New Method Shaving Video

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desertbadger
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Post by desertbadger »

Luckily, my face is not the type that easily gets razor burn or irritation. However, with that many passes in one area, in that short of time, I suppose something bad would happen. I'm not saying that his "method" doesn't work; it just wouldn't be anything that I would remotely even consider. I enjoy my shaves and want to keep it that way. In his demonstration, that looks like too much work and the “time” saving, well I just don't see it. At least I got a chance to see the famous “shave cloth” put into use; no thanks on that one as well. But I believe that everyone should be able to scratch their fleas in their own way.
BTW, if I had 36 hours of beard growth on my face, trust me, the camera would pick it up with no problem.
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David
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Post by 95% »

David, I'm sure that's no ordinary washrag. It's a very special one. :)

The speed of his strokes is nothing short of amazing. Yet he shaves with complete confidence and seeming carelessness, as effortlessly as we brush our teeth. There must, however, be "method" in that madness, unless he's shaving without a blade - which would be calumny for me to suggest.
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sleepy
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Post by sleepy »

Hello, all. I've been reading this forum for a couple of years but didn't bother to register until recently.

I am a Method Shaver and I know Charles personally. I also was actually present when Charles shaved in that video. I can assure you it was real and that there was a real feather blade in his HD.

Method Shaving isn't for everyone, but it works for me. He uses very high quality products and he spends a considerable amount of time instructing folks how to shave. He used to conduct shaving clinics in his store where he taught his "method" free of charge to customers.

You may not agree with his claims, or even with his methods. However, no one could successfully argue that he doesnt' genuinely care about the shaving success of his customers or that he doesn't know how to shave a method that works at least for some folks. I have a hard time figuring out how heavy his beard is, because there's a good bit of grey in it, but his skin is flawless -- especially for a man his age.

He also sells traditional shaving supplies in his store, which is a very attractive facility. He doesn't try to convince traditional wetshavers to try his products or methods if they are happy with their shaving.

He's definitely a character, and he makes some very strong claims. But, he is an extremely nice man who cares deeply about shaving. Plus, he is also not new to this scene. I don't know exactly when he started sellling products and developing his methods, but it was before all of these internet forums popped up. He may not be responsible for the growth of the wetshaving market in recent years, but he was definitely involved before the explosion occurred.

Cheers,
Sleepy
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Post by 95% »

Sleepy, I'm glad you've spoken up and hope you will contribute frequently here at SMF. I'm a rather new member and am sure I'll have something to learn from you.

Your remarks about Charles agree with other testimonials I've read. He's quite a fellow, and almost a magician in the way he handles a razor.
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desertbadger
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Post by desertbadger »

Welcome to SMF, sleepy!
Regards,
David
bernards66
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Post by bernards66 »

Sleepy, Welcome. I'm glad that you decided to join us. As I mentioned in my PMs, Charles' 'method', as something truly different, didn't start until around 2004, when he introduced the notion of lathering on a Marseilles soap cube first, before adding the traditonal shaving cream to the mix. This was his first departure from what until then had been, really, just slightly repackaged traditional upper crust English shaving technique. After that, it just keep morphing, sometimes almost by the month, as he brought out various proprietary products. All along, through it's many incarnations, each version has had it's adherents...at least for a time. Could be that there are gents, here and there, that are still using each of the many variations. The early method shavers that I know of, however, have mostly moved on to traditional shaving techniques and products. Pat Thyer ( who posts here occasionally ) is one such. These days he shaves with a straight and Trumpers hard shave soap. Since the very first shave forum was one that CR started himself, his doings were a not infrequent topic of discussion on the earlier forums. But not much over the last few years.
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Gordon
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msandoval858
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Post by msandoval858 »

Charles does have a tendency to change things within his system rather frequently, as he is always trying to find ways to improve it. His lingo and passion about shaving can sometimes put people off a bit, but the quality of his stuff certainly does speak for itself. I've had the pleasure of meeting quite a few men here in Austin who are method shavers and clients of his that are not on the shaving forums. Many of these gents have their own routines that all vary from one person to the next.

I use a mix of both Method and traditional shaving stuff, depending on what I'm in the mood for. Even when I method save I use the products with a brush they way I learned it from him over 3 years ago when we first met. One of the things that I like is how versitile it can be.

As for the video, I can also confirm there is a blade in the razor. Another forum member and I are the ones that filmed the video, which I am the owner of. During a normal shave even he wouldn't do that many passes. He wanted to demonstrate the cutting process as he teaches it, which resulted in a crazy number of strokes.
Mike
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Post by 95% »

Mike, to me the most unusual part of Charles' demonstration is that after the first two passes, he continues shaving without the benefit of water or lather. His skin is already so well hydrated, he says, that they aren't necessary and indeed would impede the close blade buffing he does. As far as I can judge from my brief experience here, most wet shavers would say there must always be water and a protective medium of some kind - soap, cream, or oil - between the blade and the skin. During my three-pass shave (with a Fusion, but I think it would be the same with a DE) I'm solicitous about rinsing between passes, and I rinse the cartridge after each stroke as well. I've always thought that water, lots and lots of it, was a shaver's best friend. Charles seems to defy that principle with his proprietary products, which so saturate the skin during the initial lathering that no more water is needed. And to judge from his very healthy-looking complexion, he's right.
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bernards66
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Post by bernards66 »

Porter, Well, that's just one of many switcheroos over the years. CR's original mantra was, 'water, water, and more water' and emphasized this repeatedly in his writings. Too much water, in fact, IMO...at least for some shavers, who would get skin irritation because there wasn't enough cushion in the mixes. But now, apparently, it's another tack. Although some maintain that method shaving is always evolving/improving, to me it's seemed more like change for change's sake, and for the opportunity to involve more proprietary products. But, as it's been since the beginning of all this, each member will have to draw their own conclusions. Many of the 'old timers', on this and other forums, have tried their hand at one variation or another of 'method' shaving over the last five years.
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Gordon
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Post by 95% »

Gordon, I just wonder how he is able to shave repeatedly over the same areas without relathering or re-wetting his face. Can we do that with our traditional creams and soaps? Maybe, but I envision serious razor burn.
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Baloosh
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Post by Baloosh »

Porter, some guys are just blessed in that department. Some gents can just waltz up to a sink, pull out a dull disposable razor and swipe off a week's growth with just a splash of water. Most of us aren't that fortunate.

Perhaps Charles has indeed found his shaving Nirvana, the best "Method" that works for *him*, and is attempting to expose others to his solution. It's obvious he's a master with his products... but that's to be expected.
Jason
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bernards66
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Post by bernards66 »

Porter, I think Jason's point is a significent one; namely that gent's skin varies a good deal in what it can handle. We've discussed this before in the context of multi-blade cartridges. Hell, both you and Squire can clearly get away with things I can't for example. But yeah, even I could get away with some of that ( although not as much as CR does in that video ) because the shave cream does leave a little residue on the skin....and one can do a lot more of it if one uses any decent brushless type cream. But your original question still pertains....why? After three passes and a little touch-up there are no more whiskers that I'm going to get anyway.
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Gordon
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Aaron622
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Post by Aaron622 »

95% wrote:Can we do that with our traditional creams and soaps? Maybe, but I envision serious razor burn.
He mentions in the video not to try this with traditional products. It might work once or twice, but not in the long run. I recently learned this the hard way :oops:
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Post by 95% »

Now I get it. If the medium is oily and slippery enough, and the shaver's touch light enough, he can move the razor over his skin many times with the blade barely touching it. That's not possible with my Fusion. All five blades are going to cut no matter how lightly I hold it.

With all respect to Charles - and I can see he's a worthy chap - his method doesn't appeal to me. The experience is too clinical, too much like the work of a chemist in a lab. I'd miss the aesthetics of shaving, of mixing the fragrant lather in a bowl and applying it to the face with a luxurious badger brush.
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bernards66
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Post by bernards66 »

Porter, Well yes, as the 'method' evolved it became increasingly 'clinical' or 'mechanical' feeling to quite a few gents, and was frequently a turn-off for that reason. To each his own, and all that. To me, the aesthetics of the experiance is a big part of the draw, and always has been. I can get a tolerable enough shave with a Bic and a can of Barbasol if it comes right down to it, but I much prefer the way that I do it.
Regards,
Gordon
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Re: New Method Shaving Video

Post by brothers »

evahs wrote:A new video of CAR demonstating his method shave system. . . .

http://shaving101.com/index.php/educati ... inish.html
The best piece of advice I can think of for anyone even remotely interested in this method madness is "AVOID AT ALL COSTS! WASTE OF TIME AND BRAIN CELLS" If you've got spare brain cells to throw away, drink some whiskey, it's more fun!
Gary

SOTD 99%: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, soaps & creams, synthetic / badger brushes, Colonial General razor, Kai & Schick blades, straight razors any time, Superior 70 aftershave splash + menthol + 444
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