Thinking of trying straights

My first post on this board, just wanted to say hello! I switched to DE shaving about four months ago (thanks to mantic's youtube videos), and I've had a closer and less irritating shave than with Mach3s and goop. So far, my shaving life has improved!

The problem is that I have a pretty wiry and tough beard. The only way I've found to get a really super-smooth shave is by using a Merkur Vision wide open for a final pass, but that really brings on the razor burn. So usually I don't bother. Reading this board it seems like straight shaving is less irritating and closer (at the expense of seeming kind of risky!). Did I get the relative pros/cons right?

Okay, so if I want to try straight-shaving, I need to buy:
- An inexpensive starter razor
- A strop or paddle (even though I don't know what to do with it)
- Lynn Abrams' DVD (to teach me what to do with it)

This set looks decent: http://shop.thewellshavedgentleman.c...2&categoryId=5
Do you know if the razor actually comes "shave ready"? And should I get pastes? Is that even a good deal, or am I better off buying something on the forum here? I'm a bit worried about getting a crummy razor with a bad blade for $20 on the forum, but I may not know this forum very well :)

Okay, sorry about all this, but I want to make sure I'm doing it right before dumping $200 on the starter kit. Thanks!

Can't go wrong with Tony's stuff. If Tony (Heirloom's proprietor) writes (as he does on the page you hyperlinked) a razor is shave-ready it really is. Tony is held in high esteem on SRP so no worries. He's a great communicator as well so drop him a mail.

Thank you Kees!

I have all my razors shipped right from my supplier to one of our own members here, Elbonator who hones each by hand before sending it back to me. I used to do them all here myself but simply cannot keep up and even more importantly, EL is a FAR better honer than I. He has been doing this a long time and none of my customers has said it was not sharp enough.

Lynn, our group owner is another great sharpening resource too producing killer edges. My personal razors are all done by both of these indivduals and I have always been pleased.

Tony

Well with safety and cartridge razors there are several techniques other than the two or three pass basic technique combos. Right now I use my Power Gillette Fusion simply because Lynn is sharpening my razor (or it's on its way back). With that I did a three pass technique going with the grain, across the grain, and then against the grain with the precision side. It got pretty close.

There are other techniques you could try with the safety razor including:

• Diagonal slide
• J-hook
• Razor buffing

The Diagonal slide was a shaving technique from the early days of Gillette (forget when they published the poster). Basically the razor goes with the grain, but as you glide the razor, you make it go diagonally towards the center.

The j-hook technique follows a J. Except there's no little ledge or whatever it is at the top of the J (or the dot in case of a lowercase j). You just do small j's across your face. These get to be pretty close.

The last advance technique I know is called a razor buff. For cartridge razors, this is pretty bad since you keep the blades in contact at all times. In case of the safety razor, you just pivot onto the safety plastic thingie on the backpass. Kind of like doing an across the grain pass.

So those are some other techniques you could try. If you're sure you want to go straight, then by all means just go straight.

I'm not sure of any starter kits, but the basic things you need are:

• Straight razor (there's a sticky in this forum about suggested brands and brands to stay away from)
• Brush (you'll probably have this)
• Shaving cream/soap (probably already have this)
• Mug/Scuttle/Bowl (just something to hold your cream/soap; you probably have this)
• Strop
• Hone (not something that you need immediately)

I haven't gotten anything from any of the members here, so I can't really lambaste or support them. But some of the stuff they have seem to be reallly nice. I can honestly say, with confidence, I wouldn't have a problem with buying anything from anybody here - it's a pretty tight community.

You don't have to get the DVD - I didn't. I actually don't really know what's on it, so again I can't say that it's a bad idea to get it. SRP is pretty much the one stop place for all your information. Straight razor shaving just has that small of a community. Although now that I think about it, I already knew a lot about straight razor shaving, and did my first shave before joining or even knowing about SRP... Don't remember at all where I got my information...

If you'd like to know, I spent $400 getting stuff from classicshaving. Obviously, you don't have to spend nearly as much as I did (probably don't even have to spend $200). I started with pretty much nothing, so I had to buy the razor, soaps/creams, strop, hone, stropping paste, brush, etc.

The paste I would say is a good thing to have if you have more than one leather strop. So if you have like a multi-sided leather strop, then by all means get the paste. However if you have just a canvas/leather strop, maybe you shouldn't get it. Or you could always buy another strop just to have pastes. You can probably guess I'm new at this, so don't weigh my thoughts in too much. Other more experienced users might have a different take on this.

Welcome aboard escargot.

Tony's things – especially his handmade strops – are absolutely top-notch and would be sold for a hell of a lot more if he were corporate instead of an honest craftsman & businessman who loves straight-shaving.

Almost everyone on this board has something made by him.

Ya can't go wrong.

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Originally Posted by dylandog

Welcome aboard escargot.

Tony's things – especially his handmade strops – are absolutely top-notch and would be sold for a hell of a lot more if he were corporate instead of an honest craftsman & businessman who loves straight-shaving.

Almost everyone on this board has something made by him.

Ya can't go wrong.

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That is the truth. His starter set will make you very happy.

Welcome to SRP! If you look at all of your options, you'll see that you have quite a few. The quickest and easiest way is to order the kit from Tony. He is a nice guy and won't steer you wrong. Also, there are many reputable guys selling razors for newbies on the Buy/Sell/Trade forum. You may look for JoshEarl, that is where I picked up my first straight and he is a stand-up guy who usually has razors from $30-$45 that would be great starters. Also, I hear that Lynn Abrams - AdjustMe69-keeps Wapienica razors ready to go for new guys at a great price. Just ask. Wapis are fantastic 1/4 hollow razors from Poland sold on ebay by Wojtec for like $11 - get one expertly honed by Lynn and you've got an awesome start. :tu
Then you need a strop and later a hone. Everyone says that the DVD is a great place to start (I did not pick it up to begin with - but I will soon).
Most guys find that str8 shaving is waayy more comfortable on the skin than M3 or DE shaving (though if you haven't tried a Gem Safety single edge razor, you should - I love my 1912) and also that after you know what you're doing, you will not nick / cut yourelf as ofter as with a DE. I have a tough and wirey beard, too, and str8s are great for me, though I prefer 1/4 hollow wedge style blades instead of full hollows YMMV. Enjoy -

Another vote for Lynn's DVD! It is a must have.


Tony

I think you have the right idea here. Get all your info from nay members around here that will supply it and they will talk your ear off.

Just be patient and enjoy this expierence! Wish you luck in the endaevor.

I shall sign off with this line from Trading Places the movie
"Look at that S Car Go" :roflmao good name man.

Welcome to SRP!

It's been my experience that people selling on this board deliver exactly what they say. If they say it's shave ready, they mean it's shave ready. I've also sent my razor out to be honed by a member here, and he did a fantastic job.

The Well Shaved Gentleman is a great store to buy from too. I recently got one of Tony's paddle strops (the smaller one), and I couldn't be happier with it.

I'd say tat you do indeed have the relative pros and cons right, but that you shouldn't think of a straight razor as 'risky', perhaps just more demanding. Sure if you lose focus you can cut yourself, but that's true of shaving in general. The straight razor demands that you actually know how to shave, know your angles and which passes work best for your face. there are many of us here who do it regularly and we all seem to do just fine.

I also support Tony's gear and Lynn's DVD.

X

Wow, I posted my question in the morning and just came back to THREE PAGES of friendly and informative answers! This is really an incredible place!

It's great to know that Tony is so well-respected here, and I'll definitely get his pasted paddle strop. I also saw in the vendor's forum that Vintage Blades has the honed Dovo razors on special, so I'll get one of those to go with it. Also the DVD will be useful to learn what to do with these things! Heh, I haven't been this excited about shaving since I first moved to DEs :)

Out of curiosity, what's the difference between getting a paddle strop and a hanging strop? I was going to get the paddle simply because I don't have a place to hang a strop in my bathroom, and also because it can be pasted (it seems that this is useful for people with wiry beards like mine to extend time between hones). But the hanging strop must have some advantages as well, or else it wouldn't be so popular!

It's great that there's such a nice community here. It definitely makes taking the plunge to sliding a sharp knife over my face less jarring! Thanks to all who replied! :D

Jim's razor offer is hard to beat!

I have a getting started page on my website explaining the pros and cons of paddles vs. hanging strops.

Tony

In a nutshell, the hanging strop is what you use for daily stropping to align the edge of the razor. Hanging strops can be pasted, but it's generally not advised because the hanging strop can round the edge of the razor. It's advisable to use pastes with a reinforced/stiff medium, hence the paddle strop. Paddle strops can also have a daily stropping side which makes them handy for travel, though the standard for daily stropping is the hanging strop.

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Out of curiosity, what's the difference between getting a paddle strop and a hanging strop?

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Edk442 nails it In a nutshell as he says.

I would just add that the hanging strop is sexy as all get out and I guarantee it will increase your overall experience.:tu

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Originally Posted by Creel

I would just add that the hanging strop is sexy as all get out

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and couldn't we all use a little more sexiness in our lives:nj i know i could...i have 5 strops:roflmao

I too am thinking of the streight, but I have two problems here, one is finding someone to show me how to use these things in the Washington, DC area; second I am paying currently approximatly three cents per day for the blades in my safety razor, if a streight razor set costs me $115 it would take me approximatly 15 years to make up the cost of the streight for the price per blade that I am getting. The fifteen year mark is a bit high for me. Can anyone help.

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Originally Posted by jbcohen

I too am thinking of the streight, but I have two problems here, one is finding someone to show me how to use these things in the Washington, DC area; second I am paying currently approximatly three cents per day for the blades in my safety razor, if a streight razor set costs me $115 it would take me approximatly 15 years to make up the cost of the streight for the price per blade that I am getting. The fifteen year mark is a bit high for me. Can anyone help.

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How good of a shave are you really getting from the 3 cents per blade shave? How did you come up with the cost of the blade information, because you are only considering the blade. What about all the goo and such you are using with those blades?

Hope you are not dry shaving like my very simple brother :eek:

jbcohen, there are more reasons to move to the straight razor than just to save money. You'll be getting great shaves and saving the landfill from those disposable cartridges. As for getting going on a budget; read this.
Lynn has a great DVD for sale which shows a lot about this little obsession, but you can view some guys shaving on Youtube. Just do a search there for it.

X

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Originally Posted by xman

You'll be getting great shaves and saving the landfill from those disposable cartridges.

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This is one reason why I took it up as well. My hippy buddy X had that as a pro as well.

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Originally Posted by jbcohen

I too am thinking of the streight, but I have two problems here, one is finding someone to show me how to use these things in the Washington, DC area; second I am paying currently approximatly three cents per day for the blades in my safety razor, if a streight razor set costs me $115 it would take me approximatly 15 years to make up the cost of the streight for the price per blade that I am getting. The fifteen year mark is a bit high for me. Can anyone help.

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You can find quality, shave ready razors here in the buy/sell forum or on ebay for a lot less than $100. Be careful on ebay - check Altima55 and Mannyware - both good sellers. If all you care about is the most cost effective shave, I'd say its hard to beat the DE. But if you're a more hands-on kind of guy, the experience of shaving witha straight and all it involves is much more satisfying. Just my opinion.

Jordan

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Originally Posted by edk442

and couldn't we all use a little more sexiness in our lives:nj i know i could...i have 5 strops:roflmao

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A strop as a fetish? That would put TM in the sex business!:roflmao :roflmao

My current favorite setup, and some of these items can transfer, is a Gillette 1940 Super Speed, a Sputnik blade, Best Badger Brush and Crabtree and Evelyn Nomad soap. Not much for the landfil. Gave up those cartridges years ago.

Hello everyone!

Wow, this thread got really long! I hadn't logged on for a week while waiting for the supplies I ordered.

So in the last few days I received a paddle strop from Tony, a "Best quality" Dovo razor from Jim (honed by Lynn) and the DVD. Today was the first shave (what a way to spend a lovely Saturday morning :D )!

In a nutshell: it didn't go so well. After a shower and some Proraso Pre, I lathered up with Taylor's avocado. Since the razor came honed and shave-ready, I decided not to strop it in case I messed it up. Started with my right cheek, and the razor was really pulling. After a few pulling strokes, things had more or less smoothed out. On to the left cheek -- more pulling.

So I decided to strop it, in case that was the problem. Gave it 20 strokes on the paddle strop and went back to the left cheek. I'm not sure it improved, but maybe a little. Tried to go down the jawline and neck, and the pulling got really bad. I decided to stop, grabbed a DE and finished the shave (WTG, XTG, ATG)

When I was clean-shaven (but not BBS), I tried the straight again. A pass with-the-grain went well, without any pulling (but there wasn't much left to cut). But once I tried to go ATG on the cheek, it felt like the razor was stuck and wouldn't budge. Obviously, I didn't try to force it :p

So, anyway, I hope someone can help me figure out what could have gone wrong. My beard is pretty thick and wiry, and the only blades I can use in the DEs are Feathers. I doubt the razor was the problem, because Lynn Abrams is the man. So what flaws in technique can cause pulling like that?

Thanks!
- escargot

I have two questions Escargot . Did you streach your skin while you were shaving , and how close were you keeping the spine of the razor to your face ?

Congrats on the first shave escargot! It is not unusual for the first shave to be less than stellar. Remember, you're relearning how to shave. Your technique is probably not there yet and you don't have the mechanics of the strokes down. I would not try for against the grain yet. Perhaps start with just shaving your cheeks WTG until your strokes are more confident. Read the help files and watch your blade angle and pressure. Pay attention while stropping and go slowly. Patient persistence will pay off! Good luck and enjoy! :tu

Jordan

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Originally Posted by dave5225

I have two questions Escargot . Did you streach your skin while you were shaving , and how close were you keeping the spine of the razor to your face ?

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For shaving the right cheek, I was pulling up on my sideburn with my left hand. For the jaw and neck I was pulling down just under my neck. It's how Lynn demonstrates it in the video.

I'm not sure how close the spine was. I was aiming for about 30 degrees, but it's hard to see in the mirror. But I did play around with the angle to find the best one. If it was pulling, do you think I was holding it too shallow or too steep?

I'm just a noob . but I've been shaving with a str8 for 4 months . I think your blade angle may be too steep . I made the same mistake on my first str8 shaves . I now keep the razor almost flat against my face , I keep the razor at the lowest angle I can that it will still shave . It's something I judge by feel rather than sight . Remember that 0 degrees is the center of the razors spine , and 30 degrees is the max angle that you don't want to exceed . If the razor is flat against your face you're shaving at around 20 degrees , so lifting the spine 1/4 of its thickness will put your shaving angle at 30 degrees . Like Jordan said , first shaves don't usually go well . My first shave was a disaster , I had to finish it with my Mach 3 . My razor wasn't sharp enough and my blade angle was way too steep . I would try the razor flat on my face and see what happens . Good luck with your str8 shaving , and don't give up , it will get better .

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Originally Posted by dave5225

I'm just a noob . but I've been shaving with a str8 for 4 months . I think your blade angle may be too steep . I made the same mistake on my first str8 shaves . I now keep the razor almost flat against my face , I keep the razor at the lowest angle I can that it will still shave . It's something I judge by feel rather than sight . Remember that 0 degrees is the center of the razors spine , and 30 degrees is the max angle that you don't want to exceed . If the razor is flat against your face you're shaving at around 20 degrees , so lifting the spine 1/4 of its thickness will put your shaving angle at 30 degrees . Like Jordan said , first shaves don't usually go well . My first shave was a disaster , I had to finish it with my Mach 3 . My razor wasn't sharp enough and my blade angle was way too steep . I would try the razor flat on my face and see what happens . Good luck with your str8 shaving , and don't give up , it will get better .

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If the razor is flat against your face you're shaving at around 8-9 degrees , so lifting the spine approx 2x of its thickness will put your shaving angle at 30 degrees

Yannis

MORE PRECISE 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 of its thickness will put your shaving angle at 30 degrees .

Yiannis

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Originally Posted by Yannis

If the razor is flat against your face you're shaving at around 8-9 degrees , so lifting the spine approx 2x of its thickness will put your shaving angle at 30 degrees

Yannis

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You're right Yannis , I read my protractor wrong . It actually is about 9 degrees on the two razors I measured . Thank you for correcting me , and I apologize to everyone for posting bad info .

Heh, thanks for the trigonometry :)

I tried again today, and messing with the angle didn't make much of a difference. So I got frustrated and stropped it 5 times on the .5 diamond paste of the paddle, then on the leather, and it was slightly better.

I'm starting to think my razor might not be very sharp. On the DVD, Lynn has a test where he holds up a hair with his fingers, and slices through it while it's hanging in the air. I can't do that with my razor, the hair just bends rather than getting sliced. Also, in the two days I've tried shaving with the razor, I didn't get a single nick or cut with it, despite being a complete newbie and having no idea about technique.

So maybe I'll try sharpening it some more with the pasted sides of the paddle. I don't want to damage the razor though, and I don't know how much to strop on each of the sides.

I would contact Lynn and see what he says . Maybe you can send the razor to him so he can check it out .

Yeah, I think that makes sense. Actually, I'll email Jim first, since he sold me the razor. Maybe he sent me an un-honed razor by mistake.

Edit: Jim told me to send back the razor to have it checked out by Lynn. Thanks!

Keep us posted on your progress Escargot , inquiring minds want to know :D . Happy shaving . .....Dave