Thread: Hello, i am new here....

Thanks for clearing that up FiReSTaRT

I have seen many questions about quality blades

mine is a dovo thuya wood...the salesman told me it was a very good blade.


any comments are welcome


bladessss

DOVO is a highly respected maker and one of the 2 remaining major manufacturers of straight razors (the other being Thiers-Issard). With either of the two brands, you can be fairly sure that your blade can take on a proper shaving edge. The scales have nothing to do with the blade quality, but I like wooden scales. Most of my rotation will end up being protected by some variety of wood.

Originally Posted by bladessss

i will definitely try again on monday and i will strop a good 15-30 times

I strop 50-60 laps for maximum efficiency in the shave. I guess that's the difference between Ilija and myself ... he wants to get a shave that is good enough with the least amount of effort ... and I want the best shave this man can achieve.

X

I strop the same way even when going for BBS shaves, but yeah, most times I just do a 2-passer that gets me right up there but I won't die if I can feel a small patch when moving my fingertips ATG while pressing.

You're no fun to play with tonight.

I'm new to shaving as-well and my first shave sucked too. I bought my first razor here form Ivo and when I reported my first shave experience, people jumped in and said " the razors not sharp" this turned out not to be the case as with more practice the razor gets sharper with every shave. the same blade is now scary sharp and wipes the hair off my face this is after a month of shaving.
Now I think its common sense that the blade is not going to get sharper and what is happening is that I am getting better at using it. I think maybe some of the more experienced guys forget what it was like when they started and maybe they started with dull razors as there was no srp for them.
So my advise is practice,
Never force the razor. Imagine gently brushing a feather across your face.
Stretch the skin. this is important so I will say it again stretch the skin!!
Keep your face wet and your razor dry.
Don't aim to high at the beginning just get most of the hair off, you will get better with practice. ie: don't go ATG for now (Lynn still doesn't)

I did most damage to my face while trying to get to close to quick.
I'm by no means an expert but this things I've learned over the last few shaves help make it a more enjoyable comfortable experience. I look forward to getting the close shaves that these guys get. (someday)

Well I tried it shaving again even though I said I was gonna wait until tomorrow but oh well(stropped my Dovo alot of times 15-30); no major scars today but alot of nicks; I tried agianst the grain and i just couldnt do it. Just going down is not enough for me it still looks like i did not shave cloe enough;

I am not sure this is for me but will keep on trying until my face has no more space for nicks or scars lol


I have read in the forums that keeping the blade completely flat while going up against the grain is the best method for going against the grain

any advice is welcome

If you're really cutting yourself up, you might want to ease off the pressure and possibly prep your whiskers more. Each pass should remove a little bit of stubble so that by two or three passes, little or no stubble remains.

Dude, take it easy! You'll never be able to convert anyone to straight razors in the future if you have a bunch of scars on your face! jk

Sorry to hear your woes - if it makes you feel any better, everything that heliguy said applies (at least for me) - years ago I can remember wondering what I could be doing wrong, how could the razor possibly still be dull after 10,000 strops, why my face burned so bad and there was still stubble... etc. It might or might not be the razor. You get better at everything with practice, both sharpening and shaving. I was really, really bad at both for a long time. I have several big scars that infuriated me, almost made me throw the razor across the bathroom when I felt it cut me. Wish I'd had this site when I was learning.

The scars lessen up and go away after time, I think you'll find that people will kid you about it right up until the part where you tell them you did it with your straight razor! Let them heal up and keep the straight away from those areas for awhile. Sounds like they were deep cuts that will lead the blade right back into that spot again, trust me, I know. Use a safety razor over the scars for awhile.

The advice in this thread pretty much how I kept going at it - take your time on the next shave and really figure out where you're getting razor burn, where you're leaving stubble and, most importantly, where you're actually getting a good shave from the thing. There is (hopefully) at least one spot on your face where the razor is working very well. For me it was the middle part of my neck by the throat.

Pay close attention to exactly what you're doing on that "good shave" area, as well as the other problem spots. Then the next time you shave, first do the areas you're natually good at and pick one other problem spot, try to copy the "good shave" motion to what you're doing at that spot (razor angle, stroke, feel). DON'T rush or get discouraged; if it doesn't work then stop until tomorrow. Finish your face with a trac II or whatever. Take your time, it's not a big deal. After 10+ years of straight shaving I still sometimes finish up my chin and touch up with a disposable if I'm in a hurry. It's no big deal, this takes time to get used to.

You'll get better at both sharpening a blade and shaving really quick, you're doing all the right things. Good luck!

I still think your razor isn't sharp enough.. If you want, I'll hone it for you (gratis) and you'll experience the difference. PM me if you're interested.