Thread: First Straight Shave

This morning was my first go with a straight. I purchased a Dovo Red Bismarck, sharpened by Lynn Abrams, from Jim at Vintage Blades.

Now for the good; the bad; and the ugly.

The good: I didn't pull a Van Goh and cut off an ear. In fact, I did a pretty good job on my left cheek; not BBS but pretty good for a first time with a straight.

The bad: I did a terrible job on the right side of my face. No cuts and minimal burn, but very few whiskers cut. I know it was blade angle that was causing this.

The ugly: Everything associated with shaving the right side of my face.

I was excited about my first shave; but also anxious about the first use. My blade strokes on my left side, with my left hand, were pretty good. I think I had good blade angle and let the weight of the razor do the cutting. I had nothing but trouble with my right hand and the right side of my face. Poor blade angle; periodically too much pressure on the blade.....pulling not cutting, etc. Under my nose, my chin, and neck areas were not too bad.

I finished up with my Merkur Futur and ended up with a fairly decent shave overall.

I look forward to really learning how to use "Bismarck" on a daily basis and have shaves of the quality that I get from my Merkur.

Thanks for this forum. It is fantastic!

WaterBoo

Have fun and remember to try to keep the razor angle at 30 degrees or less when shaving. Experiment with both hands and take on just part of the face at a time until you get your sea legs.

Lynn

WB -
Great job! Just take your time and you'll get comfortable real soon. Keep us posted.

Just curious: are you right-handed or left-handed?