Thread: first straight shave-well almost

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

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

Originally Posted by inawe

-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.

Originally Posted by inawe

-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.

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.

Originally Posted by mparker762

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

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

J.

Originally Posted by inawe

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.

i do really like the 38c- think stealth

Originally Posted by mparker762

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

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

Originally Posted by izlat

... 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?

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.