#1

Administrator
Philadelphia, PA
(This post was last modified: 02-06-2016, 09:31 AM by andrewjs18.)
what's your opinions on the best type of blade to use for the various types of facial hair out there (coarse, thin, etc.)?

I know most of us believe that the best type of blade for people with coarse facial hair (I'd consider myself in this category) is a SE blade because they're stiff and don't flex as much when the blade is cutting the hair.

what's your opinions on this?

just to show what I believe is somewhat coarse facial hair - though not as densely packed together as some folks out there - here's some photos of the facial hair on my lower cheek & neck:

[Image: 8P9SRX3.jpg]

[Image: xl9YAEZ.jpg]

[Image: 0oLzz5n.jpg]
Tu ne cede malis, sed contra audentior ito.
#2

Member
San Francisco
I have coarse hair somewhat similar to yours and have indeed found, after more than a year of trying different razors and blades, that the two keys for me are the sharpness and rigidity of the blade. The former means that a blade like a Feather stands out as performing very well for me, whereas much-loved blades like GSBs or Polsilvers aren't necessarily bad, but not anything special with my beard; they're just not quite sharp enough to make quick, smooth work of my whiskers.

Rigidity is something I've only thought about in the last few months, as I looked into injector razors (with their thicker, stiffer blades), and thought about why DE razors like my Wolfman or ATT slant felt smoother and easier, while very effective, compared to others. It struck me that the slant torques the blade, adding rigidity, and a razor like the Wolfman has a wide-clamping head design which holds the blade quite firmly near each edge, minimizing "flap" and chatter, and effectively adding rigidity.

Notably, trying Feathers again the last few months, now that my lather and technique are very well dialed-in, I have no trouble with them at all: no nicks or irritation. It makes me think the more coated blades, or "smoother" ones, help make up for small lapses in prep, lather, and technique (they're more forgiving), but with all that in place, a sharp blade need not be feared at all. If anything, something like a Feather nicks me less because it's sharp enough not to tug from my thick beard, and the DEs I mentioned above give it enough rigidity that it isn't chattering.
David : DE shaving since Nov 2014. Nowadays giving in to the single-edge siren call.
#3
I have a coarse beard and find that Kai and Feather blades work best overall for me.

Marko likes this post
#4
I like Perma-Sharp Supers best, and I've tried a lot of blade types. Rigidity plays a role, but for me that doesn't mean all SEs are better.
Garrett, The Shaving Disciple - Christian, Husband, Father, Writer, YouTuber, Head Shaver
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#5

Member
North Carolina
(This post was last modified: 02-07-2016, 02:44 AM by DavidJames.)
I have what I would describe as "medium grit" facial hair...not too coarse, but not too fine either...I wear a thin beard, and of course, there are certain parts of my face that are "on the coarse side" (under my chin) and some parts "on the fine side" (my upper cheeks) That is why I personally describe my facial hair as "medium", and the blades that get the job done for me effectively and comfortably are Astra Super Platinums (SPs) and Voskhods (teflon coated).

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#6

Administrator
Philadelphia, PA
(This post was last modified: 02-06-2016, 09:25 PM by andrewjs18.)
I don't have the slightest idea how to do any of this, but I'd love to see a closeup & in slow motion (or is it high speed?) of someone shaving with a DE blade vs an SE blade that has a coarse beard...
Tu ne cede malis, sed contra audentior ito.
#7

Vintage Razor Fan
Southwestern NY
I have coarse whiskers(read copper wire) and have had the best luck with sharp injector blades recently. My whiskers don't seem to yield to any kind of prep.
-Rob
#8
I suffer from very course facial hair and sensitive skin. Have been rotating razors for a very long time to find the perfect solution. Have shaved with vintage red tips, various aristocrats and adjustables before moving on to modern razors...merkurs, Mergress and lately three piece ATT, Feather, Muhle etc. To date the ATT slant and M2 are my favourites. Have yet to try wolfman or the blackbird. For blades, the only ones that work for me are feathers, Gillette yellows and Astras. I swap blades after two shaves. What has really helped as well has been the use of a good Preshave oil.
#9

Administrator
Philadelphia, PA
(02-07-2016, 12:39 PM)Blade4vor Wrote: I have coarse whiskers(read copper wire) and have had the best luck with sharp injector blades recently.  My whiskers don't seem to yield to any kind of prep.

do you plan on picking up the get supply injector when it's released?

http://www.getsupply.com/

(02-08-2016, 06:31 AM)ssultan Wrote: I suffer from very course facial hair and sensitive skin. Have been rotating razors for a very long time to find the perfect solution. Have shaved with vintage red tips, various aristocrats and adjustables before moving on to modern razors...merkurs, Mergress and lately three piece ATT, Feather, Muhle etc. To date the ATT slant and M2 are my favourites. Have yet to try wolfman or the blackbird. For blades, the only ones that work for me are feathers, Gillette yellows and Astras. I swap blades after two shaves. What has really helped as well has been the use of a good Preshave oil.

have you tried an injector and/or any other SE razors?
Tu ne cede malis, sed contra audentior ito.
#10

Member
Austin, TX
Good post andrewjs18.

I have a very coarse beard as well and much like onethinline, I have found that elimination of blade chatter offers the best shave. This can be either an SE or a DE that offers a solid platform [bow, surface area cap/base, etc.].

This is one of the reasons I very much like the razorock Black Mamba- no blade chatter. Same with WolfmanRazors as well. My beard is so unruly that with even minimal DE chatter I lose effectiveness and blade choice becomes all that much more important. Feathers help mitigate for me.

I would also like to clarify that I define chatter as subtle movement or vibration of the blade whilst shaving at the micro level. I have seen many who refer to it as some sort of actual audible noise which from my experience does not always correlate with what I view as blade chatter.

onethinline likes this post
Kevin


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