Thread: First shave... mother of god

The 4k/8k Norton is a good call. Even if you decide to send your razor out for honing or buy a different shave-ready razor (and you should probably do one of these), you will eventually love using the Norton and get great results from it.

1) I only found out some time after I bought my razor about the unsavory reputation of Vintage Straight Razor - which is where I bought my (very rudimentary) razor. After honing it, with a little help from a couple of youtube videos (One was Lynne's - top notch) I was able to take hair off the arm quite easily, and the fingernail test was satisfactory. How much can practice and (what seems to be) a decent edge offset a low quality blade?.

If it is the site I think then many if those razors are not going to be able to be well honed or hold an edge from previous reading. You say it takes arm hair easily but it should do that at the most basic bevel set and should tree top without pulling at the 8k after stropping. The nail test should not be used after the bevel set as it will damage the edge. Hope this helps a little getting this one shaving better. I would definitely start with a shave ready razor though as you don't know what shave ready is. Good luck

First up, the offending implements of deestruction

I certainly appreciate the offer sir. I will PM my shipping address to you.

I am a newbie as well but I will only say from what I read here on the forums and watching Lynn and Glen on YT from here on bevel-setting and honing to maintain and stropping is go so and have someone with alot of experience if you can to teach you. I am looking forward to the next local meet in my area to go and get alot of help from the old pro's!

But I will say this..........buy as best of quality of razor you can and if you can get one honed and ready for shaving by the seller for your first razor.

Good luck and I am learning daily as well. And yes I would say your razor is not setup like it should be and I read on several post it takes about 100 shaves to get this dedicated to muscle memory and to where you are doing this effortlessly.

Originally Posted by Z123

1) I only found out some time after I bought my razor about the unsavory reputation of Vintage Straight Razor - which is where I bought my (very rudimentary) razor. After honing it, with a little help from a couple of youtube videos (One was Lynne's - top notch) I was able to take hair off the arm quite easily, and the fingernail test was satisfactory. How much can practice and (what seems to be) a decent edge offset a low quality blade?

[I]I am new to Straights as well. I will echo the comments of others re: "shave ready" purchasing. That said, you are past that so lets see what the membership can do to help. Let us know what type of razor you purchased and the more experienced hands can tell you if it will hold an edge or if you should keep it for practicing your skills and not much else.[/I]

2) I haven't seen anything so far about hair growth patterns. For an idea, my neck and facial hair grows in a down-and-out kind of pattern, straight down my neck at the middle and fanning out further along my face, so that at the back of my jaw area it is parallel to my jawbone. How does one attack that? The hair catches like a sonofabitch, and changing grips every inch or two is a bit daunting in the early innings.

[I]Everything will take time and adjustment, as I am discovering. With The Grain (WTG) passes are easiest to manage, followed by Cross The Grain (XTG). Yes, this will mean adjusting your razor, but that is the price you pay for wanting to learn. I have the same growth patterns you describe for your neck, and it CAN be done. You need to proceed SLOWLY.[/I]
3)For beginners, how often should one shave, and when is too much growth a bad idea to practice? (e.g. daily, every 3 days, etc) I'm not one to have a 9 o'clock shadow at 5pm the day of a shave

[B]I am 50 yrs old, and I shave every other day. I think that, by the end of the year, I might be able to manage a daily shave, but that would be more out of desire than need. My five o'clock shadow starts at 5:00 a.m. the next day. I'm still poring over forums for tips and nuggets of wisdom - I'm not wanting to drop two or three hundred on a quality razor while I am downrange, I'd rather get in the practice and lose some (more) blood here while I have nothing but time.[/B]

See bolded . . . It is good that you are still researching. As for blood letting, that is going to happen as you learn, whether you paid $50.00 for a razor or $300.00. Me? I bought a Ralf Aust for a C-Note and am quite happy with it. first time I get through a shave without bleeding, I will be purchasing a nicer, less mass produced blade, but that is just me. Good luck to you . . .