Practice Straight Razor - Blunt

Hi all, I am a newbie and just started straight razor shaving. I was looking on the internet for some kind of "practice straight razor" where you could just practice your straight razor movements, ie: holding the razor to the face at the proper angle, strokes, using both hands, etc. without actually cutting anything, including your face! You could even lather up and just scrape off the lather. Once you had this technique down pat, you could then go to a "real" straight razor and do a real straight razor shave without (hopefully) nicking your face all up. I found one advertised on the Vintage Straight Razor website as follows: "Practice Straight Razor - Blunt $19.99". Has anyone tried this method? I would really appreciate any comments from you guys, as I think that this would allow much more practice (as you could do it numerous times a day) without really hurting yourself. The price isn't that bad if the product really works! Please advise. Thank you! Ed Oh, I do own a real Ralf Aust SR, but it is very sharp.

A lot of guys just use a butter knife.

It wont have the exact feel in your hands, but you can start getting a feel for what it's like, angle, etc..

2 or 3 passes and you will wish you had a sharp one. I bought one thinking it would be sharp. I think after that they started advertising these razor shaped objects as practice razors to keep the better business bureau off their back. You could buy a decent looking vintage off e-bay to practice with and if you like then get it honed and you will have something. Just my opinion based on my experience. The thought of shaving with a straight is scarier than it really is. There is a learning curve but as long as your careful you could skip the practice piece. I do get your thinking :<0)

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Originally Posted by Aldwyn

A lot of guys just use a butter knife.

It wont have the exact feel in your hands, but you can start getting a feel for what it's like, angle, etc..

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Great idea, Adwyn! Went to the kitchen and got a butter knife and will practice with it! My butter knife blade is 3 1/2" long, so it will be 1/2" longer than my Ralf Aust, and of course no monkey tail, but it does allow me to practice using the right angles, strokes, etc. and with both hands! Thank you so much for your help . . . .never thought of it! Has anyone else tried practicing with a butter knife? Ed Love your profile picture, especially the eyes!:rock:

I think that a blunt edge will only let you practice bad habits. :shrug:

I'm not sure how useful practicing with a dull blade would be. You might learn a little bit about angles, but without the feedback of actual hair removal, you won't know if you're doing it right or learning bad habits, especially with regard to pressure. You're better off just starting with a properly sharp, shave ready blade and following Lynn's advice on how to start shaving with a straight.

It's actually pretty difficult to hurt yourself with a straight. Small nicks are not a big deal, and you'll likely be dealing with razor burn mostly at first. A dull blade won't help you avoid those.

Okay, I assumed you hadn't bought a straight yet :<0) I still think your better off just using the straight. I mean how can you tell the proper angle if it's not going to cut when it should ?

I'm all for practicing stropping with a butter knife, but I think practicing shaving with one might lead to over confidence with the straight the first time out - which leads to a cut.

Most of the fear is in your mind. It really isn't all that dangerous and the nerves settle down after a few shaves.

Of course you can read all about how you shouldn't be afraid. I did when I started. Reading didn't help. Sweat was running down my face during the first shave because I was so nervous. The nerves settled down after a few shaves.
So I'd recommend that you wait for your straight, set aside a good hour for your first shave, and then do it!

Agree with the above. IMHO, marketing a "practice razor" in such a way is nothing more than encouraging folks to spend $20 on something they don't need. Take that $20 and buy some nice shaving soap - you will gain much more benefit from that than from a practice razor.

Road lots here on SRP, check out videos by respected members of the community such as gssixgun and Lynn Abrams (both of whom have excellent videos for beginners on youtube), keep asking questions, relax, take your time, and enjoy the ride. :)

IMO, there is merit in practicing with a "blunt" edge. Granted you won't get the "feel" of whiskers being cut off, however we already know that the proper angle of the blade to the area being shaved is between 25 - 30 degrees; we also know that we should take "short" strokes and concentrate on small areas at a time; also we know that the preferred method is to shave with BOTH hands, left on the left side and right on the right side (this is somewhat difficult for those who are not ambidextrous). Practicing with a blunt straight would allow one to work on all of the above, especially with using their non-dominate hand. Most people actually shave only once a day, at most, so if you limit your practice to "actual shaves" your progress will be much slower than one who practices several times a day with a blunt instrument. Granted when practicing you must employ proper techniques, etc. But there many videos that show proper techniques. I have Lynn Abrams DVD, which is my "Bible" for technique. Please more comments, as I want to be open minded about learning to straight razor shave! Ed