For Newbies Only--Taming Aggressive Razors

About a year ago I exchanged my .68 open comb base plate for my Timeless razor for a .95 open comb. Some reviewers love the .68, which gives a very smooth, mild shave and some love the .95, which gives a smooth, efficient shave with lots of blade feel. 

Today, wanting a smoother, milder shave with less blade feel, I put a Gillette Nacet into the razor and held the handle more parallel to my face. By changing the angle, I changed the aggression and the blade feel. If I hit any areas where the whiskers needed some aggression, I increased the angle and, voila, that did the trick. 

This is something most wet shavers know. I learned it from using a straight razor and Feather AC shavettes. You can give yourself a comfortable, mild shave with a straight or a less comfortable, more efficient shave with a straight depending on the angle. 

So if you have a razor that you find a bit too aggressive, before you buy a new razor, change the angle by bringing the handle closer to your face. I have not found that this works the other way around, e.g., my Feather AS-DC, is as mild as a baby's butt but won't give me a shave as smooth as a baby's butt (BBS) regardless of angle. 

By the way, Timeless makes a superb razor, as good as anything out there IMHO. So does Blackland.

Today, wanting a smoother, milder shave with less blade feel, I put a Gillette Nacet into the razor and held the handle more parallel to my face. By changing the angle, I changed the aggression and the blade feel. If I hit any areas where the whiskers needed some aggression, I increased the angle and, voila, that did the trick.

^ Was getting to know this from experience but it's good to see it in writing. Thanks.

Well said! A steep angle makes you pivot on the safety bar. When you do this, you can modulate how much blade you want to engage by increasing or decreasing angle. The most extreme steep example would lift the blade off the skin entirely. So you can play with this to get just the right about of blade engagement.

I find that the best way to reduce the aggression of a razor is to use a less sharp blade. I love sharp blades like the Nacet, but I do not use them in my most aggressive razors. I have sensitive skin. The problem with shaving at a steep blade angle as you suggest is that you are scraping your face rather than allowing the blade to slice cleanly through the stubble. When doing WTG passes, I try to use a neutral shave angle. With ATG passes, I try to shave off the cap.

I find that a great blade to use to tame an aggressive razor is the 7 O'Clock Sharpedge Yellow. It is a moderately sharp blade with a smooth edge. It is my blade of choice in my Muhle R41. With less aggressive razors, I prefer to use sharper blades. I love Nacets in the mild TTO razor I use for my ATG passes.

+1 on blade selection for taming aggression. My Wolfman WR2 1.55 is a completely different razor when using a Feather blade compared to using a Wilkinson Sword (German) blade... I mean like a 180 degree shift in aggressiveness.