Hello everyone!
First I'd like to thank the community here for all their informative posts. I've been reading a week or so and there's a lot here to make a guy comfortable about trying a straight razor and enthusiastic for wanting to get started.
I purchased a Classic Black Straight Razor Set from Jim Ayars at Vintage Blades and I included the pre-honed option (based on suggestions here in the forum). I couldn't believe I got it so fast! Still even 3-4 days seems an eternity when you're waiting for your first straight razor.
So I gave it a shot this afternoon after watching a slew of videos on YouTube and Google Video. My hands were shaky, my technique was off but I got no cuts and only some irritation on my neck. I've decided to keep the goatee until I can work the razor a little better and for now I'm only going WTG.
The cheek was easy on the right side and though I had a tad bit of trouble working the left side with my left hand I figured learn to do it two handed from the start. Now my cheeks are smooth but the neck didn't turn out the same. I've got some irritation on the neck and there's still some areas that needed touch up so I'll have to work on this.
All in all though I'm really excited to be shaving the way it used to be done! Even better I won't be shelling out 15.00 for razor cartridge refills. I even showed my new straight razor to my friends - just can't imagine doing that with my Gillete!
Thanks again for a great place for information! And a special thanks to Jim over at Vintage Blades!
