Against the grain vs With the grain

[reb123161]

I have always gone ATG.  Never had a problem.  Feels great.

[phigg]

I have tried the WTG then ATG technique, but don't really see the benefit of that over just going ATG in the first place, unless you have a few days stubble and need to cut it down a bit first before going ATG.

In any case, however, I can only do that on top of my head. I can't do the back ATG, it's too coarse, dense, bumpy (I have a "shapely" skull  ) and I have those ever-present HT scars to dance around.
I did try it once, it didn't really get me any closer than using my new Conair Cleanhead, and irritated my skin.

So now my routine is, currently:  I use the CC on the back of my noggin, ATG, yeah, but it's an electric.  I get a buttery smooth shave. I still use a blade for the top and front/sides, ATG.  Seems to work pretty well for me. 
I just shaved, and right now, all I feel is skin, any direction I move my fingertips across my scalp.
I'm liking that Conair.

[Ming the Merciless]

I pay no attention to the grain, but I suppose, thinking on the matter, that I go more ATG than WTG, but certainly both get some head time.  What counts is, "Is the dome smooth to the touch after?"

That is, when I'm actually shaving.  For the past few weeks I'm letting it grow out and giving sly a rest for a while.  Really, one way or the other...I'm indifferent, actually.

[Kojak]

I shave front to back and than back to front and side to side. Hair around my neck always wants to put up a good fight against the razor, i dont know if there a different type of hair yet, but still trying to master cutting em down.

Me Too. I almost shave exclusively ATG

[BillOnBass]

I have tried the WTG then ATG technique, but don't really see the benefit of that over just going ATG in the first place, unless you have a few days stubble and need to cut it down a bit first before going ATG.

Yeah, since I shave every 2-4 days and have a decent amount of growth by the time I shave I go WTG then ATG.  Going only ATG after that long promotes more drag IMO and more of a chance to cut myself.

[Dr.Mr.Ed]

I alternate depending on the day. I shave every morning with a dual-blade Headblade. One day I'll go front to back (against on the top, with down the back) and the next day will do back to front (against the back, with the top). The sides are kind of cross-ways each day. My hair is thin and shaving every day means there's never much length, so against isn't too rough at all; haven't had an ingrown hair  yet.

This is convenient because I don't have the patience to do two passes every day. But if I need it to be super smooth, I'll go against all over (usually that's the second shave of the day before going out).

It also isn't perfect. In the evening, my 6 year old daughter can rub my head and tell me which direction I shaved that morning 

[jerry020653]

I have tried the WTG then ATG technique, but don't really see the benefit of that over just going ATG in the first place, unless you have a few days stubble and need to cut it down a bit first before going ATG.

In any case, however, I can only do that on top of my head. I can't do the back ATG, it's too coarse, dense, bumpy (I have a "shapely" skull  ) and I have those ever-present HT scars to dance around.
I did try it once, it didn't really get me any closer than using my new Conair Cleanhead, and irritated my skin.

So now my routine is, currently:  I use the CC on the back of my noggin, ATG, yeah, but it's an electric.  I get a buttery smooth shave. I still use a blade for the top and front/sides, ATG.  Seems to work pretty well for me. 
I just shaved, and right now, all I feel is skin, any direction I move my fingertips across my scalp.
I'm liking that Conair.

Just curious as to why you dont use the CC all over your head? If it gives a buttery smooth shave on the back, doesnt it do as well on the rest of the head?

I'm debating on buying one, so I'd like to know the advantages/disadvantages before I spend the money.

[phigg]

I have tried the WTG then ATG technique, but don't really see the benefit of that over just going ATG in the first place, unless you have a few days stubble and need to cut it down a bit first before going ATG.

In any case, however, I can only do that on top of my head. I can't do the back ATG, it's too coarse, dense, bumpy (I have a "shapely" skull  ) and I have those ever-present HT scars to dance around.
I did try it once, it didn't really get me any closer than using my new Conair Cleanhead, and irritated my skin.

So now my routine is, currently:  I use the CC on the back of my noggin, ATG, yeah, but it's an electric.  I get a buttery smooth shave. I still use a blade for the top and front/sides, ATG.  Seems to work pretty well for me. 
I just shaved, and right now, all I feel is skin, any direction I move my fingertips across my scalp.
I'm liking that Conair.

Just curious as to why you dont use the CC all over your head? If it gives a buttery smooth shave on the back, doesnt it do as well on the rest of the head?

I'm debating on buying one, so I'd like to know the advantages/disadvantages before I spend the money.

I could, I just don't want to totally give up blade shaving.  Besides, blade shaving seems to last longer. I would blade shave my whole head if it weren't for the HT scars in th back.  That makes for an uneven surface which means, potential for nicks and cuts and worse. So for the back, the CC works very, very well.  I usually have to touch it up later in the day though. But after the morning shave, it does feel buttery smooth. So does a blade, however, and I can use that on the top.
Best o' both worlds, I guess..

[lordmage]

my relatively new felling about ATG or WTG. I never seem to get a good shave WTG so it is ATG all the time unless i have 5 or more days of growth. then i HB WTG then 5 blade ATG.

[BikerDave]

I go all over the place with my Gillette Quattro. With the grain, against the grain, over the meadow and through the woods. No nicks, no runs , no errors. But, since I possess a reverse Mohawk, I only have half a head to worry about.

[BaldWriterBob]

I go with the grain first, top sides and back. Then I go against the grain. The first sweep clears away a lot of the resistance for the reverse trip.

[phigg]

Just an update on my use of the Conair:  While it does get pretty darn close, and the skin feels smooth to the touch even when rubbing it ATG with my fingers, I have found that if I run a blade ATG, there is definitely still some stubble there for it to "catch" onto. 
So I've been slowly starting to use a blade on the back again, ATG, after using the CC.
For me, this seems to work well;  my grape is a crazy landscape of HT scars and natural ridges/valleys, so I have to be careful, esp when going ATG in the back.  The CC helps me get a tiny bit closer than going WTG using a blade, which lessens resistance for the coup de grâce.  But going ATG with a blade is the ultimate.