Technique Trumps Tools

If good shave foundations are fairly circumscribed, what leads to The Perfect Shave is made by dozens of fine details that require quite a bit of commitment. I might be wrong, but trying to summarize ALL shaving technique aspects in just a single thread sounds like a mission impossible to me... The Italian forum I'm from has an entire section about this and I think I've never been able to read it completely!
If I had to choose one word to sum it up, I think it would be time: time to learn, time to understand and time to practice (a lot), just like any manual art.

swellcat: if I get what your issue is (neck ATG), this helped me a lot (min 7:50): https://youtu.be/HIRRD-73Sjc

No one is trying to summarize, "ALL shaving techniques".

As stated in the original post, "So, now that he has his kit, what single most important piece of advice (OK maybe two) would you give him about how to use his new kit?"

So, to reiterate, we are only looking for one (maybe two) tips for a beginning DE shaver.

What about straight-razor techniques?

Navigating neck topography seems to be my final frontier, with maneuvering three inches of steel at the diagonal and horizontal angles needed to get close results being the challenge.

Not quite sure what you are getting at here. Our hypothetical new wet shaver has a DE kit. I am a SR shaver and I think the only thing that is really transferable to a new DE shaver is that technique does trump tools. There are many techniques that are important to a SR shaver to avoid getting cut. The safety bar on a DE makes many of them less important.

No one is trying to summarize, "ALL shaving techniques".

As stated in the original post, "So, now that he has his kit, what single most important piece of advice (OK maybe two) would you give him about how to use his new kit?"

So, to reiterate, we are only looking for one (maybe two) tips for a beginning DE shaver.

Well, in that case mine would be: never let your other hand unemployed!

No one is trying to summarize, "ALL shaving techniques".

As stated in the original post, "So, now that he has his kit, what single most important piece of advice (OK maybe two) would you give him about how to use his new kit?"

So, to reiterate, we are only looking for one (maybe two) tips for a beginning DE shaver.

Well, in that case mine would be: never let your other hand unemployed!

Ah, I think I understand what you are saying here: your non-shaving hand should always be stretching your skin? And the corollary is "face puffing". Come se dice, "face puffing" nella Italiano?

I think I understand what you are saying here:  your non-dominant hand should always be stretching your skin? And the corollary  is "face puffing".  Come se dice, "face puffing" nella Italiano?

Precisely! Gonfia quelle guance ragazzo 

I think I understand what you are saying here:  your non-dominant hand should always be stretching your skin? And the corollary  is "face puffing".  Come se dice, "face puffing" nella Italiano?

Precisely! Gonfia quelle guance ragazzo 

Perfectamente!

Sonno un pazzo ragazzo

To address the topic specifically:

Technique is an important variable that affects the shave enormously.

But technique requires the equipment to meet an acceptable standard...before technique can start
to do its magic.

Even the most accomplished technique cannot rescue a razor whose geometry does not suit your
face and beard growth.

To address the topic specifically:

Technique is an important variable that affects the shave enormously.

But technique requires the equipment to meet an acceptable standard...before technique can start
to do its magic.

Even the most accomplished technique cannot rescue a razor whose geometry does not suit your
face and beard growth.

In the abstract I would agree with this. I can not get a decent shave with Cremo and the cheap Dorco disposable twin blade razors they provide at the gym. However, in our context as set forth in the original post, here the hypothetical new wet shaver has a quality DE razor, a blade of his choice and a synthetic or broken in Semogue boar brush and tallow soap from a Sterling or Maggard's kit. In that context I think we can provide one or two suggestions.

Unfortunately, on most wet shaving forums objective reasoning is usually trumped by 'oneupmanship' and compulsive shopping disorder.

Unfortunately, on most wet shaving forums objective reasoning is usually trumped by 'oneupmanship' and compulsive shopping disorder.

Perhaps so, but I suspect that you have a pearl or two to contribute.

Don't hold back!