Thread: New Member and First Shave

I shaved with a DE for about 20 years before finding straights.

The DE does a pretty decent job, but it still uses disposable blades. The disposable blades while sharp, just don't have the feel of the well cared for straight razor. The feel is not as smooth. It's hard really to describe. I think the stropping is what makes the difference. Get good at stropping your straight razor and you'll not wish to shave with the DE.

I went back to the DE a few weeks ago, was in a rush or something and thought I'd save some time. OMG. lots of blood, did not feel that same smooth shave... It will be a while before I go back again... I love my straights!!!

Originally Posted by YaDave

Don't get me wrong, i am still going to shave with straights; however, i will definitely keep the DE for traveling etc. BUT my question is this... how does a shave from the safety razor compair to that of a properly sharpened straight edge?

I recieved a straight razor by donation from one of the members (thank you) and it was sent as a sample to show me what a "shave ready" straight razor should feel like.

I have enjoyed two very decent shaves considering i am still a rookie. I have only nicked myself once and it was just under the ear lobe but very minor. First shave with the donated razor was good and sharp but i realized, through some more reading, that i was pressing the blade against my skin too hard. So the second shave i went a little lighter and i had less skin irritation and the shave was just as nice.

I'm not sure if i stropped the razor for my second shave as good as it was when i received it but my face hair was a little longer on the second shave than the first so that could be a factor. Any thoughts?

Also i seem to have a battle with my chin hairs; however, i think it might be related to my hair length. Is there a link between tugging/pulling and hair length? I am used to letting the hair grow for at least 4 days because of previous irritation but now with the staight edge i dont have that problem so perhaps i should be shaving every 3 days.

Your feed back is greatly appreciated.

Welcome aboard! As you've probably figured out, stropping is a necessity before any SR shave. Because the SR has such a fine edge, they're prone to slight tweaks and such during use. A strop will take care of these. You can get a good linen/leather strop through such sites as classicshaving.com, as I did. It cost about $35 US. 30 passes on the linen side and 60 on the leather, and it's off to the races. You might also review the sub forum dealing with soaps/creams. You really want something that will provide a nice cushion between your face and the blade. I'm currently rotating between AOS Lemon, Proraso, and Truefitt & Hill's West Indian Limes.

Chin whiskers are notoriously difficult to deal with. I would say the best thing is to watch your angle, use VERY short strokes (fractions of an inch), and keep the skin as tight as possible while working in that area. This is one of the few areas I still use a Mach 3 for cleanup, then again, I've only been at this for about 6 weeks.

Welcome to your new obsession!

I gather from your post that you already have a strop... Stropping takes practice to learn, just like everything else. Take it slow to start out (especially on flipping the razor) and you'll get it. Remember: slow is smooth, smooth is fast.

It sounds like the shaves are going pretty well for someone at your level. It just takes some practice to get the angles right, especially around the chin. Most of us had the same difficulties when we started out.

Keep at it, and you'll get there!