Thread: New to SR shaving - First shave with Dovo Special 5/8 Faux Tortoise

Hey Everybody,

New to SR shaving here! Got into it randomly about a month ago when I decided to go to a local barber for my first straight shave (also my first attempt at growing facial hair...I'm Asian and don't grow that much hair, but I would say a decent amount for my ethnicity!). They had the disposable ones so I picked one up off of him for $20 to get me started. It was a generic Moreville razor, I don't think I even found it online when I tried a search. Nonetheless, I tried it and cut myself up pretttty badly! Terrible first shot at it haha! So I decided to do some research and look into an actual straight razor and found a local store here in Edmonton that had some pretty good prices. The razor was $189, but because I got a complete set (bison leather 2.5 inch strop that I don't know the brand of, an Edwin Jagger bowl, Kent BLK2 badger brush and a puck of col. conk shaving soap) I got 10% off, which made the razor itself cheaper than anywhere I've seen online yet.

Now for the shave....
When I purchased the blade they told me it was sharpened and ready to go so I took it home, lathered up a nice mug of foam and gave it a shot!
Well....they definitely weren't right about it being shave ready as it was grabbing and tugging at my hairs so I finished what I could and luckily only made minimal cuts. I tried using my left hand (right hand dominant) and that definitely didn't work out so I finished off with a technique that would make most of you cringe...I call it freestyling haha.

I took it back to them to get it sharpened (their honemeister wasn't in the day I purchased the razor) and was asked if it mattered if they taped the spine or not. Me being the newbie that I am, asked what it was for. They told me that most people don't like the 'polish' that it puts on the spine and that they would need about 16 pieces of tape and it would be a huge hassle getting all the glue off from blade. I figured they knew what they were talking about so I told them not to worry about it.

Brought it back home, looked at the spine and saw that there was so much wear on it already from that sharpening! The rounded edge of the spine had flat spots on both sides! needless to say I was a little choked about it so I called them back and they said that there wasn't anything they could do as the blade had already been used. Well...I tried the hanging hair test on it (to the best of my ability anyways) and it didn't cut it, but I figured it was because I didn't know what I was doing.

Second shave....

P.s. sorry the read is this long! You can quit here if you want!

Took a shower while I soaked the brush in the scuttle in hot water. Came out, gave my blade a stropping, whipped up some lather and went to town.

The shave was amazing! (based on my newbie review!). I didn't cut myself once! I did two passes, one with the grain and one against. I tried the left hand again and it was definitely a lot better than the first. Never before has my chin felt this baby smooth. It was almost as if I had never grown hair on my chin before! Right side, baby smooth...left side...could use a bit more practicing on my angles haha. All in all, I'm very happy with the purchase so far! Feedback on anything I've written is also very much appreciated too!

Cheers guys and thanks for reading this far!

**To give credit to the store though, aside from the wear put on my brand new blade I was very happy with the people as they were some of the friendliest and most patient staff that I've dealt with. Helped me out with any questions I had and stayed patient with me even when it took me 45 minutes just to pick out a brush!**

Phillay, thank you for the amazing story. I myself have to go a lot slower. I'm happy just doing two passes on the right side of my face and having a better result than yesterday, but nothing incredibly good yet. It is only by third attempt at straight razor shaving.

Welcome to the forums. Keep reporting your experiences. You can learn from the folks here. Meanwhile, it looks like you are doing great!

Can you please post a photo of your razor?

So many thanks

Bob

Originally Posted by BobCochran

Phillay, thank you for the amazing story. I myself have to go a lot slower. I'm happy just doing two passes on the right side of my face and having a better result than yesterday, but nothing incredibly good yet. It is only by third attempt at straight razor shaving.

Welcome to the forums. Keep reporting your experiences. You can learn from the folks here. Meanwhile, it looks like you are doing great!

Can you please post a photo of your razor?

So many thanks

Bob

My pleasure Bob, glad to get some feedback! As requested, here is a picture of my new setup!

That is really nice, Phillay! What kind of soap is that? Or is it a cream? I know it is a Col. Conk product, but I'm not sure exactly what it is.

Can you please post close up photos of the razor, too? Especially the blade, front and back? I'm so curious. No need to do it, of course, it is just my personal curiousity at work as a beginner.

Bob

Originally Posted by BobCochran

That is really nice, Phillay! What kind of soap is that? Or is it a cream? I know it is a Col. Conk product, but I'm not sure exactly what it is.

Can you please post close up photos of the razor, too? Especially the blade, front and back? I'm so curious. No need to do it, of course, it is just my personal curiousity at work as a beginner.

Bob

Absolutely my friend, here ya go! Being a beginner myself I know exactly how you feel with the curiosity! I've probably spent on average about 3 hours a day looking up things related to straight razors!
As for the soap, it's a glycerin soap (bayrum) that smells amazing! Haven't tried it out yet as I've just been using the RS shaving cream that I picked up from Shoppers Drug mart which has been working out pretty good for me, will be trying the soap in a couple days (yes it takes me a 2-3 days to grow enough hair to shave haha) and I'll add that review to this post as well!

Also, it might be a little bit hard to see but in the first picture you'll see what I'm talking about in regards to the spine wear. Its the same on the back too !

Hi Phillay,

Thank you so much for posting the photos. I don't know anything about detecting or judging spine wear, so I'll learn from you and others on the forum. I think you purchased a very nice set. Very nice!

Bob

Hi Phillay,
Nice story and great setup. I am waiting on the same razor and UPS tell me they'll deliver tomorrow. It's my first too. Can't wait. It's enough reading and youtubes, time for action (well hopefully not too much )

Good to hear it's working out ok for you. Did you happen to buy from a knife shop or was it a dedicated shaving shop. If a knife shop try a razor shop for your next honing and I'm sure you will be surprised at the difference. And again any questions feel free to ask.

Congrats on the smooth start! That is a nice razor. I have been looking at the same one online.

Hi Phillay,
I live just south of you in Leduc. I haven't been to that store on Whyte ave yet but i want to check it out. Like you i have just had my first couple shaves with a straight. I bought a Unseen blade on Whipped dog for pretty cheap and I'm pretty happy with what i received in the mail. I got a A.F Bannisters & co blade the scales look to be replaced but the blade still looks pretty good. I gave myself a couple minor nicks but otherwise did pretty well. I havent been able to get as close of a shave as i do with my DE yet but im sure that will come with time. Which barber shop did you go to first to get your hot shave? I have tried a couple places in the city but always curious about others.