Thread: Introduction and first question

Shaved this morning for the first time using Proraso Sapone. HOW HAVE I MISSED OUT ON THIS BEFORE TODAY!?!?!?!

I will also be petitioning Pete Olsen to push the sale of Barbasol as a war crime - haha.

Now, to get a better razor and work it on up!

Edit: Pete Olsen is the US Rep for my district for those not in G. Houston. Doesn't really matter - as a joke anyway.

Shaved this morning with an old restored Böker wedge, courtesy of Sharptonn. "FANTASTIC!!" is a good word to describe the aftermath.

Tomorrow will be my old Böker extra-hollow, also courtesy of Sharptonn!

Thanks again!

Just an update if anyone is still reading this (I guess it's become a sort of journal for my progress):

I've got now a solid rotation of two antique Bökers (a wedge and an extra-hollow - although the extra-hollow is being confiscated by the girlfriend who's been getting into this), and a gifted Dovo Bismarck.

Also picked up a sampler pack from Taylor of Old Bond Street in this weekend, and will be working through those for the next two weeks. The sandalwood is fantastic, though; used that one this morning.

Rich

My names Andrew. Im 26 and picked up a straight razor for the first time a couple weeks ago. I went to the barber shop a couple months ago and got a straight razor side shave with my haircut. Ive been hooked ever since. I did some research and finally settled on the Buffalo Horn Damascus Straight Razor and Luxury Shave Set from straightrazor.com

So far ive enjoyed it. been shaving with it for about a week. after a little practice on a balloon i found myself trying it on my face with some pretty good results. Im getting more comfortable with my own face and holding a sharp razor to it. My questions are what kind of preshave oil should i use? How can i get a closer shave on the neck, my hair is fairly course and i feel like there is too much tug if i try against the grain. yes my razor is shave ready and i strop it atleast before i shave daily. what would someone recommend as a second razor. The one i have is a round tip.

Originally Posted by Andrew1016

My names Andrew. Im 26 and picked up a straight razor for the first time a couple weeks ago. I went to the barber shop a couple months ago and got a straight razor side shave with my haircut. Ive been hooked ever since. I did some research and finally settled on the Buffalo Horn Damascus Straight Razor and Luxury Shave Set from straightrazor.com

So far ive enjoyed it. been shaving with it for about a week. after a little practice on a balloon i found myself trying it on my face with some pretty good results. Im getting more comfortable with my own face and holding a sharp razor to it. My questions are what kind of preshave oil should i use? How can i get a closer shave on the neck, my hair is fairly course and i feel like there is too much tug if i try against the grain. yes my razor is shave ready and i strop it atleast before i shave daily. what would someone recommend as a second razor. The one i have is a round tip.

Welcome Andrew,

As Rich can probably tell you there is a big difference between what the factory calls shave ready and what we call shave ready on the forum. I started with a Gold Dollar as well, Funny how college kids seem to find those, and thought it was good until i used a properly honed edge. World of difference. It looks like you got some good stuff in the kit but from personal experience unless you paid a fortune for a Damascus blade it is probably not a good one. They tend to be to hard and therefore brittle and will not hold a proper edge. I tried. never worked.

Originally Posted by Andrew1016

My names Andrew. Im 26 and picked up a straight razor for the first time a couple weeks ago. I went to the barber shop a couple months ago and got a straight razor side shave with my haircut. Ive been hooked ever since. I did some research and finally settled on the Buffalo Horn Damascus Straight Razor and Luxury Shave Set from straightrazor.com

So far ive enjoyed it. been shaving with it for about a week. after a little practice on a balloon i found myself trying it on my face with some pretty good results. Im getting more comfortable with my own face and holding a sharp razor to it. My questions are what kind of preshave oil should i use? How can i get a closer shave on the neck, my hair is fairly course and i feel like there is too much tug if i try against the grain. yes my razor is shave ready and i strop it atleast before i shave daily. what would someone recommend as a second razor. The one i have is a round tip.

Andrew, forget the preshave oil. There are many other, cheaper methods. Some people use a little olive oil as a pre and post shave.. Some use a dab of Cremo or Kiss My Face as a preshave. Just wet your face and rub it in and then apply your lather. You need to got to the SRP wiki's and read all you can about shaving different parts of the face. A lot of questions will be answered there. Like different types of shaving strokes for different parts of the face and neck. Unless you are adventurous I'd stick with a round tip for a second razor. Spike points, unless you stay almost hyper aware of where that point is on your fave, will bite you without mercy - I speak from experience. Just in case though, get a styptic pencil for the little nicks and weepers. A number of shavers would suggest that with coarser hair a razor with a wedge grind is best. They seem to mow it down better than the hollow grinds.

Also, Andrew, edit you info so it shows where you are. There are many mentors around the country and it will be possible for you to find one near you for a face to face session that will answer a lot of your questions. Also, most of them are more than willing to hone or refresh a razor for you.

Thanks for the advice. i have noticed that my razor does loose its edge fairly quickly however, a few strokes on my strop and it mows down hair.

Since upgrading to the Bökers, and now also the Bismarck, I haven't touched the Gold Dollar.

I overcame a little fear and touched up the factory edge on the Bismarck - now it REALLY shaves - and I'll see how well it maintains its edge over the next few months.

I'll reiterate what UACowboy wrote: I didn't know what a good edge was like until I had one.

I'm just going to leave this right here...