Ode to the Mild Razor

Hey, I'm a guy (and not a barber) so I have not spent a lot of time feeling other men's faces, beards, stubble. Thus I'm only guessing but I would guess my beard to be in the average category. Average in thickness (I got bristles but would not use the term wirey). Average in density (I do grow a good beard but not like the forests I see some guys sport). Average in daily growth (I'm scruffy at three days and Don Johnson at a week. No shave November leaves a beard). My skin actually seems to be less prone to irritation than most as razor burn and irritation are never an issue. I've tried lots of razors, DE, SE, Shavettes, and Straights and in my world I find most satisfaction with what would be considered an "average" or even mild razor. A Fatboy on 3. A Rockwell on 3. A Merkur 34C. The most efficient and comfortable shaves I get from the decidedly unfashionable Edwin Jagger DE89. Hey, don't get me wrong, I've been jerking whiskers for 40 years, much of it with wet shaving gear. I build great lather. I do proper prep. My technique is on point. I'm not heavy handed and can find razor angles pretty quickly. I can get a good shave from a muhle R41 or an Ikon Tech. I've shaved lots of times with a Gillette slim on 9. I get really close shaves with a dovo Shavette using DE half blades and all without needing a styptic but for the life of me I find a med/mild razor gives me DFS without having to even think about it. (I don't chase BBS). So will I give up wanting a wolfman or a Blackbird? Mmmm Naw! This is my hobby and I love those fabulous pieces of work but if I only had a lowly zamak DE89 for the rest of my days I would not feel deprived.

Who else out there likes those mild, cheap, readily available razors?

I am in the same boat as you. Average beard growth, and don't particularly like really aggressive razors. Main reason is because I have sensitive skin. I also suffer from dry skin all year round so I'm stuck daily moisturizing. I like my Gillette Slim on setting 4 and my Rockwell on plate 3. I love the way my early Gillette Tech shaves. I shaved the other day with a 1916 Gillette Old Type head.... most aggressive shave I've ever had. 1 pass and done with 1 tiny nick around my Adam's apple. Now I still enjoyed that shave, but I'm the type of guy that likes a shave with little to no "blade feel". I just prefer a milder shave with my sensitive skin.

I do approx. 90%+ of my shaving with a Gillette Tech of some sort. I've owned & tried countless other vintage Gillette razors and in the end I sold all of them except one, an heirloom "Flare Tip" from an uncle. You can get a BBS shave with a Tech if you hone your technique and use a great blade with great prep. Me, I do all that except I settle for a DFS. If I had to take one razor to outer space or a desert island it would be a Tech.

$0.50 garage sale find and my favorite mild razor.

Good to know some other cats like the milder razors! When I fist got going with the forums I felt like I must be doing something wrong if I didn't like wide gapped face-planes but as I tried to use and enjoy aggressive shavers I realized that what I had been doing was working and what I was trying to do was not. Just thought there might be some new gents out there who were wondering about their methods or techniques and/or preference for milder shavers. I'm absolutely positive that some guys really do need those aggressive razors but I'm not one of them. I'm grateful for all the choices I have but am satisfied to not need to look for any more aggressive razors. Surprising though, I find straight razors to be very comfortable, just not a daily driver for me.

My go-to for the last 5 or 6 months has been a Dorco PL-602. Razor burn's always been a problem for me.

I'am a bit on the right side of medium growth, three days and I can pinch the individual hairs on my face and they are not particularly soft.
I do enjoy a medium aggressive razor, but smoothness is my game and as such, I use the general on a super pro, the El-Jefe on a proline.
My absolute favourite DE though is the Paradigm 17-4 which provides effectiveness and smoothness to a degree I have not found on other razors, being DE.SE. or Gem.

Mild does not have to mean inefficient. Today was one of my post-war fat handle techs, about as mild a razor as exists and a Ming Shi razor blade. The result as expected was a two pass and touchup PDG+ near perfect shave. It's also one of my prettiest razors.

Mild does not have to mean inefficient.  Today was one of my post-war fat handle techs, about as mild a razor as exists and a Ming Shi razor blade.  The result as expected was a two pass and touchup PDG+ near perfect shave.  It's also one of my prettiest razors.

I have a fat handle tech with the triangle slots. Very pretty razor. I have to rock this one with a feather blade though because it is just a tad too mild for my face. Stretch skin like I'm straight shaving though and it'll get er done.

It’s all about a fresh blade for me. Blades cut, razors just provide certain levels of comfort in presenting a blade.

I never use a blade (usually Super Iridium) more than twice. I just prefer sharp blades. New blades. I find mild razors like the Baby Smooth shine with a new blade. It eliminates the mild vs aggressive razors conversation for me.