS)

ATG comes on days i have time. (Im still not good at this yet)

holli4pirating · 09-22-2008, 03:41 AM

I don't typically shave based on the grain direction, unless I want to go BBS. I always do my first pass downwards. Second pass will either be up or diagonally up and in/out. Typically two passes is all I do, but sometimes I do a touchup after the second pass if I'm feeling a lot of stubble while rinsing off.

My hair changes direction a bit in a nubmer of places, and I can't be bothered to take that into account.

JimmyHAD · 09-22-2008, 04:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

I don't typically shave based on the grain direction, unless I want to go BBS. I always do my first pass downwards. Second pass will either be up or diagonally up and in/out. Typically two passes is all I do, but sometimes I do a touchup after the second pass if I'm feeling a lot of stubble while rinsing off.

My hair changes direction a bit in a nubmer of places, and I can't be bothered to take that into account.

+1. What holli4pirating said is pretty much my routine too.

Lt.Arclight · 09-22-2008, 06:01 AM

For me its pretty much WTG as a daily shave. If I need to wear a shirt and tie, I'll go WTG, ATG or whatever it takes to smooth out my neck.

I must admit though, when the edge feels perfect-sometimes you just can't stop.

kelbro · 09-22-2008, 01:13 PM

WTG and XTG usually does it for me. Oh yeah, ATG under the chin.

Bart · 09-22-2008, 09:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

I don't typically shave based on the grain direction, unless I want to go BBS. I always do my first pass downwards. Second pass will either be up or diagonally up and in/out. Typically two passes is all I do, but sometimes I do a touchup after the second pass if I'm feeling a lot of stubble while rinsing off.

My hair changes direction a bit in a nubmer of places, and I can't be bothered to take that into account.

A fine point. When I wrote in my post WTG and ATG, please interpret it in the sense as holli4pirating explained.

Bart.

fccexpert · 09-22-2008, 09:53 PM

One pass and one pass only. Starts WTG but with a pronounced sything action to so there is clearly a XTG component.

maplemaker · 09-23-2008, 02:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buckler

WTG, XTG (gets a business job acceptible shave for sure, but not BBS)

ATG comes on days i have time. (Im still not good at this yet)

I do exactly the same (and for the same reason), and have found that on really tricky parts such as just under the tip of my chin, if I run an ATG using only water, I can cut a lot closer and remove a lot of hairs that don't seem to cut well any other way.

nathanjones · 09-23-2008, 01:14 PM

I do a 3 pass shave, WTG, XTG and ATG. But my WTG is always a N/S and ATG is S/N. I don't really bother about which direction the hair grows under my chin. The main reason for this is that my hair grows sideways about Adams apple downwards (if you see what I mean) and the amount of contorting I would have to do to follow the grain would be a PITA. I do have a bit of roughness on my neck but I tend not to worry and I don't often wear a tie any more for it to matter too much.

hoglahoo · 09-23-2008, 02:31 PM

I only shave my neck against the grain when I am using a short straight razor. It just feels too dangerous otherwise

Adventurer627 · 09-26-2008, 02:08 AM

I do four passes

1. WTG
2. XTG - Chin to ear
3. XTG - Ear to chin
4. ATG

For the neck XTG I stretch the skin sideways and use a 45 degree angle placement of the blade on the neck to catch sideways growing neck hair. Note that I am still shaving with a 30 degee cutting angle, the blade is just at a 45 degree orientation vs a straight horizontal orientation

Max

AusTexShaver · 09-26-2008, 03:36 AM

The "how many passes" question is kind of like the "how many strokes on what grit stone" question...and the answer is is the same...it depends.

Personally sometimes it seems like I have hair growing in all directions and all of it is wire brush tough. For example for me to do a true XTG pass on my throat would require going mostly from right to left...which is no big deal on the left side but I've never really quite fiqured out how to hold the razor with either hand that doesn't scare me trying to do that on the right side.

Bottom line is there are a couple places on my face that aren't BBS but in the overall scheme of things it doesn't matter because it looks decent, feels decent to me, and as far as I know there aren't any stubble police around where I live.