The simple test of good technique, I have posited, is sliding: when we are shaving right, there is no "across the grain." As a criticism of the neotraditional second pass, that may be true, but the conclusion does not stand categorically. I've found a very good use of crossgrain strokes, one that points to cultural degradation in the barber tradition.
Where Weishi failed the beginner market, their colleagues at the factory under the Baili brand succeeded, producing two of the best new razors available at any price. One is a TTO intelligently updating, rather than downgrading, the Super Speed design, discussed recently in "Kung Fu Stella." There was previously a pretty good, if materially cheap Tech clone, which I essentially learned to shave with; but I named their newer, more loosely Tech-inspired three-piece "Chaoying," in recognition of the ascendancy of Chinese manufacturing. You can find it under various names in the West: I'd recommend the Razorock DE1.
This is the cutting head that finally showed me what XTG is all about. It features very little blade reveal, bucking the modern trend, making it particularly safe for reformed cartridge shavers. A poor man's DE89. It's remained one of my cabinet razors, but not preferred, as I just find it difficult to get down to the BBS, and a little un-smooth in use. That's because the natural pitch is steep, and the edge strikes rather far from the root of the hair. If I stubbornly stick to my routine of sliding WTG, sliding ATG, and then loosening the blade for deeper strokes finishing square ATG, it feels like I have "missed hairs."
But that's the perfect set-up for a cross-grain finishing pass. Imagine the cut tips, after your best ATG stroke falls too high. The long point is still palpable on hairs that weren't exactly following grain. A square XTG stroke catches the hair sideways, which is "wrong," in terms of generating tension against the root; but that allows the hair to pivot freely away from the edge as it bends over, until it comes into opposition to the steep blade with the long side of the cuticle perfectly facing. It's a square stroke with the functionality of sliding!
And what that feels like is an efficient, non-digging stroke, yet with good traction, as it catches a lot of hair. Much more than just the few that seem to be sticking out when you stroke with fingertips. Which, I suppose, is the magic of this particular barber trick, finally revealed.
Weishi Wushu
It's probably not my place to write this, but you might have guessed it was coming, from the previous post. I've been a harsh critic of the Weishi, advising shims to correct its decidedly NOT classic head geometry. I never meant to be unsympathetic, though. Chinese people have soft hair, I've read. Nobody in the world has yet made a true copy of the Tech, which is what I really want. The Weishi, rebranded as Microtouch One and Van Der Hagen, is the only DE razor in stores, other than an unreliable supply of something like the Nanjie at Dollar Tree. Baring just enough edge to compete, the MTO crawled into the same gutter of false safety as the cartridges, cutting an exfoliated, stubbly swath through an ignorant market. Is that any worse than the bloody wreckage wrought by Merkur and its imitators?
Enter the Razorock Mamba, on an opposite approach: near the other end of the spectrum in materials and production methods, if not price, from a reputable niche supplier online. There can be no doubt, within its two one-thousandths of an inch machined tolerances, that everything about its geometry is intentional. It impressed some Tech users who reviewed it, and that impressed me. Ultimately, it bridged a gulf in my technique, between the modern and classic, the neotraditional and the antique. Once again, a purchase from Italian Barber has expanded my intellectual horizons... ironically, making it possible to get BBS with a razor that was thoughtlessly designed and ruthlessly marketed.
What I learned from the Mamba was the risk in allowing its head to swing around -- that is, the danger that sliding presents to modern shavers. At first, I kept getting dinged on a neck whorl, something I had long learned to avoid through sliding. I never before realized how dependent the fundamental technique of classic shaving is upon moderate angles of pitch, and the special geometry that allows them. With razors that are biased toward low angles, in order for beard reduction to progress and not bite, alternate means of traction control are required. Like those guys from pest control who use a stick to pin the head of a snake down, we will hold for dear life to the low angle!
On first pass WTG, I apply a fairly natural pitch, according to the breech of the cutting head. But limit sliding to where hair is thickest, at the middle of my face, which can stand up to an efficient attack. Take lighter, grainier hair with direct strokes, which will now require following the grain very closely, because you are striking the hair too high.
Second pass is reversed in both ways, sliding ATG on the finer hair, found on the periphery of my face and neck. This is the hair that can be lifted away from skin, rather than deflecting the edge into it. Coarser, more erect hair gets a direct stroke now; but not the steep, deep stroke that would finish a classic shave. More of a raking upward, not touching the skin at all. Push the angle so low that it lifts the edge off the skin, striking higher on the hair than can actually be reached. This is "lifting the blade" not only in the sense of applied force, but in the sense a plow operator would understand.
Another way to reduce traction, as an alternative to sliding, is to reverse the progressive direction that would normally be called for, and flatten the blade to catch the hair instead. Flatten the blade as much as possible on third pass, by loosening the handle slightly (even though it started out pretty flat already, when fully tight), and shave WTG. Keep the angle low, press the top cap into the skin, and pull like hell opposite the stroke. This may or may not bring the blade into contact with the skin of my lower neck, but I can still hear the hair being cut.
Fourth pass digs for the roots in a fairly natural way, using leverage sufficient to reach the ideal cutting point. Be sure to keep the low angle in mind, however. Same goes for any touch-ups or buffing.
How strange, that the basic Gillette shaving skills -- once boldly presented as instructions accompanying the product -- should apply to all subsequent razors, a hundred years later. Like learning to lather Williams, water first, applies to all other lathers. If you enjoy doing things right, that is. The tragedy of modern times is that, when the aim is to make money, we sometimes arrive at different answers.
Disciple Caine: Master, do we seek victory in contention?
Enter the Razorock Mamba, on an opposite approach: near the other end of the spectrum in materials and production methods, if not price, from a reputable niche supplier online. There can be no doubt, within its two one-thousandths of an inch machined tolerances, that everything about its geometry is intentional. It impressed some Tech users who reviewed it, and that impressed me. Ultimately, it bridged a gulf in my technique, between the modern and classic, the neotraditional and the antique. Once again, a purchase from Italian Barber has expanded my intellectual horizons... ironically, making it possible to get BBS with a razor that was thoughtlessly designed and ruthlessly marketed.
What I learned from the Mamba was the risk in allowing its head to swing around -- that is, the danger that sliding presents to modern shavers. At first, I kept getting dinged on a neck whorl, something I had long learned to avoid through sliding. I never before realized how dependent the fundamental technique of classic shaving is upon moderate angles of pitch, and the special geometry that allows them. With razors that are biased toward low angles, in order for beard reduction to progress and not bite, alternate means of traction control are required. Like those guys from pest control who use a stick to pin the head of a snake down, we will hold for dear life to the low angle!
Serpent Handling Method
On first pass WTG, I apply a fairly natural pitch, according to the breech of the cutting head. But limit sliding to where hair is thickest, at the middle of my face, which can stand up to an efficient attack. Take lighter, grainier hair with direct strokes, which will now require following the grain very closely, because you are striking the hair too high.
Second pass is reversed in both ways, sliding ATG on the finer hair, found on the periphery of my face and neck. This is the hair that can be lifted away from skin, rather than deflecting the edge into it. Coarser, more erect hair gets a direct stroke now; but not the steep, deep stroke that would finish a classic shave. More of a raking upward, not touching the skin at all. Push the angle so low that it lifts the edge off the skin, striking higher on the hair than can actually be reached. This is "lifting the blade" not only in the sense of applied force, but in the sense a plow operator would understand.
Another way to reduce traction, as an alternative to sliding, is to reverse the progressive direction that would normally be called for, and flatten the blade to catch the hair instead. Flatten the blade as much as possible on third pass, by loosening the handle slightly (even though it started out pretty flat already, when fully tight), and shave WTG. Keep the angle low, press the top cap into the skin, and pull like hell opposite the stroke. This may or may not bring the blade into contact with the skin of my lower neck, but I can still hear the hair being cut.
Fourth pass digs for the roots in a fairly natural way, using leverage sufficient to reach the ideal cutting point. Be sure to keep the low angle in mind, however. Same goes for any touch-ups or buffing.
Your Kung Fu is Weak!
How strange, that the basic Gillette shaving skills -- once boldly presented as instructions accompanying the product -- should apply to all subsequent razors, a hundred years later. Like learning to lather Williams, water first, applies to all other lathers. If you enjoy doing things right, that is. The tragedy of modern times is that, when the aim is to make money, we sometimes arrive at different answers.
Disciple Caine: Master, do we seek victory in contention?
Master Kan: Seek rather not to contend.
Caine: But shall we not then be defeated?
Master Kan: We know that where there is no contention, there is neither defeat nor victory. The supple willow does not contend against the storm, yet it survives.
Master Kan: Avoid, rather than check. Check, rather than hurt. Hurt, rather than maim. Maim, rather than kill. For all life is precious, nor can any be replaced.
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Kung_Fu_(TV_series)
On the other hand, as a mere consumer sampling the "potluck" of razors available today, shaving does seem rather like the contentious game of chess: easy to learn, impossible to master. Without the challenge presented by lesser razors, I would not have this week's strategy for handling excessively keen, fresh blades in my trusty Tech: serpent-handling for the fine hair, reform method in the middle.
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