Bluebeard Cutlass Safety Razor

[EssexGuy85]

Brought one of these, making the switch from a Mach3 and gillette canned gel.
Brought it along with the same brand brush and shaving cream. Lathers up really nicely.
Have used it twice now.
Have found it drags a bit, but perhaps thats me not applying enough lather(?).
Other than that, is a bit harsh on my neck, leaving a fair bit of burn (not as bad as the Mach3 and gel though).
I know my technique needs refining to maintain the angle and pressure, which i think is behind the irritation.

Are there any specific blades that anybody recommends? Brought a pack of 10 with the razor, but obviously will need some more once have used them.

 

[R181]

I think you are right about the rash/razor burn being caused by your technique. When it comes to pressure the closer to none the better. It could be that your lather is too dry causing the razor to drag. Having enough water in the lather really helps the razor glide along.

Here is a vid to show two methods of making a good lather.

Lathering Tutorial - How to lather a shaving soap - YouTube

Hope this helps.

Bob

 

[EssexGuy85]

Thanks for the pointers.
The lather goes on nice and wet, thought id used a fair bit of water in it, but did dry out once on my face.
Ill have a look at the link and give it a go in a couple of days

 

[SeanC]

This may help also:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6gQY0zEMMg

 

[EssexGuy85]

This may help also:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6gQY0zEMMg

Had a watch of a few vids on youtube after was first delivered, and clocked that already. Went in two passes both times ive used it, once with the direction of hair growth, and then across.
Not going to go for the 3 pass method for a whil until i get a better grip of what im up to with it.

I think its probably more the amount of pressure im putting on it, being used to cartridges for so many years, or maybe not lathering up well enouhgh and taking more than one stroke at a time?
I'll get there in the end.

 

[R181]

I think its probably more the amount of pressure im putting on it, being used to cartridges for so many years, or maybe not lathering up well enouhgh and taking more than one stroke at a time?
I'll get there in the end.

Remember, shaving is the gradual reduction of whiskers over multiple passes. If you are trying to get it done in one pass you will use too much pressure. Yea, try not go over an area already done. For sure coming from carts you will be inclined to use too much pressure. Just the weight of the razor should do it. Also most carts have pivoting heads removing the need to find and keep the right angle on the blade. It will all come together with practice.

Bob

 

[EssexGuy85]

Remember, shaving is the gradual reduction of whiskers over multiple passes. If you are trying to get it done in one pass you will use too much pressure. Yea, try not go over an area already done. For sure coming from carts you will be inclined to use too much pressure. Just the weight of the razor should do it. Also most carts have pivoting heads removing the need to find and keep the right angle on the blade. It will all come together with practice.

Bob

This is like going back to being a teenager again, like a second youth

 

[R181]

This is like going back to being a teenager again, like a second youth

Yea, pretty much.

Bob

 

[Nishy]

Time and patience. Definitely have to go back to beginner level. However, IMO you have chosen one of the harder instruments to learn with. Not necessarily a bad thing just expect a longer learning curve as opposed to a DE razor or straight razor that is shave ready. Preparation is key as well as technique as mentioned above. I watched hours (I kid you not approx 30) before using a straight razor and am still learning. Lather, blade, angle and pressure along with pulling the skin is what made the biggest difference to my shaves.
The eureka moment will come and painless shaves are possible. Worth trying a decent DE razor or straight razor for comparison. A blade sampler pack is also a good option.

 

[EssexGuy85]

Time and patience. Definitely have to go back to beginner level. However, IMO you have chosen one of the harder instruments to learn with. Not necessarily a bad thing just expect a longer learning curve as opposed to a DE razor or straight razor that is shave ready. Preparation is key as well as technique as mentioned above. I watched hours (I kid you not approx 30) before using a straight razor and am still learning. Lather, blade, angle and pressure along with pulling the skin is what made the biggest difference to my shaves.
The eureka moment will come and painless shaves are possible. Worth trying a decent DE razor or straight razor for comparison. A blade sampler pack is also a good option.

Chosen a harder instrument to learn with? How come?
Is there really that much difference between different types of DE razors then? Looking at a few websites they described it as a "mild to medium" rather than an aggressive shave

 

[Rowlers]

Chosen a harder instrument to learn with? How come?
Is there really that much difference between different types of DE razors then? Looking at a few websites they described it as a "mild to medium" rather than an aggressive shave

I think Nishy has miss-understood, thinking that the cutlass is shavette, when it is in fact a DE. But there are some DEs with a steep learning curve, best left until you've mastered the mild DEs

 

[Nishy]

Apologies yes I thought it was a shavette

 

[EssexGuy85]

Apologies yes I thought it was a shavette

It's a DE, but has quite a gap before the blade. Some sites described it as a mild to medium, so thought id give it a go, yet most customer reviews have said it's an agressive razor.
Had a look online and a read of a few views on it and picked up a Gillette King C today. Looking at it (not used it yet) the gap between the front bar and the blade edge is noticably smaller, so should be a bit gentler on my neck. Going to have a go with that one tomorrow once my neck has had another day to recover. Has a nice weight to it, think it might have been a better one to start off with.
The Bluebeard Cutlass though, that is one seriously close shave not had a face smoother since i was about 12-13years old
Even if i use one for my face and the other for my neck for now, until i develop my technique

 

[Nishy]

It's a DE, but has quite a gap before the blade. Some sites described it as a mild to medium, so thought id give it a go, yet most customer reviews have said it's an agressive razor.
Had a look online and a read of a few views on it and picked up a Gillette King C today. Looking at it (not used it yet) the gap between the front bar and the blade edge is noticably smaller, so should be a bit gentler on my neck. Going to have a go with that one tomorrow once my neck has had another day to recover. Has a nice weight to it, think it might have been a better one to start off with.
The Bluebeard Cutlass though, that is one seriously close shave not had a face smoother since i was about 12-13years old
Even if i use one for my face and the other for my neck for now, until i develop my technique

I'm sure it's just a matter of time re technique. Also one thing to note blade gap doesn't always determine aggression. More so efficiency in my experience. Blade exposure (blade 'forward') is a better indication of aggression. Or how much blade is in contact with the skin.

 

[slapo]

It's a DE, but has quite a gap before the blade. Some sites described it as a mild to medium, so thought id give it a go, yet most customer reviews have said it's an agressive razor.
Had a look online and a read of a few views on it and picked up a Gillette King C today. Looking at it (not used it yet) the gap between the front bar and the blade edge is noticably smaller, so should be a bit gentler on my neck. Going to have a go with that one tomorrow once my neck has had another day to recover. Has a nice weight to it, think it might have been a better one to start off with.
The Bluebeard Cutlass though, that is one seriously close shave not had a face smoother since i was about 12-13years old
Even if i use one for my face and the other for my neck for now, until i develop my technique

There Cutlass uses a pretty generic, inexpensive head that also shares a rather crucial trait with the recently introduced Gillette DEs, Edwin Jagger, Muhle and Merkur heads and their clones - they clamp the blade a fair way from the blade's cutting edge and over a pretty small area (which is often even smaller with the shoddier clones). There are upsides to the design, but one potential downside - blade flex. If blade exposure is relatively minimal, it's usually not a problem, but some people still have issues, particularly against the grain.
You might want to try a design that is more different than similar - Fatip (safety bar or open comb, brass, but QC can be an issue), Parker open comb razors or something like a Merkur 45, RazoRock Lupo or BabySmooth, if you'd like to keep the budget relatively low.
Having said that, you might want to keep at it with what you have before shopping around much.