Thread: Some questions

Well, my razor is off to Lynn to re-hone it just to make sure it is shave ready before I use it again but should I continue with it or should I buy a better one? Its a 5/8 dovo classic black 1/2 hollow. Seems like Henckels and TI appeal to me the most from the feedback I hear though that doesnt mean other razors arent as good or better. Im just not sure what grind to go with. Size would be 6/8 or 7/8.

I currently shave in thw shower with my m3. Would my face need time to adjust to shaving outside the shower? Or would it mean that my skin is just delicate? Im going to try to get it tanned in the sun (the rest of me seems to tan but not my face) as usually that toughens the skin.
Im not giving up dammit.

Praise God and pass the styptic pencil!!!

Originally Posted by OldFashioned

Well, my razor is off to Lynn to re-hone it just to make sure it is shave ready before I use it again but should I continue with it or should I buy a better one? Its a 5/8 dovo classic black 1/2 hollow. Seems like Henckels and TI appeal to me the most from the feedback I hear though that doesnt mean other razors arent as good or better. Im just not sure what grind to go with. Size would be 6/8 or 7/8.

I currently shave in thw shower with my m3. Would my face need time to adjust to shaving outside the shower? Or would it mean that my skin is just delicate? Im going to try to get it tanned in the sun (the rest of me seems to tan but not my face) as usually that toughens the skin.
Im not giving up dammit.

Yes, shaving in the shower is not recommended. Showering will prep your beard nicely. Once you're out of the shower, get lathered up as soon as you can. You'll do just fine. Your hide will need to adjust to the str8 razor. It will help if you rinse your face with cold water before you apply aftershave.

Size and type of razor is a very personal choice. There are more 5/8 razors then all of the others combined. I prefer 6/8. Others like 4/8. It's a mater of experimentation once you get used to shaving with the razor. Give it time and enjoy the journey.

I realize that by doing so, my razor is now rusted especially near the tang and has some rust spots on the blade itself. And i always dried it off but I guess that area i couldnt dry off. as for experimenting, thats the thing. Im trying to experiment the cheapest way possible but not looking over quality either.

Originally Posted by OldFashioned

I currently shave in thw shower with my m3. Would my face need time to adjust to shaving outside the shower? Or would it mean that my skin is just delicate? Im going to try to get it tanned in the sun (the rest of me seems to tan but not my face) as usually that toughens the skin.
Im not giving up dammit.

I'd stick with what you own at this point.

While your razor is out getting its edge put back together would be a good time to break that shower shaving habit. Try a nice relaxed shave after your shower at the sink with your M3. If you have a shaving brush and nice soap or cream this is also a great time to get the lathering routine perfected. That way by the time you get your razor back you'll have a good shaving routine down and a decent lather to shave with.

Yes I agree. I do have a brush, a savile row 3122 silvertip and i have many soaps and creams, all good stuff however i really like proraso red cream. the brush/cream has changed my shaves dramatically from that edge crap. i no longer have bumps on my neck or razorburn. i used to always have razorburn on my neck and near my jowls. it sucked. now im clear its great. i hope i can keep it clear with the straight because ive been using it and its been redenning me up on my neck because it hangs on ATG and just isnt sharp. i need to go out and get something that resembles a scuttle without breaking my bank.

Originally Posted by Wildtim

I'd stick with what you own at this point.

While your razor is out getting its edge put back together would be a good time to break that shower shaving habit. Try a nice relaxed shave after your shower at the sink with your M3. If you have a shaving brush and nice soap or cream this is also a great time to get the lathering routine perfected. That way by the time you get your razor back you'll have a good shaving routine down and a decent lather to shave with.

First off, shaving in the shower is a really bad habit. You should work on breaking it asap. With straights ( especially while learning ) it makes it hard to get your angle right. It also exposes your straight to a lot of water, which may be the reason your having a problem with rust. The water permiates the scales and causes that area to rust quickly. As far as the brand and size go, it really is a matter of preference. I prefer dovo to TI ( no offense meant for our TI fans ) and 5/8 is my favorite size, followed my 6/8. It really all comes down to you. What do you prefer? As the years go by you'll probably develop a collection allowing you to wake up in the morning and pick a razor that suits your mood for that day. If you do decide to purchase another razor I'd recommend buying a razor that is different than the one you have, both in brand and size. Experiment with it. That's a lot of the fun in this. And it what helps you learn what your personal preferences are.

Well I just dont know what I prefer because Ive never shaved with anything but a 5/8 classic black 1/2 hollow. I know that for some reason, it doesnt feel as sharp, i might have ruined the edge. So, I cant really prefer a wedge or full hollow or 6/8 or 8/8 because I dont know what these offer. I wish I can somehow try these razors out when they're shave ready but I can't. I have to buy them and hope to always keep it shave ready by luck at first. there are so many to choose from, grinds, sizes, round or spike point, brands, etc that I just dont know. So thats why i'm here trying to find out what most people like and its really different which sucks because I dont have money to just throw out like that. this razor set me back $90.00 and its already a razor I dont care much about anymore.

Originally Posted by psdarby

First off, shaving in the shower is a really bad habit. You should work on breaking it asap. With straights ( especially while learning ) it makes it hard to get your angle right. It also exposes your straight to a lot of water, which may be the reason your having a problem with rust. The water permiates the scales and causes that area to rust quickly. As far as the brand and size go, it really is a matter of preference. I prefer dovo to TI ( no offense meant for our TI fans ) and 5/8 is my favorite size, followed my 6/8. It really all comes down to you. What do you prefer? As the years go by you'll probably develop a collection allowing you to wake up in the morning and pick a razor that suits your mood for that day. If you do decide to purchase another razor I'd recommend buying a razor that is different than the one you have, both in brand and size. Experiment with it. That's a lot of the fun in this. And it what helps you learn what your personal preferences are.

Originally Posted by OldFashioned

...
I have to buy them and hope to always keep it shave ready by luck at first. there are so many to choose from, grinds, sizes, round or spike point, brands, etc that I just dont know. So thats why i'm here trying to find out what most people like and its really different which sucks because I dont have money to just throw out like that. this razor set me back $90.00 and its already a razor I dont care much about anymore.

I prefer a 6/8 and wedges (not a full wedge, but one with a somewhat visible hollow). With that said, two of my favorite three razors are full-hollows (one is a 5/8). All three are square points (as opposed to the very sharp-tipped spike point). The wedge and the full-hollow have a different feel and sound while shaving. I enjoy the features/advantages of both and select the one I want depending on mood.

I'd buy some razors pre-honed from the B/S/T forums here (or at Badger & Blade) to try out the different types economically. Antique stores and flea markets can be good sources too, but you'll almost certainly need to sharpen them before use.

Sounds like your frustrated, which is understandable. I remember being really pissed off and thinking I'd wasted over 300 for nothing. It can really be confusing. Let me try and explain some of the basic differences.

Size- The main difference between the sizes is weight and maneuverability. Generally speaking a 7/8ths razor is heavier than a 5/8ths razor. Most people seem to find the heavier razors easier to start with, though I really couldn't give you a reason why as I was personally an exception to this. Perhaps someone else can offer an explanation here. My guess is that a heavier weight allows one to let the weight of the blade to the work for you. A smaller razor tends to be easier to get into areas like your upper lip and neck. For example if you have a large nose it might be harder for you to shave your mustache with a 7/8ths vs a 5/8ths. The 7/8ths forces you to do your WTG stroke at a greater angle, meaning more scraping and irritation.

Grinds- As far as the wedge, 1/4 1/2 or full hollow grind goes, again the main difference is weight. A full hollow grind takes out as much metal as possible resulting in a very light razor. A wedge takes out no metal (or very little) resulting in a very heavy razor. Typically speaking the more metal that gets taken out means more honing. A fully hollow ground razor will need to be honed more frequently than a 1/4 ground razor. The reason for this is that there is more metal reinforcing the edge. A full wedge razor has no or almost no grinding done to reduce weight, meaning it's heavy and it has a lot of metal giving you a sharp edge longer than a hollow ground razor.

Points- Points are mostly a preference, but can have a practical advantage. A round point is probably preferable to starting off with. The reason being is that a round point doesn't have a sharp pointy edge to it that can easily nick you. Square points, spike points and spanish points have a very sharp pointy area on the edge of the razor. This can, for a newbie make it very easy to get nicked. The advantage of these points is that they can be very accurate. With a square point you can very easily select a single hair for removal. That's much harder to do with a round point.

As for each type of razors ability to shave, no preference really makes a difference. Most decent razor manufacturers will use very good quality steel, your dovo being no exception. Your 5/8ths classic 1/2 hollow will shave just as well as a 7/8ths TI full hollow or a 6/8ths Maestro Livi. TI has a unique process for hardening their blades, meaning less honing. This appeals to many people that like TI razors.

Please remember that the learning curve with straights is very steep. It took me over a year to learn to shave decently with one, and longer than that to learn how to hone my blades. I'm still learning things to this day, and it's now been well over 7 years since I began this. I remember being really frustrated after the first month of shaving. Thought I'd thrown away tons of money to rip up my face, but I did eventually get it. And I never regret my sticking with it. I hope this clears up some things. If you have any other questions please don't hesitate to ask.

Originally Posted by OldFashioned

Well I just dont know what I prefer because Ive never shaved with anything but a 5/8 classic black 1/2 hollow. I know that for some reason, it doesnt feel as sharp, i might have ruined the edge. So, I cant really prefer a wedge or full hollow or 6/8 or 8/8 because I dont know what these offer. I wish I can somehow try these razors out when they're shave ready but I can't. I have to buy them and hope to always keep it shave ready by luck at first. there are so many to choose from, grinds, sizes, round or spike point, brands, etc that I just dont know. So thats why i'm here trying to find out what most people like and its really different which sucks because I dont have money to just throw out like that. this razor set me back $90.00 and its already a razor I dont care much about anymore.