DE Angle with pics **PICS**

[Johnnie]

Gents,

After several requests...There many of us here that are new to DE's myself included. I have been using a DE for about 2 1/2 months. By no means am I an expert but I just wanted to show the angle that I use while shaving.

If you have ever tried to take a picture with a razor in your other hand while resting against your face, well it is not easy. I was only able to take several different pictures mostly at one angle. I hope this can at least help one person.

Some may say the angle is to steep but it works good for me





Depending on your neard you may have to adjust.


I do not have a very thick beard so Im able to manuever the razor very easily.






I've come along way ever since my first DE shave. Again, Im not expert DE shaver so if you cut yourself using my angle, sorry.


Hope this can help someone,

Johnnie

[Austin]

Thanks, John! Pictures make it easy for us guys that have problems with DE angles.

[ARenaissanceMan]

Nice Pics John. What model DE is that? Looks like a nice long handle.

[Scollk]

The pictures of the razor are deceiving - It's a Merkur Progress, and is quite dinky! Although, it does have a very nice weight to it (surprising given it's size).

Johnnie, these are really good pictures - keep up the good work!

[YS]

Perfect, I was looking for proper angle pictures since I started to read about wet shaving. Is it possible for someone to post the proper / correct angle with a DE for more area of the face and neck?

YS

[reginald-van-gleason]

Great work, Johnnie! What setting do you use on your adjustable and does that affect your angle in any way? I have a Gillette Adjustable and my angle is quite a bit steeper ( the handle more perpendicular to my face -- or would that be less steep?)

[Gramps]

Great pictorial John.

Guys, when you are looking at the angle you see against John's face,
try to look at the actual blade/skin angle and not so much at the razor head/handle.
It is the blade edge angle to the skin that we talk about being ideally at approx 30`. This angle will be a bit different for everyone depending on skin sensitivity, tensile strength of the actual hair and the lubricating quality of your lather/prep.
General rules of thumb...
- handle more parallel to floor reduces the angle of blade to skin and perpendicular to the floor increases this angle.
- if you go too shallow (less than 30`), the blade starts to tear at the hair and you may feel 'pulling or dragging'.
- if the angle is too great, you will start scraping the skin, digging too deep, causing irritation, razor bumps and other problems. It also increases the likelihood of nicks and cuts.

we all have to find the angle and stroke for our own faces. The angle of the blade to skin, will stay almost constant throughout your shave. It takes a bit of attention to the task.

- Gramps

[Johnnie]

Thank guys,

Im glad this was helpful to someone.

Clark,

The razor you see there ia a merkur progress. i actually really like it. i prefer it over the bigger merkurs because it is smaller. Yes, it has great weight which i really like.

As far as taking more pics with different areas of the face, well that may take 2 people. one to shave and the other to take the pic. my wife thinks im nuts as it is so i wasnt about to ask her to take the pics. besides, i did it late at night while she was asleep. i will work on different areas of the face and try to post some pics.

I have been gradually working my way up as far as the settings. i started with a 2.5 and ive made it up to a 4. i think that 3.5 may be best for me. i havent seen greater results with a 4 vs. a 3.5. angle vs. exposure shouldnt really matter.

follow gramp's instructions, hes been doing this a lot longer than i have.

gramps, maybe you can give a pictorial on how to shave with a knife!

[Gramps]

gramps, maybe you can give a pictorial on how to shave with a knife!

One: there would have to be camera that could take a pic without malfunctioning
Two: like you, there would have to be an interested second party to take the pics
Three: We would HAVE to come up with a MUCH better disclaimer than..."Now Kids, don't try this at home! This shave was accomplished by a seasoned, specially trained, professional IDIOT !"



- Gramps

[Austin]

[notthesharpest]

If the knife is really sharp, then it's just a very clumsy and hard-to-use straight razor. It would be difficult maybe, but not surprising.

It would be much more spectacular to see a man shave successfully using only a cotton ball, or a slice of fruit cake.

[Gramps]

If the knife is really sharp, then it's just a very clumsy and hard-to-use straight razor. It would be difficult maybe, but not surprising.

It would be much more spectacular to see a man shave successfully using only a cotton ball, or a slice of fruit cake.

well................

Then you sharpen the knife from scratch, shave with it and post pics...

John and I will sit back, eat the fruitcake and offer to help you clean up, using the cotton balls to apply the ointment...

- Gramps

[Johnnie]

i'd like to see anyone shave with a knife.

Here, i had to dig deep for this one. This is what we are talking about. http://shavemyface.com/forum/viewtopic. ... ight=knife

Please feel free to post pics while shaving with a knife.


johnnie

[notthesharpest]

I didn't know you guys were serious!
I could shave with a knife beside me, while I use a razor, does that count?

The knives in my house are only marginally sharper than my fingernails.

Seriously, that's the kind of thing I thought was "just a story" until I read your post, Gramps. I think my knives must be sharper now just because I've typed on the same forum as you have.

They say a blade with a proper curve on it slices better than one with a straight blade - so I can see why when shaving you'd want to stay away from the curve, and also to try to choose something with as long a straight section as possible.

Gramps, if you ever come to my house I'm going to have to hide all the knives, out of embarrassment.

[Johnnie]

Yes, we were serious and so is Gramps so dont f with him. JK . As you can see he's surgical with a knife.

Reminds me, i think we need to bring that story back up some newer members can read it.

johnnie

[Chaaaz]

[quote="Johnnie"]i'd like to see anyone shave with a knife.

*****>> There is a pic of John West shaving with an AXE! Many men have shaved with a knife before. A sharp edge is a sharp edge - harder to achieve on a knife blade, granted, but doable nonetheless. Some of the guys I operated with in Vietnam shaved with knives, and trust me on this one - they were SHARP!

I think Bill Ellis has made some beautiful knives that could be used to shave. http://www.billysblades.com

Besides....a straight razor has been called a "razor knife" by some!

I am working on a nice Cammillus Clip Point that I could probably shave with if I took it to the Norton 4000/8000 waterstone.

Best -

[bernards66]

Yeah, I also have a picture of two of guys shaving with, or being shaved with a full sized axe. I believe that they're from the 1930s. I did shave a couple of times with a knife, years ago. It was a Swedish steel hunting knife of some kind ( this was with canned foam too ). Certainly not a particularly good shave, but I survived. It defiantely can be done. Regards, Gordon

[ARenaissanceMan]

Hate to veer off of knife shaving, but I was wondering if you could post pics of the angle used against the grain? I think that would be very beneficial as well.