Slightly demotivated.. The quest for the elusive BBS

[MikekiM]

I've been told it should take me about 100 shaves to get the hang of things.. I am about half through and I think I have a good grip on the overall technique. I get very few weepers or irritation, and generally the shaves are acceptable. DFS for sure. And I love the process..

This morning time was against me so I reached for the Weber DE...

BBS doesn't describe the shave I get from the Weber, regardless of blade or cream selection. Three passes. Done. My face is absolutely clean of ANY stubble. I mean NOTHING!! That clean of a shave. (I'll be faceterbating all day..)

If you know what I am talking about, then please help me. And be honest and frank.. Are straights capable of giving me this close of a shave? Or, is the bar set so high I am destined for disappointment?

[DGilloon]

Don't give up.I got a good single pass shave this weekend from a SE. I suspect it's less about technique now than the edge of your blades and your maintenance program. Come to the meet up on Sunday in Ft Lee and have somebody look closely at your razor. Should get some help there.

[gssixgun]

Yes you can get there and with more comfort then the DE can give you..

Honestly my reason for using a SR is simply comfort, BBS DFS or any other "S" is secondary to me..

But using Scything and blade buffing you can do quite a bit with a SR..

Also Honing and stropping play a large role in this along with you narrowing down the type of razor that works with your face..


Break that all down and what I just said was yes, but the learning curve to BBS is quite steep for many of us that have "real" beards

[UKRob]

This is my third year of using straights - I also have a selection of SE razors and a couple of Kamisoris so I tend to mix up what I use throughout the week. As Glen said, you can get the same level of shave as with a DE - I'd qualify that by saying it will not be as fast.

What I found is that you will at some stage move to a different level with your straights - other people have experienced this - without any discernable change in what you are doing. However, some days are just not as good - I put this down to the fact that lifestyle has an impact on skin condition and sometimes I'm living better than other times.

The offer to get your razor checked out is one you should take up if possible.

[OCDshaver]

Its definitely possible. I do it every time I shave. My first suggestion is to closely identify what you are doing with your DE and duplicate the motions, and angles with your SR. I found that the only way to a BBS shave was really knowing what direction the beard was growing in and how I needed to manage cutting it in order to get it completely smooth. I would also suggest that you focus in on how you might get a BBS shave in one particular area of your shave. When you nail it, because of getting the right angle or blade technique, you move on to another area. Every time you nail one area down, you're piecing together the elements of your shave. Don't try to figure the whole shave out at once. Break it down into smaller tasks that can be accomplished one at a time. Maybe the area under your chin is a problem. So you think about what direction the hair grows, how you manage to get it clean with a DE, and you attempt to mimic that with a SR. Think carefully about how you might need to hold the razor in order to mimic what you were doing with a DE.

[MJC]

+1 to all of the comments above...Having just passed the one year mark using a Straight I can tell that you are on the path..just keep at it.

Now that you have the basic skills down (you no longer look like you have been in a gang fight, and your gang did not show up) the next level comes in small steps.
Great edges, great stropping and coming up with an angle/stretching system for each area of your face just comes with practice.

One day I was watching a youtube of a Japanese barber with a Kamisori. I noted that he shaved in between his thumb and fore finger, tensioning small patches of skin at a time. I tried this on my throat and some other areas and had great results. It's these little things that you experiment with that get the shave dialed in to BBS.

But it is soooo worth the effort.

Good luck and good shaving!

[MikekiM]

Thanks all..

No plans to give up, just don't want to have expectations that are too high.

All of my edges have been honed professionally and I do a decent job with stropping. Sadly, I can't make the MeetUp on Sunday.

I have yet to figure out how to go ATG and that is the major differences with my DE passes and SR passes.

I do use Scything, as well as I can without opening myself up. I've been stretching and tugging and bit by bit piecing things together.. but while my results are improving with every shave, they are miles away from what I can pull off with a DE.. Having said that, I've been shaving with a DE for years and know I have to be patient...

[OCDshaver]

I have yet to figure out how to go ATG and that is the major differences with my DE passes and SR passes.

Ah, there you have it.

[BobH]

Yea, it took quite a while for me to equal the shaves I was getting from my Gillette Fat Boy DE but I eventually got there. After a little over a year, slow learner here, of using a straight the straights are starting to pull ahead a bit. Getting the ATG pass working will make a big difference for you.

Bob

[MikekiM]

A year...

Good news is, it's out there. This helps me with both time frame and expectations.

I'll take this as a challenge and slow down...

Thanks Gents!