Riding the cap is safer but takes more work & gives a worse shave than riding the SB

Interesting thread.
When I got back into traditional shaving, "ride the cap" was screamed at me from all corners of the known, shaving universe. I have come to realize that this is not always sage advice.
For me, it all started with 30 straight shaves with my 2011 R41. Riding the cap on that stallion did nothing good for my skin---however, I began to ride the SB (scallops on the R41) and low and behold---stopped knicking and cutting myself.
Finding the correct cutting angle is more difficult when riding the cap. For me, anyway.

Edit:
Riding the cap is like skimming over the waves. Works PERFECTLY, until you hit a bump. Many shavers stretch the skin. I don't with a DE, (I rely on "shaving faces" ) while I do with my straights.

Interesting thread.
When I got back into traditional shaving, "ride the cap" was screamed at me from all corners of the known, shaving universe. I have come to realize that this is not always sage advice.
For me, it all started with 30 straight shaves with my 2011 R41. Riding the cap on that stallion did nothing good for my skin---however, I began to ride the SB (scallops on the R41) and low and behold---stopped knicking and cutting myself.
Finding the correct cutting angle is more difficult when riding the cap. For me, anyway.

Yep. It really depends on the razor. You can't say riding the cap is the best approach for every razor out there.

My trick for finding the right angle is to close my eyes for the first few strokes and let the feeling do the talking.

Riding the cap is like skimming over the waves. Works PERFECTLY, until you hit a bump.

^ Good way of putting it. Riding the cap definitely feels like skimming over the skin.

My trick for finding the right angle is to close my eyes for the first few strokes and let the feeling do the talking.

At first I thought you were joking. I'll have to try that (in a safe area). Thanks.

Riding the blade is my secret sauce.

Tester28 That's what I do, when I am "riding" the safety bar so to speak, I would say I am pressing into my skin enough to gauge where the blade is. If any razor stands out where this feels comfortable, I would say the Carbon ++ base plate comes to mind. It was made with reduced blade feel in comparison to the original version, as well as increased blade gap. It's an interesting feeling but there are a variety of different blade feel in different designs, so as mentioned earlier, I think it rings true to explore each razor individually.

I always rotate through a different razor every night, transferring the current blade to it. Every 12 shaves I change to a new blade of a different brand.
So, my strategy is to ride the the cap at the beginning of the first pass of each shave, and then adjust the angle to what feels right. 
It's safer than starting by riding the bar (or comb).

^^^BINGO^^^

My trick for finding the right angle is to close my eyes for the first few strokes and let the feeling do the talking.

At first I thought you were joking. I'll have to try that (in a safe area). Thanks.

Not joking!
... Just need to be cautious as always, but it works every time.