Thread: For New guys

When I started I did not know about this site. I bought a razor from SRD (luckily) and watched Lynn's shaving video. Then shaved my whole face when I finally got up the nerve.

I destroyed edges, strops, soaps, parts of my face, and my wallet buying stuff I did not need or know how to use.

When just starting out there are several aspects of shaving with a straight that need to be learned and practiced for success.

If I started today I would focus on shaving, stropping and lather building. I would skip honing, restoring and eBay. I would not concern myself with ultimate BBS shaves my first time or thirtieth time out. Can I shave as well as I did with a cartridge or an electric? Chances are your shave will be smoother in areas right away but some parts of your face may take more figuring out. Close comfortable shaves should be your goal. Going for the ultimate shave right away is not only difficult but unrealistic. Nobody hops into an Indy car to learn to drive.

Better soaps and creams seem expensive when starting out. You will get more shaves from $15 to $30 of good soap or cream than you will from similar money in cans. There are some very affordable great soaps as well.

Set goals. A reasonable, repeatable shave. Good to great repeatable lather. Steady stropping that becomes smoother and second nature. You will add to your comfortable shave knowing what you have mastered and eventually achieve all over BBS.

There are lots of great vendors out there. Be cautious, there are plenty just trying to get in on the market selling less than quality merchandise.

Read, watch, read, practice.

It it has probably all been said before and is definitely written in the thread texts. Take your time and you will love your new shave/hobby

jim

That would be the clear and steady path , you are totally correct and this should be read by anyone starting out. Tc

Sage words. I would add, the SRP Library is as good a reference resource as exists anywhere. Take advantage of the research of others! Free Coattail rides!

Well said Jim! As a newbie it's easy to get caught up in high expectations of what SR shaving should be- I at least hope that I'm starting to get out of that fog and into reality myself. Its easy to get caught up judging your shave against YouTube videos of guys getting almost effortless and perfect shaves. We newbies need to remind ourselves that it often takes these guys years (and probably a lot of frustration) to get to that point; we'll have our day too.

Great advice, Jim!

It's always good to see the "Ahaa" eureka moment thread that just has to be shared, and, quite admitedly, is useful to be seen at least every month... posted by another newer guy and so on...

In fact, this means that this site and its members and behaving in line with the vision of its creator(s) all these years later.

Great job, Jim. Some of us did learn the hard way, didn't we.

Could not have said it better myself. I probably have said it but not as nicely.

Jim, as a newcomer myself these are words that I need to hear over and over. There is so much to learn and I know for me I wanted to get it ALL right sooner rather than latter. Impatience is a flaw that I have to work on every day. Just know that you guys with lots of experience are what keeps my expectations realistic and therefor my experience a continual joy.

Thank you FrankC

Jim, nice one mate, how many of us (myself included) jumped in the deep end and struggled to swim, the only other thing I would say is:

*Unless it has been honed by a professional do not assume it is shave ready (this includes brand names fresh from the box)
* If it is shave ready from a honer, use it without stropping for the first shave (it is as sharp as it will get)
* If you are thinking of buying, have a look at the list of ones reccomended on this site (I tried to buy a cheapy and it was a RSO, razor
shaped object)

The one that I always stress is to find a mentor in your area. I am lucky because I had a Grandfather that taught me, I can only imagine what it is like trying to learn how to shave by video. A mentor can make the learning go just that much faster.