Shelfing the Shavette

Ok, I've just finished my first shave with a real straight razor, stropping and all. Having become quite adept with the Shavette, I thought I'd list all the things real straights and Shavettes have in common:

The grip

And that's it! :eek:

It was almost like my first time with the Shavette all over again! It tugged and pulled, and I have the worst razor burn I've ever had. The knife did pass the TPT, and it passed the HHT barely. Although it didn't pass the "shave your arm" test (I have super fine hair; the Shavette hardly passes this test on me) I'm confident that it's sharp enough and that I didn't roll the edge when stropping.

Two other things that were different from my normal shaving routine: I prepped with a hot, soaked cloth instead of a hot shower, and for some reason I got the lather way too dry. I suspect this might be due to not soaking the brush long enough.

On the plus side, though: nicking myself with the real razor proved way harder than with the Shavette. There were moments I'd be reaching for the first aid kit if using the Shavette, whereas no blood was drawn using this razor. While this is no excuse to get reckless, it's most certainly one less stressor.

I'm not deterred in any way, shape or form. On the contrary. I will learn how to use the real razor too. The result after one WTG and one XTG pass was comparable to my first, WTG-only shave with the Shavette, so I'm not too displeased at all. :D