A little story about my straight razor journey

[TristanLudlow]

It all started when I started growing whiskers on my face. My parents got me an electric razor, but I soon found that the shaves weren't close nor comfortable.
So I switched to a Gillette Mach 3, actually decent shaves, but still not quite what I wanted.

So I started looking online and read about the existence of DE razors and blades. While I was browsing, my dad walked by and told me, that's not a real razor, my grandfather had real razors!

So on my way to my grandparents I was, they live on a farm and I asked my grandmother if she still had her father's gear. She said, yes somewhere but she wasn't sure where.
So after a couple of weeks, she calls me and told me she found it! Ecstatically I go over there and she handed over a cigar box.

In it were 2 straight razors with a Mandarin head logo on them stamped by a local store nearby. (Later I found out these are Solingen made Razors from the Goedecke - Mandarin brand)
And also in there was a natural combo coticule, both the yellow and BBW side were heavily used. I also got his strop, dried out and as hard as a stone of course, but still great to have.

A year or two later sadly enough one of their friends husband passed away and he still shaved with a straight razor, and they were kind enough to give me the razors, not sure what happened to the rest of his gear alas. It contained 3 razors, a Bartmann, a Gondola and a Hans Reif razor, all Solingen made.

So I started to put together a "tribute box"
I bought myself a nice natural combo La Grise from Ardennes Coticules and 2 vintage razors (to start with ) ) I decided upon 2 vintage Henckels razors.
I bought myself a linen and horsehide strop from Scrupleworks and a Kanayama.

Later I added 2 more vintage natural combo Coticules (also with the wood grain type surface comparable to a La Grise or La Nouvelle Veine)
A couple more Henckels were added. I talked to this lovely lady who selling was various things one of which was a vintage Henckels razor, she told me it was her grandfather's and I didn't hesitate and gave it a good home, it's easily one of, if not, my favorite shaver. I treasure it.

I decided I wanted to learn to hone on Coticules / BBWs for obvious reasons, but found it difficult at best.


I had an accident and one of my great grandfathers razor was dropped and severely damaged, I still beat myself up to this day for it.
After that I decided NOT to shave / use his gear anymore and put them away safely and only use my equipment.

Since then I found other Mandarin razors, but it didn't matter as it wasn't the same.

Honing wise, I had mixed success with Coticules and decided to buy a Naniwa set. 1k - 5k - 8k - 12k.

It wasn't until then I finally was able to get consistent good results honing razors. I personally like to set the bevel on a fast Coticule or the 1K, then go through a Naniwa progression and then finish on a Coticule with only water. This never fails me.

The biggest A-HA moment I got during stropping was when someone told me to not turn my entire hand when flipping the razor, but only your fingers as if you were turning a volume knob on a stereo.

The big thing I catch myself doing wrong is pressure, too much of it (shaving, honing, stropping). Still something I have to focus on while handling SRs.

One thing I wish I had done was not to mess with inherited gear, store it away safely and don't use it. Only after years of experience you can start using it, if it only were for special occasions).

I'm very grateful I found about SR shaving and love shaving with 'em, beats anything out there for me. It took me a while to get there, but once you do it's a fantastic feeling and great pleasure, it's a fun hobby!

A little sad that the gear belonging to our ancestors might've been thrown away at some point by someone who didn't care about it (as was the case with my grandfather's sister). I think we all feel this way.



My current gear consists of

Razors: 3 daily shavers (Henckels, 1 full hollow and 2 1/4 hollows)
Strop: Scrupleworks linen + Kanayama leather
Brush: L'Occitane Plisson synthetic brush
Cream: D.R. Harris
Hone: La Grise Coticule and La Grise like vintage Coticules (as touch up hone and finisher only on water, otherwise I use a Naniwa progression aforegoing)