first straight shave-well almost

[inawe]

last night i gave it a go. i did most of my face wtg one pass only. i finished with a second pass with my de. first impressions are that it is way different then my de. i had to use more pressure and there was quite a bit of feedback that i am not use to. no blood loss, no irritation and pretty good reduction. my new square point royal (thank you josh) seemed to work pretty well.
-is it okay to start slow (single pass) or am i being a whimp?
-is the extra pressure and feeback normal? i am use to a silent slick shave with a de.


i am really looking foward to my next shave tonight! i actually was longing to shave again two hours later. such a shame that we can only shave once a day.

i am using my belt to strop right now until my starter strop from tony comes. i picked up a cheap barber hone set from tilly. i have an otto deutsch hans coming soon that looks to be in great shape only needing a light hone job. i have a couple wapienicas coming too.

is this a good start? any other tips/recommendations?

thank you all for the great info on this site-cheers,
ryan

[Jonedangerousli]

What? You didn't start out with a perfect shave, BBS and everything??? Quit now before you get addicted, LOL! J.

[mparker762]

-is it okay to start slow (single pass) or am i being a whimp?

You're being a wimp, because everybody knows that true manly men shave with Gillette Fusions :-)

You're better off taking it easy the first few shaves. This isn't rocket science but it isn't terribly easy either, and you really need to develop your technique in a way that minimises the risk of razor burn or nicks. I'd wait for several shaves before going across the grain, and quite a few before going against the grain, and then maybe only your cheeks, then over the next week or so extend these other passes to the trickier parts of your face.

-is the extra pressure and feeback normal? i am use to a silent slick shave with a de.

It's not unusual. Some really lightweight razors are very "talkative" during the shave. The same is true with DE's as well - my Merkur Vision razor is much louder and noisy than my Fatboy.

[inawe]

thanks guys. this is fun but i do think i will take it slow. these small steps might prevent major blood letting. i will work my way into it.

It's not unusual. Some really lightweight razors are very "talkative" during the shave. The same is true with DE's as well - my Merkur Vision razor is much louder and noisy than my Fatboy.

my hefty new merkur 38c is so quiet. this 'talkative' razor is very different, i suppose since i know it is normal i will get use to it. i just had to ask.

cheers,
ryan

[Jonedangerousli]

That 38c is whisper quiet isn't it? Quite a contrast from the noise some of my straights make.

J.

[mparker762]

my hefty new merkur 38c is so quiet. this 'talkative' razor is very different, i suppose since i know it is normal i will get use to it. i just had to ask.

If the noise bothers you, you can try a heavier grind like a TI Super Gnome or the Wapienica. These have only a little hollowing so the blade is very stiff and heavy and the shave is extremely quiet.

[inawe]

i do really like the 38c- think stealth

If the noise bothers you, you can try a heavier grind like a TI Super Gnome or the Wapienica. These have only a little hollowing so the blade is very stiff and heavy and the shave is extremely quiet.

the 'talkative' blade doesnt bother me per se, now that i know that it is normal. i do have a few wapienicas coming so i will get a chance to try something else, that is if i can get the hang of honing.

anyone tried out a otto deutsch razor?

cheers,
ryan

[izlat]

Your first time sounds great, actually - no burn, no nicks - what more can you want

Great job, keep it up, and take it as slow or fast as you feel is reasonable

Cheers
Ivo

You *might* be jumping into honing a bit fast, try to at least get a piece of junk before you try the good razors (having said this, I got a piece of junk but did not have patience and jumped on my most expensive razor at the time. Results were good so no complaints... but I hear many people damaging nice blades

[mparker762]

... but I hear many people damaging nice blades

of course, the Wapienica's cost less than most hones, so maybe he should be more worried about damaging nice hones?

[Gravitas]

When i first started I concentrated on keeping it very slow and not much has really changed in 2 years. I find that a more extreme angle (<30%) works best for me, but at the same time that requires more time and attention. Working slow gives you time to appreciate and enjoy every stroke.