Quote Originally Posted by Ptreaper View Post
My new razor came in the mail today also. A pro - sharpened Dovo 5/8 Imitation mother of pearl. My strop from Tony Miller also arrived today. The first thing I did was watch “The World of Straight Razor Shaving” DVD that I ordered with the razor.

I have been using a DE for over a year now. After trying several razor – blade combinations, I get a very close DE shave with no irritation or cuts. When I started with the DE, I dove in head first and never shaved with a multi-blade since. So that’s how I plan to do it with the straight.

The first shave was awkward to say the least. It was not quite as close as a DE, but not a bad experience either. The ATG pass caused a lot of irritation on my lower neck. Overall it was a much better shave than my first DE shave even though the alum block burned a bit more than usual. I attribute this to knowing the grain of my beard from using the DE and reading all the material I could find on this subject before I actually used the straight. I also watched several videos on youtube with guys using the straight.

I have ordered another razor (not pre sharpened) and a few hones. I plan to hone my own razors as needed and felt I should jump right in. With the help of this forum I think I can do it. I would recommend anyone wanting to use a straight to watch “World of Straight Razor Shaving” DVD.
Yup, that sounds about right... you're hooked but good!

Quote Originally Posted by Dups View Post
I've never used the alum block but I think the witch hazel I use is kinda the same thing.

the ice cube feels great afterwards!
I gotta order some witch hazel...Definitely trying the ice cube tonight, then following it with the alum block.