(12-16-2021, 02:35 AM)Old Sarge Wrote:

(12-16-2021, 02:30 AM)GAW9576 Wrote: Ha. My neck is definitely not the easy part.  And I have to shave right down to the collarbone. Also I do shave the back of my neck and shape the upper beard line on my cheeks as well so probably the same surface area as a face and front of the neck shave. Using two mirrors to shave the back of my neck can be tricky. Especially when I'm using the mid 1800s variety of unmentionable.

Yeah, I remember you saying about your neck being your trouble spot. Though, with the beard, do you think you put as much wear on a blade doing a pass vs. an average person shaving their entire face? Of course, who knows what average means anyway!  I'm to the point now with the Gem PTFE blades that I get to 10 shaves and then move on. Lately, I've been doing a two-pass shave, with the second pass including some touch ups.

(12-16-2021, 02:30 AM)GAW9576 Wrote: My neck is definitely not the easy part.  And I have to shave right down to the collarbone.

(12-15-2021, 10:55 PM)srqshaver Wrote: Twelve uses is pretty great. How many do you normally get out of one of those blades? And do you find that the razor you use makes any difference in blade longevity?

(12-16-2021, 05:54 AM)srqshaver Wrote:

(12-16-2021, 02:30 AM)GAW9576 Wrote: My neck is definitely not the easy part.  And I have to shave right down to the collarbone.

Oof. I do not envy that. The skin is soft and thin down there. I used to have patches that went down pretty far but one autoimmune disease later and that hair has receded. Interestingly enough, the hair now stops above my Adam's apple making neck maintenance much easier. Not something I recommend but there have to be some upsides, right? 

(12-16-2021, 07:44 AM)GAW9576 Wrote:

(12-16-2021, 05:54 AM)srqshaver Wrote: Oof. I do not envy that. The skin is soft and thin down there. I used to have patches that went down pretty far but one autoimmune disease later and that hair has receded. Interestingly enough, the hair now stops above my Adam's apple making neck maintenance much easier. Not something I recommend but there have to be some upsides, right? 

Wow. Like you said not recommended but yes at least there is some benefit. When my beard is trimmed short I start just past my jaw bone (on the neck side/Inside if that makes sense ) and shave down to my collar bone. When I let my beard grow longer the starting line of the shave migrates closer and closer to my Adam's apple. Either way just above my Adam's apple to my collarbone gets shaved every time and the Adam's apple and to each side of it are the extra tricky spots. The skin each side of the Adam's ape is more sensitive and the hair there seems tougher. Not a great combination. Ad to that the fact that most of the hair there grows laying flat to the skin and it's difficult to get a good close shave there. And on top of all that a few of those difficult hairs are extra thick and darker than the rest making missed hair really visible. Sometimes even when I get thase hairs closely shaven they show under the skin making it difficult to tell weather I really got the shaved close enough. I'm really not trying to complain. I actually really enjoy shaving since finding vintage and antique razors as a hobby.

   

(12-16-2021, 11:02 AM)Old Sarge Wrote:

(12-16-2021, 07:44 AM)GAW9576 Wrote: Wow. Like you said not recommended but yes at least there is some benefit. When my beard is trimmed short I start just past my jaw bone (on the neck side/Inside if that makes sense ) and shave down to my collar bone. When I let my beard grow longer the starting line of the shave migrates closer and closer to my Adam's apple. Either way just above my Adam's apple to my collarbone gets shaved every time and the Adam's apple and to each side of it are the extra tricky spots. The skin each side of the Adam's ape is more sensitive and the hair there seems tougher. Not a great combination. Ad to that the fact that most of the hair there grows laying flat to the skin and it's difficult to get a good close shave there. And on top of all that a few of those difficult hairs are extra thick and darker than the rest making missed hair really visible. Sometimes even when I get thase hairs closely shaven they show under the skin making it difficult to tell weather I really got the shaved close enough. I'm really not trying to complain. I actually really enjoy shaving since finding vintage and antique razors as a hobby.

Regarding the hair laying flat to the skin, I too have a part of my neck where the hair does the same...growing south to north. On my first pass I shave from S to N going WTG on my neck. On the second pass on my neck, I used to go N to S as my neck seems to be able to handle ATG. But now, in that section where the whiskers lie ultra flat, I now hit it at a 45 degree angle first then touch up going N to S. I've yet to feel comfortable shaving XTG on the neck, either E to W or vice versa. The razor just doesn't seem to lie flat enough and make me feel jittery...if that makes any sense.

BTW...I don't see you as complaining at all. It's good to chat about how we shave and I'm glad Eric posed the question that triggered this discussion!

(12-16-2021, 02:04 PM)GAW9576 Wrote:

(12-16-2021, 11:02 AM)Old Sarge Wrote: Regarding the hair laying flat to the skin, I too have a part of my neck where the hair does the same...growing south to north. On my first pass I shave from S to N going WTG on my neck. On the second pass on my neck, I used to go N to S as my neck seems to be able to handle ATG. But now, in that section where the whiskers lie ultra flat, I now hit it at a 45 degree angle first then touch up going N to S. I've yet to feel comfortable shaving XTG on the neck, either E to W or vice versa. The razor just doesn't seem to lie flat enough and make me feel jittery...if that makes any sense.

BTW...I don't see you as complaining at all. It's good to chat about how we shave and I'm glad Eric posed the question that triggered this discussion!

The razor not fitting flat in the hollows of the neck is an issue at times. I tend to move my head to one side or the other and twist a little hear and there contorting the skin to stretch the skin in those areas to a flatter spot. It helps a lot. But this is one of the main reasons I rarely use an AC razor.
I'm glad you could tell I wasn't trying to complain. I could just imagine that all that could have sounded like whining and complaining.

(12-16-2021, 02:54 PM)Old Sarge Wrote:

(12-16-2021, 02:04 PM)GAW9576 Wrote: The razor not fitting flat in the hollows of the neck is an issue at times. I tend to move my head to one side or the other and twist a little hear and there contorting the skin to stretch the skin in those areas to a flatter spot. It helps a lot. But this is one of the main reasons I rarely use an AC razor.
I'm glad you could tell I wasn't trying to complain. I could just imagine that all that could have sounded like whining and complaining.

We can learn so much from each other's struggles!