March 28, 2009 The Compleat Travel Shaver
(Thanks to Till for this take on shaving)
Ever the gadget freak and quite the saving aficionado and travel enthusiast the issue of SWT (Shaving While Traveling) is a welcome challenge. In this thread I’d like to introduce a couple of ideas and hear from others how they have dealt with the SWT issue.
There are a number of considerations at hand, that I can think of. Do you see any others?
- The shave should be a very good, close shave.
- It should be easy on the skin for when we travel for business we cannot afford to have a day in between two shaves to let the skin rest.
- The equipment needed should be as lightweight and as few pieces as possible.
- If we can do get our gels and liquids in 311 friendly sizes, just the better.
- It would be nice if our efforts don’t cost and arm and a leg.
- If the shave is quick, that is a significant bonus but not a requirement.
So, recently I bought two new wet shavers (the Schick Quattro Titanium with Trimmer and the Azor by King of Shaves) and also a new electric razor (the new Philips top model).
In addition, I ordered the Alpha Oil by King of Shaves, introduced elsewhere on this forum. The version I got is specified as being for sensitive skin (always better) and anti-bacterial. It contains Triclosan, the same stuff found in anti-bacterial hand soaps. This is particularly welcome since the plan is not to use an aftershave.
Previously, and up to now, my standard equipment has been a Gillette Sensor Excel for more than ten years combined with a Panasonic Wet-dry razor (one of their former top models).
Electric:
Very fast, can be done without water or in the train or plane or car. This is a great advantage for travel. Also rather easy on the skin. The included trimmer is great for beard, side burns and other areas. An aftershave is not absolutely needed.
The disadvantage is that it is not as good a shave. Some gents might need to shave twice a day to still look good in the evening. After several days of only wet shaving it is most likely necessary to either do a touch-up with a blade or to shave wet for a really close shave.
Besides that, the electric razor is heavy and doesn’t hold a charge forever and needs recharging. This means we need to take a charger along for longer trips (ok, a trip up to ten days without a charge might be doable).
I got the Philips 1090 because I was in the mood for something new and because I had a long trip ahead where I wanted to have an electric razor. This razor is much lighter than the Panny. The latter is around 264g and the Philly stays under 200g. Moreover, the Panny comes with a huge induction charger stand which is not a good solution for travel. The Philly has a very sleek charger stand for at home and an even sleeker carrying case with built-in charger plus a lightweight cable. A much better solution for travel. By the way, my Panny being more than seven years old it does not hold the charge so well and is good only for about ten to twelve shaves (NiMH battery). The 1090 on the other hand holds its charge for more than four months easily and is good for certainly more than 25 shaves (Li-ion battery). That is very important for traveling. Oh, it charges quicker, too. The Philly is also easier on the skin BUT (big but) the shave is not quite as good as with the Panny AND it takes twice as long to get at least to 90% of the level the Panny provides. I do recommend it for travel because it fulfills most of the points above. I would however go and buy the lower end 1060 model because the 1090’s only advantage is really the great looks and materials used, as well as its display that tell you how many minutes of shaving time you have left. On mine, I can go on shaving for a week even if it tells me I have 00 minutes left.
Wet:
First some weights all with the respective blade:
KoS Azor 17g
Fusion power w/o battery 29g (40g with)
Sensor Excel 31g
Quattro with trimmer 69 (including AAA cell)
Kos Oil 16g
Brush 34g (plastic handle, 21mm knot, badger)
Shave soap, cream, gel 50-100g depending on what you use.
I’ll make this easy for all and cut right to the results – details below.
There are two winners here: The KoS Azor plus oil and the QT plus oil. The first will give you the least possible weight if you do not need the trimmer. The second will be the heaviest razor but the advantage of having a really usable trimmer integrated is not to be underestimated. I often took along my electric razor on longer trips just so I could trim the side burns alright.
The OIL:
I used three drops on each side of the face because I hadn’t shaved in more than 50 hours and had quite a stubble going. It is important that your face is wet to give you a smooth shave. Just the oil on dry skin will not make the blade glide easily if you only use the small amount I used. Actually they say one should only use 2-3 drops on the entire face, I doubled that.
The quality of the shave is SUPER close. You can also feel very well where you might have missed a spot because the oil makes any stubborn hairs really easy to feel. I don’t think an aftershave or balm is needed, because the oil is very nourishing. Personally, I don’t care for the Menthol smell but it is not overpowering, and, if you use cologne, it won’t screw the smell of the cologne up. There was almost no irritation. Today, I used it with the Quattro which is supposed to be very easy on the skin.
Highly recommended! I will also order their Kinexium Oil formula which has silicon, just to compare. Price is very reasonable and transport is great because it is tiny.
Quattro Titanium Trimmer:
It looks like the razor equivalent of a Panasonic Toughbook computer. The blade has four blades plus one trimming blade on the back just like the Fusion, which has a ridiculous five blades. The trimmer has four settings and I find those sufficient. It is quite powerful. I had to take care not to take off my sideburn completely.
The QT is just as easy on the skin as the Fusion and it is a little bit easier to reach the difficult areas with it. Still, under the nose and around the corners of my mouth I did need the rear blade.
The Fusion is impossible to use in these areas and the rear blade is not as good as the Quattro’s. However, from memory, I have the impression, that the Fusion gave an ever so slightly closer shave. This is literally at hairsplitting level, though. I attribute that more to the fact that in the Fusion EACH blade is spring loaded but in the QT they are all fix.
The blades are quite a bit cheaper on the QT. You can get them for around $1.60 per piece, whereas the Fusion blades are around $2.50 per piece even when you go to great lengths to find them cheaply. I cannot say anything about longevity yet because I only have two shaves on my blade. Another pro for the Quattro is that blades have individual covers that stay put nicely. The Fusion doesn’t have that.
The power feature on the Fusion is ridiculous in my eyes. It contributes nothing to a better shave; it rather makes it worth because you have less control and less feedback. If you know that Gillette bought Duracell, you know why they came out with a razor that needed batteries. The battery feature on the Quattro is not gratuitous because the trimmer is actually extremely useful and appears to be well built.
The Elusive Azor razor:
I admit I bought that just out of curiosity. The design is wonderful and the blades are cheaper than Fusion but more than Quattro. I haven’t yet shaved with it but will do so on Sunday. I’ll let you know. It is a four-blade design but has no rear blade. It also has no rubber strip for hair tensioning. Instead it has two different lube strips. The mechanism for blade change is not very elegant and a bit fumbly. The Azor’s blades are spring-loaded as a block but not individually like the Fusion’s. We will see how good it shaves under the nose and around the mouth and Adam’s apple.
Will I switch from Sensor Excel to QT for home use? Not sure yet. The shave is about the same in closeness. But I need more time to compare. I don’t like that I have to use the rear blade on the QT. The Sensor goes everywhere just fine. However, I only get around 10 shaves from each blade. After five shaves the shave is not as easy on the skin anymore. I am currently experimenting with drying the blade. The next step will be putting it in olive or mineral oil. It actually seems that the Fusion blade has better durability than the Sensor. But the Fusion blade is a PITA to maneuver and the rear blade is not very effective. I’d say, though, that the Fusion is probably great for personal grooming, legs and underarms in case you want that.
However, for trips longer than three days, I will switch to the QT. The trimmer allows me to keep the hair around the side burns nicely trimmed and to trim the arm pits without risk (using scissors there is a bit scary). [editor’s note - this is for odor control]
Frank@OBOW
And yes, dear OBOWers, compleat is a real word. But most of you alreadly knew that. Look up the definition and you’ll see why I applied it to Till’s work. - Brad
Reader Comments (23)
I'd recommend L'Occitane shaving oil, if you have one of their stores near you. It has a wonderful Juniper scent that (at least to me) is much better than the menthol smell of Kos and other oils.
Thanks for the recommendation. How are the shaving properties of the L'Occitane? THe Kos really does a good job. Better than the pure Jojoba that I tried in terms of shaving. The jojoba was even more nourishing for the skin, though.
Honestly, it's been a while, so I don't remember how the Kos does in comparison. I've found L'Occitane to be fine for me, and I even use it with a wet-dry electric shaver sometimes to get a smoother shave. Makes it harder to clean the shaver though. I tried a few others, but didn't like the menthol and other scents. But I'm picky about that. :)
I have used the King of Shaves and Shave De luxe oils. I like them both, and find that they work fine. Vive le roi! I prefer these to the small travel sized Barbasol or other shaving creams, both for the small size and for how I like the shave.
For the razor, I like to use a Shick Slim Twin disposable. I can get one week's use from each. Also, the Avid 4 is a good shaver and I like the design. Sometimes I take the ST razor just because I have so many of them. One time I was at Target and they were on the rack that said something such as "final closeout" or whatever, to indicate that they weren't going to be available any more. I bought about 20 packs of 15 razors, which will last me for approximately 5 years. Then I noted on subsequent trips to Target, CVS, supermarket, etc, that these razors hadn't gone anywhere. This has been about two years now. Sheesh. [Still, I like to stock up. I have a bunch of socks and shirts in the plastic set aside for a rainy day, as well as several pairs of loafers]
I won't go as far as that Swedish guy who cuts the handle off the bic razor and travels with just the head and an aspirin tablet.
One of my recent additions is the alum block, such as that carried by Duluth trading co. I broke off a small chip and carry with me in case of nicks or cuts. Works like a charm. In general I don't bother with perfume or after shave when travelling.
So, for me, shaving gear is 1 tube of shaving oil and 1 razor per week of travel.
Great post, Max! Thanks.
I am also an adept of the alum stick. Actually, the alum stick is also the perfect deodorant. I have been using them for more than ten years when they were started to be marketed as Crystal Deodorants. So I first got to know them as a deo and then as a shaving supply. When you look around you will see that they are produced in small sizes, that are great for travel. Even the small stick will last for two years with daily use and only cost around 4-5 bucks. The deodorants stick have the advantage that they are easier to handle and better protected from breakage. You have certainly noticed how when the alum block breaks it becomes sharper than any razor.
Talking about razors. Here are my first impressions of the KoS Azor razor. In a word: BAD!
It looks great. The design is just beautiful. The weight is the lightest around. That's where the good stuff stops.
The biggest problem is the angle of the razor blades to the beard. It is too steep. Normally the razor blades should be at about a 30* angle to the skin in order to cut the beard properly. Here they are close to parallel to the skin, I'd estimate a 15* angle. This is so steep that the blades do not grab the hair well. As a result you try to change the angle by tilting the razor handle away from your face and applying more pressure. This does not work well because the rubber joint the allows the razor head some flexibility is not elastic enough. So in order to get the right angle you really have to apply too much pressure and that makes for a very rough shave. The other possibility is to actually tilt the handle so that it is basically touching your cheek. This will also bring the blades in the correct position but it is very awkward and not ergonomic at all, in my eyes.
Furthermore, if you are trying to shave the corners of the mouth and under the nose or the Adam's apple against the grain, this position means that the handle is either almost poking your eye out (mouth corner), poking you in the jaw (Adam's apple) or just totally in the way (under the nose). The undernose shaving is compounded by the fact that the blade is very large, particularly the area under the blades (where the elastic strip is on a Fusion or Sensor or Schick). There is no rear blade to mitigate this circumstance as with the Fusion or Schick.
Shave quality was not quite as close as the Schick and it took much longer to get this result since the angle made it necessary to experiment and to do many more passes. This also irritated the skin quite a bit. I had probably 15-20 bloody spot on the neck.
Clearly, IMHO, the Azor is NOT recommended. Hey, I took one for the team. I wonder what I'll do with my extra blades...
I read a ton of reviews on this thing. About two thirds said it was wonderful and one third said it was rubbish (British reviews). Usually, I side with the majority viewpoint once I try something out. But not this time. Maybe I should change my review paradigm from buying something if it is recommended by 70% to only buying it when it is recommended by at least 80%.
Till
I like the Braun PocketGo P70 (I think it used to be called the 370):
http://www.amazon.com/Braun-Pocket-Shaver-370-PocketGo/dp/B00007M9SU/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1238395505&sr=8-1
Under $10, has a trimmer, runs on AA batteries so no charger/adapters needed, washable.
Do you own that one? Very smart design, I must say. However, it seems like it weighs more than 200g. So that would be a tad heavy. If it shaves well and at that price, it would still be a nice recommendation for those who don't like to shave wet. Otherwise, the Schick QT probably wins on weight and quality of shave.
I have not had much luck with the electrics. At one point I was given a Norelco and my face always felt very chapped after wards. I like the disposable Schick (and athe AVid 4 for the same reason) because they are very light weight, and they have a fixed head angle that I like, as well as for me, 2 blades works fine. I also like that the Schick has a little bar thing that pushes out the gunk from between the blades.
Thanks for the tip on the alum = deod. crystal. My mom gave me one a few years ago and I didn't know what to do with the thing. I thought it was some weird new age fad or something.
Razor and soap is a simple as it gets. I've been using soap (dove) to shave (in the shower) at home and on the road for years. Works great!
OK, this might be a bit beyond what most here would consider a "1bag" kit, but bear with me. I'm a big fan of traditional wetshaving (with proper shaving lather, shave brush, and single blade safety razor) and I've made a number of tutorial videos about it, including one about travel with wetshaving gear (its at the "Author URL" link). I'll have to weigh everything when I get home tonight but my plastic travel razor, synthetic brush, and cream containers can't weigh more than a few ounces.
Wow! That is an amazing video. The content is great but what is even more amazing is the professional production value. Are you in the business? I had never seen that black plastic DE razor, either. Kinda sexy. Where is it from?
As I am re-reading my original article, I notice it is riddled with mistakes. I humbly apologize. I should not get into a writing frenzy in the middle of the night and then do a sloppy proof. Please take note that although English is not my native language, I am capable of writing a text without mistakes, except for commas, which I will never understand in English. ;) I hope my mistakes are not interpreted as disrespect to the fine readers of this blog, and that they are not detrimental to the message and content of my post.
Till-- I was an engineer at a TV station many years ago so yes, I had a little production experience (though I had to learn non-linear video editing since it wasn't invented until after I was ouf of the business!). The black razor is from Zorrik. I found it for $1 at one of those "everything's a buck" stores a few years ago. I haven't seen them since though.
Oh, by the way, check out the traditional shaving subculture at forums like www.badgerandblade.com, www.shavemyface.com, and www.theshaveden.com.
Alright, now I am relieved you're not an "everyday person" in regard to video editing. :)
I will look up the Zorrik. I'm already quite familiar with those forums but thanks for mentioning them in this thread. You are right in that it is a real sub-culture. Interestingly, there seem to be a lot of young people going back to very traditional shaving methods and sparing no expense of time and money to do so.
Tomorrow will be another shave with the QT and the Alpha Oil. I am waiting a bit longer again to let my skin recover from the run-in with the Azor.
I actually waited yet another day. So that's a 72 hour beard I had when I used the QT today. I used five drops of oil but took special care that my face was actually really wet with water before I applied the oil. Massaged the oil in for 20-30 seconds and let it sit another 20 seconds. What followed was a great shave with absolutely no irritation. Baby smooth. I did need to clean the blades with a little brush from my electric razor three times during the shave. This seems normal since a) the QT doesn't rinse as easily as more open designs and b) the stubble was quite long.
I did not need any aftershave. I did use some aftershave balm anyway but more because of its SPF than to calm my skin.
The single blade on the back was necessary again. Four blades (or five as in the Fusion) are simply too wide to get me close to my nose. The single blade shaving needs a little more practice but I'm optimistic.
Altogether I think I've found the optimal travel shaving combo for me in the QT with Trimmer plus oil.
Maybe my GF can use the Azor for her legs. It would seem the angle at which one has to hold it would actually be good for that purpose. It sure is not good for shaving a face.
Small update on using shave oil with electric razor.
This is what I did today following the instructions on the label that came with the oil. They say you can either do it on a wet or a dry face. I decided to go for wet. Three drops of oil. Results were bad: Uneven shave, more irritation than just plain dry, actually much more irritation that oil and blade on wet face.
Moreover, the razor was harder to clean, smelled not so good (I keep it absolutely clean between shaves), gunked up and had to be cleaned twice before I even finished shaving. I had a good 24h stubble.
So, this was really NOT a good experience. Try it out for yourselves. It's not gonna kill you but I bet you won't like the results.
Next thing I will try is an electric shave with a bit of foam. All of this is happening with my Panasonic Wet-Dry shaver that gives me really excellent results when I use it as an ordinary electric shaver. I read about people who use it with foam and they say they get better results than dry. We will see. All I can say is that using it with oil really doesn't give good results.
Till
Last week I tried a shaving foam I bought from Whole Foods. It is EO brand, and I liked the ingredients. However, as a shaving cream it was not good. Since it is a pump bottle, and not an aerosol, it is not very dense. Whereas Barbasol type creams feel like Cool-Whip, this stuff is even thinner than hair mousse. So, there is not much adhesion to the skin, and it results in a poor shave.
Nevertheless, I paid around $8 for this so I hate for it to go to waste. Unfortunately, I have to shave an area on my leg (don't ask), so I will try it out on that. I have no experience with shaving other than my mug, so I don't know what to expect.
I try to offload stuff that doesn't work for my face to my GF to use for her legs. Sometimes it works for her, sometimes not. Perhaps you should actually try to bring the product back and say it didn't perform to your satisfaction. In Germany they'd love you out of the shop but here that might work.
The alum stick as deo and aftershave works great and is actually not a new age fad but a very classic and classy tool that's been around for a long time. The reason not more people use it is that it is not a great product to market. They last forever, I mean literally years. So you pay $5 for a deodorant that last and performs well for two years. There seems to be too little money in it for the manufacturer and people don't believe something like that actually could exist. So they continue buying Axe or whatever with I don't know what kind of chemicals in it, instead of this natural product.
On leg shaving: About eight years ago I used a lady's depilatory device (Epilady?) on a small patch of my shin. I did this because I thought this thing with its spiral mechanism must hurt like hell. My GF said that it doesn't hurt. So I wanted to try it. I shaved an area about 2x3 inches. Guess what? After eight years, you can still tell where I shaved because hardly any hair has grown back. Obviously, your body hair might grow differently but this might be worth a try if you are sick of having to shave your leg.
Just off-loaded the Kos razor to my GF. We'll see if she uses it. I used it again once at her place. A c+ at best.
I also noted that I wrote "they will love you out of the shop in Germany". Don't get your hopes up! I meant they will laugh you out of the shop. :)
Regarding the Schick:
Two days ago I decided to throw out the Schick Titanium blade I've been using since APRIL. It had at least 30 shaves on it and might have gone longer. But at this point I decided I had gotten out my money's worth.
I am very pleased.
Till
Finally, I got around to trying the Panasonic ES-8068 with shaving cream. The ES-8068 is a former top model from Panny. It still performs very well even after 8 years of use (that is about once a week use coming to something like 1.5 years daily use).
I used the Tabac Original Shaving cream which gives me great results when used with brush and blade. The only difference was that I didn't whip up a thick foam with a brush but I put some cream on my washed/wet face and massaged it in with the fingertips. I had a 48 hour scruff. It took longer than dry shaving and I had less control of where I was shaving. It was necessary, or I felt so, to rinse the shaver twice. It took about 5-6 minutes versus 3 for pure dry shaving. I still cannot understand how some guys take 15 minutes for a shave. So in terms of time savings, this takes me as long as an oil shave or a foam can shave. A self-made brushed lather takes 10-12 minutes for me. I think in a travel context when one is often in a hurry these things do matter.
Now, all the reviews say that Pannys really perform best when used with a bit of foam or even with just water. Strangely enough, I got AGAIN more irritation than using it just dry. I think I might have pressed to hard. I actually cut myself under the chin. That has never happened with an electric razor before for me. And on my neck I got a bruise that looks like a hickey. The funny thing is that one Amazon reviewer says EXACTLY the same thing about the hickey and use of an electric Panasonic shaver with foam.
Was it worth it? No! But in the spots where it didn't miss hair, it was indeed very, very close to a wet blade shave. I was quite amazed. Missing hairs is not only a shaver problem but can be attributed to how well the user handles the shaver. As usual the neck area is difficult.
I will give it another chance with foam and might even try just plain water. Normally, plain water will produce more drag but some have reported good results.
Tomorrow is the scheduled delivery date of my new electric razor: the Panasonic ES8243K. It is the ARC IV Nano model and supposed to be terrific. The thing has caused a real ruckus with the shaving nerds on their forums. It is also lighter than my current model (255 vs. 189g) and about the same weight as My Philips Norelco Arcitec 1090 which I also kind of bought for traveling but use mostly back home in Germany (it's stationed there so I don't need to even bring an electric shaver).
I'll let you know how it performs.
Inspired by a thread about the use of olive oil on Electric Razor Rap, I set out to explain the conundrum that exists when combining the question of when one should shave and whether or what products one should use before and after the shave. I hope this helps to clarify the situation.
The reason most manufacturers recommend against experimenting with practically anything is what I call the "Idiot Factor". People will go crazy and do God knows what and then complain they had a bad rash or their shaver exploded.
Many of the shave oil products might actually contain olive oil. I tried Jojoba and it worked just fine. There is also a difference whether the oil is used to lube the blade or whether it is used on the face.
The idea that olive oil would dull the blade, no matter how it is used, is very strange. I will say that it cannot have anything to do with microscopic particles suspended in the oil because the whiskers the blade cuts are much thicker than any particles in the oil. Blades are often sharpened with oil or water (in addition to stones, of course) to actually give a more even sharpening and to suspend particles or wash them away, depending on the stage of the sharpening process. Oil will also help to prevent oxidation of the blade. Some knives, scissors and razor blades will receive a thin coat of oil for storage. Some wet razor blade freaks advocate to immerse the entire blade in mineral or olive oil while it is not in use. Oxidation comes from water and oxygen. A blade fully immersed in oil will get neither. For wet shaving oxidation is given as one of the primary reasons for blade dulling, more so than abrasion from actually cutting the facial hair. There is no reason this should be different with electric shavers. It's a blade made of metal and subject to the same phenomena.
The idea of lubricating the skin to ensure a better glide probably doesn't need any explanation. The trick is to find just the right amount to give better glide instead of more drag and more gunk (another reason shaver mfrs are against the use of oils and pre-shaves). More gunk means higher friction thus more heat and blade abuse. But just a little bit of oil on the skin and on the blade will not create enough gunk and allow for a faster shave with less friction. Faster shave means less run time, means less blade abrasion, means better shaves for a longer time period. Obviously, better shaves for a longer time period is not in your interest when you are in the business of selling replacement blades and foils. Providing warranty on gunked up shavers where users have gone overboard is not in the manufacturers' interest, either. Hence their recommendation.
So those who say one should follow the manufacturers recommendation are only half right. If one has not enough common sense to see these things, it is a good idea to follow the recommendations. If one is critical enough, one will ask the "cui bono" question (who profits?) before heeding the recommendation.
Now, if the foil is really smooth and the user has a very clean and dry face there will also be minimal friction. That is perhaps easier to achieve than choosing the right lubricating substrate and applying it correctly.
This also explains the pre or post shower question where it is recommended to either shave before showering (but after cleaning the face) or to wait 15 minutes after showering. The problem of shaving after the shower is that the water will not only make the hair swell and make it soft, thus harder to grab by the foil, but it will also make the skin swell temporarily, so less of the hair stands out. It is a similar puffy skin effect as after getting up (see the recommendation on waiting 15 minutes after getting up). Moreover, the continued warmth of the shower opens the pores and makes the skin's natural oils come to the surface. This can create too much drag (but is good for wet shaving) and is the reason why moisturizing is so important.
Pre-shaves like the now elusive Lectric Ultra Gel or even the liquid versions contain alcohol and other astringent liquids. The idea is to a) disinfect the skin before shaving because bacteria on the skin can easily get into the skin and cause redness (mini inflammations), b) work as an astringent. The astringent will contract the skin around the whisker. The whisker will be more exposed and standing up better, thus easier to grasp. Rubbing with the fingertips against the grain and a bit of slapping can enhance that effect. The pre-shaves are meant to be used sparingly and supposed to be used only after they are completely dried. Just don't wait too long or the astringent effect is gone. I would say the most benefit can be had when you use such a pre-shave lotion if you decide to shave BEFORE showering. It can "wake up" your skin and give you a clean face without adding too much moisture like you might get from a full face wash.
Exfoliation of the skin be it with a sugar scrub, an exfoliating gel or a wash cloth is also recommended for the closest shave. In theory, exfoliation before shaving should help against ingrown hairs. Exfoliating daily might be too much of a good thing, which is why wet shaving daily often creates so much irritations among those who must shave daily. But exfoliating for example twice a week makes sense.
Moisturizing and disinfecting after the shave is equally a good habit. The skin needs to get back some of its oils and moisture to protect it and it is a good idea to disinfect again after the shave. Since alcohol is usually used as a disinfectant and alcohol is also an astringent (like menthol or campher) it will close the pores and help prevent any impurities from settling in the still open pores. So a quick rinse (first luke warm to get any leftover pre-shave lotion and any small hair particles off, then cold water to close the pores) after a dry shave makes sense and should be followed by the application of an after shave balm instead of a non-moisturizing after shave.
By the way, the 8243 razor is TERRIFIC so far. Hard to believe an electric can be this good. Lightweight, too, with a decent travel case and a lightweight multi-voltage charger.
Cheers,
Till