Thread: SRP Mentorship... a hard earned success story.

Hey all!
I apologize ahead of time if my post is long winded... but I have a bit to say.
I posted a thread last week asking if my technique was bad... or my razors just stunk...
I had been using a parker shavette for about a year... with poor results. Razor burn, bumps, PAIN!!!!!
One member suggested I contact nun2sharp on here, as he is a moderator on the site just a couple of hours away from me. I did so and he promptly returned my message with his number, asking me to call him that night. After a great conversation, we had decided to meet up this weekend, since I would be in the Kansas City area. I was honestly super surprised that someone would be so willing to help a complete stranger out like this. One on One attention.

Kelly was kind enough to invite me into his home and share a beer with me as we decided to cover some ground. He showed me a good deal of his collection of blades, strops, stones, pre and post-shave gear... but what blew me away was him saying "if you see something you want to use... we can use it. That kind of generosity isn't everywhere nowadays folks.
We decided to start off with my shavette and see if my technique was just poor. He gave me a shaving demo on himself and
We put some hot water on, hot towels... the works. My face was red and wiskers as soft as I could get them.

I started shaving and came into the same problems that I was normally facing... Major tugging, pulling, and discomfort. Especially on the ATG strokes. I was keeping a keen eye on my angles... but that didnt seem to be it. We decided to see if a sharp Dovo Bismark would work... No luck. The razor would skip over whiskers on my chin... and this razor was FLIPPING SHARP.
We probably went through about a half dozen of Kelly's traditional blades before I made a comment.

" I think I'll probably go back to my dad's Double edge. It's nice and heavy and just plows through these whiskers."
Kelly said "stay here" and next thing I know... I hear him stropping another blade. He places what I thought was a cinder block in my hand and told me to try it. I was looking at a Beautiful Wade & Butcher IXL The Celebrated hollow For barbers use 8/8"

Well... I went to work... and despite the fact that after an hour of using other blades... and an ANGRY face... AND the fact that I had people telling me not to even try big blades...

I was smiling from ear to ear. I finally knew what a comfortable shave was... and I ended up cleaning up as best I could with this meat chopper. Using that razor felt so amazingly natural. It was beyond belief.

I finally know what my face wants. It want's a hefty blade. The W & B weighed in at a hefty 3.63 Oz and I am now on the search for one just like it (Just lost 2 ebay auctions tonight... cr*p). I'm putting down my shavette for the time being... and am on a hunt for a similar blade. I can say I have fallen in love with the look of Charlie Lewis' blades... but they are WAAAY out of my price range.
As an amateur knifemaker... I hope to try making a razor one day.

For all intents and purposes... this is a success story. Thanks to Kelly, I found my niche. I found where I need to go in order to tame my wire whiskers and truly enjoy a comfortable shave.

Thank you, Kelly, for your incredible generosity, patience, and great attitude. Spending that time learning about straight razor shaving was an amazing experience!

Glad to hear that you didn't give up. While we may not all live so close together as Kelly and you do. There are plenty of people here willing to help.

I too suffer from the wire whisker syndrome. Along with hefty blades I found others that work also. Griffin Carbo Magnetic is among the others that work great for me. Others are Boker, Morley & Sons, A. Feist Luna, Maher & Grosh, and an Acme. Some are carbon, while others are silver steel or stainless, etc. Of course my technique has gotten much better also. Though I still haven't tried a shavette yet I do have DEs and imagine it would be a much different shave then a real straight or even a safety razor.

Finding the right razor is half the fun. Enjoy!

I did try some heavier razors at Kelly's place. All 7/8 and slightly lighter. But nothing felt so natural as the full on weight of the 8/8. I'm scouring ebay for one, (2 sold yesterday)... but all i'm seeing is 7/8ths and very expensive ultra-restored 8/8s.
I dont have enough money to buy a 7/8ths and not be completely happy with it, so I'm waiting.

One day, I'll find her!

Luis, I thank you for the many kind words and I was more than happy to share one of your beers with you! Most of all I am happy the time was well spent helping a new found friend find his niche. Now if we can find the right "chopper", bliss will be at hand!

Kelly aka nun2sharp

BTW I hope your face is healing well! LOL

Originally Posted by dukeofwails

I did try some heavier razors at Kelly's place. All 7/8 and slightly lighter. But nothing felt so natural as the full on weight of the 8/8. I'm scouring ebay for one, (2 sold yesterday)... but all i'm seeing is 7/8ths and very expensive ultra-restored 8/8s.
I dont have enough money to buy a 7/8ths and not be completely happy with it, so I'm waiting.

One day, I'll find her!

Agreed - they provide an awesome shave!!

Know exactly where you're coming from. I've got two of the monsters you're talking about, both 9/8, one is the celebrated hollow, FBU, weigh's in similar to the one you used, the tang won't even fit into the wire razor stand I have. Took me a long time to find them...have a look in the Butcher Shop, a sub-forum under Razor's and you'll see all kinds...give you an idea what you're looking for.

edited to add: Revisor has a nice 8/8 razor, hollow ground....not a lot of weight to it though and at a reasonable price.

YES! At last someone else who thinks that anything less than 8/8 is just wasting their time!


Mick