Thread: Newbie checking in...

Hey fellas,

Received a Dovo Ebony Silver Steel 5/8 from Vintage Blades for Christmas. Took a crack at my first shave the other day, and I gotta say, it wasn't half bad. My technique sucks, but I know it's a learning process. What I'm curious about is whether or not you really have to switch hands to shave the opposite side of your face? I'm sure I could, but after handling the razor a bunch, I feel like I don't have the control I'd like with my left hand. Kinda like trying to write with the wrong hand is the only explanation I can come up with that makes sense. Ideas? I've been shaving with a DE for awhile, and really enjoy taking the time out for a slow relaxing shave, and I feel like shaving with a straight is going to be a whole new experience for me. Let me know what you think, and I appreciate any advice you might have. Thanks very much, guys.

Cheers!

Samson

welcome to SRPI personally shave with 1 hand too. Don't have any prob getting bbs. I still like to try using my off hand once in a while, but its difficult to do so considering that sombi... is good for nuthin but holding my purse. To get good with using your left is gonns take practice practice practice. Good luck and don't drop it

Welcome, Samson,

There are no rules that say you must shave with both hands. Using my left hand to shave never crossed my mind until I saw SRP and got Lynn's DVD. That's when I decided to try both hands (around Thanksgiving). It was very wierd in the beginning and my left hand is still not as stable as my right, but I shave my left side better with my left hand than my right. Don't give up on your left hand too soon.

Dave

You certainly don’t have to be ambidextrous to shave with a straight razor, but if you have ever wanted to develop that skill, you have come to the right place. It is not as bad as it would seem. I still can’t write left handed but left handed shaving came quite naturally when I forced myself to just do it. Quickly I found that I could get a far superior angle of attack with the blade with one hand or the other, depending on the grain direction of whiskers and the mechanics of how one hand reached some given patch of face. There are situation where the left hand gives me the only clean or cut free option. Now it’s just second nature to use the hand needed. Or if one hand is not getting what I want, the blade magically levitates to the other hand for a (hopefully) superior advantage. I suppose I’d have found ways with the right hand exclusively, a lot of guys do just fine that way. Maybe wait until you have passed the first hill on the learning curve – getting the job done safely with the right hand. Then when you feel confident, try training that other hand. You are righter than you probably know at this point – this is a learning sport. You will have fun.

Is your new blade honed or pre-sharpened before it got to you? Honing puts the killer edge on the blade needed to get a really clean and comfortable shave. Any of the new blades claim to be shave ready out of the box, but few really are unless someone who know what they are doing honed the blade. You just don’t want a less than perfect edge being part of you learning curve. Also, do you have a strop? I am assuming you do, you need it for every shave. It keeps that honed edge as near to perfect as it can be.

hello sampson and welcome to srp and congrats on your first shave you dont have to switch hands when you shave there are several people on here that only use one hand. xman has a great one handed shaving video on here. if you want to use both hands it will come with time just take your time with your non dominate hand, yes it takes some getting used to i started as a one hander myself but learned to two hand it within about a week

Thanks for the encouragement, guys. It's much appreciated. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who balked at switching to my non-dominant hand. Funny thing is, it didn't occur to me until half way through that I might have to switch.

Funny thing about this razor is that I asked for it for Christmas, and requested the prehoned option, but I'm not sure whether it was included. I will be dropping Vintage Blades an email to see if they can't check my order to confirm whether or not it was honed before shipping out to me. I will say, however, that is one sharp blade. Worst case scenario, I send it out to be honed, and rebond with my DE for a week.

So, not knowing too too much about the various configurations available from Dovo, do you think I did well to pick up this particular blade? I was strongly considering a Bergischer-Lowe, but couldn't justify the cost to begin with. Perhaps if I really grow to love shaving with a straight, I'll consider it. Perhaps a Thiers-Issard would be in order at that point, as well.

I can feel the straight razor AD setting in already. :

i think you made a great choice on the razor the 5/8 is a good starter size because it is easier to maneuver and it is full hollow ground and carbon steel so it will make for an easier hone and from what i have read on here dovo seems to have a better qc system than Thiers-Issard. if your razor was honed before you got it it will have a sticker on the box stating your razor was honed by lynn founder of srp. i ordered my first dovo with that option and it shaved great. if your razor was honed by lynn it is probally your technique that needs some work. did you strop it before you used it? if you did there is a possibility you rolled your edge. hope this helped