I keep saying it every chance I get, whether it’s here or on Reddit: just keep experimenting and learning. I say it because this entire year of double-edge safety razor shaving has been a learning experience, and only in learning and experimenting have I discovered shave combos I never would have expected, and others that I fully predicted.
Today was my third shave with my new Parker 55SL Semi-Slant. I’ve been wanting to try a slant for a very long time, and there’s that part of me that expects that each new razor will be a revelation that will transform my shaving experience. Except they usually aren’t. And this one has been a bit of a struggle, trying to find the right razor/blade combo and figuring out the technique to use this razor, because it does appear to demand a different technique.
To say I’ve been disappointed would probably be an understatement. The first shave really hurt. It was unbelievably close, but it left my face irritated for the better part of Sunday. Tuesday’s shave was better with a much more mild blade, but there were still a couple of spots that still had razor burn and didn’t feel great.
But I’ve been reading and researching. Like a lot of things in this hobby (or whatever you want to call it), some people are just able to use something new and go. Others, not so much. So I read that finding the shaving angle can be a challenge, since the head isn’t at the same angle as other razors. And using a very light touch was recommended by some.
So that was the plan for this morning’s shave: work to find the right angle and use a very light touch. And those worked really well. The Bic blade also contributed, and continues to really impress me, but the light touch and work to keep the correct angle of the head on my face helped a lot. I also limited extra passes, and that helped as well, as clearly the razor can do a good job of getting close on the first pass or two.
This is a change from my daily shave, and the success of today’s learning and experimentation has given me a lot of hope for future shaves with the Parker.
I’m happy with it again!
